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So I could understand why Cian was so hesitant to leave me alone. I had tried to explain that everything was OK now, that I didn’t need him constantly worrying about me. He wouldn’t listen to reason, just shook his head and kissed me until I was gasping for air. Which of course made me shut up.
Every single damn time.
My heart fluttered in my chest, and I looked up at him standing at the top of the stairs in the VIP section. He was watching me, like always, and I blew him a kiss. We were inseparable, spending every waking minute of every day with each other—when we weren’t working, that was. And I loved every second of it.
Valik sat down next to me and signaled the bartender for a drink. He was almost as bad as Cian, taking his new job as my personal security guard very seriously. He was completely healed now, although it had been touch and go for a while. When Ryzen had found out that we had found his hiding spot, he’d waited until he could get Valik alone. Valik was a big guy, and strong, but he was no match for a bat to the head. And when Ryzen had stabbed him, there was no way he could defend himself. But he was a fighter, both physically and mentally, and I had to admit, I loved the big moose in the way you loved your annoying older brother who only wanted to protect you.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I swiveled around in my bar stool, looking through the crowd. I had to stop being so paranoid. The doctors said I needed to keep my post-traumatic stress in check, or it would take over my whole life. My therapist had agreed. You didn’t just get kidnapped, drugged and almost murdered and not try to get professional help right after. It had taken some time, but the nightmares had finally stopped, and the need to always look over my shoulder was slowly diminishing.
No, I wasn’t going to let Ryzen win. I scoffed and shook my head. He was rotting away in jail waiting for his trial to begin. The FBI had raided his homes and Goodacre Corporation, and every single business that Ryzen had dipped his fingers in they’d searched and seized. It was one of the biggest operations they had done in over a decade. They had more than enough evidence to put him away for kidnapping and attempted murder because of me and my testimony, but the DA had tacked on all the charges she could, including money and real estate laundering, tax fraud, stock manipulation, bid rigging, and murder.
That was right. The grave Valik and I had found had contained the remains of Gretchen Mastillo. But not only her. They had found a gravesite containing the remains of another woman not too far from where Gretchen’s had been buried. She still remained unidentified though, and Ryzen was not cooperating with the FBI. Their whole plan to get him to flip on Voledetti was a total shit show, and the worst part was, they couldn’t find the flash drive. I’d told them in the ambulance that he had it in his pocket, but after searching Ryzen, they couldn’t find it anywhere.
I didn’t tell them that Kaviathin had come to the island and had given me the knife. I didn’t know why I hadn’t. Cian wasn’t happy about that part, but I told him I thought it was best to let that go. I wanted nothing more to do with Kaviathin or any of his family.
Luckily, something funny happened a few days after we got home from the hospital. I got an email with a summary of my monthly activity from the meditation app Thora had downloaded on my phone, and it included three audio recordings. The first one was of me and Cian having sex, and when I played it for Cian, it quickly led to us seeing if we could outdo ourselves on the scream meter.
The second was a clip of Ryzen having a phone conversation with someone right after I had crashed, which I later found out had been Iva. And the third, and most shocking, was a snippet of his confession to me the night he’d tried to kill me. It was all there—confessing to killing Gretchen, plus the other unknown woman… his tie to Voledetti. I had forwarded it to Delove, who was ecstatic, saying it was just what they had needed. Ryzen was a sick fuck and deserved to be locked away for the rest of his life. And I was willing to do everything in my power to make sure that happened.
Let them all burn for the parts they had played. Iva was currently in jail awaiting trial for accessory and conspiracy. But unlike Ryzen, who wasn’t cooperating, she was spilling the beans on anyone and everything she could to save herself. Covington had hired a team of lawyers, and they were doing their best to get her a deal. But I swore I wasn’t going to let that happen. No, she needed to pay, just like Ryzen. Covington had reached out to me several times, and although he was trying to separate himself completely from Ryzen, he couldn’t do that to his granddaughter. He had even resorted to calling and begging me to make the charges against Iva go away, at which I’d promptly hung up on him.
My own family had been anything but supportive, except for Grams. She was doing so much better than a few months ago after her heart attack scare. I didn’t want to tell her everything and make her worried, but I assured her every week when Cian and I visited that I was OK. That Cian was taking care of me, and that I hadn’t been seriously injured.
