“Fuck,” I said harshly, my fist hitting the table hard. I didn’t want to start breaking shit. I didn’t want to hurt anyone anymore, but I couldn’t handle the emotions running through me.

“Is everything okay?” Jared asked concerned as ever. He was always fucking concerned. However, now his concerns were real. I was dating his half-sister, or was I? From her words mere moments ago, I was beginning to think we had nothing. Then again, if I were just thrown the shit storm she was, I would be doing a whole lot more than just needing time.

“Everything is just fan-fucking-tastic,” I scoffed, slamming back a gulp of the whiskey sitting in front of me. I needed a drink about as badly as I needed Bree’s sweet lips against mine.

“I take that as she didn’t take it nearly as well as I thought she would.” He was joking... or trying to. It was a shame Bree had been caught up in all of this. I had taken the sweet, shy, and innocent woman I loved and morphed her into a broken killer. She was broken and it was my fault—no, it was John’s fault.

“You mean you actually expected her to accept what you said right off the bat? We have bloodthirsty criminals breathing down our backs left and right, and then we have to throw shit on her. I can’t even imagine what she is thinking right now,” I growled out in frustration. I didn’t want to be too loud, but I needed to let some of the aggression out. Killing John did nothing for me. I thought it would make me feel fuller, happier. Instead, it made me feel worse… even if he did deserve to die.

Shrugging his shoulders, he took the empty seat on the leather couch across from me. “No. I just got off the phone with my dad and he wants to meet her. I told him we found her… More like she found us, but that’s beside the point. I think my dad can point us in the direction of where to find Mack.”

Stretching my legs out, I settled further into the couch. Another slam back of Whiskey, another feeling escaping.

“I just feel…” I wasn’t even sure where to start and why the fuck was I pouring my soul out to Jared. He didn’t care.

A smirk pulled at his lips. “We both know what you feel. There isn’t anything you can do to change it. I know your emotions are conflicted, but you need to give her some time. We need to let her go through everything so she’s strong enough to carry on when the time comes.” Was he already sticking up for her in a brotherly way? I wanted to laugh.

“Already pulling out the brother card, huh?” I said laughing.

Grinning, he shook his head. “Nah. But if you break her heart, I will probably break your face. How’s that for the brotherly card?” His comment sent a spiral of happiness to form within. Bree may have lost so much, but she had gained so much, as well. Jared, a person who would be a better brother to her than anyone I knew. James, a father who would claim her as his own. And me—a man, who against all odds, had opened his heart to love.

“I would love to see you try and break my face,” I taunted knowing very well even Jared wouldn’t be able to take me down. He could say he would all he wanted, but I knew better.

Rolling his eyes like a girl, he laughed. “Whatever. That’s not the point, asshole. The point is you know we lost my mom. It has only ever been my dad and me, and I don’t want to go into pussy foot country and spill my guts to you, but to have someone else is just... exhilarating. For the first time in years, my dad is moving around again. He’s coming here to see her, and though the truth was a damn—nation to her, it was a joy to us.”

The faraway look in his eyes told me he was going back there. I knew the look. I had endured it many times. He had lost his mother, too. Not to the same fate I had, but far worse. There was nothing to stop what had happened to his mother.

“It’s okay, Jared.” I tried to sound convincing, but he knew when to call my bluff, and there would be no better time to do so than now. I was a hypocrite. I knew it. I told people to move on from their own problems while I still boiled in my own.

“Just make sure she’s okay enough to talk later,” he said blinking slowly as if he were trying to bring himself back to the present. He couldn’t still blame himself for her death. It wasn’t his fault. He was just a kid.

“It wasn’t your fault, Jared,” I said surprising even myself. I never stepped into the arena with him. I never tried to be the friend he needed. Turning on his heels, I saw a deep anger rooted in his eyes.

Clenching his teeth, he spoke forcefully. “Take your own advice, Zerro. Don’t try to tell me how to handle my shit when you’re barely getting by with your own struggle.”

What was I supposed to say to that? Nothing, that’s what, so I did just that. I let him walk away, down the hall to his room, leaving me to sit in the emptiness to think about all the fucked up choices I had made. Funny, when you’re alone, your mind tends to wander. I started to wonder if everything would come out okay, if we all would get our happily ever after, or if we all were headed down the road to war. Only time would tell.

