Thirteen

Ellie walked as softly as she could through the hallway. She couldn’t sleep. The clock beside her bed read three forty-five, but it seemed so much later.

Which room was Riley staying in? The penthouse was massive. It seemed to have entire wings. She kind of wanted to explore, but the day had been taken up with marriage and threats and all the juicy parts of a really good novel. Well, with the exception of sex, because she wasn’t going to do that anymore. Sex got her in trouble.

She glanced at the door to her right. Riley could be anywhere.

Not that it mattered. She kept telling herself that, but when she closed her eyes all she could see was Riley with his gorgeous eyes and that square jaw that softened when she made him smile. She would have sworn as she lay there that she could still feel his hands on her, sliding along her skin as he kissed every inch of her. The man always seemed so hungry, so ready to devour her.

How could she already miss him?

She’d only had a few weeks with him. How could so little time have left such an ache in her body?

She moved toward the kitchen, intent on grabbing a bottle of water.

It was quite ridiculous that she couldn’t sleep because she couldn’t get her mind off Riley. She had so many other lovely things to worry about. Prison time for crimes she didn’t commit. The potential murders of her friends and family. The fact that she’d lost her company and reputation and might never get either back.

But what was she thinking about? She was thinking about how Riley made her feel in bed and how much she was going to miss him. Her girl parts were apparently way more important than her dignity or financial status.

At least one of her problems was leaving. Her sister was heading to Drew’s place in the islands tomorrow afternoon. She’d been more than happy to accept the vacation from her new in-laws.

She stopped at the sight of the city at night. The massive bank of windows made a magnificent mural of light and dark.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

She gasped and turned. Bran was on the sofa, his head resting on his hand, his body lying on his side. Despite what they’d said this morning at breakfast, Bran actually had quite a bit of muscle on him, as evidenced by the very cut chest he had on display. It looked like he had a sheet wrapped around his lean waist and nothing more.

“Tell me you’re not naked under there. And why are you on the couch?”

Bran sat straight up. “Hey, no nudity. It’s not that kind of place. PJ bottoms.” He flashed flannel bottoms. “As for why I’m out here, I like the view. It feels like I’m the only person in the world and this show is all for me. Us now, since you’re here and I’m no longer the only person in the world. I would actually hate that, by the way. I know the shrinks will all tell you that I have several personality disorders, but I quite like most people. I’m simply very active about the ones I don’t like. I think that makes me honest. They like to use words like anger issues. We agree to disagree.”

Her new brother-in-law was odd, but likable. “You like to sleep on the couch?”

Bran ran his hand over his head. He looked slightly younger than his twenty-eight years, with thick hair and all-American good looks. Like his brothers, he could have been on the cover of a magazine. “I like this couch better than the one in the game room. The media room chairs all lie back, but without a movie or something playing, it’s got a tomblike vibe and that’s kind of Riley’s thing, not mine. When Mia and Chase head back to Texas, he’ll move into their room.”

“He took your room?” She sighed and sat on the chair across from him. “I take it I’m in his.”

“I don’t mind. Riley needs a room. I don’t. I could bunk with Hatch or Drew, but Drew snores and Hatch talks in his sleep. He says some weird shit. I have no idea what goes on in his dream world, but it’s crazy. So I came out here. It looks so peaceful at this time of night.”

“The city? Yes, it’s lovely at night. Of course, it helps to be forty stories up. It’s a little different on the ground.”

“It’s still beautiful in its way. That’s what I’ve really learned. It’s all about how you look at things. We often choose to make something ugly or beautiful.”

She couldn’t see anything good in her current situation, but she didn’t want to talk about that now. She knew she should get her water and go, but she found herself curious. “Why would he take your room? I understand that I’m in his, but shouldn’t he be the one out here on the couch?”

“He can’t sleep in an unlocked room.” Bran turned to her, his skin lit by the city lights. “I thought he told you.”

