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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

~ Origin unknown

Saros

Em had more bruises on him than when I’d last seen him on FaceTime, and Ramsey was going to pay for that, but right now Em needed me. Ramsey, Shyla, and RJ could stew for a bit.

“Secure them. I’ll be down later,” I told Cosmo.

No one questioned me—they all understood. My sole priority was Em. I looked over at Andre as we exited the van on my estate.

“Your father is on his way; he’s flying in. Please make yourself at home here. Dafni, my sister, will show you to a room you can get cleaned up in and changed. There’s food, whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” He jerked his chin at Em. “He believed you’d come for us the whole time.”

I smiled. “Nothing was stopping me.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Dafni came out after and while she was obviously concerned for Em, she helped Andre like I’d asked. Ramsey and Shyla were brought in from the other side of the estate, away from prying eyes. I carried Em through the house. A few people appeared notably curious with how I was dressed and Em’s current state, but never asking. Up the stairs and to my room where I kicked my door closed and sat on my bed, Em still in my arms.

“How about a shower?” I rubbed his back. He had to want to get washed up, and I very much wanted to examine every inch of him.

“I don’t want to let go.”

I laughed softly. “Just for a minute. Then I’ll take a shower with you, how’s that sound?”

He nodded against my shoulder and pushed away. His face had a few bruises on it. One by his mouth was new, and the side of his head was matted with blood.

“What happened?”

“I provoked him.” He shrugged.

“He’ll pay for this.”

“I’m okay. I’ve had worse.”

While Em thought he was comforting me by saying that, he was in fact not. It only angered me more, and I wanted to storm to the basement and start removing limbs from Ramsey.

“Shower,” I said instead.

He followed me in and I undressed him first, noting every cut, bruise, blemish, all of it. Once I too was sans clothes, I turned on the shower and waited for it to get hot, then guided him in with me.

He was silent as I washed his body, kissing every mark his father had left behind. When I got to his head I was careful; a small bump had formed where the matted hair was. He hummed peacefully as I made sure it was all washed down the drain.

“I’m going to get some ice brought up here and painkillers.” I shut the water off and grabbed a fluffy towel to wrap him in.

“I know you need to go deal with Ramsey. It’s okay, I und?—”

“Oh, I’m not leaving you. Ramsey can wait; you can’t. Come on.”

His small smile was all I needed to see to know he didn’t want me walking out of this room. He dressed in comfortable clothes. I called for the ice, pills, and some food.

“Hop in bed.”

He did, and soon I joined him. “Feeling any better?”

“Yeah. I knew you’d come.”

“I heard. Andre told me.”

He didn’t say anything right away. “Ramsey told Andre his dad must have loved him a whole lot but never said why. Do you know?”

“Ramsey took Andre to force the governor to announce he wasn’t seeking re-election. Once the news went out, Ramsey was going to announce he was running and the governor would endorse him.”

“That would take a lot of time; he was going to hold Andre that entire time?”

I snorted. “That’s what we thought at first but no, he was going to claim to be the person who found and rescued him, gaining him public approval. Add the governor’s endorsement, and he’d win and be the new governor.”

“I’m surprised he came up with all of that. There was a lot that could go wrong with that plan, though.”

I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Yeah, namely me.”

“You got the governor to trust you to get his son?”

I brushed his hair out of his eyes and rested my hand on his cheek. “I like the governor; we have a good relationship. It’s a power dynamic that works for me. I got a message to him that I could help. He called, I explained.”

“How’d you know where I was? Ramsey was tracking my cell phone, I’m an idiot for keeping it.”

I too hadn’t thought about that but still, Ramsey had known Em was with me.

“You’re not an idiot, but Ramsey is. He trusted Lionel Cummings. He hired him to track and grab Andre. So, he knew exactly where Andre was. He owed me a favor or ten and he’d gotten his money from Ramsey, and I guaranteed no one would find out he’d told me.”

“Wow, you’re incredible.” He moved closer, and it still didn’t feel close enough. “I want you.”

“Baby, you’ve been through a lot. You need food and rest.”

“I need you.”

Then a knock on the door had Em growling in frustration, and I laughed. “Come in.”

Martha rolled in a cart of food. “Oh, sweet boy, I’m so glad you’re home. I have some fresh bread, made a stew too. Something nice and hearty.”

He sat up and of course smiled at Martha, because how could you not? “Thank you, Martha.”

“Now you two eat up. Leave the cart outside the door.” She winked and left the bedroom.

“See.” Em gestured to where Martha left. “The wink, the universal sign for knowing what is up.”

“Is that right?” I got out of bed and grabbed our plates and the pills. I left the ice for now so he could eat.

“Yes.”

I handed him the pills, and waited for him to take them, then set his food down and sat across from him on the bed with my own. We ate in silence, and every few seconds Em glanced at me with a mischievous glimmer in his eye. Aside from the bruising, you wouldn’t know all he’d been through.

“You’re a minx,” I said after we were done. I placed our dirty dishes on the cart and rolled it to the hallway.

“Your minx.” There was a vulnerability to his statement.

I stalked over to him, and once I reached the bed, I crawled over to him until I was completely hovering.

“You’re mine completely.”

His face brightened, and he wrapped his arms around my neck. “And you’re mine.”

“One hundred percent.”

He pulled me close, and I went gladly. I could get lost in Em. His tongue slid beside mine, and I felt how hard he was when I gently rested atop him.

“ Mmm , more,” he begged so prettily.

“Are you sure?”

“Never been more sure, Saros. I want you, please.”

Stripping Em was like unwrapping a present I’d been dying to get. Each sliver of skin that appeared, I kissed or licked. By the time we were naked, I was desperate to be inside him.

I took the lube out of the nightstand and placed it beside him. He tried to sit up, but I gently pushed him down.

“You lie back, and let me love on you, Em. I want you just as badly as you want me. I won’t hurt you, so this happens only if you do it my way.”

He reached up and cupped my cheek. “Okay.”

I kissed along his chest, licking lightly over his navel, earning a chuckle. I pushed his legs open and buried my face in the crease between his cock and thigh. This was my oxygen, my life.

“You’re killing me.”

I laughed and slipped his dick into my mouth, holding him in place when he arched up. I sucked him until both of us almost came undone. I reached for the lube, poured it on my fingers, and tenderly pushed one in his hole, loving how he moaned and begged for more.

“I got you,” I whispered against his lips as I added more, pumping into him. Precome dripped from his hard cock, and he shook with the need to come.

I removed my fingers, slathered up my dick, and finally pushed inside him. His eyes locked with mine, his legs wrapped around my waist as he chased his orgasm. I pushed, he pulled, and then we were both coming.

I rolled over to my side, dragging Em with me. He latched on like a starfish, and we stayed that way until our heartbeats calmed.

“I love you.” He sighed as he rested on my chest.

“And I love you.”