Ines

Today, we spent the whole day together and Rook has now introduced me to all the people who live here, including Cross' girlfriend Roxie and daughter Lily. They're the only two women in the house, and Rook explained that too, since it made no sense to me how all these big guys can live without women around. Apparently, Cross is very protective of his daughter and won't have her exposed to any debauchery. He sounds like a good man, but his piercing dark looks frighten me. From between the lines of what Rook told me, I read that I'm still on probation as to whether he'll let me stay here. I don't mean to give him any cause not to, though I did always dream of me and Rook living in a pretty, small house together, just the two of us and our children. But I don’t think I can have children after what Silvio has done to me. It’s another thing I don’t like to think about. While I was still his prisoner, I was glad for it, since I didn’t want to give birth to his child. But now, my wish to have a big family is returning too, along with all my other memories of better times. Though his MC brothers are like family to Rook, and I don't want to drag him away from them.

It's dark outside now, and Rook left with Cross and a few others about an hour ago. It's too early for bed and besides, I want to wait for him to get back. I'm not done with him for the day yet. I've been exploring the house since he left and every single room is magnificent. I doubt the big, bad MC guys decorated it themselves though. I can't picture any of them picking out the rich mahogany tables and closets, the crystal chandeliers, or the Persian rugs and all the other fancy pieces this house is filled with. Some of the furniture and rugs do show signs of not being cared for very well in the past, but everything is neat and clean now.

Roxie is alone in the huge drawing room on the ground level, which is my favorite room in the whole house. It has large windows along one wall, with sills big enough to lounge on, along with velvet sofas that look like they came from some castle, and a fireplace big enough for me to climb inside. Everything is washed in a soft, sparkling white light cast by the huge, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Good evening," I greet Roxie because she didn't hear me come in.

She's sitting on the sofa facing the windows, an open book hanging limply from her hands as her eyes try to pierce the darkness outside. I don't know what she's hoping to see, but I can feel she's looking for something.

"Oh, hey," she says as she turns to me, giving me a faint smile. "How are you settling in?"

I sit in the armchair next to her. "I love this place. It's so gorgeous."

Roxie smiles again, but just as faintly as before. "I'm glad you like it. I fell in love with it the first time I came here too."

"And the garden, it's fantastic," I say, continuing the small talk even though I can tell she's worried about something and would perhaps rather be alone. Maybe she's worried about Cross. Maybe I should be worried too.

"Wait 'til you see the woods, though," she says and I can feel my cheeks burn. Rook and me were in the woods earlier. We made love in a field of wildflowers and it was better than any daydream ever could be.

"Oh, I take it you've been to the woods already," Roxie says, giving me knowing smile and a wink.

I smile too. "Do you think the guys will be back soon?"

She shrugs. "Cross said it could take all night, and not to wait up."

"Are you very worried about him?" I blurt out without thinking. But she started rubbing her belly in a slow, protective circle when I asked my first question and is still doing it.

"Cross tells me not to, but I can't help it," she says, smiling wryly. "Even though my dad was an MC president too, and I don't remember worrying about him this much."

"Cross is also the father of your baby, so that makes it different," I say, only realizing how inappropriate it is when it's out of my mouth. I don't even know if I'm right, or if she is pregnant, and you'd think I knew how to keep my mouth in check by now.

"Did Rook tell you?" she asks.

"Not many people know, so I'm just surprised," she adds when I don't answer right away, still reeling from my stupidity.

I shake my head. "No, I guessed it just now. Sorry for prying."

She smiles. "It's OK. Yes, I'm having a baby, it's my first and I've never been more worried or more nervous about anything than I've been about everything, since I found out I was pregnant."

She laughs after she says it, a happy sound but a little strangled anyway.

"I wish my brother would come home, or at least answer my calls," she says. "That would make the rest easier to handle."

"You're brother is Ice, right?" I ask. "I met him in Mexico. He helped Rook save me from…from the man I was with."

Roxie looks at me like this is all news to her. But why would they keep that from her?

"You met Ice in Mexico?" she asks. "Did he say where he was going when you separated?"

I think hard about that car ride out of Mexico City, but neither Ice nor Rook spoke very much during it, and I was still dazed from finally escaping Silvio, but not daring to believe it yet.

"He went back to Mexico City to get his bike," I say. "Then Rook told him to return here. Ice said he would, I think. I'm sorry, that's all I know. But I do want you to know how very grateful I am to your brother for helping Rook save me from Silvio. I was his prisoner for ten years. He abducted me from the small, seaside town where me and Rook lived, then kept me as his mistress, though that was the last thing in the world I wanted to be. To the rest of the world, I was the modern day Cinderella, but in reality…” I can’t finish the sentence, since Roxie’s face keeps growing sadder and sadder, and I don’t want to remember that monster.

“I didn't believe I'd ever escape until Rook and Ice broke into my apartment and rescued me. I owe them my life," I conclude.

"I’m sorry that happened to you,” she says. “Ice was someone's prisoner for a long time too. He saved me from the same fate you survived by sacrificing himself. I'm sure he didn't even think twice before helping Rook rescue you. Or at least the Ice I remember wouldn't, but he's not the same man he was. And it's been almost a year since Cross and the guys saved him."

I can feel just how much she wants her brother back, that's probably who I felt her searching for when I walked in here. I wish I had a better answer to give her. Ice risked his life for me, and here she was, so happy to have him back, so sad that he's no longer the man she knew and loved.

