Sophia
I watch Micah’s stiff back as he steps out of the room. Everything between us is so tense all the time. It’s as if every time we try to keep things comfortable, it ends up turning into a disaster. Sometimes I glimpse at him and see something that tells me he’s feeling something for me. But other times, all I see is a cold stranger, and it infuriates me. He was so sweet, holding me in his arms as he washed my back and comforted me. Then he ruins it over a simple question about his tattoos.
Leaning back on the lip of the tub, I close my eyes and enjoy the warmth of the water. Unfortunately, the relaxation doesn’t last long because as soon as I close my eyes, my mind wanders back to the gas station. All I can think about is the clerk’s lifeless eyes, and nausea churn
Micah I can feel her soft breath on my naked chest and the tilt of her leg over my waist. She feels so good in my arms; it’s almost maddening. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she appeared in the living room, looking lost. She looked ethereal in her flimsy nightgown and her long corn-silk hair pouring down her back. I knew I should have just let her be, but her loneliness called to me. I looked around to see where I tossed my shirt, but it was too dark. So I sat there and observed her dejected posture for a moment until I couldn’t take it anymore. Rising from my comfortable perch, I grabbed my whiskey and stood behind her. I didn’t expect to lie with her and feel her tiny hands caressing my chest. But I didn’t want it to end. It just felt right. Eventually, her breathing evened out, and her hand stilled. I lay awake for another hour to make s
Sophia He kissed me. I think to myself as I stand in front of the door like a lost puppy. I could tell that he was alarmed by what he did. All I can think is that the kiss was some kind of knee-jerk reaction. Like a kiss, a man gives to his wife before he walks out the door. Perhaps he has kissed someone like that before, and for a moment, forgot where he was and who he was kissing. Which depresses me more than I thought. He was so sweet last night when he set me next to him and stroked my back so gently. Being beside him really did chase the nightmares away. I wanted to stay in his arms forever. But I know that all of this is just kindness. Micah and I have never had a problem being affectionate toward each other. From day one, he was accepting of my dad and me. He would always be affection
Micah This is not how I expected the day to go. It’s crazy how one person can change things in a blink of an eye? It doesn’t take me long to get to the rendezvous point. We’re in a small park near the Cast Iron building just a mile from Times Square. Maya is sitting on a bench across the playground, observing all of the kids playing. It’s not difficult to spot her golden hair and severe-looking suit. She screams businesswoman. “Maya,” I say with a polite smile as I take a seat next to her. She returns my smile and leans an arm over the bench’s back. “You’re late, Savage.” I roll my eyes and gesture to the street. “There was a lot of traffic.” She shrugs and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, sure.” I wait for her to continue, but
Sophia My body heats with pleasure at the feel of the firm male body wrapped around me. I’ve never felt so possessed and protected in my life. I cuddle close to the warmth, listening to his soft breathing and open my eyes slowly. That’s when awareness of my surroundings sets in. I definitely don’t remember falling asleep with anyone else. Inhaling nervously, I look down at the arm resting on my waist. The arm is decorated with several tattoos. It’s most definitely not Darren that I’m lying with. My heart speeds up when recognition strikes me. It’s Micah. I’m in Micah’s bed and in his arms. I blink my eyes, trying to get my thoughts together. Looking around in consternation, I try to remember what I did last night. There’s no way that I snuck into his bedroom last night. The last thing I remember is sitting on the couch to wait for
Micah I watch Sophia’s golden hair flutter around her as she disappears into the crowd. I know that I should run after her, but I don’t know what to say. What I really want to do is go into Darren’s building and beat the crap out of him until he’s hurting as badly as Sophia. Fortunately for him, Hunter calls me a moment later and distracts me from my homicidal thoughts. Lifting the phone to my ear, I walk back to my car and answer. “What do you need, Hunter?” Hunter answers quickly. “Hey, Savage. Priest wanted to know if you could stop by today. It’s about what we talked about yesterday.” I take a deep breath and give the building one last look before I reply. “Yeah, sure. I’m on my way.” As I make my way to Priest’s garage, I can’t get Sophia out of
