Lulu

I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling when I heard Hunter come home. I glanced at the clock. 3:00 a.m. He was talking, no doubt to Van, who had brought me home after Neco and Zeke had picked up Stanley. The door shut, then the beep of the alarm came next, followed by his boots on the hardwood floor moving down the hall.

But instead of coming straight to bed like he usually did, he went to the bathroom. I heard the shower come on. I needed to know what happened. I’d been in knots since I left Hunter. I pushed back the covers. Despite the warm night, I shivered when my feet hit the floor. I hugged myself, my fingers clutching the soft fabric of Hunter’s Ramones tee at my sides, and padded to the bathroom.

I knocked softly on the door, so I didn’t wake Josh. “Hunter?”

Pushing the door open, I walked in. He was already in the shower. My gaze went to his clothes lying in a heap on the floor. His pale gray shirt had patches and streaks of deep crimson all over it. I moved closer to get a better look. Blood.

I gasped and spun around. Hunter was watching me through the glass shower door. I couldn’t see him clearly, so I yanked it open, the soapy water running down the drain a sickening pink. I scanned his body from head to toe, frantically searching for injuries. Nothing.

I stood there, watching the water change, until it ran clear. It wasn’t his blood.

He shut the shower off and reached for me. “Lulu . . .”

Then I noticed his knuckles. They were busted up. Raw, red, and swollen. I don’t know what I expected. I mean, I knew he hadn’t planned to sit down for a coffee and chat with Stanley, but seeing it, seeing the blood soaked into Hunter’s clothes, the reality of what he’d done hit me hard.

He stared at me, expression closed off, blue gaze drilling into me. “It had to be done, you know this. There was no other way.”

I nodded numbly. “I know.”

He climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his hips. “Come here, Lulu.”

I stayed frozen to the spot.

The muscle in his jaw jumped, eyes locked on me, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. This was how it was done. I’d seen Pierce do it many times. In his world, Hunter’s world, it was just part of the job. My stomach twisted and I spun away, running to the living room. Suddenly the enclosed space of the bathroom felt suffocating.

The thought of Hunter hurting someone like that? I reached for the back of the couch. I hated it. It took a level of ruthlessness, an unhealthy ability to disconnect from your emotions—both things I associated with my stepfather. I wasn’t stupid. I knew Hunter was capable of a lot of things, things I wouldn’t like. I knew not everything he did was aboveboard, or even legal—but in making the decision to stay with him, I’d chosen to ignore it. I’d refused to think about what Hunter did for his job, and now I’d been confronted with it, in a way I couldn’t hide from.

Logically, I knew he was nothing like Pierce, but I’d never wanted to believe Hunter was capable of something like that.

I heard him coming and shot toward the kitchen. I didn’t know why I was running, just that right then I needed to. I got as far as the breakfast bar when his arms snaked around my waist and I was hoisted up and spun around. He sat me on the bar, crowding me, arms caging me in. His closeness forced my legs open, so they hugged his hips, the damp towel rough against my inner thighs.

He stared down at me, expression hard, pissed. “I told you not to run from me.”

“Is he . . . ?” Dead. I couldn’t finish the sentence out loud.

The muscle in his cheek ticked and his blue gaze got darker, harder.

He shook his head, a subtle movement.

“I didn’t think that . . . I . . .” Again, I couldn’t finish. We both knew I was lying through my teeth.

“I don’t have a normal nine-to-five. Sometimes I need to use force to get what I want. Tonight was one of those nights. That’s something you’re gonna have to get used to. This is my life, my job.” He continued to stare at me. Waiting for me to say something.

“Do you beat people often?” Like that mattered, like occasionally beating or fighting with “bad people” was okay.

“No.”

I shivered. Two thoughts shouted the loudest in my head. “You could get hurt.”

“I could get hurt,” he confirmed.

And the reason I thought I couldn’t stay, the reason I’d planned to leave. “What if your job follows you home?” To my son.

His jaw ticked. “I won’t let it.”

Shit. I sucked in my lip and bit down, eyes closing for several long seconds, trying to process. He touched my chin, silently telling me to look at him.

“Babe, my job is high risk, you know that, which is why we are careful. We do not run into any situation blind. We do our homework. We have each other’s backs. And we sure as fuck don’t bring it home. It won’t touch you or Josh.”

This terrified me. He was trying to reassure me, but careful would never be careful enough, not for me. His line of business involved going after and, occasionally, working with really bad guys. And sometimes, he beat people to a pulp for information. No matter how he tried to convince me otherwise—he made enemies. He just . . . did.

I wanted to believe him, but I refused to put my son in danger. I didn’t want him to get attached to a man who could piss off the wrong person and wind up badly hurt or worse.

If anything happened to Hunter, to Josh . . .

If I lost either one of them . . .