“All he ever said was he couldn’t sleep with another person in the room.” If Bran was willing to talk, she would count this early-morning session as a win.

Despite the fact that she knew there was nothing between her and Riley now, she still found herself hungry for information about him.

“He got the shit kicked out of him once,” Bran explained with a shrug, as though that was something that happened every day. “It was bad. A couple of broken ribs and one of his legs. He got a trip to the hospital. They jumped him in his bed one night. He was in the hospital for a while and then in rehab for the broken leg and then Drew got custody of him because he’d managed to sober Hatch up, and they’d gotten a place to live. Still, Riley can’t sleep with anyone else in the room and he really needs the door locked. I worry that something will happen to him and we’ll have to break the damn door down because I’m fairly certain that he puts a chair under the door handle, too.”

He’d been a boy. Alone. Scared. How bad must the incident have been that he still felt the need to protect himself to this day? “I was surprised when he told me he wouldn’t sleep with me.”

But he’d been so earnest about it, she hadn’t thought to be offended. He’d looked sad, as though he wanted so badly to be normal.

There’s no such thing as normal, she’d told him.

“I wondered how you would take that. I totally offered to seduce you, by the way,” he said with a grin. “I thought I was the better choice. I would have stayed in bed with you all night. I’m a cuddler.”

He was a charmer. Unfortunately, she’d already been caught by one Lawless. She wasn’t falling for another. “I don’t think that would have worked unless you’re a lawyer.”

“Nope. MBA.”

“You don’t look like an MBA to me.” She’d hired many an MBA. They tended to be type A personalities. All buttoned up and straitlaced. Bran Lawless looked like he should be hanging out on a movie set.

“I did it for 4L,” he admitted.

“For 4L or for The Plan?” She’d come to think of the Lawless siblings’ revenge plots as The Plan. It seemed to need that extra-special capitalization since according to what she’d heard and seen, it had been something they’d worked toward most of their lives. They’d plotted revenge with the single-mindedness most people used on seducing their beloveds.

“Both, I guess. It’s hard to think about other things when there’s a hole inside you. I’m not as sure as Drew and Riley that it can be filled with some magical vengeance, but they need it.”

“You don’t?” That wasn’t how he’d sounded this morning.

“No, I do. I need to know that the people who killed my parents can’t do it to anyone else. I do owe them that justice. But Drew and Riley rarely think past it. I wonder what any of us is going to have left when we’re done. Will we still be this close? Will we find out the thing that was missing all along was something different?”

“See, MBAs don’t tend to think like that.”

He smiled, an open, happy expression that dialed his charm way up. “I have a minor in psychology. I would have likely tried to be a therapist or a social worker if I hadn’t needed the MBA. But if I’d been the one going into StratCast, I would have been a good hire. I was going to try for one of the project management jobs. And then I would have romanced the boss.”

She was glad to get back to the issue at hand. Getting to know Bran was a bit unsettling. Still, it was hard to get mad at him when he looked so damn cute. “Then we wouldn’t have worked in the same department, and I have to say that proximity really helped your brother. Despite what I’m sure he believed would happen, I didn’t fall into bed with him the first day I met him. I suppose he won the Ellie lottery because of his law degree.”

Bran sat back. “Drew could have done it. He offered to hire on in R&D. After looking at the way my brother works, you would have hired him in a heartbeat. We discussed all the possible scenarios. Riley insisted on taking the job and I think that was more about you than he’ll even admit to himself. We all studied up on you, read the reports. Riley got a bit obsessed. He read all the articles about you.”

She just bet he had. “Know your enemy.”

He stared at her for a moment. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. I tell you one thing and you put your spin on it. I’m utterly fascinated by how human beings ever manage to communicate when we so obviously don’t speak the same language ever.”

So Bran was a philosopher. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

“I said something. You heard something else. I spend all day working in an industry that claims to truly connect human beings. The Internet, social media, it’s supposed to bring us closer together. That’s the job, right?”

