Page 153 of The Life of Anna, Tenth Anniversary Edition, Act 2

Alex gazed tenderly at his beloved wife, his treasure, sleeping peacefully in his bed. Their bed. He ran his hand down her exposed arm, marveling at how soft her skin was. He caressed her flushed cheek and smoothed her hair back from her face.

Making love to her had not been expected, but had been oh-so welcome. He felt whole again. For the first time since he’d been captured, he felt like himself again. His whole self. They completed each other. It was as simple as that.

She’d fallen asleep over half an hour ago, and all he could do was lay there and watch her sleep, his heart full of love and gratefulness that they were together again. He knew she’d felt the bond restored as he had. He smiled, anticipating seeing her wedding ring back in its proper place very soon.

A soft knock sounded on the door. “Come,” he called softly, hoping he wouldn’t wake Anna.

The door opened and Tony peeked his head in. He grinned when he saw Anna lying there. “Are you going to deal with Jasmine?”

Shit . He’d forgotten about that woman. He chuckled at the idea that she’d heard Anna scream out in passion as she came and then shivered in blissful memory of being inside her body. Oh, he would do that every day for the rest of his life and still not get enough.

“Yes. Is Sebastian here?”

Tony nodded. “He seems pleased.”

“He better be.” Alex sat up. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Tony nodded and closed the door behind him softly. Alex stood and walked to his closet to dress in something other than the wrinkled dress clothes that had been tossed aside earlier. He glanced back at Anna’s small form in his large bed and sighed in contentment.

Only a few more weeks and she would be safe from Devin forever.

Alex walked into the family room and saw Jasmine sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the TV show his guys were watching and laughing at. She glanced up as he walked into the room and started to give him a flirtatious smile, but he frowned and she bit her lip instead.

Sebastian, standing in the back of the room, gave him an amused smile when he walked in. “Feeling better?”

He couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. Having Anna back in his life made him feel like he could take on the world. “Is that a bad thing?”

Sebastian chuckled. “Not at all. She seemed to enjoy herself.”

“These walls aren’t as soundproof as my last house, eh?”

“No. And she’s quite an enthusiastic lover.”

Alex frowned at his friend. “You didn’t... while I was gone, did you?”

“Alex, I wasn’t here, remember? If I could have been here, you would have been freed long before you were.”

“I hate those rules.”

Sebastian shrugged. “I didn’t make them.”

“You slept with his wife?” Jasmine turned around.

Alex smiled. “Yes. In fact...” He motioned around the room. “Most of my men have. Granted, it was before we were married.” He shrugged, knowing Jasmine wouldn’t remember any of it in the morning.

“She really is a slut.”

“What makes you any better?”

She opened her mouth and then closed it, clearly uncertain how to respond. “I’m not a cock tease.”

Alex stared at the woman in disbelief. “You do realize you’re speaking about my wife, right?”

Jasmine shrugged and stood, a seductive glint in her eye. “C’mon, Alex. She can’t be that good.”

Alex stared at her for a moment and then looked around the room. The other men were suppressing laughs, and the amusement struck him and he laughed loudly. “She could make your legs turn weak, and she doesn’t even like being with women all that much.”

Jasmine rolled her eyes. “I doubt it.”

In a shallow moment, Alex wished Anna was awake so he could prove her wrong. “You can’t have been that good, otherwise my brother would have mentioned you.”

“ She couldn’t be that good or else Kurt wouldn’t have come to me.”

“If my brother had slept with her, I would have kicked his ass.” His eyes narrowed. “If I’d known he was so desperate that he slept with you, I would have allowed him to be with Anna.”

“You would have let your brother sleep with your wife?” Jasmine’s eyes were wide.

“I know my brother cares deeply for her, despite his behavior these last few months. He’d asked her to marry him before, but?—?”

“Alex, why are you justifying yourself to her?” Sebastian asked quietly in German. “You do not need to prove anything to her.”

Alex sighed and ran his hands through his hair. The Immortal was right. He was being shallow and foolish. “How should we do this?” he asked in English, wanting to frighten Jasmine before making her forget everything.

Sebastian shrugged and walked toward Jasmine, studying her. “How far do you want to go?”

She stood and backed away. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

“You are a threat to the woman I love,” Alex said in a menacing voice. “I will not allow any harm to come to Anna.”

Jasmine’s face turned pale. “I wouldn’t really do anything to her,” she squeaked.

“I won’t take your word for it.” Alex growled and Jasmine jumped.

“Please don’t kill me!”

Alex laughed. “You haven’t done anything to deserve that. Yet.” His anger bubbled to the surface. “And you will not be allowed to reach that point.”

He glanced at Sebastian. They were going to erase all memories of Devin and, hopefully, the process would make her more pleasant to be around. He was glad Sebastian was here. The last thing he wanted to do was fry her mind.