Sophia I observe Micah’s sleeping form and run my hands across his chest, feeling the tautness of his sinewy skin beneath my fingers. He looks even more rugged in his sleep. His long lashes rest becomingly over his carved cheekbones. His lips are plump and firm, and his body is etched with firm muscle and sinew. Rising up to straddle his waist, I rest my hands on his tattooed shoulders, grind my hips over his engorged cock, and slide my wet heat around him. Micah groans in his sleep when I slide my tight, velvety pussy up and down his stiff shaft and groan as pleasurable waves of heat crawl up my spine. A hiss escapes my lips as the friction his hardness creates a blazing fire inside of me. Micah’s hands wrap around my waist, and his lusty eyes open with pleasure as the heady sensations my tight walls create rush through his body.&
Micah I can’t help feeling unsettled as I watch Sophia walk toward her friend’s sweet shop. I want to kiss her so badly, but she’s as cold as ice. I wish I could rewind back to earlier in the morning when we were naked in bed. But I had to open my mouth and ruin it again. I know I should have given her some reassurance, and it kills me that I couldn’t. Whenever I think about confessing my feelings, my mind veers off to Kazik and the Confradia. I just don’t know how she fits in the intricate web that is my life. I wonder how Sophia would handle knowing that I kill people for a living. A tremor rushes up my spine at the thought of her horrified face. We would definitely not be together then. She’d never let me touch her if she knew. And the sex was incredible. Better than any sexual experience I’ve ever had in my life. And that scares me.
Sophia My body flushes, and my swollen lips tingle as I watch Micah drive away. I don’t know what to make of his parting kiss. The man just confuses me beyond my control. There is no doubt that having sex with him last night was beyond my expectations. But every time he opens his mouth, I either want to punch him or kiss him. There’s no doubt that he cares about me. Maybe more than he’d probably admit to himself. No man who just wants sex would have acted so possessively toward me. Turning back to the shop, I step into the door and call out to Maleah. “Maleah! I’m here!” I can’t help but feel bad for her when Maleah comes out of the back, looking pale. I’m sure her eyes are sunken beneath her sunglasses. She steps forward with a sad grimace on her face
Sophia I pose in front of the mirror and admire my wedding dress. After putting my best friends through the bridal shop gauntlet, I found the gown of my dreams. Tears gather in my eyes as happiness bursts in my heart. I’m finally with the man that I love. My best friends, Sage and Maleah, lounge on the couch behind me and raise their glasses of wine. “That’s the one. Micah is going to be psyched when he sees you in it.” I turn to my friends and smile. “I can’t wait for him to see me in it.” Maleah pushes her dark hair b
Micah I pat Tate in the back as my mother sits anxiously for the door to open. Ms. Smith, the social worker, gives her a reassuring smile and looks down the empty hallway of the state home’s foster care section. Sophia sits next to my mother and pats her hand. “I’m so excited for you and dad, Chelsea. You’re going to change a kid’s life.” I nod my head. If only Chelsea and Tate knew how much they are going to change this girl’s life. April is the little girl that I saved from the farm. I knew the moment that mom and Tate told us about wanting to adopt a child that April would fit right it. From the moment I met the little girl, I had this strange sense that I’d meet her again. Not j
EpilogueMicah Life has been great with Sophia. I never thought I’d be happier than we are now. It has been nearly a year since we got married. So much has happened with the Confradia and my friends. The one thorn in my side is that even though I promised myself that I would kill Willem— the bastard is still alive. To the other men and my consternation, Willem became quite the font of information for the Confradia. We were able to find some of our most wanted and stall a worldwide massacre because of him. Which is to say that we’re not aware that he has an underlying agenda. The Confradia has placed the bastard in a very top secret place where no one can reach him. We’ve tried to find h
