I frowned at that. I thought that was done with?

  Then I felt the absence beside me and looked. Where was Kash?

  There he was. He was coming back into the room, putting his phone away. He looked up, meeting my gaze, and he faltered in his step.

  He smiled, then frowned, his head cocked to the side.

  Three weeks later … or maybe four?

  “She needs to go back to counseling! This is enough.”

  I was awake and sitting in an office. That was Peter, yelling on the other side of the door.

  “No, she doesn’t.” That was Kash.

  It was dark, with no lights on in here. The glow of the light from their side shone under the door.

  “Bailey?”

  A whisper from the side and I turned. Seraphina was pushing open a different door, peering in, biting her lip.

  “I’m here.” I waved her over, patting the couch beside me. I had a blanket. I didn’t know why it was there but it was, and I lifted up an end of it. “Come cuddle with your sister.”

  She’d taken a step toward me, her eyes worried, still chewing on her lip. Her hands were twisted around each other, but at my last suggestion, her eyes lit up. She stopped biting her lip, and her hands came free from each other. “Yeah?” She grinned, almost literally brightening up the room.

  “Yeah.” I could smile. I noticed it then. It didn’t hurt my cheeks, and when she slipped under my blanket, I drew her to me.

  I liked this.

  Kash had my back on the other side of the door. I wasn’t worried, and I had my little sister in my arms.

  My shoulders seemed a little lighter.

  Five weeks later

  I was straddling Kash.

  My legs around his waist.

  He was sitting up against the bed’s headboard, his hand to my neck, and he angled his head, taking my mouth harder. He was thrusting up into me. I was riding him. My hands were bracing against the headboard behind him.

  It was hot.

  Everything was buzzing.

  Good. Not good.

  I was—I was writhing. I was needing.

  I was feeling.

  Then I was screaming and I was climaxing, and my body began shaking.

  My body wouldn’t stop shaking.

  I was crying.

  Kash was holding me, cradling me to his chest.

  I was lying down.

  He was smoothing back my hair.

  He was whispering to me, telling me he loved me.

  I felt safe in his arms.

  Loved.

  Warm.

  I didn’t want to feel warm.

  Why didn’t I want to feel warm again?

  Six weeks later

  Kash

  She was waking up.

  I could tell. It was small, but it was significant. A little bit, every day.

  I was the only one who noticed. No, that wasn’t true. Sera- phina had noticed. She was smiling more around Bailey, drawn to her, reaching for her hand and hugging her more often.

  That was good.

  And one night at the dinner table, Bailey turned to me, tears in her eyes, and asked, “Do you know where my laptop is?”

  Matt dropped his fork. It clattered on his plate.

  Seraphina gasped.

  Marie had been pouring some milk into Cyclone’s glass and cursed. “Dios!”

  Cyclone looked up, squinting at Bailey.

  Peter’s eyes filled with tears. His hand covered his mouth.

  I smiled back at her. “I’ll get it for you after dinner.”

  She smiled back. “Thank you.”

  She was waking up.

  SEVEN

  Bailey

  Holy fucking hell, my chest hurt.

  I woke and everything hurt. Everything ached.

  My eyeballs. My arms. The hairs on my fingers. The nails on my toes. Even the nuclei in my cells. They were pounding in agony.

  I jerked upright and I gasped for breath, bending over, my hands clutching at my chest.

  Christ.

  I felt like I was having a heart attack.

  God.

  Jesus.

  What the ever-loving fuck was happening to me?

  But I knew.

  The bed was empty. I looked over, saw it was three in the morning, and I was having so many different types of flashbacks all at once. I was panting and gritting my teeth just to get through wave after wave of slicing pain. And the other flashback—the bed was empty. Kash had been here. He’d come to bed with me, so I knew he wasn’t gone on another business trip. He would’ve woken me and told me if he had to leave last minute.

  I ignored all the extra aches cutting into every orifice on my body.

