Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Ethan’s jaw clenched, ticcing a wild beat. But he didn’t interrupt.
“You wanted to make us take notice? Make us listen?” Bane got up and crossed over to Debra’s body, completely ignoring the guns that flew up to follow him.
Taking the drive from her pocket, Bane put it on the table, took off his shoe, and smashed it.
“We’re listening,” he announced over my bug-eyed shock, and his mother’s proud smile. “No more threats. No more blackmail. If you want to work with us, we’ll sit down and talk partnership—equal partnership. But if you want to be enemies...” He grinned, shrugging. “Well, then, pick the time and place and we’ll show up with our own guns. I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
Ethan stared at him. What he was thinking, I had no idea. He didn’t let an iota of it show on his face.
“I’m sure it will be,” he said, lowering his gun. “Because we’ll be all squared up then. You saved our lives. We spared yours.” Ethan nodded to Beardy. “Tell the brothers to move out. The Fairfield is Merchant territory.”
Just like that, they turned to go—all of them texting and calling their brothers and sisters, telling them to leave the building.
“I’ll see you at that time and place, Bane.” Ethan put two fingers to his temple and saluted him. “We’ll settle that old score.”
Bane waved heartily. “Looking forward to it, brother. But don’t be a stranger in the meantime. Do a few drive-bys on me to let me know you’re thinking of me.”
Ethan actually laughed out loud, his guffaws echoing down the hallway.
“Why would you say that?” I bleated. “Stop joking around with violent, homicidal murderers!”
“Ahh, Ethan’s all right,” Bane said, waving my words away. “He’s just pissed because he used to run the biggest underground weapons business in Waterford until I raided him, killed half his guys, and put his ass in a coma.”
I just goggled at him as he rescued the key to the shackles from Natalya’s pocket and got to work freeing his family.
“I’m never going to get used to being a Merchant, am I?”
“Nope.”
Sunny, Liam, River, and Bane came over to me, wrapping me safe and warm in their arms.
“But the good news is,” Sunny said, kissing my forehead. “You have a lifetime to try.”
Epilogue
Five Years Later
“Shh.”
“Why?” Bane returned, peeling off my shirt. “No one else is around.”
“I don’t know.” I giggled, tugging at his belt. “We just have to shush.”
“Oh, well, I know what will help with that.” Bane captured my lips, gently guiding me back onto the seat.
I let him be as gentle as he wanted, but I was far from it—ripping his belt loose, tugging down his pants, and half ripping his boxers off his body.
It was wild to me how eager I still was for him after five years of Bane having fun with my body like I was his personal jungle gym, but I couldn’t help it. Every time was like the first time for me—I couldn’t get enough of him, Sunny, River or Liam.
Bane kissed down the valley of my breasts, making only two pit stops to suck on them hard, and turn the poor nubs into hardened, desperate pebbles.
“Ahh, baby, yes,” I moaned, back arching off the backseat.
How we got into the car to drive to the party, but only made it as far as the cliff, was anyone’s guess.
My love, Bane, still preferred to be outside in nature instead of stuck in the city. That led to his buying another cabin in Elmshire Woods, but this one sat at the base of a gentle, sloping cliff that provided the most beautiful view of the thriving city below.
We were currently screwing each other’s brains out and ignoring that view completely.
Bane bit my panties and dragged them off with his teeth, tossing them somewhere over the passenger’s seat. “My goodness, woman, you just get finer with age. Every fucking day, more sinfully gorgeous than the last.”
“Don’t say that like I’m old.” I poked him with my toe. “I’m only twenty-eight. You’re the one walking through your thirties.”
“And Liam’s the one doddering into his forties.”
I laughed. “No one is doddering anywhere. But you can,” I said, spreading my legs like the wanton minx I was. “In this pussy.”
“I’ll take you up on that.” Swooping down, Bane buried between my legs and latched onto my clit, sucking on the thing like he was trying to take it off.
“Ahh!” I cried out—electricity zipping through my body and lighting the world on fire. Heat, and love, and lust, and five years of breaking through each other’s walls to build something whole, wonderful, and all ours—came to life under my skin.
I kicked, wiggled and bucked under his ministrations, helpless to his expert tongue and its relentless dipping and diving into my well—turning the heat in my core up to maximum.