Hours had passed as I continued to sit in the chair across from her watching her sleep. Her body was worn and tired, her breaths were deep, and her chest rose and fell in rhythm with my own beating heart. This moment took me back to the very last time we had sex—when we were on good terms. How I had awoken her from a very similar position.

“Ride my hand, baby…” My own words echoed through my mind as I remembered every push and pull of our bodies. The way we became one, how I would’ve loved to do nothing but stay wrapped up in who she was for hours. Then I think I would’ve given everything up for her. Hell, I still would, but things were different now. Death changed people. It changed things. Technically, we’re still enemies, but for her to be one, Jared would have to be one, too. I could never turn my back on them.

A deep moan pulled me from my thoughts as I watched Bree roll over in bed. She was wearing one of my shirts and a pair of my boxers. Her shirt was riding up on her back, and her lower back and ass were showing.

My cock was stiff and ready to take her. Of course, it was always hard with her around, but there was something so much more important that needed to be handled. I needed to know what had happened to her while she was gone. Where she had been taken, all she had endured. God, I was a fucking douche bag for not asking these questions before doing anything with her.

Ringing my hands together, I clasped them in front of me. Did I really want to talk to her about all of this? I know I had said how sorry I was, but I needed to know she was okay. I needed to make this right.

Slipping from the chair, I tiptoed across the floor and to the bed. For a moment in time, I stood staring at her beautiful face. It was more than the face of an angel. It was the face of my savior. The woman I loved, who I had hurt, betrayed, and somehow, still managed to keep. Her nose scrunched together as if she was having a bad dream and her pink lips parted a sigh escaping.

Right then, my heart did a little pitter patter. Yes, the totally fucking girly kind where sighs fall from lips and eyelashes bat. I was pussy whipped and I didn’t even care. Not one fucking bit.

“Hey, Piccolo…” I whispered against her skin as I clasped the side of her cheek gently. She stirred only slightly and one eye opened.

“It’s still dark out, so if you’re waking me up, somebody better be dying. Wait—no, scratch that... somebody had better not be dead. Too much heartache going on around here.” I could tell by the humor lacking in her voice she wasn’t kidding.

“I just needed to talk to you. I needed to let you know your father, Jared’s dad, is coming to meet you. I know you said you needed some time to digest everything that had happened, but we don’t really have time. We need to devise a plan and…” I trailed off. I was the motherfucking king, but here I was bowing to her. Putting myself on the line. I had never had to ask someone if things were okay between us—simply because I never cared enough to ask.

“And?” she asked puzzled as I sat on the bed next to her. My dick was still hard, and the way she was looking at me was making it more difficult for me to focus on the task at hand. Fuck. Yeah, that’s what you needed to be doing…

“And…. I need to know….” Pause. “If everything between us….” Pause again. Would I ever be able to fucking man up? Fuck having a cock—if I looked down, I guarantee I would have found a pussy since I was acting like one.

Sighing, I looked her straight in the eyes as if I were looking straight down the barrel of a gun. “I need to know we’re okay. I know it sounds fucked up, but I need to know you’re all right. I need to know you aren’t lost somewhere in that pretty fucking head of yours.” She knew what I was asking because not even a second passed before she started giving me answers.

“Well, basically, I was held in a hole for three weeks. When I say hole, I do mean one in the ground, surrounded by dirt. I was talked down upon and treated like shit for hours upon hours. Then… someone who says he knows you baited me to get out of the hole. Technically, I baited him, but it doesn’t matter…” Closing my eyes for a moment, I took a deep breath to calm myself. If he touched her, there was a cement block with his name on it.

“Anyway, I got out of the hole with the intent of running or doing whatever I could to escape. Instead of having to fight him though, he just kind of let me go…” She sounded surprised, which in turn kind of surprised me. Why the hell would they let her go? There had to be a motive.

“Who was this man? What did he look like? Did he touch you?” The questions came out rushed, and I felt myself reaching out to touch her, simply in relief to remind myself she was here. I was a pussy. A total fucking pussy. Next thing you know, I would be watching The Notebook and talking about The Vampire Diaries.

Smiling, a sexy as all fucking hell grin, she said, “Relax, Mr. King. Nothing happened. He didn’t hurt me. He was wearing a mask and didn’t give me his name, but he did have super green eyes. Like the greenest eyes I have ever seen, and he told me something…” Seconds passed as I watched her work through her thoughts.

