He’s always been gentle with me and everyone around him, but he turned into a different man with Beau.

  “Stop,” Carmello tells him, lifting Rocco’s feet off the ground, but his arms continue to swing around. “You’ve done enough damage.”

  “Fuck him. He does not get to hurt my girl,” Rocco spits, his face red and furious.

  I lift myself up and dust off my hands of the tiny rocks that have embedded in my flesh. A searing pain shoots through my hands, the stones having made dozens of tiny cuts.

  “Rebel,” Rocco says, his voice gentler as Carmello lets him go, and he’s immediately at my side.

  “Stop,” I tell him, raising my bloody palm between us. “Don’t.”

  His brown eyes meet mine, the heat of the moment still coursing through him, although his face is just as gentle as it always is with me. “You’re hurt.”

  “You pushed me, Rocco. This is what happens when you push someone to the ground.”

  “Sugar, I needed you away from him. I couldn’t do shit with you standing between us, and there was no way in hell I was going to let that man touch you again or get off a shot.”

  That sounds nice. Really nice. And it is sweet, but the way he turned into another human being, almost animalistic, frightened the hell out of me.

  “I need a minute,” I whisper, gazing from him to my scraped-up palms, my heart hurting more than my flesh.

  “He would’ve killed you,” Rocco says, kneeling next to me and trying to take my hands in his, but I quickly pull them back.

  “He could’ve killed you,” I remind him, throwing out the simple fact that he very well could have taken a bullet and Beau wouldn’t have thought twice about pulling the trigger.

  “Sheriff’s on the way,” Carmello says behind us, neither one of us paying attention to him.

  Tears sting my eyes, the pain in my hands and my heart mingling together. “I did this,” I tell him. “I brought him here.”

  “Sugar,” Rocco whispers, reaching for my chin, capturing it between his fingers before I have a chance to pull back. “You did nothing. This isn’t your fault. I should’ve known better and come without you. Mello and I could’ve handled this.”

  “You’re going to go to jail because of me.” Guilt floods me. I’ve ruined another life and someone I love over a stupid mistake from my past.

  “I’ll be in and out, sugar. He’s not going to charge me.”

  I gaze down, seeing the blood on his knuckles as he touches my face. I pull back, needing room to think and come to terms with what my stupidity caused.

  Scooting back, I break the contact before he drops his hands. “I need time,” I repeat, wondering how I fuck everything up.

  Rocco would be better off without me. His life had been uncomplicated until I walked back in, little girl in tow, with a man after me who wanted nothing more than to track me down and probably hurt me again.

  Beau groans, rolling over until his cheek rests against the bloody rocks and quiets again.

  “He’s fine,” Rocco says, like somehow that makes everything better.

  “You turned into someone I didn’t recognize.” I rise to my feet, wiping the blood on my jeans.

  Rocco’s up and eye to eye with me a second later. “I won’t apologize for what I did. I’d do it again if it meant protecting you and saving Adaline.”

  My belly flutters, but the fear of how quickly he snapped is still a visual I can’t shake. “I just need time, Rocco. I’m still processing everything that happened. There was a gun on you.”

  He runs his fingers through his hair, the sun glinting off the wet blood on his hands. “And you stepped in front of that gun. He could’ve easily pulled the trigger. I wasn’t going to let that happen. He’s lucky he’s still breathing. The fucker deserves to die.”

  My mouth falls open, and my eyes widen. “You wouldn’t have killed him.”

  “If it means keeping you safe forever, I fuckin’ would have. I protect what’s mine and the people I love.”

  I back away when he reaches for me. “I’m driving back, following you alone in my own car.”

  “Darlin’,” Carmello says, stepping to Rocco’s side. “I’m taking Rocco’s side on this one.”

  I throw up my hands. “Of course you are.”

  He shrugs. “Either way, no one’s leaving here anytime soon. We have Beau and the police to deal with. We’re stuck for a few hours minimum.”

  “Fucking great,” I groan.

