How is that humanly possible? I thought as I stared at him in shock. He had stamina like I had never seen. Looking down at me, he stroked himself, which in return only made me want him again.
LIAM
Sitting up, I grabbed the bottle of pain meds, taking two with a glass of water and not brandy like I should have. Mel could have her way for now. Looking down at the sleeping beauty beside me, I waited for the guilt to kick in. However, it was nowhere to be found. I had tricked her, and I didn’t fucking regret it because I now had what I wanted. I had her. I felt it, the shift in her, as we had our way with one another. We went from the bathroom, to the shower, to the bed, where she helped me redress my wound before we fucked again. My shoulder, like she had said, hurt like a bitch, but it was worth it because I had her. I did what I needed to do to get my wife, and there was no fucking taking it back.
She knew now. She knew I was hers and she was mine, and now we could move the fuck forward. It felt like the longest war but it was over now, and we were both victors. One day, when we were about to die of old age, I would tell her. But for now, I would shut this away and never speak of it again. All I had to do was make sure my brother and cousin kept their mouths shut. If they didn’t, I would kill them . . . and I meant it.
Trying my best to ignore the pain, I lifted myself from the bed, grabbing a pair of jeans and a jacket. I had thought I was quiet, however Mel sat up, rubbing her eyes as she tried to focus on me. Fuck, she was beautiful.
“Where are you going?” She yawned, and it was cute.
“I’m going to have some words with my brother.” I grinned. Walking over to her side, I kissed her cheek, and she accepted it without a glare or flinch.
The pain was worth it.
“Come back to bed. We can kill him when the sun is up.” She smiled, pulling on my jacket, and I was tempted, but I needed to make sure this didn’t blow up in my face. I didn’t want to lose her.
“I will be right back.” I kissed her lips. I couldn’t stop kissing her. “I’m not going to kill him. My mother is fond of him. However, I will express how I feel in other ways.”
She rolled her eyes at me before falling back on the bed. “Fine, but if you change your mind, Cascadia is the best place to hide a body. So much forest, and so few witnesses.”
God, I loved her.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I laughed, walking out the door. The moment I did, I was hit with fresh air. I had to give it to her; the camp location was beautifully hidden in the midst of the forest. It was large enough to fit all our men, with ten or eleven houses and one dining hall at the far end.
Seeing me, Eric limped over. The poor fuck.
“Neal and Declan are in the dining hall,” he stated. Nodding, I walked slower so he could walk beside me.
“How is your leg?” I asked, trying my best not to smirk. Melody and her handiwork.
“Doctor said it will be like this for another four or five months. I think your wife hates me, sir.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed even though the pain ached in my chest.
“Don’t take it personally. She hates everyone equally. At least she didn’t stab you.”
“The men were thinking of starting an injured by BM club,” he said, and I stopped.
“BM?” What the fuck were they calling my wife?
“Bloody Melody,” he answered quickly.
It fit. The moment she found out, though, they were all going to prove that name right. Shaking my head at him, I continued forward.
“None of you call me anything do you?” If they did, I would kill them myself.
Eric tensed, and I didn’t even bother pushing. When I stepped into the dining hall, everyone shut up immediately. My eyes narrowed in on Declan, who was hunched over a bowl of food and looking a little pale. Next to him was Neal, who appeared to be in much better shape, even with a broken nose, a black eye, a spilt lip, and what looked to be a choke hold bruise on his neck. He would live.
“Don’t you just love my wife?” I asked them loudly, causing the men to either laugh or grin like fools.
Antonio stood up with a mug filled with what had to be alcohol. “Lunga vita alla Regina!”
“Fada beo an Banríon!” My men yelled back in Irish.
Long live the queen, indeed.
They had been here, what, two days? Maybe three if I’d slept for as long as I thought, yet here they were, drinking and laughing at one another.
Grinning along with them, I nodded over at Neal and Declan who were both glaring at me. Rising, they followed as I walked from the dining hall to the shade of the trees. Declan moved slower than usual, as did Neal.
“So how are you?” I asked them, trying not to laugh.
Declan stepped forward, nose flared and eyes wide. He was pissed.
“You fucking two-bit asshole of a dick! You are fucked in the head. Your wife stabbed me! She fucking stabbed me, Liam! Have you ever been stabbed? This bitch”—he pointed to Neal—“was the one who fucking shot you, and he only gets tasered! All I did was try to calm her down. What kind of bullshit is that?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Even though it hurt like a son of a bitch all I could do was laugh. It was so fucking funny. I hadn’t ever laughed like this before my Mel came along.
“Why did you even try in the first place? She shot me in the thigh when she was calm. I’m surprised she didn’t do more.”
Declan shook his head, and I could see the rage building in his eyes. “I fucking hate you all!”
With that he walked away. Slowly, the big baby.
Neal stood still, not saying a thing and waiting for me to live up to my side of the deal. Part of me had hoped he would fail so I could hate him, but it was time to move forward. He did what I asked. Sighing, I reached out for his hand.
“There will be times where I’m still going to be an asshole to you,” I said when he took my hand. “However, I promise to move forward, brother. I will not hold the past against you any longer. I will no longer hate you for it. I still dislike your wife, but I don’t hate you.”
“Can you just do that? Can you let go of the hate?”
“Automatically, no. However, you’re the reason why my wife and I had mind-blowing sex last night and will continue to. That’s enough to make me at least want to have a beer with you. After now, we never speak of this moment again, and let Declan know.” I had told him the truth, and he looked . . . lighter, like someone had taken the world off his shoulders for once.
“Thank you, Liam.”
“Well, the first few beers are on you. That shit hurt!” I winced and grabbed my chest before walking away.
Walking back to our cabin, I found myself feeling lighter as well. Things in my personal life were finally making sense. All I had to do was kill Vance, Saige, Amory, the police, and then take over the rest of the country, plus Europe. All of which was possible thanks to my wife. Thanks to my Mel.
As if she could read my mind, the moment I walked in I found my beautiful wife dressed in my shirt, sitting on our bed with files and a laptop around her.
“The life of a mafia couple.” I smirked, taking off my jacket slowly while trying not to wince at the pain.
“It’s a bloody but necessary one,” she said, handing me a file as I lay back down.