After throwing on a new pair of jean shorts and a black t-shirt, I wasn’t surprised in the least to find Mark sitting in his kitchen with his gun pointed in my direction.

In his early thirties with flecks of grey in his short light brown hair, Mark could be one scary son of a bitch when he wanted, but even if he had a gun pointed at my head, I wasn’t worried.

His mouth barely moved as he muttered, “I should shoot you right in your dumb ass.”

Normally, I’d be pissed that he was pulling a gun on me, but he had good reason to be angry. I’d broken into his home and violated his trust in me. While I may not give one flying monkey fuck for most of society’s rules, I did follow my own personal moral code. And my code clearly stated that you did not break into a friend’s house.

Lifting my hands in the air in mock surrender, I made my way over to the stainless-steel coffee pot sitting on the deep chocolate and gold-flecked granite counter tops. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I couldn’t be without her last night.”

With a sigh, Mark holstered his gun then leaned back in his white leather chair in the ultra-modern white and brown kitchen. He looked like shit, dark circles beneath his bloodshot silver eyes and lines of strain around his mouth. I took in his worn jeans and the stain on his t-shirt along with the harsh slope of his shoulders. No doubt, he was hurting after the fight he’d had while rescuing Joy and Hannah from Manny and his dirty fucks. My fingers tightened on the edge of the counter, my knuckles white as I reined my irritation in while the fact that I’d almost lost Joy put me instantly on edge.

It wasn’t easy, but the knowledge that Joy would be joining us soon made it easier to put a leash on my hair-trigger temper than usual.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away from her.” Rubbing his face, Mark shook his head. “I find one camera in my house, and you will regret it. If I find any in my bedroom or bathroom, I’ll shoot you in the head myself, you sick fuck.”

Shaking my head and fighting my grin, I grabbed a coffee cup from the cupboard. “Trust me, I have no desire to watch you take your morning shit. Besides, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

He arched a brow at me. “Just like you wouldn’t break into my house?”

“Only reason I was able to sneak in was because you were playing that game you’re addicted to. Besides, I didn’t really break in. You gave me a set of keys when you moved in.”

He rolled his eyes, but some of the tension left his jaw. “So you could take care of shit for me while I was out of the country on a job, not show up in the middle of the night for a booty call.”

I froze, then made sure I had his gaze. “Watch your mouth. That’s my future wife you’re talking about, not a booty call.”

“You,” he pointed his finger at me with a grimace, “are completely screwed in the head.”

I couldn’t deny it, so instead I changed the subject. “Admit it, the only reason I was able to get in here without you noticing was you were playing that stupid game all night again. Did you and the Hobbits go to the Candy Cane Forest and slay the Jabberwocky for its magic skin flute?”

He gave me two middle fingers, and I laughed.

Mark played games online like it was his second job. He had a whole group of people he regularly gamed with, but had never met, and they would play for hours on end. Leo and I gave him shit about it, mainly because, when you looked at the man, you’d think his hobby was bashing skulls in real life, not going on magical quests with a group of elves.

“Piss off.” His gaze went to the stairs. “How’s Joy doing?”

“Okay, I think. All things considered.”

Mark’s mouth hardened as he leaned forward. “What the hell are you doing here, Ramón?”

“You really have to ask me that?”

Lowering his voice, he kept his gaze directed at the stairs. “She’s a very sweet, young girl.”

“Yes, she is.”

“You sure now is the right time to… pursue this? She’s been through a lot in the last few days and may not be ready for…everything. Maybe you should back off, give her some room to get over the trauma.”

I shot him a look that let him know he was treading on thin ground by suggesting I stay away from Joy. “You’re wrong about that. She’s mine; she belongs to me, and there’s no way I’m letting her handle this alone. You understand how fucking fast the world can take people away. You, better than anyone, should know that time, and how you spend it, is the most precious commodity there is.”

He visibly flinched, and I felt like a dick for bringing up his late wife. “I get it.”

“Look, nobody is going to protect her, watch over her, and take care of her like I can. No one. She was born to be mine. I will do whatever it takes to keep her and make her happy.”

Mark must have picked up on my tone, because his gaze hardened further. “Do I need to worry about being around her alone?”

For a second, I wondered what the hell he was implying, then realized he was asking in a roundabout way if I’d started her dose of D128. “No. She’s not ready for that yet.”

“Has Leo been alone with her?”

“No.”

His posture eased, and he gave me a small smile. “Decided to try things the old-fashioned way?”

Mark wasn’t a fan of my mother’s insistence that Joy would have to be brainwashed into the same loyalty that Hannah had. I might have objected to it, if I hadn’t seen firsthand the difference Leo’s mental tricks had made in his girlfriend’s life. Hannah had gone from an insecure doormat to a blossoming young woman who practically glowed with happiness. I never thought Leo would have it in him to be able to connect with a woman on such a deep level, but he surprised me. In their own fucked up way, they were perfect for each other.

I flipped Mark off before grabbing a SpongeBob SquarePants mug from the sleek white cabinet. “Look, she deserves to be treated like a lady.”

“Yes, she does. She’s a keeper, but you need to go slow. Delicate touch.”

I cut a look at him, but by the bland expression on his face, he didn’t appear interested in Joy in the least. Not that I’d expected him to be. Other than one night stands here and there, Mark led a very solitary life. The death of his wife had damaged him in such a way, I wondered if he’d ever be in a relationship again. Well, a relationship with a woman outside of his video games. I’d occasionally played with him before, and there was this chick on his team who had the sexiest fucking voice I’d ever heard, but talking to some unknown female while you hacked up trolls online wasn’t the same as having a real woman in your life and on your lap.

“Trust me, amigo, I’m more than aware of all the shit she’s been through. Right now, I’m handling her with kid gloves.” I poured myself a cup of coffee and added a dash of cream to it.

