“Hop up on the counter, I’ll help you,” Judas said.

  “That’s the least you could do seeing as this is your fault.” I turned around and braced my hands on either side of me to hoist myself onto the countertop. Judas moved in front of me and grabbed my hips to help.

  “I need a broom or something,” I said, watching him remove both my shoes and set them inside the left sink.

  He glanced up at me with annoyance. “I’m not letting you sweep the floor here. I have hired help for that. Now if you want to sweep at home do so until your heart bursts with joy.”

  His fingers brushed across the skin on my feet in a repetitive motion to remove the sawdust still clinging on. I struggled not to laugh or jerk away.

  I studied him as he tended to his task, his gorgeous face a mask of concentration beneath the recessed lighting. It was an intimate gesture.

  I wouldn’t have ever been able to picture him doing this if I weren’t here experiencing it for myself. He only stopped to turn the sink on and adjust the tap.

  Everything about this moment was surreal. I never thought I’d see him again. Not close enough to touch, to feel. Definitely not by my side as I killed a man for the first time, something he had yet to really comment on.

  His mind was a fortress I needed a ladder to scale. I had no idea what he was thinking right now. He was still such an indomitable enigma. What he said to me the night before played in a loop inside my head. I couldn’t discern how much of it was true or link his words to his actions.

  “You don’t have to take care of my every need, Judas.”

  “I’m doing this because I want to. It’s as much for me as it is for you. Trust me.”

  “It doesn’t fix what happened.”

  “Is that what you think I’m doing?” He paused and gave me his full attention. “There isn’t anything to fix. I’m not seeking to make amends for what needed to be done. I’m taking care of you because you are mine to cherish and place on a pedestal. I need to do this for my peace of mind and yours.”

  He wasn’t sorry.

  He didn’t feel remorseful for how everything went down. I wanted to hate him so much for it. No matter how many times I said I did my heart wouldn’t listen to reason. My brain couldn’t erase him from my favorite memories.

  But for him to say he cherished me? Why did that hurt? I swallowed and looked down at my lap.

  Judas placed his palms on my naked thighs. The chevron dress was a few inches above the knee, leaving them more exposed now that I wasn’t standing.

  I took note of how clean and well-maintained his nails were. Something about a hard-working man with blood on his hands, still maintaining such basic hygiene was sexy.

  “Look at me,” he commanded softly.

  I raised my head and met his piercing stare. “Tonight, principessa.”

  “What’s tonight?”

  He traced the outline of my engagement ring before answering me. “I need to take you somewhere and then you and I are going to spend the night righting wrongs.”

  I leaned forward and draped my arms over his shoulders to pull him closer. “Is this another surprise?”

  He came to me without hesitation, spreading my thighs apart so that he could stand between them.

  “You could say that.”

  I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing his mouth to mine.

  Our lips pressed together in a gentle kiss, but even as sore as I’d complained about being, gentleness isn’t what I needed from him. I tightened my hold on him and used the tip of my tongue to tease the seam of his mouth until it opened. The kiss deepened, growing carnal. My pussy pulsed with need, arousal gathering between my legs.

  “We’re going to be late,” he murmured against my lips, making no attempt to stop me when I reached for his belt. I undid the buckle and then pulled the smooth leather through, the jingling spurring me on. I wanted him inside me again. I needed this right then in a way that would make me seem insane.

  “Then I guess you better hurry up and fuck me.”

  He grinned against my mouth before pulling away.

  “You think I’m going to pass up an opportunity to feel your pussy wrapped around me as you scream my name like it’s something sacred?”

  The heat of his body momentarily disappeared. He moved back just enough to drag me off the vanity and turn me around.

  “Put your hands on the counter and bend over.”

  The edge in his voice sent a shiver racing down my spine. I quickly did as he said, my breath catching at the sight of what awaited me in the mirror. He was stroking his cock while staring at me, his fist slowly pumping up and down. His slacks hung low on his hips, leaving just enough space for this.

  “Judas,” I licked my lips and breathed out his name.

  His silver eyes blazed with possession and unveiled obsession as he nudged my legs further apart.

  Slipping a hand beneath my dress, he flipped his palm upward and slid four fingers over the thin lace fabric that covered my pussy.

  “I love how wet you get for me. I don’t even have to touch you, do I? My words alone could make you come.” He pulled my underwear to the side and dragged his cock down my center. The bulbous head spread my lips as he repeated the motion, lining himself up to enter me.

  “This isn’t going to be gentle.”

  That was the only warning I received. Keeping one hand on the base of his cock and another on my hip, he thrust inside me in one fluid motion. I bit my lower lip to stifle a scream, reveling in the sensation of being stretched and filled. He grabbed the back of my neck and used it as an anchor as he drove in and out of me.

  He watched me in the reflection of the mirror, noting every change in my expression and sound of pleasure.