  Padding barefoot, I went to the bathroom and used some mouthwash super quick. Raking my fingers through my hair, I grabbed one of Kash’s sweatshirts. He had these large ones that dwarfed me. I could’ve stopped and grabbed some pajama pants or sweats, but I kept with my sleeping shorts. His sweatshirt fell almost to my knees. It was fine. And then, without taking the time to realize my feet were cold and I should grab some socks or at least some slippers, I headed out.

  I didn’t recognize the night guard, but he straightened from the wall where he was positioned when I stepped into the hallway.

  “Where is he?” I asked, before he could say anything.

  His hands came together in front of him and he stood even taller. He nodded forward. “In the basement gym, ma’am.”

  Ma’am.

  I grinned at that, literally hearing Chrissy chuckling next to me. “You’re just like me now, girly. Ma’am. What a hoot.”

  Yeah. A hoot.

  I padded past him and headed for the elevator that went past the main section of the house. Going inside, I hit the basement floor, and there were two guards waiting for me.

  I paused, seeing Josh as he was eyeing me. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

  He grinned. “I sleep when your man sleeps.”

  I narrowed my eyes.

  His grin deepened. “So that’s rarely, ma’am.”

  I bared my teeth. “Don’t you start with that ‘ma’am’ shit.”

  He just laughed. “Would never entertain the thought, ma—”

  I growled.

  He amended, still chuckling, “Bailey.”

  I scoffed, “Better.”

  If anyone had asked me last summer where the gym was on the Chesapeake estates, I wouldn’t have had a clue. I would’ve rolled my eyes and said something sarcastic like, “Of course there’s a gym; it’s alongside the Olympic-sized pool,” but now I knew exactly where it was, and it was right next to an Olympic-sized pool, though the pool was only two lanes wide. It wasn’t built for playing and horsing around, not like the pool outside, which had a complete slide with it.

  Heading farther toward the gym, I was shocked to not hear sounds of grunting and punching from inside. Instead, the door to the pool was open.

  “He had some extra energy to work off.”

  I glanced sideways, not having heard Josh walking beside me.

  “I honestly don’t think he’s human.”

  Josh’s mouth twitched. “You might be on to something, Bailey.”

  We came to the door and he stepped forward, checking the room before nodding for me to go ahead. I stepped inside, feeling the humidity and breathing in the chlorine before I noticed Josh shutting the door. A second later, I met his gaze through the door’s window, and he gave me another polite smile before pressing a button. The window frosted over.

  Looking to the corner, I saw the camera’s light switch from green to red. Josh was giving us complete privacy, and only when that was all done did I seek out where Kash was.

  He was at the far end, turning, flipping, and coming up a few paces away, heading my way.

  I went to the edge and sat down, putting my feet in the water. I didn’t have long to wait, enjoying the view as Kash’s arms were cutting through the water, his shoulders and biceps bulging from the motion.

  I forgot how he was a fish in water.

  His head was perfectly in alignment with his shoulders, and every fourth arm swing he raised his mouth up for air and went back down. He went past me. I thought he was going to keep going, but at the last second, his hand snaked out. He latched on to my ankle and tugged me into the water.

  I shrieked before I was eating chlorine. “Agh!”

  He grinned, the water pulsating between us, and he maneuvered me back until I was against the pool wall. “What are you doing down here?” His eyes were alert, taking me in as he placed a hand on either side of me, trapping me.

  The buoyancy kept me floating, but then Kash was moving his legs under me and I was completely resting over him. My legs straddled his, and he hooked one ankle around the other, tugging me to open even wider for him.

  Heat flared in me, boiling my blood, but when I thought Kash would bend his head, finding my throat, he didn’t. He moved his head back, sinking so he was on the same eye level as me, and he tugged at his sweatshirt. “Nice shirt.”

  I grinned, feeling a laziness intertwining with the warmth in me. “It was this or a robe. This was closer.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded, enjoying the teasing look in his eyes. It was dark, but it was there. “Really.” My voice hitched on a soft sigh with that one.

