The past two and a half months have felt like a whirlwind of activity, taking over our entire lives, but really, it’s just been the setup for The Broken Angel Foundation. Just helping Nikolas with everything involved in getting the gala going has been hard work, but Sarah’s also been busting her ass trying to get as much done on the shelter as possible. She’s going to make her goal, with a grand opening scheduled for December fifteenth, just in time for Christmas.

The city has settled quite nicely in the two months since we took care of Jacob’s last loyal followers. Crews are selling, girls on the street are safe, docks and airport are running, and Marcus and I have had meetings with all the major players to ease any doubts they had about our leadership. We’ve been selling it as a dual-headed leadership, and everyone seems to understand that, as brothers, we’re a package deal. They’re not gonna complain as long as everything is running smoothly anyway.

I shake my head as I think of Marcus. He’s been great in his new role, and my transition to retirement from the game has been smoother than I could have ever imagined. A lot of it, of course, has been Kendra. Now officially his Chief Lieutenant, she hasn’t let a single thing slip at the street level now that Marcus has to look at the overall scene. If anything, things have tightened up. All it took was Kendra’s kicking the one guy’s ass who thought to challenge her leadership to remind everyone that her rep is earned . . . with their blood.

I still get a vibe between them that makes me curious, although both of them swear that there’s nothing going on between them. We’ll see. Right now, I’m just happy to be the man behind the curtain.

Standing in the corner of the hotel ballroom, I can’t really believe we’ve pulled it all off. Sure, Nikolas has hired a small army to do what they can, and I’ll admit I’ve pulled a few strings myself, but the success of tonight totally rests on one woman’s shoulders. Sarah’s been a force of nature, animated by a passion that fills her to overflowing. Not that we’ve ever had a problem letting off overflowing passions.

Sarah’s flitting around the room like a six-foot-tall butterfly behind Nikolas, moving and adjusting flowers and forks, just to have Nikolas move them back. She’s nervous about tonight, but she doesn’t need to be. The gala is going to be a success, and it’ll help fund the shelter along with Sarah’s contributions. People know and love her as an actress, and the whole city knows she’s mine, so they’ll be coming out in droves tonight to show support.

Besides, she’s got a great lineup for the gala. I didn’t even know it, but a former co-star on her show has started up a headline-grabbing pop band, and they’re playing the gala for free in between concerts.

Still, Nikolas looks like he’s about to lose his shit, so as he and Sarah get a little closer to me, I sneak up behind her, taking her by the arm and spinning her around. She whirls, surprised. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself,” I say with a grin. “Calm down. You’re making Nikolas nervous, and everything is already perfect.”

Nikolas gives me a grateful wave of his hand as Sarah takes a deep breath, relaxing in my arms, “I know, but I don’t know what to do with myself. People will be here soon, and I just want it all to go well.”

“Come on, I have an idea,” I say as I let go of her enough to take her hand and lead her out of the ballroom and down the hall to one of the powder rooms. Glancing up and down the hall, I open the door and lead her inside, pulling her close as soon as we’re alone. I wrap a perfectly curled tendril of hair she has dangling down her cheek around my finger, looking into her eyes and smiling. “Have I told you how gorgeous you look tonight? This dress is spectacular on you.”

In fact, the Vera Wang dress she’s wearing tonight has been the focus of several pointed conversations. While it looks stunning on her curves, it has a low back that shows off the scarred lines crisscrossing her spine. I think it makes her look even stronger and sends a message that’s more powerful than anything she’s going to say when she makes a speech later tonight, but she was hesitant. She was sure it was a horrendous choice, that it’d take away attention from the Foundation, but in the end, I convinced her that her scars showed that she survived. She got out.

I think it was her acceptance of her scars that has done more to help her with her PTSD than anything else. Well, maybe that and Kendra teaching her how to be a badass fighter, too. I can appreciate that, but right now, I’m holding a tender, nervous Sarah who needs comfort . . . and maybe some distraction.