Mark slowly arched one eyebrow. “Breaking into my home isn’t a delicate touch.”

“Fine, delicate for me.” I grinned and took a sip of the perfectly bitter brew. 

Joy’s voice, raised in a happy chirp of, “Aren’t you beautiful! What a sweet girl. You must be Honey,” came from the stairs followed by the sound of dog nails clicking on the hardwood floor above.

My heart thumped, and I got this weird, tight sensation in my middle that I couldn’t identify. The anticipation of seeing her heated my blood, and my cock tried to harden. Shit, my whole body tensed. It took everything in me to resist crossing the room and following the sound of her voice. I needed to give her some space, let her have some downtime with the dog. God knows, she’d had enough chaos in her life, and there was something healing about spending time with a good dog.

From Joy’s delighted chatter, she adored Honey. The baby talk she used with the dog had me laughing quietly. She called the pit bull sweetie cakes yummy yummys and my little gummy wummy tummy bear. While it was funny, she’d also lowered her voice into this sexy croon that made me think about the feeling of her body against mine, all that soft warmth beneath me, at my mercy. I wondered how I was going to keep my hands off her, because I craved the feeling of her in my arms again, bringing me peace.

Mark smiled as Joy made a fuss over Honey. Technically, the white and tan pit bull was Hannah and Leo’s dog, but she usually spent as much time with Mark as she did Leo and Hannah. In his previous life, before his faith in humanity was lost, Mark was a world-renowned police dog trainer, as was his wife. After her passing, he said he couldn’t bear to train without her, so seeing him so bonded with Honey gave me hope that he’d start living life again instead of just enduring it.

When Joy entered the room with Honey at her side, I sucked in a quick breath. Fuck, she was so beautiful it made my dick and my heart hurt. She’d changed into a pair of dark navy capris pants and a red silk blouse with a neckline that exposed a good two inches of her more than generous cleavage. There was something almost retro about the look, reinforcing her hourglass shape and tiny waist with a metallic gold belt. I wondered what bra she was wearing that lifted her tits like that and held them so close together, creating that deep valley that I wanted to fuck at some point in the future. My balls tightened as I imagined her wearing one of the lacy bits of lingerie that would show the dark shadows of her large nipples. The sun hit her golden curls, piled high on her head and made them glow as she stopped at the kitchen table and smiled shyly at Mark, a hot blush staining her face.

“Um, morning.”

To his credit, Mark didn’t say anything to Joy that might embarrass her. He gave her a small smile then lifted his chin toward the stove. “There’s pancakes and hash browns in there, if you’re hungry.”

“Famished.” She smiled then avoided even looking at me as she grabbed a plate from next to the stove and went to open the oven.

“Just to let you know…” Mark continued while Joy got her breakfast together and totally pretending I wasn’t here. “You can change that room however you want. My sister decorated it, so you won’t be hurting my feelings if you don’t want to live in a florist shop. I was overseas on business when she did it, so I came back to find that Laura Ashley nightmare.”

Laughing, Joy shook her head and gave Mark a wide smile that sent a prick of jealousy through me. “No, it’s fine. It’s very pretty...and pink. Besides, I’ll only be here for a few weeks until I can find a new place, so changing anything would be silly.”

“Stay as long as you want,” Mark said while ignoring the sharp look I sent him. “Seriously, I’m never home. When I am, there’s only Honey to talk to, so it gets lonely. I have to go hang out with Hannah and Leo if I want conversation that isn’t in dog.”

Joy grinned. “I’m a good roommate, I swear. Ask Hannah. I always clean up after myself, and if you have female company over and want your privacy, I know how to make myself scarce. I work weird hours, in addition to going to school, so we’ll be like two ships passing in the night.”

“Well, I don’t have any female company coming over that I’d need that kind of private time with.” He gave her an easy grin, but his eyes shifted to me, letting me know he was about to fuck with me. “What about you? Any boyfriend in the picture?”

“Nope, I’m single.”

I gritted my teeth before growling out, “You are not single. You’re with me.”

That defiant look that I was becoming very familiar with flared to life in her eyes. “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

Turning her nose up at me—the little brat—she forked some food into her mouth and chewed before pointing in my direction. “Just because you say it doesn’t make it true.”

Licking my lips slowly, I grinned at her. “I can still taste you. Like sweet, tart peaches.”

“Ramón,” Mark groaned.

Ignoring my friend, I narrowed my eyes and let little Miss Joy see just how serious I was about the situation. Never before had I felt the need to publicly claim a woman like this. But with Joy, I wanted my name tattooed on her body, maybe over the curve of her ass so I could grab it and stare at my mark while I fucked her doggy style. My dick started to ache, something that was becoming the norm for when I was around Joy, and I let every bit of my lust for her show in my eyes.

“Make no mistake, Joy, you’re taken in every way a woman possibly can be. I’m your man now, and you belong to me.”

She was adorable as her face went red. “You’re such a misogynistic asshole!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make up for it with multiple orgasms.”

Joy gasped in outrage, her eyes wide and clearly pissed. Mark shoved his chair away from the table. “And, on that note, I’m out. Oh, and please don’t fuck in my kitchen. It’s not hygienic.”

Watching Joy turn almost crimson with embarrassment, I fought back a grin. “Eat your breakfast. We’ve got places to go.”

I’ve never seen a woman sputter before, but Joy was so mad, she couldn’t even speak in full sentences, only managing a steady stream of swear words in an increasingly loud voice that ended with, “I wasn’t born with enough middle fingers to properly express to you how I feel about you! You are such a sexist dick!”

Calmly finishing my coffee, I rose and went to the sink to wash it out. “If I can interrupt your hissy fit, we really do need to get going.”

She sucked in a breath, and I tensed, waiting for something to come flying at my back. “You asshole motherfucker!”