  Before anyone can say anything else, a white SUV with flashing lights, followed by an ambulance, pulls down the long driveway, stopping a dozen feet away.

  A man with long legs unfolds himself from the vehicle, fixing his hat before making his way toward us. “Boys,” he says, dipping his chin to Rocco and Carmello and then turns to me and does the same. “Ma’am.”

  “Curtis.” Rocco lifts his chin. “I thought we wouldn’t have to deal with this piece of shit, but here we are.”

  Curtis, the county sheriff, removes his sunglasses before dropping his arm, holding them between his fingers. “After your dad called, we had this place scouted out for days. Never saw the guy.” His gaze moves toward the woods. “Probably hiding out in the woods, waiting to strike. Too much space to cover for our department.”

  “He came out of nowhere, but at least I was alone when he showed his face,” Rocco explains, jostling back and forth on his feet like he’s still burning through his anger.

  Sheriff Curtis leans over, swiping the gun off the ground, quickly clearing it of any ammo. “Well, thank fuck no one was hurt. I’d have a hell of a time explaining that shit to your father, and the paperwork alone would’ve been a nightmare.”

  “Just kicked his ass,” Rocco tells him.

  “Good man,” Curtis says, studying Beau as he moves around on the ground, moaning. “If anyone deserved an ass-whoopin’, it was him.”

  “I had the gun, but I was late to the party and Rocco had it under control, or else you would’ve been chained to your desk all night with piles of that shit.”

  “Ma’am,” Curtis says, turning to face me as I blink at the three of them, staying silent. “Are you all right?”

  When I don’t answer, he asks in a slower, softer tone, “Do you need the paramedics to look you over?”

  “No,” I whisper, suddenly finding my words. “I’m fine.”

  “Good thing the guys were with you. This man is a bad dude.” The sheriff leans over, dropping his voice. “A really bad dude.”

  I peer down, staring at my feet. “I know.”

  “Do you now?” he asks.

  I turn up my face, narrowing my eyes. “Um, he’s hit me before. I’m well aware of what he’s capable of, and I’m sure he didn’t come here for a chat. He had a gun. He is, in fact, one hundred percent a bad dude.”

  Curtis eyes me. “You know of an Amanda Wallace?”

  “No.”

  “She was his last woman, the one before you. Took out a restraining order against him.”

  “I’d believe that.” After all the shit I went through with him, and now today, I’d believe he was capable of just about anything.

  “When Mr. Caldo called me, I started to do some digging. It seems Ms. Wallace went missing last year. They’re figuring this piece of shit is the one who made her vanish. Poof. Gone. ’Bout to have a real heart-to-heart with him after he’s checked out by the medics and released into our custody.”

  “Oh my God. That’s awful.”

  “Figurin’ you were next to disappear, too, but—” he tips his head toward Rocco and Carmello “—seein’ as you have these two in your life, I’d say you’re about as safe as you can be. And with him—” he glances down until I only see the top of his hat “—being in jail probably for the rest of his breathing life, he’ll never be a problem again.”

  “Okay,” I whisper, trying to process everything. “Thank you.”

  “Carmello,” the sheriff says, but my eyes are on Rocco. “I’ll take your statement here and yours too, ma’am, but I’ll need Rocco to hang back for a while.”

  “No problem.”

  “Take her home. I’ll drive back in the morning,” Rocco says, answering for me.

  “Do you think you can talk now?” the sheriff asks me. “Ma’am?”

  I drag my gaze from Rocco and face the sheriff. “Yes, sir. I can.”

  “Let’s do this and get you on your way.”

  “Rebel,” Rocco says, taking another step toward me, but I put up my hands when he reaches for me.

  “Don’t.”

  He backs away, dropping his arms to his sides. “This is fucked up,” he mutters before I walk over to the police car and tell the sheriff everything that happened all the way back to when Beau and I first got together.