All of this pain had begun because apparently Benedict Lawless had believed he could do that. His code had helped to make the Internet faster, more reliable. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

“All it does is make me understand that we can’t ever be connected,” Bran countered. “Not really. Our lives are lived in these meat suits, and no one else can know what it means to me or you. We can empathize, but at the end all that information isn’t pure. It’s filtered through our experiences, and the information that went in gets distorted, mangled by what we lived through before. I told you Riley became obsessed with a beautiful woman he saw, but you heard that he was studying an enemy.”

Something about the wistfulness in his voice opened a well inside her. “I never felt pretty until I was with him. Not really. It’s stupid, isn’t it? I’m a twenty-seven-year-old woman. I was going to run a major tech company and I still want to feel pretty. Shouldn’t I be beyond that now?”

“No one ever gets past that. Not really, I think. Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive him?”

“Sure.” In some ways she had. “I understand why he felt the need to do what he did. Losing your parents like that had to be horrible.”

Bran looked back at her, and she had the feeling he saw more than she would like. This nighttime view of Bran was changing her opinion of him. He saw more than he told his siblings, likely felt more, too. “There’s understanding and then there’s forgiveness.”

“Are you asking me if I’ll give your brother another chance to savage me?”

Bran laughed, but it sounded more ironic than anything else. “Well, that answers my question.”

“Would you?” She didn’t like how she felt about this conversation. It made her antsy. She was the victim, but Bran made her feel like she was doing something wrong. “Would you walk right back into a relationship with someone who hurt you the way Riley hurt me?”

“It would depend on whether or not I loved the girl. It would depend on whether or not she really knew what she was doing.”

“He knew exactly what he was doing.”

“None of us knew how badly it would hurt you. We thought it would put you through a few days of discomfort—which Riley would have been there to support you through—and then you would have the company. Not once was it discussed that we should take StratCast. Never.”

Though it had been their father’s brilliance and blood the company had been built on. She supposed she’d never thought of it. They could have come after her company in a way that she could never have taken it back. Drew Lawless could have bought up stock until he could claim the board and fire her. He could have bought them out and casually dismantled the place like a lion enjoying a light snack.

“You should think about that when you consider how much to punish Riley,” Bran offered. “As to your question, yes. I think if I loved her, I would. I think my pride would mean less than my love. At least I hope it would because I have found that love is very rare. It’s not something you toss away because it didn’t come in the package you thought it would.”

“Well, you don’t understand, then.” Everything Riley had told her was a lie. He’d come into her life on false pretenses and then even when he’d known he had her, he’d continued to lie. If he’d told her what he was doing even up to a few minutes before Castalano had sprung his trap, she could have dealt with it. The only reason he’d told was because he’d gotten caught. It wasn’t the same as confessing.

She got up to go because it was obvious Bran was going to plead his brother’s case and make her question what she knew was true and false.

That was the true danger of staying in this house. It wasn’t curiosity. It was familiarity. How would she feel a couple of weeks from now when she’d really gotten to know these people? When they were more than simply the ruthless bastards who had run a wrecking ball through her life? When they were men who smiled and laughed and joked and she wanted to be one of them?

This was Riley’s play. He was betting she couldn’t hold herself apart and that one morning she would wake up and realize she didn’t want to leave.

It was all still a game to him, and this was his latest move.

“I really do understand why he felt like he needed revenge,” she said. “I’m sure what you all went through was horrible, but I’m out of all of this the minute I get my company back. I’m sure you’ll go after Patricia next. Good luck with that.”

She would grab her water and go back to her room. She wasn’t playing this game with Riley. She didn’t need any of these people. He’d supplied her with a laptop. Tomorrow she would spend her day researching the situation she found herself in. She needed to find a way to keep her stock. Could Castalano take it from her when she hadn’t been found guilty yet? She would go over that contract until she found a loophole.