“Thank you,” she says as I stroke her back. She shivers, and I can feel her nipples start to harden inside her dress. “Mmm . . . you were right. I feel exposed in a good way.”

I cover her mouth with a kiss, our tongues tangling as she relaxes in my arms. Nibbling at her ear, I lick the curve, and she tilts her head, giving me more access. “Turn around,” I half growl, half whisper as I assist her, my hands on her hips and helping her face the mirrored makeup counter. I dip down to sprinkle little kisses and licks down her back, and she instinctively arches for me.

“What are you doing? The gala . . .” Sarah moans breathlessly as I lick and suckle on her neck and along her spine. I kiss her deepest scar like I always do, renewing my promise to her and to myself that she’ll never, ever have to face the pain that she did before.

“Giving you exactly what you need,” I growl as my hands reach down and start to lift up the silky fabric of her dress. It’s sexy and stretchy enough that it hugs her curves but slides up her legs so easily. Kneeling down, Sarah bends over almost unconsciously as I lift her dress past the curve of her ass, kissing the dimples at the base of her spine. “You’re freaking out, so I’m helping you relax and keeping you out of Nikolas’s way. You’re mine right now. The gala can have you in a few minutes after you’re glowing from coming all over my tongue.”

I trace her inner thigh up toward the edge of her panties, slipping them to the side to find her already wet for me. Sarah gasps, trying to argue even as she bends over more, and her breath catches in her throat. “We can’t . . . shouldn’t . . . I need to . . . mmm . . . oh, God . . . lock the door, please?”

I grin, getting to my feet and quickly throwing the latch on the door before reassuming my position on my knees and sliding Sarah’s panties back to the side. I stroke over her soft lips before dipping inside her heat, coating my fingers in her honey and slipping up to her clit, slowly circling to spread her juices. I draw back, looking at the glistening moisture on my fingers, and slowly lick them clean. “Mmm, I need more of you. Spread your legs for me, Sarah. I promise you, you’re going to love this.”

She obeys, placing her forearms on the counter and pressing her hips back, opening for me. I have a close-up view of her perfect little lips, covered in her glistening need. I press against the button of her clit, tapping it gently as I bend forward, burying my face between her ass cheeks and stroking my tongue over her pussy.

“Oh, fuck,” Sarah groans, pushing back into me as I lick and suck on her pussy while teasing her clit, alternating feather-light touches and little love taps. I press my tongue deeper into her, driving her crazy until she’s grinding her hips against my face, desperate for more. I pull my mouth back to slide two fingers deep inside her, curling my fingers as I rise up to circle her waist with my other hand, holding her up as her knees shake. I curl my fingers against her front wall as I tease her clit with my thumb, sending her into total sensory overload. Sarah bucks against me, fucking herself on my fingers, and I lean forward, kissing her ear again. “That’s it, take what you need. Get there, my love. I want you to come all over my fingers and let it all go. Just be free.”

Her body tenses for a moment as her eyes find mine in the mirror, but then she’s flying, her body clenching around my fingers as she shudders. “Fuck, Ry. Yes!” she gasps, collapsing so that she’s totally given herself over to me, held up only by my arm around her middle.

I hum, nuzzling her neck as I pull my fingers free, bringing them to my mouth to suck her honey clean again. I want to have her taste on my tongue and her smell on my hand all night, knowing that as everyone else congratulates her and schmoozes with her, she’s all mine.

After a moment, she regains her feet, turning around to look me in the eyes. I grin, pretty damn proud of myself. “You relaxed now, babe? Ready to greet the masses?”

Sarah tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, shaking her head and smirking. “Definitely feeling better, thank you. What about you, though?”

I reach down, adjusting the throbbing, hot length of my cock in my tuxedo pants, and grin. “We’ll handle that later. Tonight’s all about you, how fucking wonderful you are, and what you’re going to be able to show the world. So don’t worry about me.”

I help her get her panties and dress situated and offer her my arm as I unlock the door. We step out of the bathroom like it’s totally normal, and I pause to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Miss Desjardins, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Mr. Johns, you sure do make me feel that way.”