“That’s my tough cookie.” She squeezed me tight, just as strong as ever. “Us La Rouxes are fighters. It’s in our blood.” She gave Cian an assessing stare and clucked her tongue. “You take care of her, young man, or you’ll have me to deal with.” She chuckled and opened her arms to him.
Unlike Grams though, my mother and Grace tried to put the blame on me when I went to visit them. No, I must have done something to Ryzen to make him crazy. It was my fault this had all happened. Look at what I had done to their reputation. It was completely ruined. And my father, he wouldn’t even come out of his office to see me. My spirit had been completely broken when I had left their house, but not for long. They had never really supported me in anything in my life, and this had been the icing on the cake. I vowed that day to never return. There was no point.
Juliet came over to the bar and wiped her forehead. “You coming?” She chuckled and grabbed my hands. She was such a breath of fresh air after everything. And although Cian had told her to keep it hush-hush, she’d let it slip about her little detective work and the smash-and-grab she had participated in to get to Kaviathin. I would say I was surprised, but somehow, I wasn’t. Juliet was my ride-or-die best friend, and if the roles had been reversed, I would have done anything in my power to find her also.
With the help of Cian and the payout from the insurance company, we had just broken ground on construction of our new warehouse just outside of downtown Chicago. Cian had offered to have a building built for us, but I had refused, not because I didn’t want him involved, but because I didn’t want to take a handout. So we’d compromised and he had become a silent partner and investor in the Shiver Box. He was always going to find a way to help me somehow, so this killed two birds with one stone.
I joined Juliet and Eros on the dance floor, letting the music flow through me. My body was sticky with sweat after a few songs, and a young guy came up behind me and started dancing. I glanced over my shoulder and chuckled. He couldn’t have been older than twenty-one, his eyes wide and eager as he eyed my body up and down. I didn’t even have time to say one word to the poor guy before Cian was standing next to me, his eyes burning into the man.
“Get the fuck out of here.” He pushed the guy back, and the guy’s eyes widened at the size of Cian. He scurried away, tripping over his own two feet as he ran.
“It’s OK.” I patted Cian’s chest and reached up, kissing his lips.
Cian’s gaze traveled down my body, his eyes narrowing where my dress clung to my skin. Before I could say anything else, he grabbed me and tossed me over his shoulder. I let myself hang there and giggled as he marched up the steps to his office. My man, the epitome of a caveman.
He set me down on the edge of the bar, his eyes dark as he pressed between my legs. “What’s so funny, little star?” He weaved his hand through my hair, exposing my neck.
“Nothing,” I gasped as his teeth dragged up the curve of my neck, his tongue licking along the way. “It’s just he was just a kid… didn’t mean any harm.” I chuckled.
“I don’t fucking care. Nobody touches what’s mine.” Cian tugged my head back, and I bit my bottom lip. “You’re mine, Nova. And the whole world needs to fucking know that.”
“Yes,” I whispered. “All yours.” I reached down, unbuckling his belt and lowering his zipper. God, he was an animal, already so hard for me. I moaned as I stroked the length of him, ready for him to fuck me for the third time today.
I needed him, craved him in a way that was probably unhealthy, but I didn’t give a crap. His lips met mine, our tongues tangling together in a little dance that I fucking loved. I moaned against him, his hands gripping my thighs roughly and spreading them apart.
“This is mine.” He dipped his finger inside of me and stroked in and out. “Say it.”
“I’m yours,” I gasped, and spread my legs even further. I was so wet for him, always so ready. My body had a mind of her own and knew exactly how to react when he was around. His lips were greedy as he kissed down my body, between my breasts. I arched my back, my chest heaving as he gripped my panties with his teeth and dragged them down my legs. My whole body was on fire, burning for him, and I never wanted that feeling to go away. My breathing was coming in tiny pants by the time he stood and centered his cock at my entrance.
“I love you, Cian.” My head fell back as he entered me in one quick thrust. “So fucking much.” I gasped as he filled me up.
“I love you, my beautiful bright star. For fucking ever and ever.” He emphasized each word with a hard thrust of his hips, pounding into me as a delicious feeling spread throughout my whole body.
I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, moaning against his lips as he thrust into me. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve a man like Cian Blackwood, but whatever it was, I was glad it had happened. I would go to hell and back for this man.