She would leave her room to grab some food and meet with her attorney. That was all. She wouldn’t fall into the obvious trap.

“We were there, you know.”

Bran’s words made her stop. “There?”

“We were in the house that night. Drew and Riley don’t talk about it. Mia doesn’t remember it. I get it in flashes. Sometimes I wake up and I can feel the heat. I can hear Drew whispering. He should have been shouting, but he was scared because he thought they could still be there. He doesn’t say it, but I think he saw something that night. He had Mia in his arms when he came for me and Riley. We shared a room back then. He wouldn’t let us cry or talk until we got out through a window in the bathroom.”

She knew she should walk away, but her feet wouldn’t do the job. “Why not one of the doors?”

“Because someone was waiting for us. We tried the back door and they’d done something to it. We couldn’t get it to open. I guess the fire took care of that because the cops said they didn’t find anything.” He stared out at the city again. “I think we were supposed to die, too.”

The horror of it all washed over her. She’d known, but hearing about it from Bran made it more real than her father’s admission. Her father had done that. He’d paid someone to do it. He’d paid someone to stand outside the door and keep those children inside. How had he sentenced a whole family to death over some code? Over cash?

“That’s why it can’t work.” It was good to be reminded. Every time she thought about what her father had done, a pit opened in her gut. “I’ll always be Phillip Stratton’s daughter. I’ll always have had a life built on your family’s suffering.”

Bran looked up at her quizzically. “Yes, you’re your father’s daughter. Absolutely. You’ve proven it time and time again. You likely would have helped him. Would you have done it? Would you have blocked the door? Would you do it now? If I was standing between you and StratCast and all you had to do was take me out.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “No one would know. Pull one trigger and everything you want is yours.”

She couldn’t help the tears that made the world watery and ill defined. “I would never do that.”

Bran stood. “Because you might have his name, but your soul is your own, Ellie. Riley knows that. I’m sorry. I was harsh with you.”

He put his arms around her and it was easy to take his affection.

How long had it been since someone offered simple kindness and she was able to take it? She laid her head on Bran’s warm shoulder. There was nothing sexual about his comfort.

“You’re not Phillip Stratton and we all know that. You think this was some play to keep you close to Riley, but I need you, too. I need to know that one of us can find some happiness,” Bran whispered. “I’m pulling for you and Riley, but it’s selfish. If Riley can make you love him, maybe there’s someone for me.”

She wrapped her arms around her brother-in-law. He was so sweet and smart and lost. Was it right to hold herself apart from him because she was scared? Her father had done such damage.

Could she undo some of it?

“I suppose it’s good to know you don’t hate all of us,” a dark voice said.

The hands on her back suddenly came up and Bran took a step back. “It’s only a hug, brother. She was crying because of something I said.”

She turned and Riley was standing there. Apparently none of the Lawless men wore shirts. Of course, if she looked as good as they did, she might go around half naked, too. Riley was staring at his brother, his eyes fierce.

“What did you say to her?”

He was a little dramatic. She needed to shut him down now. “We were talking. I got emotional. He pointed out a few things to me.”

“I might have mentioned that she’s not anything like her father,” Bran confessed.

“Of course she’s not. I think I’ve told her that a few hundred times.” Riley’s eyes went between them.

“Are you seriously wondering if I have a thing for your brother? You have got to be kidding. I can’t handle one of you much less start up a group.” She huffed and stalked away into the kitchen.

The simple sight of the man set her on edge and she wasn’t sure why. She’d come to terms with their nonmarriage. It didn’t have to be acrimonious, but he’d stared at her like he was jealous.

How much of his act was she supposed to believe? What the hell was she going to do if it wasn’t an act?

She opened the fridge and found a bottle of water.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t like walking in and finding you with Bran.”

She closed the fridge but didn’t turn. “I kind of thought spending time with your family was one of the points of keeping me here.”

