Page 34 of Scream (Duchess & Devils #1)

"Feel what you do to me, wife. From the moment I saw you and knew you were to be mine; I have been like this.

I think of you as soon as I wake up, throughout my day, before I sleep and even then, I'm haunted by nothing but images of you," I take advantage of her lips being parted and bend down, lowering my lips to hers, but not kissing.

Not devouring the way I should be. "And I have to fist my cock and come with your name on my lips, so I can concentrate, only for my thoughts to come back to you.

Always you, Cara Mia. I love that you haunt me every second of every day.

Morning, noon, and night. I get no peace.

Not even in my dreams. Every glimpse of you is nothing short of paradise, Raggio. " Ray .

"Don't call me that. I'm anything but a ray of fucking sunshine. I haven’t been light or bright or sunshine-y in a very long time.

" She replies, her breath mingling with mine, but I know my time of being able to hold her like this is coming to an end, and I swear she's fighting not to squeeze my cock, her fingers twitch and I let out a small groan.

"You may no longer be the sun, Duchess, but you are the sliver of moonlight old sailors prayed for to guide them through dark, treacherous waters. And that's greater to the ones you impact than you could ever imagine."

With that I let her go. "There is no evading nor avoiding me, Little Moonbeam . You and I are bound . Understand that now. Pack your shit. You’re coming home with me. End of discussion. You are my wife; you reside with me.”

“No.” she says firmly.

“I’m not fucking around, Sabrina.” I growl, hoping it doesn't sound as exasperated as I feel.

“Neither am I, Maksim. I want to stay here for the weekend. Please. I need to get away from that desolate, arctic penthouse and breathe in my space. I know you don’t understand, but I can’t breathe properly there.

I can’t sleep properly there. I’m dying there, Maksim.

So please . Give me one weekend of respite. I’ll come back. I swear.”

Dying there. She's been giving me life with mere glimpses of her, and she's been dying . Guilt hits me, souring my mood further. I know I don’t spend enough time with her at home and I need to change that.

“When?” I growl.

“S-Sunday night,” she stammers quietly, green eyes wide and pleading.

So I relent. “Fine.”

Then I leave, impatiently waiting for Sunday – for my wife to come home to me. With one thought on my mind: by then, I’ll only have three hundred and forty-one days to make my wife fall in love with me.

Niko walks into my office wearing his usual black on black suit and tie, holding a manilla file with Sasha – my enforcer – following behind him.

They close the door and sit in front of my desk in the new suede wingback chairs I had Jonny order, getting rid of the leather ones in case Sabrina ever comes here, so she'll be comfortable when she sits.

I immediately stand, grab three tumblers from my personal bar, and pour us a shot of SokoloVodka.

It's Sunday morning now, day three hundred and forty-one.

Too soon I'll be going to my empty, too quiet penthouse to rest. I would've been there sooner, but I have to fix payroll for the fight last night.

Usually Jonny's on this, but his mother is older and needs help at times, so I let him go home early to be with her.

Besides, I don't exactly know what time my wife will be home, only that she said she'll be home tonight.

I hand my men their drinks and sit back down. “So, what do you have for me?”

“Harley's real name is Emilia Fontaine. Foster runaway at sixteen.

She's eighteen now. She was caught a few times sleeping under a few bridges by one Officer Ryan Donahue.

No arrests. No drugs. But… I watched a few old recordings from his body cam footages and uh…

seems he never drove Miss Harley to a shelter, and none of the women's shelters around here know her. By her real name or by Harley.”

I take a sip of the vodka. “What do you mean?”

“Body cam footage shows Donahue picking her up… but it cuts off once they get in the cruiser - doesn't show him taking her anywhere.”

“You think he took her home?” I ask.

Sasha shrugs his heavy shoulders. He's an older guy but still fit as fuck. I should know, I train with him.

“This is a displeasure. I knew Donahue was a dirty motherfucker.

I just didn't think he was that dirty.” I sigh.

“Niko,” I shift my gaze to his. “Have Aleks dig into Donahue a little further. See if he can somehow hack into his phone or his home computer. If we can find anything on him with underage girls, I want to know. Extortion is the best thing we have, but if he steps foot in here, do me a favor and escort him to the Lower Level immediately.”

