Page 56 of Widow Mayker

“Never, baby. A couple of bullets, remember?”

I smacked my teeth. “That’s not funny.”

He chuckled. “Neither is my love for you.”

Gasping, I peered into Von’s eyes, admittedly stunned. Inside my chest, my heart skipped and galloped violently.

“Wipe that look off ya face,” he teased and kissed my lips. “You know damn well how I feel about you.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never said it.”

“How’s this?” He snuggled my neck and kissed me there, too, before kissing my ear. “I love you, Major minus the o and r, add an a, makes the ‘uh’ sound.”

I threw my head back and giggled foolishly. Life was so different for me. The old me was dead, buried in a place that I no longer knew. I didn’t know its address, nor the route. As if she sensed the joy in my heart, my mother’s face flashed through my mind. This was the type of love she sought from my father. This was the type of protection and trust she sought.

“My mother would’ve loved you, Von.”

“I’m gon’ love you enough that her wings grow another feather every time ya heart beats for me.”

Blinking back tears, I stumbled over my emotions. Over the last few weeks, Von learned so much about me. While I couldn’t tell him my darkest and most devious deeds, if he ever wondered why, he had the answers.

Still, he had the same look in his eyes. The look that he was willing to die for me, willing to sacrifice everything for me. If he knew just how much damage I’d done to my life, that light would disappear. Herein was a fear I’d never felt before. It was the fear that, one day, this could all be just a memory. If Von ever found out who I was, he’d walk away from me and never look back. He’d likely arrest me, or worse…commit me. He had no idea who lived dormant inside me.

You’ve turned over a new leaf. Leave the past where it is. There’s nothing tying you to anything back there. Seize the moment you have with him. Let the future work itself out.

“I love you, Von.”

This was our second time exchanging those words. However, they never flowed so smoothly from my tongue. This felt right. This felt like the beginning of forever.

Von’s lopsided grin captured another piece of me. It dazzled and reminded me that he was just as handsome as he was dangerous. He grabbed two handfuls of my ass and plastered us to one another.

“I want you to repeat that while I’m buried deep inside you tonight.”

Even as he said it, his dick pressed into my abdomen. Tugging his thick beard, I brought him down for a kiss.

“I can’t wait,” I mumbled against his lips. My pussy agreed and came to life, dampening the crotch of my panties. It took all I could take to get through the rest of the evening without demanding that Von take me right there inside this club. He was so sexy, smelled so sexy, and moved his body against mine seductively. Everything he did to me challenged my senses to bow and respect him as the man who would lead me for the rest of our lives…

“I like that look in ya eyes, baby. It’s givin’ you want forever wit’ me.”

I blushed hard, for I felt it deep inside my bones.

A few hours later, I felt Von so deep inside me that my bones absorbed his DNA. The harder my pussy clutched him, the deeper he tried to go, the louder he growled, and the closer he held me to him. Neither one of us wanted this to end.

As I repeatedly chanted my love for him, I decided that life was finally worth something more than the love of my family. I loved this man. I loved him to death.

***

Days later, I was in my office, reminiscing over that night. We’d repeated it since then, but something about that night stuck to me. Maybe it was because I’d truly let myself go. I’d truly let my guard down and taken the one thing I vowed to never take from a man, especially one wearing a badge. Von proved me wrong. The badge didn’t make the man—not a real man, at least. The man made the badge.

“Hey, boo. You busy?”

I glanced up from daydreaming to find Heir at my door. Her furrowed brow drew my attention.

“What is it?” I questioned, snapping out of the fairytale world Von created for me.

She came into my office and shut the door behind her. Without a word, she turned on the television and changed to the station she sought. Seconds later, a picture of Iyana filled the screen.

“She was found shot to death this morning,” Heir relayed in disbelief.