I shook my head, gripping his shirt at his waist. “You can’t get hurt.” I couldn’t say it out loud, my biggest fear. I couldn’t say the word. “You have to promise me, you won’t get hurt. You have to promise me this won’t touch our son.”

I don’t know what that made me, that I could get past the fact he’d just beaten someone to extract information, that I’d decided in that moment, that I could live with it, that I’d believe his promises, as long as that meant keeping what we had.

But what I couldn’t live with was losing him or my son.

His hands moved to either side of my throat, using his thumbs to tip my chin up. “Lulu . . .”

“Promise me.”

He searched my face, and though he didn’t say it, I knew he could see the fear, the desperation in my eyes.

“I promise,” he rasped.

I collapsed against him, squeezing my eyes closed.

We stayed like that for a while, until finally, I lifted my head. “Did you get the information you needed?” I whispered.

“Yes.” He gave me a squeeze. “We got a location. The boys are moving in now. Should get a call soon.”

I pulled back, stared up at him. “You didn’t go.”

“We decided it wasn’t a good idea for me to be there when they found your stepfather.”

He didn’t need to say why. It was written all over his face. He also wasn’t happy about it.

Hunter lifted me off the counter and carried me back to bed.

I woke several hours later to the sound of his voice. He was sitting up, back to me, phone to his ear.

“Yeah.” He listened to whoever was talking, back and shoulders stiff. “Leave it with me. I’ll talk to Tomas.” Then he ended the call.

I moved in behind him, coming up on my knees, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. My heart was pounding like crazy. “Was that Van?”

“Yeah.” He grabbed my arm, dragged me around to his front, and lay back on the bed.

“Did they find him?”

He held my stare. “What was left of him.”

Everything bunched, tightened inside me. “What?”

“Tomas called before our boys could track Pierce down. His men found a body. Fucked up so bad they didn’t know it was him at first.”

My heart was pounding. “Maybe it wasn’t?”

“He was wearing a ring. A wide gold band, square sapphire. There was an inscription on it from your mother.”

His wedding ring.

He’d chosen it himself. It was gaudy and tasteless, but he always wore it. Not because of his love for my mother, but because he thought it made him look like he had money.

An avalanche of emotion washed over me. But the one hitting me hardest in that moment was relief. I sagged against Hunter, my limbs suddenly weak. He was dead. That sick, sadistic bastard was finally out of our lives forever.

It might make me a bad person, but I didn’t care. Pierce had hurt me. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I was the only person he’d done something like that to. Only those people hadn’t had their own superhero to protect them like I did. A far as I was concerned, he’d more than deserved whatever he got.

I remembered what Hunter said on the phone. “What are they going to do?”

“Pierce’s body was found in Tomas’s territory. After Neco checked out the body and identified the ring, Tomas disposed of it.”

“No police?”

Hunter shook his head. “Tomas doesn’t want the cops sniffing around. He cleans his own house. If Neco had tried to call them in, shit would have gotten ugly.”

I lay my head on his chest. I understood how it worked. I didn’t like it, but I understood.

His hand smoothed over my hip, digging into my waist, holding me close. “You okay?”

I nodded and lifted my head, heart banging like crazy. “So we’re finally safe?”

He threaded his fingers in my hair at my nape, making me lift my head to look at him. “Yeah, babe.”

“No more bodyguard twenty-four hours a day?”

He shook his head.

“So, we can just . . . be us, a normal couple?”

“We can be a normal couple.”

I smiled so wide my cheeks ached. The weight that I’d been carrying around, the fear, lifted, and I felt . . . lighter. I stared down at him. “So you can take me out on dates and stuff?”

“Dates?” His lips tilted up and he sounded amused.

I loved that sound in his voice. “Yes, dates.”

“Babe, we live together.”

“So?”

“So dates are for guys trying to get a woman in their bed. I’ve already got you here.”

I scowled at him. “You did not just say that.”

“I don’t need to do the spade work.” He slapped my butt. “This ass is already mine.”

I gave him a shove. “You jerk!” I tried to get up, halfheartedly, but he yanked me in close and rolled me to my back. His body covered me, thigh shoved between my legs. I slapped his shoulders, and then I heard it, felt it. He was laughing. I narrowed my eyes, faking outrage, when I felt anything but. In fact, I was damn near giddy, and I could see Hunter was right there with me. He was relieved; we both were. Pierce was out of our lives in a way that was permanent. We were finally safe. “What’s so damn funny?” I said, keeping up my front.

“I love getting you all riled up. You’re cute when you’re pissed.”

“Cute?” I squawked.

He grinned down at me, eyes glittering. “You want me to take you out? I’ll take you out.”

It had been so long since he’d cracked a joke or even teased me. I loved it. “You’re damn right I want you to take me out.”

He grinned some more. “I’ll see if Van can look after Josh tonight.”