“Alright.” He says, dipping his chin but they don't get up to leave.

“What else do you have for me?”

“Raven Monroe.”

“Sabrina's friend?” I ask, a little confused.

Niko frowns with a wince, hesitating a bit.

“Did you know she was the girl on the RMU campus that went missing, only to be found three days later by the custodian shoved into her locker with a broken leg?” He scrubs his hand down his face, then shakes his head, looking like he's gonna be sick. “Khristos, what they did to that girl…”

I blink rapidly, trying to remember, but all I hear is my wife’s words coming back to me like an echo. “She went through something horrendous…”

“Boss,” Niko runs his fingers through his shaggy brown hair, but it falls forward.

He hands me the manilla folder and clears his throat.

“ She was thrown into Lorne Wood Falls’ Mental Institution until her twenty-fourth birthday.

She just got out. Went back to Rayne-Moore for a semester and transferred out to Juilliard for the Spring. ”

My mind shifts to what Niko said on my wedding day. “There hasn't been a death on campus since that kid died in December.”

“Spit it out, Niko.”

He lifts his brows and then points to the file with a large finger.

“We had to dig a lot deeper, but I think that file will speak for itself, Boss.

I'd feel bad for the girl… but it turns out she's a total fucking badass.

I wouldn't worry about her relationship with your wife.

On the contrary... I think I'd encourage it.

There's something about a woman that makes ballsy moves like that in complete and utter silence. Those three men of hers know exactly what they got. Fucking gold .”

I let out a sigh and lean back in my chair, holding onto the arm rests. But, feeling restless, I scrub my hand down my face. “Sasha, leave us. Go home to your wife.”

“Okey, Boss. Do svidaniya.” Goodbye .

Once the door closes behind Sasha, I look over at the man I've known since I was fourteen – the man I made my second as soon as my father handed me the crown. “You don't think their relationship is… messy?”

His expression turns a little confused. “Sexually, no.

I think it's hot. I've shared a few women with other men, and torturing them with orgasms is always fun.

Now, emotionally, I think it works for them.

They treasure her, and she looks at them like they hung every star, planet and each of their moons as well.

They aren't hurting anyone… Well, not anymore.

But their relationship doesn't offend me.

If I'm honest, they look incredibly happy. I'm a little jealous.”

“Would you… enter a relationship like that?”

“In this life? In our world? If it meant my woman had extra protection - hell yeah.

This world we live in, it's a fucking disaster, Maksim.

I think if you find love, good love, you gotta do what you can to protect it.

So what if you share her? This world is changing every day.

Besides, it's no one else's business but your own what you do behind closed doors.”

I look at my vodka then back at the man I've known for twenty years, the man I consider closer to me than my own cousin, then back to my thumb on my tumbler. “My wife-”

“The bodyguard. Parker Savage.”

I snap my eyes back to his.

“Can I speak freely as a friend and not your employee?”

“Da.” Yes .

“That man... He's lethal , Maks. We looked into him, too.

Those two tours he did in the Middle East?

He's lucky all he walked away with was a scar down his face and a few burns on his leg and back. It sucks, but I respect the fuck out of him,” he sighs and leans forward, putting his elbows on his knees, then shakes his head.

“She was right to keep him on as her detail.

And I'm sorry to say this, but you could see how much he cares for her from the moon.

That guy has the literal map to your wife's heart.

His only soft spot is her. But his need to protect her is stronger.

Especially now that she's married to you.

So if… something were to happen… I would understand it.

But again, it's not my business.” He finishes and downs the rest of his vodka only to stand up and fix his coat. “You need me for anything else?”

I shake my head. “Go home. Get some sleep. I'm about to do the same.”

“Sure thing. Need a ride?”

“Yeah, let's go.”

“Don't forget your laptop.” He reminds me.

“Got it.”

“And the folder. You'll want to see what's on that file.”

I make a quick turn and grab the file. Seems like I got homework to do.“You need a haircut.”

“You need a shave.”

“Your left hook is weak.” I quip.

“Yeah, well… your shirt doesn’t match your tie. You get dressed in the dark, Boss ?”

“You’re annoying.” I retort.

“And you still look like you got dressed in the dark.”