After drying my hands, I decided it was time for a little lesson. I couldn’t do much physically—she was no doubt sore, and I hadn’t forgotten the sight of her bruised torso and ribs—but I needed her to know that I’d only put up with so much. Being a brat was one thing, but being a bitch was something else entirely. I studied her closely, noting the sheen of tears in her eyes and the way her lower lip was trembling, then internally sighed.

Time for a little tenderness with my beautiful girl.

Lowering my voice, I made sure I held her gaze as I said, “I understand you’re overwhelmed, and normally I wouldn’t ask this of you. Trust me when I say I’d rather spend the day in bed with you, but Leo needs my help, and Hannah needs yours.” Grasping her chin in my hand, I absently noted the way her pupil’s dilated as I brushed my lips over hers. “We’re going to see the dean of the University of Arizona, so we can arrange for Hannah to take her class online while she heals. I need you there with me because you probably know her schedule better than anyone. You’ll have to help me make sure they’re treating her fairly.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes, and I stroked one away as it trailed down her soft cheek.

“We’re going to help Hannah?”

“Yes.”

However pissed she might be at me, I knew her need to take care of Hannah would override her anger. “Okay.”

I brushed my lips over hers. “Okay.”

 

Two hours later, I held Joy’s hand as we walked out of the dean’s office, her head held high even though she gripped my fingers tight enough to hurt. The dean had positively fawned over her, while simultaneously shitting himself every time he looked in my direction. I’d dressed down on purpose, foregoing my usual suit in favor of something that would blend in with the ASU college crowd a bit more. Not that it had worked. People stared and I felt a deep sense of pride at how many men cast my woman a brief, longing gaze before quickly looking away.

Joy was, without a doubt, the absolute shit.

The bright Arizona sunlight hit the red silk of her blouse and made it glow, highlighting her exaggerated curves and feminine figure.

They might not know who I was, but they knew better than to eye fuck Joy, even if she was so sexy it made me fight getting hard. Her breasts jiggled with her every step and her ass swayed in a tempting way that made me want to take a bite out of it. Because the neckline of her shirt was lower than what she normally wore, the tops of her breasts bounced every time her gold platform wedge sandals hit the concrete. The shoes were tall enough to bring the top of her head up to just under my chin, and I liked the way they looked on her cute little feet. Damn, her tiny waist flared out into a pair of heavenly, thick hips, and I had to look away before I got a noticeable bulge. I’d worn a tight pair of boxer briefs to try and minimize the visible signs of an erection, but they could only do so much.

Late afternoon sun beat down on us, and I glanced over at Joy, who was doing her best to ignore everyone staring at us.

“You hungry?”

She slipped on a pair of designer sunglasses and gave me an angry look then said in a low voice, “Why was the dean afraid of you?”

“He’s afraid of me,” I smiled and lied to her face, feeling like an asshole, but unable to trust her with the truth, “because my family donates a great deal of money to the University directly, even more money in the form of research grants, and through the various scholarships we fund. Like the ones we gave your students. He knows that if he pisses me off, we’ll take our money elsewhere.”

“Right,” she muttered, once again lifting her chin minutely as she ignored everyone watching us walk by. “Must be nice to have that kind of power.”

“Considering I was able to use it to help right an injustice that both you and Hannah suffered, and provide a chance at a life those kids deserve, it is nice to have that kind of power.”

The mention of the scholarships distracted her, and I let out a mental sigh of relief. She didn’t need to know that the dean at one time had owed my family a great deal of money for smuggling in a cancer drug for his wife from our lab in El Salvador. A cancer drug that was still going through testing with the FDA, wasting time he didn’t have. Another thing he didn’t have was money, because her repeated treatments for stomach cancer had drained them to the point of bankruptcy. Lacking the funds to get what he so desperately needed, he approached my mother and pleaded his case. She, being the master manipulator that she was, bought his loyalty that day by saving his wife’s life. A loyalty that had been tested many times over.

I bet he regretted not taking out a third mortgage on his house to pay for the pills, because my mother’s price was much higher.

Allowing the girls to take classes online was probably the easiest thing we’d ever asked of him, and my treatment of Joy seemed to puzzle him. At first, he’d appeared angry as he stared at Joy—angry at me in a way I hadn’t seen before. It was probably from the huge bruise on Joy’s temple that inched down the side of her face to her cheekbone. Despite her attempts to disguise it with makeup, the dark mark still drew the eye.

During our talk, it no doubt became obvious that I was wrapped firmly around Joy’s pretty little finger. I’ve never been an affectionate man in public with anyone but my family, so I’m sure it threw the Dean to see me hanging on her every word. Still, I wonder how close he’d been to calling the police before he figured out I would never hurt Joy. I hated the bruises covering her pretty golden skin, but the experimental therapeutic cream we’d used on her was doing its job and healing her much quicker than normal. Dealing in illegal drugs made by the best mad scientists in the world had its benefits.

I vowed that the only marks she’d wear in the future would be ones made while I fucked her until all her worries went away. Her mind was always moving in hyper drive, thinking ten things at once, and I often wondered how she didn’t drive herself crazy. She had to be busy, had to be doing something, and she collapsed exhausted into bed each night. It had both surprised and gratified me this morning when she’d slept for so long in my arms, barely stirring as I got up to use the bathroom. She’d been so soft, squishy, but in the best way. Women hear the word squishy and they freak the fuck out, thinking it’s something negative, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Curvy women felt so fuckin’ good to hold tight, and Joy was just about as sweet of an armful as any man could ever hope to have.

And she was smart, so smart.

While we were with the dean, I let her do most of the talking and just sat back, enjoying the show as my strong, determined woman made sure her best friend was taken care of. She emphasized Hannah’s good grades, how she worked to support herself, and how Hannah was a good person. I could tell Joy was nervous, because she didn’t seem to notice that the dean had already agreed to give Hannah the time. In fact, he gave Joy a month off to recover from her injuries as well, telling her that she could do her assignments online, and someone would take over her tutoring.