He winced. “Maybe, but he’s also younger than me and nicer than me and probably more attractive. It bothered me seeing you with him.”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She turned and leaned against the fridge, needing as much space between them as she could get. “You’re the hottest man in this condo and you know it.”

“I really don’t. I’m not as big and muscular as Drew or Case.”

“They’re too overwhelming. You’re lean and muscular. Like a jaguar.” His body was sleekly muscled, every single inch of him toned and perfect. Even the scars he had made him seem more real to her. She loved how warm his skin felt under her palm and how he shuddered when she touched him. He loved to be stroked.

“Bran’s got a nose that’s never been broken.” He stepped in, his feet bare on the marble.

Even the man’s feet were sexy. And she couldn’t quite take her eyes off the way the pajama bottoms clung to his waist, showing off the cut notches at his hips. “Bran’s too pretty for me.”

“But he was the one you were hugging. I didn’t even get a kiss today.” He was close enough for her to smell the scent of sandalwood. He used it when he shaved.

Being this close to the man was something like a drug, his presence drowning her good intentions. Like she intended to walk off now. “I kissed you in the judge’s office.”

When the judge had proclaimed them man and wife, Riley had leaned over. His hands had gone to her waist and she’d seen that look in his eyes that let her know he was determined. He would have made that kiss last. He would have shown her what she was missing.

So she’d lightly brushed his lips and stepped back, making it awkward for him to do anything but let her go.

He put a hand on the fridge behind her, caging her. “That was a peck. That was nothing. I dream about kissing you, Ellie.”

Again she intended to duck under him and walk away, but instead she stared at his lips. Too sensual and plump for a man. She liked to run her tongue across his bottom lip because it always made him sigh and pull her closer. “It’s only been a few days since the last time you fucked me.”

“Made love to you,” he corrected. “And that’s way too long.”

She shook her head, well aware she was forcing herself not to touch him. “It was for show, Riley. I’m not going to kiss you again.”

“Why not?” His voice lowered to a tortured whisper. “You’re planning on leaving. I know that. So what’s the problem with using me while you’re here? We’re good in bed together. We’re married. There’s zero reason for you to stay away from me physically, Ellie.”

“Except I don’t want you anymore.”

His hand came up, sliding over her neck. His thumb traced the line of her jaw. “If I really thought you meant that, I would want to die, Ellie. I can’t stand the thought of you hating me forever.”

“And I can’t stand thinking about what you did to me.”

“I know. All I can do is try to make it better. Tell me and I’ll do anything. You want me to walk away from this? I will. I’ll go right now and pack everything we need and leave it all behind.”

“You would never leave your family.” He was lying again, telling her what he thought she wanted to hear.

“It would hurt, but you’re my family now. You’re my wife. You might not take it seriously, but I considered you my wife before I married you. I’ll think of you that way even if you leave me. Baby, don’t think for a while. Let me show you how I feel. Remember how good we are together.”

His words rolled over her. They had been good together. Why wasn’t she using him the way he’d used her? It didn’t have to mean anything. It didn’t have to truly bind them. She could be whole and still walk away from him.

Maybe it wouldn’t be as good now that she really knew who he was.

It could just be sex this time.

His mouth brushed over hers and he moved in, his body making contact.

Her skin felt alive again, her system flaring with need.

This man knew how to make her feel. He knew how to take her to a place where nothing mattered but the pleasure he could give her. She needed this. The days since the last time she’d touched him seemed like weeks of pain and ache, but this was respite.

She didn’t have to love him to take comfort from him.

As though he sensed her acquiescence, his arms circled her, bringing her close.

“God, Ellie, I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you. I can’t stop thinking about you.” He whispered the words against her skin. “I couldn’t sleep knowing you were next door. All I could think about was coming to your bed and sinking inside you.”

His hips moved restlessly against hers, his hardness rubbing like a cat seeking affection. A big predator who needed her to pet him.

He licked along the shell of her ear, causing her to shiver in his arms.