“He told me something about thanking you, and he was returning the favor. Something like that. It was odd, but I wasn’t going to stick around and ask questions. He told me to run and that’s what I did.” Inwardly, I sighed in relief. My mind suddenly wandered to a green-eyed boy I had as Intel. Devon? Was that his name? It had been forever since I last talked to him. I had cleaned him up, gave him a place to stay, and took care of him for months. In return, he would feed me information pertaining to the cops, FBI—you name it. Maybe I needed to pay Devon a little visit.

“Where did this all come from?” she asked pulling the sheet up as she sat up. Her dark brown eyes were anything but doe-like anymore. Everything that seemed shy and unknown had been explored. She was strong, so fucking strong, and she was mine. All mine.

“Bree. I love you. I loved you the moment I met you. I simply didn’t understand what it was that drew me to you. I fought my own men and broke all my own rules to be with you. I may have killed and been ruthless. I may have been the monster everyone makes me out to be, but I never stopped loving you.”

Her eyes welled up with huge tears. I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but for what? For being honest and for telling her how much she means to me? Fuck no. One single tear slipped from her eye and fell to her cheek where it slid down ever so slowly.

“I don’t want you to think I don’t want you or care about you because I do. I know why you killed John. I understand it was needed on your part, but it’s going to be hard for me to forget it. It doesn’t matter how evil someone is. If you loved them even the tiniest bit, you'd always remember the love, above all else.” I understood what she meant. It was similar to how she felt about me. She could always remember the good things I had done over the bad. Even when the bad outweighed the good by a million. She had a heart of gold while I had a cold, dark one.

“It just seemed like…” I said ashamedly. I had never worked through such emotions.

“Look at me, Zerro….” she said cupping my cheek to turn my face into hers. I didn’t resist her touch. “I want to be with you, I want to find out answers, too. We’re a team. We can do this together.”

“Is this your way of saying you thought everything through? I’m really sorry…” I pleaded. I hated feeling lower than dirt. I had never felt this way before.

“I’m okay. I’m not great or fabulous, but I’m capable of moving from what happened.”

I smiled, unable to hide the happiness. “I bet you I can make you feel great, maybe even fabulous?” I teased wiggling my eyebrows at her. One time, two times... hell, a million fucking times would never be enough for me. She had me wrapped around her finger and every inch of me called to her. She simply smiled, which caused my heart rate to accelerate…

“Shouldn’t you be devising some insane, off the wall, guns a blazing attack plan?” Her teeth sank into her full, pale pink lips, and I was more than ready to lose all my clothes and attack her like an animal.

Tugging at my shirt, I smiled. “Gun’s a blazing sounds fun, but fucking you until you can’t walk or talk sounds better, doesn’t it?” I growled. With my shirt off, I started to tug on my pants but was stopped by two small hands.

“Let me,” she said pulling at the button on my jeans. Her smile was a killer, making my already hard cock harder—if that were even fucking possible. Loosening the button, I watched her pull the sides of my pants down.

“Commando, huh?” She laughed as her brown eyes twinkled in the light. She was beautiful and far too fucking smart of a woman then to be caught up with me. Shimmying out of my pants, I bent down to lay claim on her. I wanted her lips, her panting breaths, and her skin against mine until the sun came up.

“What can I say? I’m always ready for you,” I teased. My teeth nipped at her bottom lip. Her eyes turned to molten lava in an instant. I had the same effect on her she had on me.

“I missed you so bad…” I practically panted as my hands drifted under her shirt. I was a thirsty man. It felt as if I hadn’t had a drink from her beauty in months. I was starved.

Her lips found mine, devouring the very small amount of space separating us. Her urgency turned into mine, and in a matter of seconds, I had pulled her shirt off and moved us to a sitting position. She was straddling me and I was ready for her.

“Are you ready for me, Mr. King?” she asked as one of her fingers reached out tracing over my bottom lip. The temptation to reach out and bite her was strong, but I wanted to go easy on her. I wanted to give her the control.

Looking down, my eyes glided over her body. Her full tits were on display for me, and I couldn’t stop myself from palming them.

“I’ve missed this, you… all of it…” She seemed to purr as she arched into my touch.

“I bet you have, baby,” I said, moving one hand from her tit to between her legs. One stroke of my finger told me she was soaked for me. My Piccolo was a very dirty girl.