I smiled and slid my arms up around his neck. “Will you wear one of your sexy suits for me?”

“If wearing a suit turns you on, gets you hot enough you’ll let me fuck you any way I want when I get home? I’ll wear a suit.”

I spread my legs wider and his hard cock settled against me. Skin on skin. It was probably wrong that I was getting turned on in that moment, but I didn’t care. I wanted to celebrate a future free of fear, my future with the man I loved. “You can fuck me any way you want when we get home,” I agreed.

His nostrils flared. “Yeah?”

His voice was all rough and sexy.

“Yeah.”

He slid his hips against mine. It felt good, so good I arched into the mattress, letting out a low moan.

His hands fisted the T-shirt I wore and he dragged it up and off, flinging it aside. He came back down, gaze locked on me. “Legs around my waist.”

I did as he asked. He brushed his mouth across mine, his stubble grazing my skin, making me shiver. I grabbed his ass and urged him on. He didn’t make me wait, lifted his hips, cock head to my opening, and pushed inside.

My mouth dropped open. “Oh God,” I breathed.

“Eyes on me.”

I blinked, made myself focus on him while he glided in and out, slow and deep, deep enough he grazed my g-spot every time. I dug my fingers more firmly into his ass. “Harder,” I urged.

Grabbing my hands, he lifted them above my head, shaking his. “Slow and sweet.”

He ground against me and I cried out, orgasm building with every thrust. It was intense, mind-blowing. I moved my hips against his, trying to get more of him.

“Harder,” I tried again. I lifted up, ran my tongue along his jaw, nipped his ear, and at the same time I squeezed my muscles hard around his cock.

He hissed a breath through his teeth. “Lulu.” His voice held a warning.

I did it again.

Those gorgeous blue eyes nearly rolled back in his head.

“Fuck.” He slammed up inside me. “You’ll pay for that tonight.”

“T-that’s what I’m banking on.”

His grip on my wrists tightened, and he pressed them deeper into the mattress, stare locked on mine, asking me without words if I was okay with being held down. Hunter liked control, liked to dominate. I didn’t think I’d like it after what happened, but I did. With Hunter everything felt good, right.

I held his stare. “Don’t stop.”

That was all the encouragement he needed. He kept me pinned, watching me as he proceeded to drill the hell out of me. He kept his gaze locked on mine so all I could see was him, his beautiful face twisted with pleasure.

“Let me feel it,” he rasped and slammed in hard, pounded deep.

With those huskily spoken words, I wrapped myself around him and broke into a million pieces.

But that was okay.

As long as I had Hunter to put me back together, I knew everything would be all right.

* * *

I didn’t have date night clothes. In fact, I didn’t have anything but jeans, shorts, and T-shirts. I’d never really been on a date. I mean, Hunter used to take me out, but never to a restaurant or anything. We’d go to a fast food joint or to the movies, but mostly we used to hang at his place.

In my desperation, I’d called Ruby. I wanted to look nice for him. I wanted tonight to be special. And I wanted to feel like a girly girl. Not something I’d ever been. I didn’t think Hunter had ever seen me in a dress, let alone heels.

I stared down at the outfit Ruby had brought for me to borrow, still lying on the bed. It was black, short, and sleeveless, the fabric loose and drapey. She said it would skim my curves and accentuate my assets. It also had a plunging neckline. Hunter wasn’t a subtle guy and I knew he’d appreciate it. Ruby had also brought a pair of killer, skyscraper heels. I’d never really worn heels, but I loved the gorgeous shimmery, deep green shoes she’d given me. They were surprisingly easy to walk in and, I had to admit, kind of made my legs look great.

I glanced at myself in the bedroom vanity. She’d helped me with my make-up and hair as well, since I was out of practice. The most daring I got with my hair these days was a ponytail. Now it was down, curls soft and tussled, giving it a sexy, messy look. The “I’ve-just-been-fucked-senseless” look, Ruby had called it.

I heard the apartment door open, Hunter’s boots coming down the hall. “Lulu?”

“Don’t come in! I’m not dressed.”

I heard his deep chuckle beyond the door. “Babe, I’ve seen you naked.”

“And what happens every time you see me naked?” I asked.

He was quiet a second. “Good point. I’m grabbing a quick shower.”

His boots retreated, then the shower came on. I blew out a breath. It was silly, but I was nervous. I wanted him to like the way I looked. I wanted to make him proud to be seen with me, to be proud when he told people I was his.

I lifted the dress and slipped it on over my pink lace panties and matching bra. They had a bright orange bow between the cups and on the top of the underwear. They were sexy, but the bow added a little bit of sweet as well. I’d bought them over a year ago, loving them on sight. I’d made great tips at the bar I’d been working at, and since they’d been in a clearance sale, I’d snapped them up. It was frivolous and irresponsible and the only real luxury I allowed myself during that time. I thought about Hunter when I found them, the way he used to like it when I wore pretty underwear.