No one else in the world could get her to respond the way he did. He’d taught her in the nights he’d spent in her bed. He’d taught her to expect pleasure from him, and her body jumped at the chance.

“Touch me.” She needed his hands everywhere. She wouldn’t think beyond the moment, beyond her need.

His hand slid up the tank top she was wearing and covered her breast. She breathed into the sensation, her chest swelling against his hand. He cupped her and palmed her breast as his mouth claimed hers.

“Come to bed with me. Let me make you forget everything else,” he whispered.

She knew it was a mistake, but she was going to make it anyway. “Yes.”

He lifted her into his arms and strode out of the kitchen.

—

Riley practically ran down the hallway. He needed to get her somewhere private and get his mouth and hands on her. He needed to take away her ability to think before she changed her mind.

He hadn’t been able to sleep. He’d felt like shit when Bran insisted on giving him his room. He’d tried to explain to his brother that he wouldn’t sleep at all, but Bran wouldn’t listen.

When he’d walked out and seen his wife wrapped in Bran’s strong arms, he’d nearly exploded with rage. He’d forced himself to stop and think. Bran wouldn’t hurt him that way and Ellie . . . God, his sweet Ellie wouldn’t do that.

But his every insecurity had welled, making it nearly impossible to stop himself from forcing the two apart.

Thank God he hadn’t, or he wouldn’t be carrying his bride back to consummate his marriage.

He strode past Bran, who was politely looking away as though he’d known what would happen.

It was inevitable. He and Ellie had too much chemistry to deny themselves for too long.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” she said, her voice soft.

“It only means we need each other in bed.” He would give her every illusion she needed. “I understand this isn’t forgiveness.”

“I don’t know that I can forgive you,” she admitted. “Riley, this isn’t fair to you.”

Nope. She was thinking again. He managed to get the door to her bedroom open. “I don’t care about fair. I told you, use me. Take what you need from me. I’ll give it all to you.”

“You’ll expect me to stay.”

“I’ll beg you to stay, but I won’t expect it. Let me have you. Ellie, give me one month to prove this marriage can work. You don’t have to do anything at all but sleep with me when you want to. I’ll do the rest. If you still don’t want the marriage at the end of the month, I’ll move you into your own place and we’ll communicate through lawyers.”

She stared up at him as he laid her out on the bed. “I can’t trust you.”

“I’ll put it in writing in the morning. It can be a postnup.” He was willing to do anything to get this precious time with her. One month. Thirty days. If he couldn’t win her, he would lose her. “I promise.”

“I’m going to leave, Riley,” she said, but she sat up and tugged the tank top off, her gorgeous breasts came into view.

“I’ll let you go if that’s what you want.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so stunning.

“But as long as I’m here, I can’t lie to you. I do want you physically.”

He would take whatever he could get. He had to bet that Ellie would come back to herself. She’d had a horrible shock to her system. Everyone had let her down. She’d managed to come through a lonely childhood whole and filled with love. He couldn’t be the one who put out her light. “I want you so badly.”

He let his hands find the bottom of her pants and pulled them down, leaving her in nothing but a pair of underwear. It was too much. He dragged them down and fell to his knees.

“Please.” She lay back and let him spread her legs.

She didn’t need to plead with him. She was all he wanted and it had been far too long since he’d made a meal of her. He pulled her down the bed until she was in the perfect position for what he wanted to do.

“I will never get enough of you. If all I have is a month, I’ll make sure it’s a month neither one of us will forget.” He could already smell the sweet scent of her arousal. He touched her, parting her labia. She was already slick and wet and ready for him. He would never get used to this, always need it.

He leaned over and put his mouth on her, his tongue going deep. He didn’t have to warm her up. She was already hot as hell. He fucked her with his tongue long and slow, not leaving an inch of her untouched.