I couldn’t help but smile as she surprised the dean by arguing that she still had to make her tutoring sessions, explaining that she was the only one who was giving them solid college advice. The school guidance counselors were already overwhelmed with kids in real danger of dropping out of school who needed their help, so Joy spent two hours every other Thursday after school doing college prep classes for the kids who had the grades to go. I enjoyed watching the dean’s eyes go wide as he realized that, yes, even though Joy was as cute as a fucking Playboy Bunny, she also had a big brain in her pretty head and a big heart to match.

Giving her a small smile as we walked beneath a row of trees, I said in a low voice, “By the way, you did great back there. You were very impassioned in your friend’s defense.”

She turned away as I held her hand, then rubbed the back of my hand with her thumb as we walked past a gawking trio of girls in short shorts. “I think I spewed verbal diarrhea all over him.”

Laughter burst from me, and she shot me a quick grin. “No, you were fine.”

“When I feel strongly about something I tend to get very…excited about it.”

We turned around the corner of the building, I spotted my red Maserati GranTurismo being guarded by one of my men, keeping the gawking crowd of college students at bay.

“Well, you got Hannah all the time off she needs, and yourself, as well.”

“It was nice of the dean to offer to send a bunch of people from the register’s office in my place at the high school. They’ll be able to give those kids so much valuable advice. Really, thank you for all your help. You have no idea how much what you’re doing is going to change people’s lives.”

“I know you don’t believe me when I say this, ‘cause you don’t know me well enough yet, but there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make you happy.”

A soft pink blush stole over her cheeks, and she lightly swatted my arm. “Shut up.”

A big smile curved her lips, and I couldn’t stop myself from lifting her up for a brief, soft kiss before setting her back down on her feet.

Wobbling a bit on her heels for a second, she blushed as we resumed walking. “What was that for?”

“You’re adorable.”

She slugged me lightly on the arm. “Stop.”

“You don’t like compliments, do you?”

“Not really.”

“Why?”

“They make me uncomfortable.”

“Someone saying something nice about you makes you uncomfortable?”

Her shoulders drew up a bit as she tensed. “I know it sounds weird, but yeah.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

Her tone and body language were evasive, so I slowed our walk as we approached my car, heat from the pavement baking us beneath the bright desert sun. “What don’t you like about it?”

“Why is this such a big deal to you?”

“Because I’m going to compliment you a lot, and I don’t want it to make you uneasy. I want it to make you feel good. That’s why I point out the things I like about you, the ones I appreciate, because I want you to feel good, not bad.”

Sighing, she scanned the crowd standing about twelve feet back from my car, taking pictures with their cell phones. I have to admit, my ride was sexy and built to attract attention. Kind of like my girl. Watching the boy’s eyes light up when they got an eyeful of my woman never failed to send a spark of pride through my chest. Sexist, misogynistic, whatever—I was proud that my woman was beautiful inside and out. Even as she aged, as time wore on and our bodies changed, I would always find her stunning. I knew this in my gut, and it only deepened my resolve to win her over.

“Can we talk about this later?” Her voice was tight as she pretended to not see the people watching us like we were some live reality show for their viewing pleasure.

She was clearly uncomfortable being the center of attention, but she had to learn she belonged to me, that she was my queen now, and she deserved to be treated and worshiped like one. People would look at her everywhere she went, and not just because she was with me. They’d look because my woman was so hot, it was hard to believe she was real. And she was all mine, but I had to treat her right.

Instead of letting her get her own door, I escorted her around to her side of the car then blocked her body with my own as she slid in, a habit ingrained in me by my mother. Some might think that just because I enjoy beating the fuck out of people for a living, I’m a savage, but I’m not—thanks to my mother. Say what you will about Judith Cordova, but she tried her best to civilize me and my brothers. It wasn’t easy, because all three of us inherited both her brains and her crazy streak, but between her and my father, I knew how to treat a lady.

I’d just never bothered to do this for any woman but Joy.

While I may rile her up, yanking her chain just so I could kiss the anger off her pouty little lips, I would never disrespect her in public.

I wanted to lean forward and steal a kiss. Instead, I gently brushed my lips over the delicate hinge of her jaw then her bruised cheek, and wished I could kill the motherfuckers who’d hurt her all over again.

As I slid into the driver’s seat, two black, highly modified street bikes slowly rolled up behind us. I wanted for the hand sign from each of them that would confirm they were my men before turning my car on. The deep, rumbling purr of the engine vibrated the cream leather seats slightly as I pulled out of our spot.

Looking behind us, Joy absently took off her sunglasses, “So, you have at least two guards following you at all times?”

Actually, I had four guards following us at all times. Two for me and two for her, but she wasn’t ready for that truth yet. I held her hand in my own and reveled in softness of her skin. So smooth and lightly tanned, with her golden hair and skin, she radiated light that was strong enough to banish even my darkness. I was so fucking lucky to have her in my life, and I couldn’t imagine living in a world where I didn’t own every inch of her beautiful mind and body.

She turned back around and sighed before rubbing her temples. “I don’t know how you can live like this, with everyone watching you all the time. It’s so weird.”

“Weird for you, but normal for me. I’ve always had bodyguards. Hell, my nanny was a former highly decorated Russian soldier and a complete badass. When I was seven, someone tried to kidnap me, and she took a bullet in the leg protecting me.”

“Holy shit. Was she okay?”

I nodded. “Yes, and she works for my family to this day. She’s in her seventies now, but she helps run our charitable organizations. You should meet her. I know she’d be interested to hear your views on the different programs we sponsor. You’re wicked smart, and I know Ula, my former nanny, would enjoy the help. We can even call it an internship.”

“I’m not working for you,” she said in a cold voice.

