Without warning, his thumbs hooked in my panties, sliding them down my legs as he trailed kisses down my navel. I lay naked before him, brazenly letting his eyes wander before leaning toward him to help remove his clothes. He slipped off his t-shirt and dropped it to the floor.
I sat up on the bed and reached for him, my fingers caressing his chest before trailing down his abdomen. I could feel the muscles tremble ever so slightly beneath my touch, and I smiled inwardly, hoping I was making him feel as intoxicated as I was. I made quick work of his jeans and boxers, becoming more aroused with each passing second.
He reached into his side table drawer and pulled out a condom as he rasped, “Are you ready for me?”
“More than ready.”
He took my word for it, and we spent the better part of the day in his bed making love. Once we were both spent, I curled up next to him, listening as our rapid breathing started to slow, and it wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.
I woke several hours later and discovered that I was in bed alone. Curious where Billy might’ve gone, I eased out of bed and went to look for him. When I opened his bedroom door, I found him sitting at the kitchen table with a large manilla envelope in his hand. I could tell by the expression on his face something was troubling him, so I asked, “What’s all that?”
“Something I’ve been working on.” He picked up the envelope and carried it over to me. As he offered it to me, he announced, “It’s for you.”
“Oh? What is it?” I opened it up and peeked inside, and I was surprised to find a driver’s license with my picture on it, along with a new passport and a large sum of money. “What is all this?”
“It was supposed to be your chance for a fresh start.” His voice was strained as he explained, “It didn’t feel right not to tell you that you can still have the life you’ve always wanted.”
“But I already have it.” I wound my arms around his neck as I told him, “For years, I’ve wished for someone to come into my life who would be my everything—my lover and my friend. Someone who would fight with me and laugh with me. Someone who’d stand by me when times get rough... I wished for you, Billy. I wished for you, and now, you’re here and you’re mine.”
“And you’re mine.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I reminded him as I leaned in and sealed it with a kiss.
BILLY
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Hey, man. How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain.” I sat down in the chair across from Viper’s desk as I told him, “Finally got Everleigh settled in at her new job, and things are going pretty good there.”
“She working with that investment firm in Brentwood?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. She was pretty nervous about it at first, but she’s already making a name for herself.”
“That’s good. Glad to hear it.” He eased back in his chair as he announced, “I spoke with DeLuca’s widow the other night. She’s taken the kids back to Texas to be with her family, and she used the money Everleigh gave ‘em to buy a hell of a place.”
When Everleigh told me about the money situation, I wasn’t sure what to do. But we talked it over, and after a great deal of consideration, we decided that the money she’d stashed during her imprisonment was basically her salary. It only seemed fair to use it to buy her a car and a closet full of new clothes.
The assets she’d recently moved were a different matter. That was DeLuca’s money, and even though it was dirty, all those millions of dollars belonged to his wife and their two kids. With money like that, they would be set for life, and from the sounds of it, Angela was well on her way. “That’s great to hear. The poor girl deserves a break.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” Viper studied me for a moment, then asked, “So, there a reason why you came by, or you just here to shoot the shit?”
“I’ve got something I need to discuss with you.”
“Figured that much. What’s on your mind?”
“The business.” His brows narrowed as I continued, “I’ve been at this a long time, and I’m thinking about making some changes.”
“Oh, yeah? What kind of changes?”
“Thinking it’s time for me to start cutting back.”
“How much cutting back?”
“I’ll try to hold on to two, maybe three, clients and let Hop take over the rest.”
“I see.” A determined look crossed Viper’s face as he leaned forward and said, “I think I have a way to make this easier on the both of us.”