She writhed beneath him, the little moans going straight to his cock. His body pulsed with need, but he continued his feast. He licked and nipped at her. He let his finger slide against her as he settled over the pearl of her clit. It was already swollen and needy. He pulled back her hood and was thoroughly satisfied by the shudder that went through her body when he dragged his tongue over her.

“How can you do this to me?” Her voice was breathless, the words exhaled with a throaty groan. “Why is it only you?”

Because they belonged together. Because she was the only woman in the world for him. “You do the same to me.”

She shook her head. He watched her, his eyes staring up the length of her body. “No. You’ve had so many women.”

He kept up the slow motion of his hand. “You seem to think I’m much more of a player than I am.”

“I’ve seen the pictures. I looked you up in the Austin papers.”

“Those were dates because I didn’t want to go to functions alone. They weren’t girlfriends. I didn’t have time for a girlfriend. I told myself that at the time, but now I know the truth. I didn’t want to make time for them. They weren’t the right girl. For the right woman, I’ll change my whole life. There’s no question of making time. There’s only how much of your time I can have.”

“Don’t talk. I can’t. I can’t talk about this with you. Not now.”

He knew what she wanted, needed. And he definitely liked the fact that she hadn’t said not ever. It was what he counted on. He would use every charm he had, every trick he could think of to make sure that in one month she was right here in his bed and his life.

He settled in and suckled her clit. His whole body was tight, ready to take her. His wife.

She gasped, tightening like a bowstring, her head thrashing back and forth as she came.

He stood, shoving off his pajama bottoms, freeing his cock.

He stood between her legs, making a place for himself. She was laid out for him, her body languid, and for the first time in days she looked relaxed and sated. Her hair was spread out on the sheets. She glanced up at him, her eyes soft and her smile lazy, and for a second it was like nothing had come between them. Just for a heartbeat, they were together and his Ellie was back to her happy, loving self.

He would do anything to get her back there. To get them back.

“What’s wrong?” Wariness replaced the sweet glow in her eyes.

“I don’t want you to take me because you think you owe me for the orgasm.”

She groaned and moved up on the bed. “I was kind of hoping for round two. If I’m going to use you, I’m going to use you well. Don’t hold out on me, Lawless. I admitted I want you. I’m not giving you anything else.”

He practically jumped on her. He settled his body on hers, giving her every ounce of his weight. She wasn’t holding back. Her legs went around his waist, trapping him and squeezing him tight.

“I need this.” He thrust in. He needed her. The last two days had been marred by misery, but it all fell away when he was with her. His cock drove deep, as deep as he could go, so he could feel their connection.

“You feel so good.” She was wrapped around him, not letting go.

She never held back during sex. She didn’t play coy or make him work harder for her affection. Ellie gave and he soaked it all up like a sponge denied for far too long.

He let go, the primitive need to mark his wife too overwhelming to resist. His wife. His. He’d never been possessive before. He’d always known the things he cared about could be stolen or lost or tossed away like they were trash. He’d seen everything he loved lost at one point or another, but she was different.

He couldn’t lose her.

Over and over he drove into her, pushing them both along. She tightened around him and he felt her come.

He couldn’t hold out and let go, pouring himself deep inside her.

He fell to her side, holding her close.

For one blissful moment, she lay in his arms. And then she took a deep breath and moved, disentangling herself and rolling over.

“Can you hand me the blanket before you go?” She took the left side of the bed, moving her head to the pillow.

He didn’t want to go.

He didn’t want to leave her. He wanted to sleep with his wife.

“Can I stay?”

She rolled over again, her eyes steady on him. “You don’t sleep with anyone.”

“I want to sleep with you. I know I don’t deserve it, but if I only have a month, I want to spend it with you.”

She sighed. “It won’t work. I can’t trust you.”

He would have to work on it. She didn’t trust him and she had good reason. He had to pray that time and proximity would fix what was wrong between them. He would try this every time she let him in her bed. Eventually she would give in.

And what? And he would wake up screaming or simply lie next to her all night, not sleeping at all. Maybe it was better she told him no.