  I watched him, this beautiful and dangerous man use my body like I was using his. God, he was so long and thick that it didn’t take much for him to hit every sweet spot. He fucked me hard, going so deep it felt like he was in my stomach.

  My pussy clenched around him, leaving his cock so wet my juices began to soak his balls. They slapped against the groove of my ass, creating a rhythmic sound of flesh hitting flesh. I struggled to stay standing, each measured stroke lifted me higher onto my tiptoes.

  “Oh…Judas,” I breathed out his name and reached back to try and slow him down as my climax began to build, the sensation too much for me to handle.

  “No.”

  He shoved me down further, curling his fingers around my hip so hard I knew the bruise from the night before would be even darker.

  “Fucking take it,” he rasped.

  My arm brushed through the water still running in the sink as I tried to brace myself for his increased vigor. There was nothing to hold onto to ground me. I placed my palms flat against the mirror to prevent myself from slamming against it and arched my back to accommodate in an attempt to alleviate the intense pressure his cock was creating within me.

  Unable to withhold my wanton moans of pleasure as he fucked me ruthlessly, the mirror began to fog. I came on an intelligible scream, barely registering him cursing behind me. The climax hit me so fast that my legs buckled as heated pleasure pervaded my veins.

  He allowed himself to finish only after I did, burying his cock as deep as he possibly could to come inside me.

  “I could live inside your pussy,” he remarked almost wistfully as he slowly pulled out. “Don’t move.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. I remained bent over, hearing his belt buckle jingle as he fixed himself up and readjusted his slacks. I closed my eyes and found comfort in the sound of running water. Our come and arousal trickled down my thighs.

  There was a soft whir from the paper towel machine affixed to the right wall, and then a break in the flow of water before it was turned off. I reopened my eyes when he stepped up behind me again and gently cleaned each inner thigh. He didn’t go near my pussy, though. Only to adjust my underwear and cover it up.

  “You’re going to feel me both inside and out until I’m fucking you again,” he assured.

  I believed him.

  There was probably an imprint of his dick forming more gradually with each stroke.

  “Come on,” he commanded in a gentler tone, helping me find balance as I corrected my stance. “Your pussy wasn’t the only thing soaked.”

  I laughed at the reference to my shoes, which were dripping wet.

  “They’ll dry.”

  “Yeah, like sand,” he retorted sardonically.

  I rolled my eyes and reached for them, yelping in surprise when he suddenly scooped me into his arms. I grabbed hold of his shoulders out of reflex. “Judas put me down!”

  “No.” He easily kept hold of me and grabbed my shoes, placing them on my lap before adjusting me in his arms and carrying me towards the door.

  “Open it.”

  I sighed and pulled. “You’re not carrying me through this whole building.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  He was entirely unphased by my astute embarrassment. If anyone that worked for him saw me like this, I’d die and then they would probably die because Judas was insane, and he’d reason I was somehow being disrespected.

  I eyed the floor as he carried me back the way we had come in and saw someone already swept up my trail of sawdust. No doubt they heard our quickie. I was far more embarrassed about being treated like a doll that had no legs.

  “Seriously, you can put me down. I’ll walk.”

  “Put your bare feet on this floor? Absolutely not. It may look clean, but I know what’s been dragged across it.”

  I frowned at the gross visual that declaration produced.

  “Well, I know I’m not light.”

  “You’re perfect.”

  I smiled down at my wet shoes. “You know, I almost like you when you’re sweet.”

  “Then I am very fortunate you love me for all the times I’m not.”

  “Hm.” I neither agreed nor disagreed unable to reply with anything but a soft hum.

  Did I love him? I didn’t hate or wholly dislike him. Maybe I did. I don’t know whether that made me sad, spineless, or stupid. What I did know was that even when it was wrong, this felt right.

  My mess of conflicting feelings aside, all I could do right now was watch this all play out, wait for him to show his hand before I decided how to amass mine.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I intended to interrogate him until he broke and told me where we were going. What actually happened was him depositing me into the backseat of another SUV. I somehow wound up with his fingers running through my hair and my head in his lap.

  Naturally, after the night before and our bathroom interlude, it put me to sleep. I woke to him softly calling my name. I opened my eyes and realized I’d dozed off. I sat up and stretched my arms out in front of me to loosen up my limbs.

  “Feel better?” he asked, smoothing my hair down with his hands.

  I looked around and noticed we weren’t moving. The truck was idling just outside a brick fence that boasted of security and privacy. “Where are we and what time is it?”

  “Our next destination, and a little past three.”

  When we left the warehouse, it had only been going on eleven. “We’ve been in the car for hours. What is this place?”

  “Theo.”

  Judas stating his name was basically the issuance of a command. The man shifted into drive and continued going straight. Behind us, two more vehicles followed. Since Judas hadn’t answered me, I looked out the windows to try and get a basic understanding of where we were.

  The brick wall went on for nearly a mile before a set of rod iron gates wider than the pair blocking entry to Judas’ house appeared in the center of it.