While I loved her temper, she did tend to jump to the wrong conclusions a lot. “No, you’re not. You’d be working beneath my mother’s branch of the company, not mine. She doesn’t play favorites when it comes to the welfare of the family dynasty.”

“Dynasty, huh?”

I shrugged. “Fine, my parent’s empire.”

Giggling, she leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, entrancing me with her half smile. “I’m not sure if the Cordova empire any better than dynasty.”

The big engine hummed as I passed a slow moving car, my attention once again on the road. “Whatever you want to call it, I know you’d be an asset to the company. We’d be lucky to have you.”

I darted a glance at her as we came to a stop sign, more people watching us from the sidewalks as we rolled past.

She slipped her glasses down so I could see those lovely green eyes of hers, and the hesitate hope filling them hurt my heart. “Really?”

“Absolutely. You’re very smart, Joy, and compassionate as well as being honest. That’s a hard combination to find, a once in a lifetime type of thing. I’m known for my ability to recognize talent and you, sweetheart, are about as talented as they come.”

It bothered me that her first reaction was to deflect the praise. “Ramón, I’m not that special.”

I reached over and gave her hip a little pinch, hard enough to make her squeak. “Stop it.”

Smacking my arm, she growled at me. “What the hell?”

“Every time you put yourself down, I’m going to pinch somewhere on that curvy body of yours.”

I didn’t miss the way her nipples hardened as we merged into slow moving traffic, my guards easily keeping up with us. “I wasn’t putting myself down.”

“Joy, you just said you weren’t anything special. That’s bullshit.”

With a sigh, she looked out the window. “Where are we going now?”

“We can either go home, or we can go through your stuff in storage.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, but can we just go home? I’m not up for all that right now.”

“Home it is. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just tired. I need to decompress a little bit.”

“No problem, mami. Put on something you like, and we’ll chill and listen to music, okay?”

“Okay.”

After placing a soft kiss on my cheek, she turned on the radio and I allowed a comfortable silence to fall between us, already planning the next step in my seduction.

 

By the time we pulled up to the construction zone that was the site of my future house, Joy had fallen asleep in the deep leather bucket seat. I already had the builders sent home for the day, and I smiled at the progress they’d made. All the exterior walls were up, and they’d finished installing the windows and doors. Inside, the drywall was almost completed, and the bathrooms and kitchen were almost complete. Some rooms had even been painted and decorated. It was a modest house by my parent’s standards, only eight bedrooms and ten baths, but it was the perfect home for Joy.

It should be, because I’d built it to her dream house tastes.

Hannah loved to talk about Joy, and it hadn’t been hard to steer her into a conversation about what Joy’s dream house would be like. I’d been surprised at first by her preference, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Joy’s love of 80’s John Hughes movies had given her a taste in homes that was more Midwestern than Southwest. Getting it right had required no small amount of effort on my part, but it had to be perfect for her. Even when I was lying to myself and pretending I was finally building my own place near Leo, I customized every inch of it to her tastes.

God bless Pintrest inspiration boards. They made it a hell of a lot easier to know what a woman likes and wants. Leo clued me into them after I started to get serious about Joy, and I’d spent many hours poring through her dreams, picking out her fantasies and making them real. That’s not to say I hadn’t thrown my own personal tastes into the design, but I wanted a place she’d feel instantly at home. Somewhere she’d never want to leave.

You didn’t usually see Tudor-style places in Phoenix, but that’s exactly what I’d built for her. Three stories tall, with cream stucco and black wooden beams; it was surrounded with the old growth trees I’d bought this lot for. Joy was always complaining that everything was so brown, so I’d spent a fucking fortune on genetically engineered grass in the backyard surrounding the pool. Emerald green and soft, vegetation which thrived in the desert conditions—while not technically legal in the US, it gave my girl the green she craved.

I tried to keep from waking her as I scooped her up in my arms, but she came to with a gasp and tried to scramble away from me, knocking her sunglasses off in her haste.

“Whoa, easy, sweetheart.”

“Jesus Christ, Ramón,” she gasped as I slowly slid her down my body, relishing the drag of her large breasts. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry, I was trying to keep from waking you.”

“It’s okay.” She frowned as she scanned the construction site. “Where are we?”

“My home.”

“Wait, I thought you were taking me to my home—or Mark’s home. Whatever.”

“Nope.”

She huffed with annoyance, but I didn’t miss the excited gleam in her eyes as she turned and took in what I hoped would be the place where we would raise our family. “This is yours?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, I mean…wow.” Her arms dropped to her sides as a smile began to curve her lips and round her cheeks. “This is your house? You live here?”

“Not yet. As you can see, it’s still under construction. I’m staying at my parents place until it’s done.” Giving her a wink, I took her hand. “I hope you don’t think I’m a loser for still crashing on my mom’s couch.”

She grinned up at me, and my chest felt tight and funny. “Nah, we’re good.”

Her stomach audibly growled, and I tugged her after me. “Come on, lunch is waiting for us out back.”

I was eager to show her the backyard I’d designed with our future family in mind. Lots of grass to soften the blow if my future kids fell while playing, good size wrought iron safety fences around the edges of the hill the house was situated on. I’d bought up twenty acres adjacent to Leo’s place. All the mansions around us were on large plots of land, so there was a lot of uninterrupted wilderness from our view. Plus, Diego was checking out some land adjacent to mine and thinking of building as well.

The wind seemed softer as it blew through the filter of mature, healthy vegetation surrounding the house. In addition to the grass, I’d also had some genetically modified honeysuckle and ivy planted against the house—drought, disease, and pest resistant enough to survive the harsh climate. I had to admit, I never thought I’d enjoy this small oasis as much as I do. Something about all the greenery and nature calmed me.

