“I can accept that as long as you promise that she won’t end up like Maya .”I jerked up and bent over the table, grasping him by the throat and shoving him back against the bench. His face turned red, but he held my gaze. “Careful, Christian. In this city, my word is law. The protection of your father, and even that is limited, ends at the borders of Baltimore.”“I don’t need Jaxon’s protection or I wouldn’t be here, working under you,” he pressed out. “Ayla is my little sister. I’m going to try to protect her as well as I can.”I tightened my fingers on his throat. “Ayla is safe with me. She doesn’t need your protection.” I released him and sat back, pushing my tie back under my vest and smoothing my jacket.Christian massaged his throat. “No wonder that Luca likes you so much. You and him have very similar tics.”“The bikers are planning something. Look what they did in New Jersey and New York. We’ll have to keep an eye on them.”“I’m doing that. It’s not easy to establish contact
“I don’t see what we need to talk about.”She stomped toward me, stopping so close that the strawberry scent flooded my nose again. “A lot. I want this marriage to work, but that won’t happen if we don’t spend time together. Do you usually come home this late?”“Yes, frequently. I’m Underboss, Ayla.”“Jaxon’s Underboss and so are many of my uncles, and trust me, they have more than enough time to waste on golf courses or on top of their mistresses.”A laugh wedged itself in my throat, but I suppressed it. “My work ethic is very different from theirs.”“As your wife I have a right to make demands so this marriage can work, and I’m asking you to be home for dinner so the kids and I can spend time with you.”My anger rose again, even as a small part of me was pleased that she wanted to spend time with me. “This marriage is one of convenience.”Ayla’s eyes flashed anger. “I suppose it’s very convenient for you to have me as your nanny and for your personal pleasure without the burden of h
I frowned until I realized what he meant, and then I could have wept from relief. He pushed up on his palms, and I lowered my legs from his back. Looking down at his body, he brushed his fingers over his lower abs glistening with my lust for him. Then he brought them to his lips. “As sweet as I remember. Perfect.”I could only agree. But I meant the sight of him, of this strong muscled man peering down at my body as if it was a revelation.He moved down until his face hovered right over my intimate part. Last time, it had made me feel insecure because I hadn’t known what to expect. Now it made me feel nervous for another reason. “What if I don’t… come again?” The last two words were whispered. Jaxon had spent fifteen minutes between my legs on our wedding night, and while it had been pleasurable, I hadn’t been close to orgasm.He lowered himself to his elbows then slid his palms under my thighs. Tearing his eyes away from my center, he looked at me, and the hunger on his face alone al
I clenched at the intrusion, even as my body begged for more. Watching me, Jaxon licked his thumb and began to stroke my body with it. Round and round his finger swirled, tugging at that knot inside my core. Without thinking, I grabbed his firm ass, feeling it flex with every thrust. his hips parting from me for him, his abs tensing, and the harsh lust on his gorgeous face blasted my knot to shreds. I cried out as pleasure radiated through me with a force that had me clench so tightly that Jaxon exhaled sharply from my grip on him. He slammed harder into me as I sunk my nails into his backside, lifting my hips almost frantically to meet his thrusts. Jaxon gripped my hips in a bruising hold, jerking me faster against him until the slapping of our bodies and his grunts filled the room as he pounded into me. Soreness thrummed through me, battling with the low hum of pleasure.Jaxon fell forward, bracing himself on one elbow. He gripped my leg, pushed it up, and drove harder into me.
I lay awake long after Ayla had fallen asleep, curled up on her side, facing me. This time she’d accepted it quietly when I’d pulled back after sex to sleep. I could still feel her warmth, smell her sweet scent, sense her closeness, and briefly, I considered pulling her toward me. Instead I stared up into the dark. Ayla surprised me again today, in more regards than one. She was stubborn and kind. She stood up for herself without being bitchy.And the sex… that had caught me completely off guard. I’d expected her to avoid the physical aspect of our marriage as long as possible until I eventually approached her because my desire couldn’t be suppressed anymore. I didn’t want to cheat, and I wouldn’t. The mess with Maya … it had ruined everything. I didn’t want something like that to happen again and it wouldn’t.I would not allow it.I didn’t know Ayla, and she didn’t know me, but in bed, we worked well together. When she’d finally come for the first time, it was the sweetest triumph
AYLAI walked through the long corridor of the hospital, my steps tired, my shoulders were drooped in exhaustion and my face held worry unconcealed. I hated hospitals but I had to be here, for her sake. She was family. My family and a little girl. She did not deserve to be alone.I had just returned from work and had come down here as soon as I had finished for the day. I opened the door to the room she was put in, I watched her small frame lying on the bed, ridden by tubes and IVs.Oh, Hailey. Tears blurred my vision.I walked quietly and took my position by her side, holding her still hands. “Hello, Hailey.”The steady beeping of her heart was the only response I got. The evidence that she was still alive. Barely.My eyes trailed the lines of transparent wires infused into her skin, the liquid treatment trickling from the bag that held the drug into her veins. “Please find a way to fight this, Hailey. Please come back to us alive. Come back to me alive.”I paused to comport myself,
“I’ll need you both to deliver coffee and a box of doughnuts to the staff at XM company.” Our manager at the café where I was working ordered Kimberly and I. Kim was my friend at work and she was more experienced than I was because she’d been working here before me. “Okay sir.” We made to leave when the manager called back Kim, I waited for her at the entrance of the door. “I’ll need you to personally get this cup of coffee to the CEO himself. Understood?” I heard him tell Kim.“No problem sir.” She replied and we both went to get on with our delivery.It was my first time taking a delivery to the XM company. The biggest company in the country. We had gotten there and began our delivery. Kim had her hands filled with delivery, I tried to help out.“Ayla.” She called.“Hm.” I looked up from the cups of coffee I was about to go deliver to some of the staff in the company. The building was a massive one and I needed the tip.I had to find a way to pay Hailey’s hospital bills. Her paren
I stepped into the house that was supposed to be my new home. The driver that had come to get me and my belongings from my house was helping me unload my things from the car and into the house that I was going to be staying in for possibly the rest of my life.After I had gone to see the doctor, he had been bluntly honest and explained how critical Hailey’s situation was and if something was not done to alleviate her sickness, she would most likely die. Hailey was diagnosed with leukemia, and she was at that stage where it was eating deep into her system and killing her slowly. She needed urgent surgery to bring her out of the pain she was experiencing, and this was the only way. I had no idea who I was married to. I knew of the CEO of XM company but I had never met with him before. They had only brought papers for me to sign, a legal binding agreement to be his wife. I could not forget the nerves that wrecked my system as I put down my signature on that paper, practically selling my