  21

  Rocco

  Carmello is sound asleep on the couch when I walk through the front door. I kick off my boots and head toward the bedrooms, peeking inside and finding Rebel fast asleep in the spare bedroom.

  Neither of those is a good sign.

  I yank off my shirt, heading toward the shower before Rebel sees me and we have the talk.

  I know I freaked her out, but I did it to protect her, and I’d do it again. She needs to understand I’m not the type of man that can just sit back and wait to see if the threat comes to fruition. I’m going to react, taking care of a situation before it turns uglier and I possibly lose the only person I’ve ever cared about.

  I would never let that happen.

  As long as I have air in my lungs and the ability to move, I’d kill a man before he could do the same to her or Addy.

  Carmello’s waiting for me in the kitchen when I’m finished cleaning last night’s mess off me. “You okay?” he asks, holding out a fresh cup of coffee.

  I shrug as I take the cup, thankful he isn’t entirely clueless in the kitchen. “I don’t know. Is she okay?”

  “She’s confused and scared, Roc, but I think she’ll be okay once she wakes up and realizes Beau and all his misery are in the past.”

  “Did I fuck up?”

  He rests his ass against the counter, crossing his arms, thinking about his answer before he speaks. “I don’t think so. I would’ve done the same in your shoes. It’s how we were raised. Beau wasn’t the type of man you were going to talk down. Pushing her out of the way may have been a little over the top, but…”

  I take a sip before placing the mug on the counter, needing to talk through this before she wakes up. “She put herself in the line of fire. Was I just supposed to ask her to step aside so I could beat the piss out of him?”

  “No, man. You were right, but the girl’s been hurt. She’s seen and experienced shit we could never imagine. She needs to separate all the bad shit from her past and realize you’re not that type of man. You need to make sure she knows you’ll always protect her and you’ll never turn that big, bad energy on her. She needs to know she’s safe, and she felt that way until she saw you lose your temper.”

  “Fuck,” I hiss, shaking my head. “I’m sure I scared the shit out of her, but when I saw him with the gun and then she stepped in the middle, I just lost it.”

  Carmello places his hand on my shoulder. “You got this. Tell her how you feel, and be open and honest with her. She’ll listen. I heard her last night. She cried herself to sleep. She’s torn and needs you to help her make that final leap.”

  “Damn it,” I mutter as my stomach knots. “I should’ve come back earlier.”

  “You love her?” my brother asks me, staring me in the eye.

  “Completely.”

  “You tell her that.”

  I shake my head.

  “Tell her, Rocco. Don’t wait. Do it today. Love makes us do crazy shit, but she needs to hear those words and know you mean them. A girl like her needs safety, security, and assurance.”

  “How do you know all this shit when you can’t seem to stay in a relationship longer than five fucking minutes?”

  “Life’s too short to get tied down. There’s too much fun to be had and too much pleasure to give to only one person for the rest of my life.”

  I shake my head, laughing. “The universe is going to play a wicked trick on you someday.”

  He shrugs. “Doubtful.”

  “Whatever you say, brother. Thank you for last night.”

  He nods. “I’m out. Got shit to do and broads to bang. You take care of that one. I already talked to Mom, and you have until tonight before she brings Adaline back. Make good use of that time.”

  I grab him before he has a chance to walk away and pull him into a bear hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “You couldn’t survive without me,” he teases, hugging me just as tight before giving my back a light tap.

  He’s right, though.

  I haven’t had a moment of my life without him, and I’m not sure how I’d live if he weren’t somewhere nearby. We came out of the womb together, but someday, one of us will go before the other. That is a thought I try very hard not to entertain because it brings me too much pain.

  “Love you, man,” I tell him as he starts to walk toward the door.

  He pulls on his boots and looks over his shoulder before he reaches for the knob. “Love you too.”

  I take another sip of my coffee, knowing what I have to do and unable to wait. I make my way to Rebel’s room, finding her curled in a ball in the middle of the bed.

  I slide in behind her, my chest bare but my bottom half covered in my favorite gray sweats. She melts into me as my arm settles around her middle, her back to my front.