A bright blue pool shaped like a long oval took up the center part of the big yard, with retractable iron gates that went underground and became flush with the travertine stones surrounding the pool. When we had kids we’d use the railings to keep our little ones safe, but for right now I wanted Joy to have the full effect of the view and gardens. I knew she liked it when she froze behind me, then let out a soft sigh.

“Oh, Ramón, this is amazing. A little bit of heaven in the desert. I always dreamed of growing up in a home like this, one of those places you’d see on TV with the big family and lots of land. You don’t find a lot of trees this big in Phoenix.”

“This used to be a giant orchard that stretched for miles back when water wasn’t a big deal. This whole area was green with peach, plum, and apple trees. These are all that are left, the rest destroyed long ago by water restrictions. We use a special cistern system here that traps run off water into huge tanks below us that we use to water the gardens. That water then gets filtered back into the cisterns through yet more drains. It’s a new desert friendly watering systems, one that doesn’t use a single drop of city water.”

She gazed up at me with a small, amused smile. “Wow, you’re really into this stuff.”

“Of course I am. Using land effectively is a big deal. If we can harvest the rain and use it to water public gardens in an effective manner, we could feed hundreds of thousands of people. Food, especially fresh and healthy food, will become increasingly scarce as we pollute the fuck out of our planet and poison our oceans.”

“That’s a cheerful thought. So there’s no hope?”

“There’s always hope, as long as you’re alive.” I brushed my hand slowly down her soft cheek, loving the way her blush seemed to follow my touch. “You’re someone worth fighting for.”

Clearly uncomfortable and fighting a smile, she moved away from me on the pretense of admiring a rose bush leftover from when this place was the site of a farm house.

We stood on the brick stairs that went down the side of the house, following the curve of the land until it leveled out in the backyard again. Brass lanterns had been set up at various points around the property, and at night they gave everything a golden glow. She was a few steps ahead of me, and the almost innocent pleasure shining from her eyes made me feel ten feet tall. I’d managed to make her happy, to please her, and my heart filled with an unfamiliar, addictive pleasure unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

“Ramón,” her soft, sweet voice killed me. “It’s so…everything. It’s just—it’s perfect. You have the perfect home.”

Fighting the urge to strut like a proud rooster, I gave her a small nod. “I’m glad you like it. Come on, there’s more to see.”

I pulled her past the pool pausing only a few seconds as she ohhed and ahhed over different aspects of the yard and home. Having her see all the things I’d bought for her, had built in her honor, and watching her love every one had me just about ready to burst with pride. I struggled to process an odd inner euphoria as I pointed out a small sculpture of a garden fairy, which made her clap her hands and smile over how cute it was. Every time she grinned, it was a pleasant shock to my heart. I absently rubbed my chest while she giggled. Her sassy mouth and smart mind were some of the things I enjoyed most about her, but I also liked it when she let her guard down. Let herself relax around me. Let me see the real Joy, who was far more complex than the image she projected to the world.

By the time we made it to the blue and white gingham blanket spread on the grass beneath a mature ash tree, she was beaming. I’d never seen a woman so happy that she glowed, but fuck if looking at Joy wasn’t like bathing in the warmth of the sun. My reaction to this girl was insane, and I knew the kind of chemistry we had was a once in a lifetime thing. The shade dappled in Joy’s brilliant curls, making a halo of bronze and gold around her angelic face. All the green around us somehow softened the desert air, and I drank in the priceless sensation of peace as it settled over me, deepening my devotion to the woman who gave me purpose.

I’d slay armies, give her the world, all for the pleasure of her smile.

“You had a picnic made for us?”

Her excited squeal and little hop made both my heart and my dick happy. “Thought you might enjoy some downtime.”

Kicking off her shoes, she took a seat on the massive blanket and lifted the silver dome off her serving tray. “Wow, this looks amazing.”

I’d had the chef make us club sandwiches and fresh potato chips. “Glad you like it.”

She grabbed a sandwich then took a big bite, her eyes rolling back with pleasure. “Oh my god, this is so good. Totally one of my favorite meals. How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” I lied, not wanting her to know the depth of my obsession yet.

We spent the remainder of the meal talking about the house and my plans for it. By the time we were done, I’d shoved the remains of our meal off the blanket and laid back with my hand on my full stomach. Instead of feeling sleepy, I was energized and awake while Joy looked like she was about to pass out in the shade beneath the big tree.

“It’s so quiet here,” she murmured with half-closed eyes. “I’d gotten so used to the city, I forgot what quiet was like. Not silence, but quiet. The sound of the wind and trees instead of traffic. When I was really young, my abuela used to live on the outskirts of town, and at her house after school I always liked to take a moment to go outside and enjoy the peacefulness of the desert. Well, as peaceful as it could be with my brother and sisters running around.”

“Tell me about your family.”

“I love them,” she said in a sleepy murmur. “But they drive me crazy.”

“How so?”

She turned her head a little then reached out and cupped my face with her small hand, rubbing at my whiskers with her thumb. “You know, just family stuff.”

I wanted her to open up to me, to tell me more, but I didn’t force the issue. She obviously didn’t want to talk about it, and I already had a file on Joy that contained enough info on her childhood for me to piece shit together. I knew she got along with her younger brother Matt and her younger sister Winter, but that Joy’s oldest sister Brittney was a complete bitch who poisoned everything she touched. According to Hannah, Brittney would endlessly torment Joy when they were kids. Because Joy didn’t want to sound like a tattletale, she just sucked it up and didn’t tell anyone about Brittney’s endless cutting remarks.

I ached to fix the damage her older sister had done, but it wasn’t the right time yet. I gave myself the mental deadline of having our home ready to move into before I proposed to her. But once that happened, I knew my mother wouldn’t allow me to put off programming Joy any longer. I wasn’t ready to take that step with her anytime soon. The longer I stretched out our courtship, the more time I bought myself to make her fall in love with me. Leo said over and over again that I couldn’t use the programming to make Joy love me, and I didn’t want to. I wanted to win her heart all on my own, not with the aid of hypnosis and aphrodisiacs. For a moment, the craziness of my life crashed over me as I allowed my gaze to roam over her generous curves while I contemplated the best way to brainwash her without taking away her free will and inner strength.