  He grew sober, his head moving back so he could take me in more fully. “You look good.” His eyebrows dipped down. “You look like you again.” His hand moved, and he touched a wet finger beside my eye. “I see you again.”

  My throat swelled up, my chest filled with an ache that was bittersweet.

  “Woke up.”

  “I can see that.” His head cocked to the side, but he didn’t say anything further. He was still holding me in place, and as he settled back, I knew he was waiting for me. He was waiting for whatever I was going to say or do, for whatever path I was going to put us on because that’s what I felt in that moment.

  I was awake.

  I was angry.

  I was remorseful.

  And I was thinking more clearly.

  I said, “I know you’ve been waiting for me.”

  That somber expression settled back on him, and his hand went back to the pool wall, trapping me in again.

  “You let me mourn her, and I know that I’ll always grieve my mother. I’ll never forget what they did to her, what he did to her, but I wasn’t myself. You gave me that time. You knew I would come back to me and I did. I’m here. Me. I’m ready for the next chapter.”

  Hunger licked my insides, lighting that fire again.

  It grew, jumping up, and it was engulfing me.

  I sunk down on Kash’s legs, and the higher that blaze built in me, the more I wanted him. But I wanted more. I wanted blood.

  “I know you’ve been making moves against your grandfather, but I want in. I deserve to be in now. He took her from me. I want to rip his heart out.”

  Kash’s head lowered, his eyes still holding mine. They were growing more intense as I spoke. “I can’t risk him getting his hands on you.”

  “He won’t—”

  “Yes!” His hand jerked from the pool wall but shook as he caught himself. Softening his touch, he traced a finger through my hair, following a strand and retucking it behind my ear. His eyes followed it, lingering on where he paused, his hand holding that piece of hair before he looked up to meet my gaze again. A hardness flashed there, one that I knew was in Kash, had seen in Kash, but he didn’t vanquish it like he had the other times.

  I saw him.

  I saw behind the walls he showed to everyone else, to me, to even himself.

  I was seeing the real him, and he was as hungry as I was—more, even.

  My lips parted at that realization.

  He couldn’t have been, but no—I was thinking. I was remembering. Calhoun took both his parents from him. He had to remain hidden most of his life because of his grandfather, so in essence Calhoun had taken Kash’s normalcy, his childhood, too.

  Yeah. Kash wanted to kill his grandfather just as much as I did, but I didn’t care. I wanted it for Chrissy. I needed it for Chrissy.

  He dropped his hand to my shoulder, pushing the sweatshirt out of the way and then smoothing his hand down my arm. The sweatshirt was big enough that it trailed to my elbow, before a growl left Kash and he shifted. His other hand took hold of it from the other side and he whisked it up and off of me. It was tossed behind us and I was bare to him except for my sleeping shorts and tank top.

  His hand continued its path, going over my arm, my hand. To my chest, down my chest. Lingering between my breasts. My top was nearly transparent, but the water swelled between us and he bent his head, his lips finding my shoulder at the same time that his hand pushed my top aside. He covered one of my breasts, his thumb rubbing over my nipple.

  He moved in, his body more firmly cementing me against the wall, and I felt his heat. It melded with mine. “He can’t touch you.” He lifted his head, moving to my other shoulder, trailing to my throat. “He can’t hurt you. He can’t have you.”

  My whole body shivered, and I closed my eyes, my head falling back.

  His mouth moved up my throat, lingering on my jawline before sweeping to rest just over my mouth. I opened my eyes, my eyelids heavy. I was aching for him, but I was also crying on the inside. There was such agony intertwined with what he was doing to me, what he was making me feel, how much I wanted him.

  His lips pressed down and he breathed into me. “He can’t take you away from me.” His hand closed over my hips, tugging me firmly into him. “I won’t let him.” His hands came up to cradle my neck, the side of my face. His thumb moved over my cheek, holding me for him, and he raised his head. His eyes lifted, meeting mine, holding mine. He looked as haunted as me, tortured, but there was a fierceness in him that took my breath away. “I will never let him near you. Ever.” His hand started shaking, holding me captive, and he closed his eyes.