  “Morning, sugar,” I whisper in her ear, smelling the sweetness of her shampoo and reveling in the warmth of her body.

  Her hand moves to mine as I cover her belly, tightening my embrace. She doesn’t say anything as we lie there, her drifting in and out of sleep and me doing everything I can to keep from being pulled under myself.

  “They let you go?” she whispers, still facing the other direction.

  “No reason to keep me.”

  “I thought they might arrest you too.”

  Using my hand, I turn her flat on her back to see her face. “They weren’t going to keep me, Rebel. I was protecting you, and around these parts, that’s what a man does when he loves someone. Beau’s gone. He’s alive, but he’ll never feel the sun on his face again. Never know the love of a good woman and have the ability to fuck someone up the way he fucked you up and the countless other women before you.”

  She blinks slowly, her face soft from sleep. “When you love someone?” she repeats like she didn’t hear anything else I said.

  “I love you, Rebel,” I whisper, staring down into her beautiful, deep-blue eyes. “And if saving your life this weekend, making sure Beau is behind bars for the rest of your life, makes you walk away, at least I can sleep at night, knowing you don’t ever have to look over your shoulder again.”

  “You love me?” she says again, this time a little louder, her body moving closer.

  I move my palm to her face, cradling her cheek. “I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  “I love you too,” she whispers, curling into my chest to face me. “So damn much it scares me.”

  “I’d never hurt you,” I promise her, stroking her cheek softly.

  “I know you wouldn’t.”

  “When you stepped in front of that gun, I panicked, Rebel. I lost my shit, imagining him shooting you and having to watch you die in my arms like Carrie did. I shouldn’t have pushed you, sugar, but it was the only thing I could think to do to move you out of his range.”

  She reaches up, placing her hand on my neck. “I was scared he was going to shoot you. I would’ve gone with him if it meant you’d be okay.”

  “Don’t do that shit. Not ever. You have a child to raise and love. I’ll take that bullet all day long and die knowing Adaline has a mommy to come home to.”

  “I won’t.”

  I press on her neck, tipping her lips up to mine, staring at her. “You need to know that I’ll never hurt you. Beau had it coming, but I’ll never lift a hand to hurt you. I don’t care how mad you make me, I’ll never lay a hand on you.”

  “I know,” she says, stroking my neck. “I’ve never felt safer than I do with you, Rocco.”

  “You’re always safe with me, love. Always and forever.” I lean forward, putting my mouth on hers, taking what I’ve wanted and craved for the last ten years.

  I move on top of her, settling between her legs, kissing her harder and deeper than before. “Marry me,” I murmur between breaths.

  Her eyes fly open, meeting mine. “What?” she whispers.

  “Marry me, Rebel. I’m sick of waiting. Ten years have passed, and now that you’re here again, I’m never letting you go.”

  She stares at me, her eyes searching mine, and for a second, I think she’s going to say no. “Yes,” she tells me. “I want nothing more.”

  I’m overjoyed. Happiest I’ve ever been in my life to know she feels the same and has agreed to be mine forever.

  Her hands find the waistband of my sweats, yanking them down until her feet take over, pushing them to my ankles. “Make love to me,” she says against my mouth. “Make me yours. I want to feel owned.”

  Fuck me.

  She has no idea what those words do or mean to me, but I’m going to give it to her slow and deep, rocking into her until she’s moaning my name.

  And I do that after her hands wrap around my cock, guiding me to her pussy. I push inside, our mouths still locked, and slide my hands under her ass, keeping her where I want her.

  The feeling is joyous.

  A union of souls and bodies. This is where I was always meant to be and where we are destined to end up, even if the path to this point was long and completely fucked up.

  Rebel Bishop is finally mine, and I can’t wait to tell the world.

  “Say that again.” My mother grips the countertop like she is about to fall over or faint. “I don’t think I heard you right.”

  “We’re getting married, Ma.”