I never wore them. I bought them for him, even though I never thought he’d see them. Yeah, it was kind of nuts, but they made me feel closer to him somehow. I allowed myself to pretend, for those moments, like nothing had changed, that I’d be going home to him.

Now I had him back.

Sometimes I still struggled to believe it.

I shook off those thoughts and tugged the dress in place. The fabric was silky and stretchy and slid on easily. I checked myself out in the mirror and winced. Crap.

It wasn’t really doing the drapey thing, not on me. Why the hell hadn’t I tried it on first? My boobs and butt were not cute and perky like Ruby’s, not anymore. Why hadn’t we considered my ass during the dress selection? The neckline was supposed to hang loose, give sexy peaks of cleavage, but my boobs filled it out completely. I was all cleavage and ass, zero class.

I heard the shower turn off.

Shit.

I grabbed the shoes and speed-walked past the bathroom to the living room. Grabbing my phone from my purse, I dialed Ruby.

“What’s up?”

“The dress is too tight. We didn’t factor in my ass or my boobs. I look like one of Raul’s strippers.” The bathroom door opened and I heard Hunter head to the bedroom.

Ruby was silent a few beats. “Text me a selfie.”

“What?”

“Let me see. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.”

I clicked the camera icon, angled it down to get in most of my body, and sent it to her.

“Got it. Let me just take a look.” Silence.

My face started to get hot. “Ruby,” I hissed down the phone. “What did I tell you, I look . . .”

“Hot,” she cut in. “Damn, girl, if I had curves like that, I’d have that shit out any chance I got. Now stop freaking out, get your shoes on, and have a good time.” Then she ended the call.

Shoes!

I sat on the couch and slid my feet in. I hoped Ruby was right. At this point, I had nothing else to change into.

I’d done up the first shoe and was working on the second when I heard Hunter walk into the room. He stopped several feet away. I kept my head down, finishing what I was doing. It was crazy how nervous I felt about his reaction to the way I looked. Butterflies were going nuts in my belly. I stilled, took a steadying breath.

“Stand up,” he said in a rough voice.

I stood, straightening the fabric over my hips as I did.

“Look at me, Lulu.”

I lifted my head, no more hiding.

Wow. He was wearing a different suit than the one he’d had on the other morning. This was charcoal, and fitted him perfectly. He looked drop-dead sexy. My lady parts totally agreed and did a happy little flutter. “Hey,” I said into the silence.

He didn’t say “hey” back. He stood there like his boots were glued to the hardwood floor and stared at me. His gaze moved over my face, my hair, down my body, lingering on certain key areas, then down to my legs and the shoes.

Still, he didn’t say anything.

I was starting to freak out. I felt my face get hotter. “I . . . ah. I borrowed the dress from Ruby. The shoes, too.”

He shook his head. “They’re yours. She told me you didn’t have anything. I sent her out shopping.”

“What?” My mouth dropped open.

“The dress, the shoes, they’re yours.”

“But . . .”

“Come here,” he said low, so low it hit every one of my hot spots. “Now.”

“You’re being bossy again.”

“Fucking now, Lulu.”

I rolled my eyes dramatically, though I really didn’t feel as pissy as I was attempting to pull off. I was too busy worrying over the way I looked. I walked toward him, his gaze locked on me as I closed the distance.

“Turn around.”

I swallowed and turned, showing him the back, then faced him again. “If you don’t like it . . .”

“Shhh.”

Say what? “Did you just shush me?”

“Babe, shut up.”

I snapped my mouth shut and stared at him. Then I narrowed my eyes, about to let him have it, when his hands went to my waist. His fingers curled in, skimming over the silky fabric, up to the sides of my breasts, thumbs brushing the undersides, then back down to rest on my hips.

I forgot what I was going to say.

“She’s getting a raise.”

I blinked. “Who?”

“Ruby.”

“Oh.” Oh! It was starting to become kind of obvious. Still, I asked, “Does that mean you like it?”

“Yeah, I like it.” His gaze moved over me again, all the way down, then back up, lingering on my chest before his eyes locked on mine.

A wicked grin lifted the corners of his lips. “We’re going out, we’re celebrating . . . then were coming home and I’m going to strip you bare and fuck you in nothing but those sexy fucking shoes.”

I gave a little shiver of delight. “That sounds . . . I like that idea.”

“I thought you might. Now let’s go before I change my mind and do you right here, right now.”

I snorted. “Do me?”

His grin got wider and he gave my ass a light slap. “Are you mocking me, woman?”

“Maybe.”

“You’ll pay for that later as well.”

I frowned. “Hang on, what else am I paying for?”

“This raging hard-on I can’t do anything about for fucking hours.”

I grinned wider. Hunter growled.

I was out and out laughing when he grabbed my hand and led me from the apartment.