Micah Her heels click on the hardwood floor as I lead her into our elevator and push her lightly against a nearby wall. “It looks like my new husband is feeling needy right now.” She whispers as she wraps her arms around my neck and connects her lips to mine. “You don’t know the half of it, Mrs. St. Clair.” Sophia giggles as my arms wrap around her waist and run my fingers over her beautiful silk wedding dress. Sophia and I opted to have a small wedding ceremony too. But unlike Jade and Gideon, we got married in a small fieldhouse near the Central Park Carousel. There was no question about it being there, considering how much Sophia loves the place. All of our friends came and our parents. The girls were Sophia’s bridesmaids and dressed in various out
Sophia The wedding is perfect. I can hear the hum of the ocean waves off in the distance and the rustle of the palm trees as we stand under a white canopy and watch the happy couple recite their vows. The sun gleams down on our bodies like a warm blanket, and the salty, coconut scent of the ocean breeze envelopes all of my senses. My hair flows wildly around my shoulders, and my blue halter dress rustles under the wind as I dig my bare toes into the soft, warm sand. Jade and Gideon both gaze upon each other’s eyes with all of the love and devotion they feel written clearly in their expressions. Jade’s beautiful white dress is simple yet elegant in its design. The girls and I helped her plan the wedding. Unfortunately, some of our friends couldn’t make it. Sage and Ivy stayed behind
Micah “Sophia Drake!” I watched proudly as my beautiful girlfriend walked down the auditorium stairs with her diploma in hand. My mother and Tate both cheered happily, waving their arms out excitedly. Sophia smiled and waved. True to her word, she slept in my arms last night, after some heavy kissing and petting, of course. It was a bit frustrating, but it beats not being with her at all. After waking up in each other’s arms this morning, we decided that we weren’t going to tell our parents about the kidnapping at all. We worry that our parents will freak out, and it’s pointless since she’s safe. It was an incredible morning for both of us. I woke up before she did and decided to wake her up with breakfast in bed. I was gladdened to
Sophia It has been five weeks since Micah ended our brief relationship. I don’t even know how I got to the dorms that day. Thankfully, my roommate was part of a foreign exchange program, so I could lick my wounds in private. I simply crawled into my small bed and bawled until I fell into an exhausted heap. Unfortunately, the next day was not as easy, especially since my father called me about helping me move into Micah’s place. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that Micah and I were over—especially considering that days before, we convinced our parents that we were in love. I ended up telling him that I didn’t need his help because some of my friends volunteered to help me. He seemed to buy the excuse fairly well. He also offered to let me keep his car for the move. I didn’t argue. I simply thanked him and made up some kind of excuse to hang up th
Micah My mind whirls with doubts as I sit on my bed, with my elbows on my knees, and listen to the muffled spray of the shower behind the bathroom door. My body aches painfully from the beating it took on the motorcycle. Thankfully, I was wearing protective gear, so I wasn’t hurt too badly. However, I did catch a grace on my thigh, and my chest and shoulders are bruised from the bullets hitting the vest. I took a quick shower in the guest room earlier, giving Sophia time to wash up. Sophia told me about her kidnapping after we took Ivy home. I can’t believe that Maya betrayed me that way. She must have found so much pleasure in telling Willem about Sophia and me. Too bad she didn’t bank on Willem’s easy dismissal of her life. Now, I have to think about Sophia and how to keep h
Sophia Okay, girl, calm down. I think to myself as I gaze into the dark interior of the crate. Another noise makes me stiffen in alarm. I blink my eyes, trying to adjust my vision. “Hello?” I whisper warily as I lean on the side of the crate and use it to guide me forward. “Is anyone here?” I ask, feeling my heart speed up with panic when the sound of rustling echoes in the darkness. I’m about to call out again when I feel a hand clamp down on my wrist. I cry out in fear and pull at my arms but quickly calm when a soft female voice penetrates my panic. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I was brought here against my will too.” The sound of my heavy breathing meets my ears as I stiffen my shoulders and focus my eyes on