  An intricate lion wearing a crown was smoldered on each side. A large crest marked with an S was directly in between them. I wasn’t one for coincidences. I knew right away that my recently revealed surname and this intimidating crest had to be related.

  “Why did you bring me here?” I asked quietly without looking away from the lions. In the upper corner of the fence were cameras aimed directly at us.

  “It was time.”

  I shifted in my seat to address him. “How can you decide that for me? Why do you always say I can do this or that but never ask?”

  My voice betrayed the emotions I was struggling to conceal. Judas leaned toward me and took my face into his hands, keeping my attention trained wholly on him as the gates opened and Theo proceeded through them.

  “If I question whether or not you can handle something that leaves room for you to do the same. I won’t ever give you a reason to doubt what I know you’re capable of handling. If I didn’t think you could do something, I’d never put you in a position where you had to.”

  I was beginning to lose count of how many times he said exactly the right thing in a manner that made it hard to not believe he meant it. His every word was like a promise just for me. I found myself holding onto them with this almost pathetic desperation to feel like I wasn’t so alone.

  I nodded so he knew I got the message. He placed a light kiss on the center of my forehead before letting me go. If his goal was to calm me down, then he somewhat succeeded. I’m not sure there was anything anyone could say that would take away this sense of anxiety entirely.

  I hadn’t wanted to meet his parents as it was, meeting one of mine felt like the beginning of a dream that would either be a nightmare or a precious memory.

  The house looked like an Aztec castle. Sitting upon a hill and partially built into the ground, it could have been one of those secret hideouts they used in movies.

  “You guys really like your fancy mansions,” I mumbled.

  “I could live in a penthouse and be satisfied. I built the house for you and the family we’ll have. Kids need space to do the dumb bullshit kids do. We need space so I can drag you to the other side of the house and fuck you when they’re eating lunch.”

  There was his mention of kids again. I shot him a wry look. “You’ve really planned this out, haven’t you?”

  “Don’t I always plan for everything?”

  I’d been somewhat joking, he on the other hand was not.

  It made me wonder if this too, was some part of a grand scheme he had going. Just like the ring on my finger. If his words and actions were anything to go by thus far then the only plan, he had was to keep me by his side. This was Judas, though. He was the one who’d flipped my whole world upside down in a matter of seconds. He excelled at being guileful and reticent.

  “Shouldn’t I have met them—him—first?”

  “No, things were always meant to be this way.”

  That reply didn’t evoke trust. I glanced over at him in question. “Things?”

  He studied my face as if looking for something. “Theo, park and give us a second.”

  “You got it,” he replied, pulling the SUV to the side.

  He didn’t question why or protest. He exited the vehicle and shut the door, keeping his back to us to give a sense of privacy.

  I was almost envious that one man could make others do his bidding with a few words. A man with the equivalent of a kingdom who was protected like a god and worshipped like one too.

  “You think I have an ulterior motive to use or hurt you.”

  I stared at him. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

  “I…fuck I’m bad at this. It’s the only thing I haven’t excelled at.” He ran a hand through his hair and looked out the side window for a few seconds.

  I laughed softly. “Oh, how terrible life is when you’re great at everything.”

  His gaze returned to mine with a look of irritation that had me biting back another smile. I loved when I managed to get under his skin.

  His eyes dipped to my hand, and he reached for it, holding it tightly. My amusement faded as the magnitude of my situation began to sink in. My old life was a lie. The life after that was a lie.

  The here and now was all I had left, wearing a ring from the one who had orchestrated everything. As with an earlier realization, he was also the one who always kept me safe. I let him see I was paying attention and ready to hear whatever he was about to say.

  “I know you think I don’t deserve it. I know you have no fucking idea what’s really happening but give me a chance to prove my only plan is to give you the very best life has to offer and heal your heart. You won’t regret it.”

  I wasn’t expecting this to be what he said. It was so ass-backward I didn’t know if I should yell, cry, or laugh.

  He’d already kidnapped me—essentially. We were sleeping together in a house he claimed was built with our future in mind. I shot my old neighbor in the head because of him. I met his family and he formally announced I was his fiancé. After all of that, he was asking if I would give him a chance?

  The logical thing would be to tell him he could go fuck himself. There were a million reasons why I should tell him no. But there were also those rationalizations that made me want to do just that. I wanted to put a band-aid over my scars and be his forever. I rolled my lips and pulled in a deep breath, exhaling it softly before telling him, “Okay, Judas.”

  He brought my hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it. I took that as a show of gratitude.

  “After you meet him, if you never want to see his face again you won’t.”

  I looked towards the house and nodded. I wasn’t sure why after so many years I was meeting this guy, but it was better if I just got it over with. I had no moral obligations to him.

  “I’m ready.”

  Still holding my hand, Judas opened his door and began to get out, stopping when I asked him to wait.

  “Shoes.” I pointed to my white-painted toes. “You can’t carry me here.”

  “Actually, I can,” he replied as if this was a good idea.