I’d found my religion. Lexi was my bible. And with her mercy, I would be reborn.
My voice rough, I whispered, “You need my help sleeping?”
Her subtle nod was all she gave me.
And that was okay because tonight was not about me making demands. It was about giving selflessly to my queen.
So I rolled us and peered into her damp eyes, ran my hands up her thighs, and lifted the hem of her skirt before moving backward off the bed. Gripping her ankles, I dragged her down the bed until that sweet ass rested on the edge of the mattress.
She elevated herself on her elbows, looking up at me, wide-eyed and curious.
My baby.
I would do whatever I needed to keep her safe.
Right now, though?
I got down on my knees, spread her legs, lowered my head, and prayed.
***
Lexi
“Daddy?”
I heard the little monster, but I was too busy being a coward and continued to feign sleep.
From his position, pasted to my back, the man beside me lifted his head and his voice was sleep-rough. “Hey, bud. What’s up?” He quickly added, “Don’t wake your Mom.”
A.J. approached, and muttered, “You had a sleepover?”
I tried hard to quell my smile, but it was difficult. He sounded so left out, our beautiful boy.
“Ah, yeah,” he grumbled, lowering his head back down to the pillow we shared. “I couldn’t find my keys.”
At that, I couldn’t suppress my smile. It was a good lie. One he would believe.
A.J. sounded confused. “They’re right there.”
Twitch lifted his head again. “Oh, what? No way.” He faked his surprise so well that my entire body shook in silent laughter, then jolted as Twitch pinched my ass, hard.
Our son giggled. “Silly Daddy.” A moment later, “I’m hungry.”
Twitch sighed. “Where’s Molly?”
“In the shower.”
I whispered, “Go feed our son,” and Twitch ran his hand over my bare hip, under the sheet. A slow, loving caress. A secret caress, just for me.
God. I was so in love with this man.
It was perplexing. What a contrast our previous relationship was compared to the one we had now. I was coming to realize Twitch was not as complex as I once thought. I mean, sure, he was a complicated creature, but he wore his heart on his sleeve, and when he decided he loved you, he gave all of himself. And as it were, I needed all of him.
The night before, I had the strangest dream.
There he stood holding a dagger in one hand, his heart in the other, and as he fell to his knees, bleeding from the gaping wound in his chest, taking his final breath, he extended his bloody, shaking hand in offering, pleading with me to take the still beating piece of him.
I did, and when he finally perished, he did it smiling.
When I woke with a start, hot with worry and panting, I found him in the dark and he opened his arms to me. I rested my head on his chest and listened carefully to the steady rhythm of his heart until I found peace and fell asleep again.
“Okay, little dude. I’ll be there in a sec. Wanna put some bread into the toaster?”
A.J. rushed out of my room, and called out, “You want some?”
“Nah,” he called back loudly, knowing full well I was awake. He pressed his front into my back and kissed my bare shoulder as the hand at my hip trailed over my stomach, lower still until it rested just above my mound. “I already ate,” he muttered huskily into my skin, pressing his smiling lips to my flesh.
A happy “Mmmm” was all I could respond with.
He sure had. He ate his fill.
I grinned into my pillow, and when I felt the mattress lift, the bed felt colder and I had to fight a pout.
“You hungry, Mommy?” he asked as he pulled on his jeans, moving to leave the room without his tee but pausing at the door for my response.
I lifted my head and squinted through one eye, and my heart thumped at the sight of him. God, he was gorgeous. “Yeah.”
He watched me through lowered lids, his eyes roaming my sheet-covered body. It left little to the imagination. Then Twitch shook his head and sighed loudly. “Get up, baby, or I’m comin’ in after you.”
A few minutes passed, and I found my underwear, pulling them back on before slipping into a bra and wrapping my silken kimono around me. I opened the curtains, letting in the morning breeze, and sat at the dresser, where I brushed my hair and pulled it into a topknot at the very top of my head. But when I saw something at my collarbone, I leaned in. When I focused on it, I brushed my hand over the purple, then rolled my eyes.
Another hickey.
Nice, Twitch.
When I walked into the kitchen, to the man spreading Vegemite on toast for his son, I watched his face screw up, and when he noticed me, he grimaced. “How can you feed him this stuff? It tastes like ass.”
“He’s been brought up on it.” I shrugged. “He likes it.”
“It’s thick, and brown, and....” I swear, Twitch paled a little, closing the bright yellow lid and pushing the jar as far away as he could, muttering, “No, thank you.”
“So,” I started. “You need to stop leaving marks on me.”
But Twitch just ignored me, taking the plate of toast to the little boy in his underwear watching cartoons on the family room floor. When he returned, however, he stalked over to me with meaning. With every step he took, I was forced back one until I felt my bountiful derriere hit the kitchen cabinets, and when he had me where he wanted me, he looked down at the newest hickey. His eyes flashed a moment before he lifted his hand, resting it lightly at my neck, running his thumb over the purple redness at my collarbone.
“Can’t you read?” he uttered, the whiskey-smooth lilt of his voice causing my body to react. “Every one of these marks is a love letter.” He peered down at me, those soft brown eyes seeing deep inside me. “You look hard enough and you’ll figure out what they say.”
Jesus Christ. I’d never been more turned on by mere words in my entire life.
I wanted to grip the back of his head, pull him down to my neck, and beg him for more scripture to read in my spare time.
Instead, I ruined the moment. “What are we going to do about Ling?”
/> His eyes darkened at hearing her name. “We’re not doing anything.” His jaw steeled, and he quietly said, “Leave her to me, angel.” At my look of uncertainty, he went on. “I’m not sure she’ll come back, but after the message I sent, she’s sure to back off.”
“What message?” I couldn’t help but ask.
And surprisingly, he answered me, his thumb gently running over my skin in a consoling manner. “Comply or die.”
I think he was a little shocked when I peered around him to look at A.J. When I was sure he wasn’t listening, I kept my voice low and avoided his gaze. “I don’t want her to be given a choice.” When I met his narrowed eyes, I told him candidly, “I want her gone.”
He blinked at me a long moment before his lips thinned. “It’s not gonna be easy. She a queen and her Dragons keep her protected. We gotta be smart. Discreet.” At A.J.’s shuffling around the family room, Twitch twisted back to look at him before turning back to me, and explaining, “A problem of her proportion might take some time to—” He thought of the word. “—disappear.”
“I don’t care.” I put my hands to the waistband of his jeans before hooking my fingers into his pockets and gently pulling him closer. He came when called. I looked up at him, looked him right in the eye, and whispered, “I want her dead.”
The way he looked at me then, with an admiration and respect I rarely saw him wear, made my insides quiver. He reached up to cup my cheek, and I leaned into his touch as he rumbled out, “Solid.”
It was a compliment but completely unfounded, since I felt I was falling apart.
And when he put his hands to my shoulders and peered down at my lips, he asked, “When are you gonna give me that mouth, baby?” The need in his voice was palpable. “I’m tryin’ to be patient, but I told you before, I’m not a saint.”
“Soon,” I promised breathily.
I wasn’t ready just yet, but nearly there. When I gave him my mouth, there was no going back. It was the last piece of myself I had to give, the most intimate part of me I had to give, and I wasn’t giving it up without certainty.