  He was done.

  I felt it.

  He ground against me, my breath hitching at feeling how hard he was.

  I always knew Kash had darkness in him. I always knew he was furious inside, but there was an animal in him. Or a monster in him, one created because of his relation to Calhoun, maybe. He had never let me see that side of him, but he was out now. The monster was before me, half unhinged but also in complete control, and his entire body was shaking in his urgency to remain in control.

  I didn’t want his control.

  I hated his control, and I wanted to push him over the edge. I suddenly thirsted for it, desperate for it, and my legs locked around his waist.

  Before he could do anything, I shoved a hand between us and pulled him out. My hand wrapped around him once, rubbing him. I lifted my hips. My shorts were whisked off, and I sank down, sheathing us together.

  He cursed, reacting instantly. His mouth was on mine, hard.

  Our movements weren’t coordinated after that. There was too much rawness and realness brimming to the top. I commanded him. He demanded me. His thrusts were rough, almost violent, but it’s what I wanted. It’s what I needed. It sent me spinning, feeling alive, and I was gasping for breath as he continued fucking me.

  He crushed me against the wall.

  I knew there’d be abrasions over my skin from the pool side. I. Did. Not. Care.

  I only felt him.

  The climax tore through me, making me feel as if I broke my back with its force, and I cried out, my mouth tearing from his. A scream erupted from my throat, and then more, as Kash wasn’t done. He grabbed my hips and stood, carrying me farther into the shallow end of the pool, which had a gradual slope in and out. He moved until we were almost out of the pool, then covered my entire body with his. I had to grab ahold of the pool side to hold my head up so I could get air, but then his mouth was on mine and it didn’t matter.

  Nothing mattered.

  Then again, when I was with him like this, nothing much mattered anyway.

  After he came, roaring, his body stiffening, jerking, I ran a hand down his back. It was meant to be soothing, but he knocked it aside. “No,” he growled, his mouth opening over mine once again. And just like that, I was swept up again.

  * * *

  I grew aware of a door opening, closing.

  Something was covering me, warming me.

  A beep.

  We were moving.

  Another beep.

  Someone coughed.

  Feet were shuffling.

  Then a door opening, and a voice saying, “Do I ask?”

  Even half asleep, I heard my brother’s tone. He was amused, but there was a hint of concern there, too.

  Kash’s arms tightened around me, his voice sounding from just above where my head was resting against his arm. “Do I ask about you, too? I know you just got home.”

  We were moving past Matt, so I tried to open one eye. I saw movement. He was straightening, but then we were past him.

  His voice came from behind us, and sounded tired. “Let’s just say I’m thinking we both needed to work out some demons tonight.”

  Kash stopped, his arms becoming like cement. He turned and ground out, “You didn’t.”

  Matt just laughed in response. It was harsh and caustic sounding. “Don’t throw stones, Kash. We’re all a little dark inside. God’s sakes, I know you are.”

  “It’s not the same thing.”

  “Yeah.” Matt sighed, his voice growing faint. “Just don’t hurt my sister, okay? I’m not meaning in the bedroom, either.”

  A door closed after that.

  Kash remained still before his chest rose, lifting me in its movements, and his head bent. He murmured against my ear, “Go to sleep. Your brother’s okay.”

  That was enough.

  My eyelids cemented closed, and I woke once more to bedsheets and a hard body curling behind mine. It was like heaven.

  TRIAL SET TO START FOR QUINN FRANCIS

  Quinn Francis, who has reverted back to her maiden name, Callas, is set to begin trial this coming Tuesday. Her defense team is ready and eager to prove Ms. Callas’s innocence.

  “Miss Callas was wrongfully convicted. She is the victim of a series of complex and interweaving false narratives being spoken from the entire Francis family. She’s better off away from them, even in her particular setting. She would take being charged with kidnapping and attempted murder over remaining in that household, and that says everything.”