“Dex,” I say gently, sitting up onto the edge of the bed and opening my arms to him. After some food, a shower, time with my kids, and antiseptic lotion on my raw wrists, I’m feeling human again.
After being fussed over by the women, some of them even breaking down in tears, it feels good to just be at home with Dex and the kids. They’re now fast asleep, leaving Dex and me to talk about everything that happened. We try not to go to bed angry, or when there are unresolved feelings between us. And after what just happened? Yeah—we need to have a long chat. He drops to his knees and rests his head on my chest, his arms wrapped around me tightly like he never wants to let go, and I never want him to. We stay like that for a few moments in peaceful silence, until he finally speaks.
“Why did you shoot him?” he asks.
“I didn’t want you to have it on your conscience.”
“But it’s okay that it’s now on yours?”
I kiss his stubbled cheek. “He’s not my brother.”
“He’s your ex-boyfriend,” he reminds me, as if I’ve forgotten.
“I know, but that feels like a lifetime ago. When I saw him, I only thought of him as your brother. Besides, it’s not like I killed him.”
I was going to, not going to lie. But I didn’t deliver a kill shot in the end; I moved the gun lower, away from his head, and got him in the chest.
“I saw you lower the gun at the last second,” he admits.
“And?” I ask, wondering if I made the right call. What will happen to Eric now? Is he just going to come back and try to kill Dex again? Because then we may as well have just put him out of his misery. I don’t want to deal with something like this again. I don’t want to have to watch our backs, even though that’s ingrained in us already. The Kings are leaving town, so that neutralizes one threat. Eric is all that’s left.
“And I’m glad you made the call so I didn’t have to,” he admits, sighing. “I’d have killed him, Faye, and I don’t know how I’d have lived with that for the rest of my life. He may be a fuckin’ disgrace, but I keep thinking about what Mom would think if she knew. She’d be turning in her grave.”
“What’s going to happen with Eric now?” I ask, considering he was left in the warehouse, injured. He was definitely in need of medical attention. “Maybe he’ll leave with the Kings, but if he does, then he’ll definitely be back one day, Dex. You know that, right? And next time we might not be so lucky. He’s no match for us, but never underestimate the power of hate. It’s a strong emotion. It will tear him up inside until he’s desperate and will stop at nothing until he destroys you.”
“I’ll handle it somehow,” he says, lifting his head and kissing my lips.
“The worst thing is, he didn’t even give me anything to eat. Like, how fucking mean! He knows how much I love food, and the least he could have done is—”
He cuts off my ridiculous rant with his mouth on mine, pushing me back on the bed, his weight on top of me. The kiss deepens, his tongue against mine, my hands running down his bare back. My fingers run over his dragon tattoo. I can feel the slightly raised indents from the ink. His kiss is passionate and hungry. I can’t get close enough to him; I want him to be inside me.
“Dex,” I whisper against his lips, moaning as he moves his head down and gently bites a nipple through my T-shirt. “I want my skin against yours.”
He moves back and pulls me up, lifting off my T-shirt. I’m not wearing a bra, and the cool air hits my chest. Dex leans me back on the mattress, his chest pressed against my breasts, my nipples pebbling like they recognize him. I look into his beautiful blue eyes, and what I see there has me feeling like the luckiest woman on the planet. He loves me, like he said, more than himself. I’m a part of him. I’m his world. He only has eyes for me. How lucky I am to have such loyalty, not just from him, but from everyone in the club. Yes, I was kidnapped, held at gunpoint. Slapped across the face. But I knew the whole time that people were coming for me. I had no doubt. There are other people who don’t have anyone coming for them in any situation, people who only have themselves to rely on. Yes, they probably have a less likely chance of being kidnapped, but they don’t have an entire club running to their defense either.
“Hey,” Dex says, kissing my neck. “Stop thinking so much. You’re here. You’re safe. I’d have gone to hell and back to save you, Faye. Now let me fuck you, because I need to be inside you more than anything.”
“I love you, Dex.”
He looks up from between my breasts. “I love you too, fairy.”
I lay my head back, flat against the bed, close my eyes and smile.
Time to stop thinking, and feel.
ELEVEN
Faye
“HOW are your wrists feeling?” Dex asks, rubbing them gently.
“They’re okay,” I reply, snuggling up to him. “I’m fine, Dex. You don’t have to keep looking at me like I’m going to explode at any minute.”
He touches my lip, which is now barely noticeable, just a cut. “Fuckin’ bastard.”
“Dead bastard,” I remind him.
He nods, absently running his fingers down my bare back. “Yeah, he whispered something to him, looked him in the eye, and pulled the trigger.”
“Talon is savage,” I say, eyes going wide. “He’s pretty ruthless, hey?”