“You’re ready for me already?” I asked, laying hot kisses against her chest and neck. She pushed her dark locks to the side to give me more access, and it was then I saw the bruises on her shoulder. They were small and insignificant to the naked eye, but to the King, they were anything but.

“Who did this to you?” I asked anger filling my voice. Her expression turned from lust to confusion in mere seconds as she looked down to see what I was talking about. Fear rooted itself deep in my belly. Was she only telling me a half truth?

“I… I don’t know where those came from, Zerro…” Her eyes pleaded with me to understand, and looking up at her, I knew she was telling me the truth. She wasn’t sure how she had been bruised. Had I done that to her? It could very well be possible?

“Shhhh… I’m sorry I scared you…” I whispered, laying soft kisses against the bruises. I wanted them to go away. I never wanted a single thing to blemish her beautiful skin.

From there, I trailed my kisses over her neck, and down her chest, listening to her breathe and to her heart accelerating.

“Being with you is like being on a roller coaster. The moments of fear when you don’t know what’s around the next corner. The feeling of falling, just for a fraction of a second, where you think death may finally get you. You make me feel all of it….” she said softly, her voice as smooth as silk.

Her words stirred something deep within, and I lost control. She always brought unknown emotions to the surface. My fingers delved into her skin as I traced her entrance. So wet, so fucking wet for me.

“Fuck my finger…” I demanded gritting my teeth, as I watched her eyes light up like a fireworks show. With one hand wrapped around her chin to keep her eyes on mine, I slammed my finger into her over and over again until she found her own rhythm.

“I need more…” Panting, she pleaded with me to give her what she wanted.

“Beg for it… Show me what that sweet pussy of yours wants,” I said nipping at her lip. A frustrated sigh erupted from within her, and her movements became jerky.

“Beg for it, and I’ll give you what you crave. You know my cock only wants you…” I murmured on the verge of coming myself. She was a goddess, and her body worked in so many fucking mysterious ways. I know I said I wanted her to do the pace and to be in control, but that was before she said what she said.

“Please, Zerro…” she cried out… begging, pleading, and giving me exactly what I wanted.

“Please what? You want me to fuck that dirty cunt of yours? You want my cum to fill you to the brim? Do you?” I smirked adjusting myself for her entrance the moment the words escaped her lips.

“Please, fuck me… Fuck me NOW!” She all but screamed impatiently.

“Now, now. Don’t make demands, my greedy girl…” I growled at her and withdrew my finger before sliding deep into her pussy. One swift movement was all it took to get her mouth to shut. My body shuddered with the need to slam into her repeatedly, but I stood my ground, relishing every jerk and clench of her body.

Our bodies were connected, and as she slid over my cock slowly, I took the time to explore her body, leaving a path of fiery kisses over every inch of her body.

“Ahhh… Ahh…” she exclaimed, her hips moving in motion with mine as I lay back slowly to watch her work her magic.

“Fuck, yeah…” I hissed out, my hands moving to her hips. Our flesh was smacking against one another as she fucked me into oblivion. Her walls clamped onto my cock like a vise as I continued to push into her deeper than I ever had before.

“Never enough… Never enough…” I said breathlessly as my cum hit the back of her pussy and my toes curled. They literally fucking curled.

Bree’s body lay against mine as we both came down from our highs listening to one another’s hearts beat.

One of my hands moved of its own accord as if it had been doing this for years. I pushed the hair off her shoulder and rubbed small circles into her back. She was mine. She was all fucking mine, and I was the luckiest man in the world. It didn’t matter I had lost everything to my name or I could be killed at this very moment—because I had found my home in her arms.

“Promise me, through all of this, even if Mack wins, you’ll run. You’ll push on for something more because both you and I know someone’s going to die. Death is inevitable in the world we live in, and even if I die, I just want to know you will find your peace.”

If all else failed, peace was what I wanted her to have. I wanted her to be able to move on without me.

“If I promise this to you, then you have to promise the same to me. It’s not just your life on the line but both of ours.” She was right, but she didn’t realize I would do everything in my power to make sure she made it out, even if it meant giving up my own life for hers.

“I promise…” I lied. I couldn’t promise something like that. Hopefully, it never came down to the moment where time stood still between us. If I had to, I would take the bullet for her.

“Good,” she mumbled into my chest, and as much as I wanted to whisper those three little words, I knew she knew without me even having to say a thing.