"He'll come back to you," I say, taking her hand and squeezing. She smiles vaguely, but I don't think she understood what I really meant.

"When you're someone's prisoner something changes in your mind," I elaborate. "You have to become someone else to protect who you truly are. You have to become someone who will survive the ordeal and come out whole and undamaged."

I keep talking, but I don't think I'm making her feel any better, since I just can't find the right words to explain it right.

"I changed too," I power on. "So much, I barely recognized the person Rook remembered from ten years ago when we first fell in love. But she's still inside me, and she's coming back now that she's safe again. I'm sorry, I'm just not making any sense," I say when the grimace on her face grows too deep to ignore. "I just mean, I'm sure your brother will return to his old self too, he just needs some more time. And people to love him."

That's important, very important. I'd never have survived without Rook's love, or without the love of my father.

Roxie's bottom lip is quivering as she nods. She doesn't speak, just wraps her arms around me and hugs me very tightly, like a mother.

"I'm here if you ever need to talk about it," she says, letting me go, but still holding onto my arms. "I have some experience working with abused women and children. Thank you for sharing your story with me. Hearing such hopeful words from a survivor really helps."

"'Survivor'," I say and grin. "I like the sound of that."

She smiles back and we chat about less difficult things after that, until almost one AM when the rumbling of bikes outside announces the guys' return. I know Rook is one of them. I could feel him drawing closer to me for the last fifteen minutes or more. And I can't wait to fall asleep in his arms.

* * *

Rook

We spent the whole day riding the hills and byways of the county, the empty country roads that never fail to set my mind at ease while the pavement whooshes under the tires of my bike and the wind hits my face just hard enough.

Today, with Ines behind me, holding onto me with her entire body it feels like, was even better. It was exactly how it's meant to be. I'd forgotten how good she felt wrapped around me on the back of my bike, but memories are nothing compared to the real thing anyway. We're heading back now, our bed is waiting. That's another thing that was always meant to be. Our bed. The one we share. But I'll make one more circle before taking her back home just to get my fill of her on the back of my bike. It's the two things I love the most rolled into one and I'll never get tired of having them.

"I had a fantastic time," Ines says with a wide smile after we dismount in the converted stables that serve as the parking area at Sanctuary. She looks it too, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight, her hair a happy cloud around her head, her whole body a lot more lithe than usual, like the wind's blown through more than her hair. Hopefully it's also blown away the memories that still give her nightmares on most nights.

"Yeah, me too," I tell her, matching her smile, since she seems to be waiting to hear it. Then I kiss her. She smells like the fresh wind and tastes like the clear rain that fell for about ten minutes while we rode today.

"Let's continue this upstairs," I say, once the kiss gets more serious.

The rest of the world pretty much vanishes when I'm with Ines, but right now, I'm very aware that Sanctuary has a ton of huge windows, and we're not hidden from view out here in the driveway. Back in the day, I'd have no problem doing pretty much anything to a woman in plain sight of my brothers. Hell, we'd even share them sometimes. But I want to keep Ines all to myself.

"In a second," she says and leans in for another kiss, but I meant what I said.

I laugh at the disappointed expression on her face when I don’t kiss her, then pick her up like a bride, because she's small and light and I can do that. Besides, it's fitting. She's the only one I ever wanted to carry across the threshold of our home.

She giggles. "I can walk on my own, you know."

"I know," I tell her and start walking towards the house. "But I want to carry you."

She smiles and wraps one arm around my shoulders, hugging me as best she can with the other, and gives me a very soft kiss on the cheek.

"I want you to carry me too," she whispers into my ear, sending a shiver down my back that feels so good, it's painful. "It's like I'm your wife. I want to be that too."

I grin at her and she grins back, but her eyes are more serious; they look like she did just ask me to marry her.

"Well, you'll have to prove your worth before I marry you," I tell her, and earn a hard slap on the back.

Her eyes are gleaming like they do every time she's about to go off at me in that mix of Spanish and English she's so fond of using when she's pissed at me.

But I stop it before it starts by kissing her again, feeling all the fire of her words as she kisses me back, just not hearing the actual words.

"I'll marry you, if you want to get married. And I'll also live with you in sin forever," I say once we reach the door, shifting her in my arms so I can open it. "I promised you that before."

I did. More than ten years ago, I asked her to marry me, and she remembers it very well right now. I can tell by the soft dewy look in her eyes.

"Yes, I want you to be my husband," she whispers as I kick open the door. "And I want to be your wife. We should've gotten married back then."

"We still have plenty of time," I say and give her another quick kiss. "But let’s do it. The sooner, the better."

Someone clears his throat to our left, and Ines grows as hard and heavy as a rock in my arms.

But it's just Cross.

"I've been calling you, Rook," he says. "We need to talk."

"Alright," I say, since he's using his President voice and I know whatever he wants to tell me is serious. The last time he used it was a couple of weeks ago when he told me Straw died.

I set Ines down, tell her to go upstairs and that I'll be right there. She doesn't respond, doesn't even look at me. And she's still just standing by the door exactly where I left her as I follow Cross across the foyer to his office.

I wave at her to go upstairs before I enter it. But she doesn't move, and she looks like she's seeing ghosts. She must be sensing something and it’s frightening her. This weird ability of hers to sense things is unnerving, always was, and is especially so right now, since now I’m even more worried about what Cross wants to tell me. But how bad can it be? How bad can anything be now that I have Ines back and we're getting married soon?