Page 25 of Mitch

Autumn looked up in surprise at his words, but the wariness he saw there slayed him.

“You don’t owe me an explanation, Mitch.”

He crossed to her, hating the space between them, and sat close beside her, taking her hand. The callouses on her hand from gardening only making her more beautiful to him. Her warm bronze skin was clear and perfect as he brushed her cheek with his other hand.

“I do, Autumn, don’t say that. I want us to be an us, and that includes me not acting like a dick at the first sign of trouble.”

Her brows furrowed, but she left her hand in his, leaned her cheek into his touch. “What trouble? Have I caused you problems with my own?”

Mitch shook his head. “No, not at all. The opposite in fact.”

“Mitch, I don’t understand. Just spit it out.”

He grinned at her no-nonsense words, reminding him of the women in his family. “Fuck me, you’re perfect.”

“Whatever.”

He stifled the grin that wanted to break free and wondered at her ability to change his mood from dark to light with just a simple sentence. “I know Linton Allen.”

Her eyes went wide, and he could feel the tension cascade down her shoulders to her hands, so he moved closer.

“I was best friends with his brother growing up. We went to the same school, lived a few doors away from each other, and our mothers were friends. When Devon was eleven his mum died, and his dad moved in, allegedly to take care of him, but I think it was so he could claim the council flat. Devon started hanging out later and later at night with the older kids.”

He gave a dry laugh. “My Ma was strict, which I hated at the time, but she saved my life. Devon got involved with the Onyx Cobras, and we drifted apart. Then when he was around fifteen, he began to reach out to me more. We mainly played computer games and talked about girls, but it felt good to have him back. Then he got shot by a rival gang and died. His younger brother Linton was a good kid. Great grades, smart as hell, and Devon kept him away from the gangs.”

Autumn was leaning into him, her hand on his forearm, gripping it tightly. “What happened?”

Mitch sighed. “After the funeral, my mum got us out of there. She didn’t want me anywhere near the gang, so she took a job forty miles away on some big estate as a housekeeper. I finished up at a local school, and she cut all my ties with my old friends.”

“That must have been hard.”

“It was, but she saved my life. I have zero doubt I’d have ended up dead had I stayed. Instead, Mum met a great guy, and I joined the force.”

“I’m guessing there’s more to this story than that.”

Her chuckle made his dick hard, the warm sound wrapping around him like a silk glove. “There is, but my point is, I saved myself and left Linton to fend for himself. If I’d stayed or taken more notice of what it meant when Devon reached out, I might’ve seen he needed me and been able to help.”

“Mitch, don’t be silly. Of course you couldn’t, you were a child. No kid should take on a weight like that. Devon is a tragedy in our society, and so is Linton to a degree, but both could’ve made different choices and didn’t.”

“Do you believe that? That it’s a choice for some kids?”

“Every single thing we do is a choice, what to wear, what to eat. Linton chose to join the gang that got his brother killed.” Autumn shrugged throwing up her hands. “Maybe to avenge his brother, I don’t know but killing people to avenge a life is on him.”

“Autumn, I’ve killed people. This job is not without its sacrifices.” He needed her to know the man he was before they went any further.

“And I trust you make them for the greater good, not for money or greed. That is my choice, right or wrong. Although I have a feeling it’s closer to the wild imaginings I had about a secret black ops group than I thought.”

“We work for the British Government and the Palace, and that’s as much as I can say. The rest is classified.”

“See super-secret spy shit. So, I guess you guys really are best placed to help me figure this out if Jack is willing.”

“If he weren’t, you wouldn’t still be here.”

Autumn’s eyes bulged. “He’d kill me?”

Mitch threw back his head and laughed. “Of course not, I meant he’d have made you leave.”

“Oh, thank god.”

He bent his head closer, his lips touching hers as her breath hitched. “I’m so glad you chose to rent my apartment.”

“Me too.”

He kissed her hard and deep, their tongues tangling, breath melding as desire poured through his veins, the little sounds of pleasure she made in her throat driving him crazy with need.

He pulled back to look at her glassy eyes heavy with desire. “I want you.”

“I want you too. Will you stay with me tonight?”

“Was going to anyway, babe, but if you mean in your bed then fuck yes. That’s an invitation I’m happy to accept.”