I didn’t want to break Joy; I wanted to make her stronger.

She gently ran her thumb over my cheek to my lips, then she traced the bow of my mouth.

“You’re so handsome,” she said in a soft, gentle voice. “I hated that about you.”

“What?”

“When we first met, you were such an asshole, but you were so hot. I hated that I found you attractive.”

With a groan, I placed my forearm over my eyes so I wouldn’t have to face her. “I was a dick, I’m sorry. Forgive me?”

“Maybe.” Ever so slowly, she began to run her fingers down my chin and over my neck, sending chills of lust down my spine. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“On how nice you are to me now.”

Her playful grin lightened my heart, and I enjoyed the way she snuggled into me. Everything about her invited me to squeeze, to hug, and I gave into the temptation and stroked her until she was purring. The hot, heavy look in her eyes punched me straight in the gut, and I pressed my hard dick against the softness of her belly.

“Sweetheart, I can be very nice.”

“Mmm hmmm.” She traced her fingers along my collar, scrolling over the edge of a colorful phoenix I had tattooed around the back of my neck and upper shoulders. “You have been very nice to me. In fact, I think you’ve been nicer to me than I have to you.”

The way she licked her lips as she stared up at me had me mesmerized beneath the shifting shadows of sunlight.

My voice came out rough as I grabbed a handful of her ass and squeezed. “How’s that?”

“Well, I’ve had far more orgasms than you’ve had. That’s rather bad manners, don’t you think?”

“No, because seeing you get off is the best fuckin’ thing in the world.”

Her blushing smile was a tease of the best sort, and I longed to fuck her until she was raw, but I managed to restrain myself. Denying myself what I wanted most only deepened my craving for her, and I could feel my psyche shift, changing in a way I hadn’t anticipated as my priorities realigned themselves around this girl. Her lush body pressed against mine as I pulled her down so her magnificent tits were pillowed against my chest. She was small enough to use me like a mattress, and my cock jerked as I thought about what it would look like when I rutted into her and stretched her wide open.

A shiver raced through her when I began to run my thumb along the crack of her ass.

“Gonna lick you here,” I whispered against her lips, the faint scent of the fruit she ate for dessert clinging to her breath. “Gonna fuck that little asshole of yours with my fingers, stretching you out, while you cream on my chin.”

Her breath came out in a harsh stutter, and her hips jerked. “Promise?”

“Would you like that?”

Her flush was lovely, but she whispered, “Yes, please.”

If my dick got any harder, I might rupture something, so I reached between us and fisted myself for some relief. “Now, about that apology…”

She glanced around then bit her lower lip. “Do you think anyone can see us?”

“You want anyone to see us?”

Her pupils dilated, but she shook her head. “No.”

Lies, but now wasn’t the time to push any boundaries with sweet Joy. When I first started watching her last year, she’d fucked a guy in a park late at night and had managed to quickly orgasm, the first and only time that happened with that particular boyfriend. However, knowing she got off on the thrill of having sex in public didn’t mean I wanted to share her beauty with my guards.

My phone rang, and I grimaced as the tone I’d programed in for my father filled the air.

I pulled out my phone and apologized to Joy before standing up and taking the call.

“The Santiago Cartel has retaliated,” my father said without preamble.

Joy watched me closely, and I turned my back, not wanting her to see the monster that lived inside of me starting to surface. “What happened?”

“They hit one of our gambling operations. Went in with AK-47s and took our men, along with a few patrons, out.”

“Motherfucker,” I whispered. “Which one?”

“Small operation outside of Mesa in the desert.”

Mentally going through the hundreds of men and women that worked for the Cordova Cartel, I settled on a name to go with the location. “Greg Marto ran it, right?”

“Yeah. He didn’t make it.”

I cursed and strode further away from Joy, not wanting to taint her with my growing rage. “How many men did we lose?”

“Four men, and two women. Shot execution style. They let a waitress live with a message for us, so we knew it was the Santiagos who did it.”

A soft touch on my arm had me whipping around and grabbing Joy by the throat before I could stop myself. She paled and let out a startled scream as I quickly released her, shame and regret filling my gut as she stumbled away from me. My father was asking what was going on, but I hung up on him, the need to take away Joy’s fear rising above everything else.

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. You startled me.”

Sweat shone on her nose and forehead, her breath hitching. “Do you always try to-to choke the shit out of people who startle you?”

Holding out my hands, I approached her slowly, my steps light and easy as I tried to make myself as unintimidating as possible. “Did I hurt you?”

She brushed her throat with her fingertips, and I could see a slight redness, but nothing that would leave a mark. That didn’t help the shame that was clawing at my stomach. I gently grasped her trembling hand in my own, then lightly pulled her into my arms. Resting my lips atop her head, I wished I could tell her what was going on, that I could share the burden of my rage and grief, but she clearly wasn’t ready for anymore shocks. When her small arms wrapped around my waist, returning my hug, I felt like the luckiest man in the world.

“Joy, answer me. Did I hurt you?”

“No,” her voice was muffled as she buried her face in my chest. “You-you moved so fast. I’ve never seen anyone as fast as you are.”

“I spent many, many years training to be that fast.”

“Did you do MMA?”

Laughing, I shook my head. “Nah, that’s not my thing. My parents are wealthy, really wealthy, and there are people who will do anything and hurt anyone to take that wealth from them. They taught me from an early age how to defend myself.”