He started to get off the bed to get his pants.

“Lock the door, turn out the light, and come to bed, Riley,” she said quietly.

He rushed over to lock the door. He wasn’t going to move the chair under the door handle. The lock was enough. He wasn’t going to show Ellie he was a complete freak.

“You should use the vanity chair. It looks like it’s the right height.”

He stopped. How had she known about that? Probably Bran had been talking, explaining why he was on the couch and Riley in his room. He took a deep breath. “I don’t need it.”

“One thing at a time, Riley. I’m falling asleep, so get the door secure and come to bed or go to your own room.”

This was his room, technically. He grabbed the chair and placed it where he needed it. Once he’d turned out the lights, he climbed into bed with Ellie, dragging a blanket over them.

He’d never done this. Not once in his life. He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was going to get through the night. Maybe tomorrow it would be easier. Or he could take a nap. Yeah, he could take a nap during the afternoon.

She turned and her arm went around him.

Warmth suffused him and he was surrounded by her scent. He relaxed a bit and let his skin settle against hers.

“I owe you, too, Lawless. I can’t stand the thought of you never sleeping with another human being. My father took that from you. Maybe I can give it back. Don’t think this means more than that.”

It sure felt like more than recompense. It felt like love and affection and comfort.

“Gotcha, Lawless.” He wasn’t going to let her forget that she’d married him. “This is a sympathy cuddle.”

He felt her chuckle against him. “Damn straight.”

It wasn’t long before he felt her breathing even out. Her head was on his chest, her legs tangled with his and after a while, he drifted off, too.

—

At first, it didn’t register. He felt the flare of pain, but he couldn’t tell where it was coming from. They stuffed something in his mouth, something filthy. He tried to spit it out, but they held it in.

Not so tough without your brother around, are you?

He couldn’t see. It was too dark, but he knew that voice. Donny. Asshole. He and Drew had been enemies for the past two years. When they’d come into this group home, Donny had been the bullying fucker everyone was scared of. Then Drew had kicked his ass and left him a crying mess.

Drew was gone. He’d left earlier in the day. He had a full ride at the University of Texas and he’d moved into a dorm. He’d promised it wouldn’t be long. He intended to find their dad’s old business partner, get a job, and bring them all back together.

Four months tops, Ri. Survive for four months and I’ll get you out of there.

He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t shout. He felt a punch to his gut and all the air he had in his lungs was gone. The pain seemed to be everywhere as more than one kid used their fists on him. When he fell to the floor, they started to kick him. Donny held down his hands.

Yeah, this should let your brother know who the real king is.

He tried to scream again.

—

“Babe, you’re having a nightmare.”

A hand moved over his chest but this wasn’t the same. Soft. Warm. Gentle.

He came awake with a shock.

Ellie. He was in bed with Ellie. He dragged air into his body.

Had he hurt her?

“Are you okay? Did I hit you?”

She snorted a little and yawned. Early-morning light streamed in, but she made no move to get up. “Is that what you thought would happen? You thought you would hit me in your sleep?”

“It’s a violent dream.” He tried to shake it off. It was easier this time because she was cuddling against him.

He couldn’t mistake her for some sweaty, awful gang of boys. She wasn’t ever going to hurt him. Not intentionally. She would lock herself in a room with the crazy guy on the off chance she might help him.

“You’re not a violent man, Lawless. Hush and go back to sleep. I was having a good dream. Prison was actually a five-star all-inclusive resort and all the guards looked like Chris Hemsworth.”

He was still shaking a bit, but it didn’t matter because she was here with him. “I’m definitely keeping you out of that jail.”

“Spoilsport,” she muttered before turning over.

He turned with her, spooning her as she went back to sleep. Her backside cuddled his cock and he discovered the real problem of sleeping with Ellie. He got hard fast.

He kissed her cheek. She needed sleep. He let go of the dream and held on to her.