“Wish my parents had taught me that.” She let out a forced, watery laugh. “And I guess taking one woman’s self-defense class didn’t really help, either. He...that man and his friends? I couldn’t do anything to stop them. They were so strong, I-I didn’t realize they’d be so strong. I couldn’t stop them from hurting…from hurting my friends.”

Fuck, my heart ached at the obvious mixture of fear and guilt in her voice. “You’re safe, mi amore. They will never harm you again.”

When she rubbed her nose against my shirt, I pretended not to notice the wetness of her tears against my skin. “I know. It’s just…I don’t recognize the world I live in anymore. It’s like I was wearing blinders to the truth about how ugly and unsafe it really is. Bad things happen constantly, and no one is really safe.”

“You’re safe, Joy. I swear it.”

“When I’m with you, I feel safe, but I can’t be with you all the time.”

A hot wind blew in off the hillside, whipping her curls around my face as I cupped her chin. “As much as I want you with me every second of the day, you’re right. But you need to know that even if I’m not physically with you, you’re still protected. And Leo’s compound is a fucking fortress.”

She relaxed a little bit then looked up at me. “He used to freak me out a little bit, but he really loves Hannah.”

“Leo freaks everyone out a little bit, and yeah, he really loves Hannah.”

That earned me a smile. I wiped away the traces of her tears off her cheeks, keeping my touch as gentle as I could. Like a kitten, Joy responded to my caress, rubbing herself against me and letting out a little coo that made me wish I didn’t have to leave. I struggled between drowning myself in Joy’s response and remembering my duty.

“I hate to say this, but I have to go.”

Right away, she pulled back, nervously tugging at the edges of her red silk blouse. “Why?”

“That was my father. There’s an important meeting I have to attend for work.”

I thought she was going to protest, but she took a deep breath and nodded with a distracted look. “Okay.”

Not liking how quickly she withdrew from me, I pulled her close for a quick brush of my lips against her own. “As soon as I’m done, I’m in your bed.”

Looping her hands around my neck, she gave me a faint smile. “What makes you think I want you in my bed?”

I cupped her pussy, the heat of her sex searing my hand. She let out a small, strangled gasp as I squeezed. “I’m not gonna give you a chance to say no.”

Her eyes closed as I rubbed the flat of my palm against her clit, a pink flush racing up from her neck to her tanned cheeks. “Okay.”

Releasing her, I stepped back and adjusted myself. “My bodyguard, Nick, will drive you home. And don’t touch your pussy. You’re orgasms belong to me. Understood?”

Looking all too fuckable and disheveled, she brushed her hair from her flushed face as she panted. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“I just did.”

“What if I do it anyway?”

“Then I’ll have to punish you with orgasms.”

She blinked, once, twice, then squeaked out, “Is that a thing?”

Laughing, I began to walk backward. “Yeah, that’s a thing. You wanna find out first hand?”

“Um, no? I don’t think I’m brave enough for that right now.”

“Didn’t think so. Wear something sexy to bed for me. I’ll make it worth your while.”

With a final wave in her direction, I turned away from her light and embraced the darkness.

 

Nine hours later, my whole body ached as I dragged myself up the stairs at Mark’s place, water still dripping from the ends of my hair after my hasty shower. I had scrubbed myself just enough to get the sweat and blood off me, determined to sleep next to Joy. After a long night of hunting down the fuckers who’d killed our men, and the resulting fight once we’d found them, I was both physically and mentally exhausted. Normally, this was a dark time for me where I relived the terrible shit I’d seen and done, a restless time where my mind roamed in darkness.

But not tonight.

Tonight, I had heaven waiting for me.

Even when I’d been slicing into the men who’d killed my people, I wasn’t completely gone into my usual berserker state. Instead, I held myself back just enough to keep aware of my surroundings, to monitor my personal safety in a way I hadn’t done since my nephew was murdered. Since I gave up women until I could have Joy, killing had become my drug of choice, and I chased the oblivion it offered.

As good as that high was, it didn’t even come close to the pleasure of knowing Joy was waiting for me in bed a few steps away. The house was dark and quiet. Mark was still dealing with shit on Leo’s behalf so he could stay with Hannah while she recovered from the attack, and I drank in the silence. At the top of the stairs, Joy’s bedroom door was shut, but when I turned the handle, it opened easily and revealed a goddess waiting for me.

She’d left the bathroom light on and had cracked the door just enough to allow me to see her spread out in her sleep.

Every beautiful inch of her exposed by the sheets around her hips showed lightly tanned skin. My dick jerked in my pants when I noticed a golden chain glimmering around her waist, and matching ones on both of her wrists. Her hands were over her head in a relaxed pose, and her head was turned to the side, her mouth slightly open as she slept. The temptation of her breasts called to me and I wanted to go over and worship those glorious mounds, but I had taken a pain pill earlier to make it this far and I was in no shape to give her the proper attention her outfit deserved.

My cock didn’t like that idea, and urged me to slide myself between her legs and wake her up with him buried inside her soft heat.

Sparks of energy slid over my body as I stripped down to my boxers, keeping that last thin barrier between myself and Joy in place.

When I pulled her against me, she made sounds like a grumpy kitten. I laughed softly into her hair as I curved my body over hers in an instinctive and protective gesture. The soft stroke of her hand as she drew my arm over her chest had me sighing with pleasure.

“Go back to sleep, sweetheart.”

She made some noise that sounded like agreement, and I smiled as I pulled her close into me. Joy was a sound sleeper—like, once she was out, she was out—so I wouldn’t have to worry about disturbing her when I inevitably came home late. For the first time, I considered scaling back a bit in my work for the cartel, to go on that vacation my mom was always begging me to take. We had a mammoth home on an island off the coast of El Salvador that sat empty most of the year. I could take Joy down there and spend some alone time with her, treat her right and focus only on her happiness and pleasure.

As she curved trustingly into me, an idea began to form of how I wanted to take the final step of bringing Joy into my world—forever.