Page 45 of The Devious Husband

“I’m sure you had your reasons,” I tell her quietly as I knead the dough.

“I do, and I think it’s important you understand them,” she says, her voice trembling. “If I tell you my story, will you listen?”

I look into her eyes, noting how they’re a perfect replica of Xavier’s. How did I miss that? “Of course.”

“Not even my brothers know as much as I’m about to tell you, but I think it’s important for you to know, because it’ll explain why Xavier is the way he is, why he struggles to express himself and holds back his emotions, until they boil over. Somehow, you’re the only person that’s ever been able to draw his old self out, but around everyone else, he’s a shell of the person he used to be.”

I watch her as she prepares an oven tray for me. “Most people either don’t know or pretend to have forgotten, but my family founded this town.”

I nod and look away, having heard the stories. I tried looking it up online, but there is no information about the Kingstons dating back more than eight years ago. They’ve always been here, but it’s like they didn’t truly exist until about a decade ago. It bothered me when Dion first brought Xavier home, but I dismissed my concerns as I got to know Xavier.

“It wasn’t uncommon for my brothers to come home with bruises and blood on their clothes when they were far too young to even be involved in any of it, but that was just our life. We had a reputation to uphold and a town to protect, so when our rule was questioned, it was up to my brothers and my father to rectify that. I didn’t want to be involved in any of it, so when I was twenty, I ran away from home.”

I stare at her wide-eyed, my heart bleeding for her. I can’t even imagine growing up with that much violence and fear. “I would have too,” I murmur.

She throws me a shaky smile. “Right?” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and draws a shaky breath. “Xavier was the last person I spoke to before I left, and we had a recurring argument about loyalty to our family versus having the honorable kind of future we envisioned. We both said things we didn’t mean, as we usually did, but this time, we didn’t get the opportunity to apologize and make up.” She pushes the tray aside and stares at it for a few moments. “I left, and within an hour, I was captured by a human trafficking organization my brothers had tried to chase out of our territory and take down. They kept me captive for five years, and for five years, I tried my best to dismantle them from the inside out — and I did.”

She takes the dough from me and begins to form little balls for the next batch of cookies, like we’re just having a normal conversation, and I try my best not to stare at her, not to let my emotions show. My heart aches at the mere thought of everything she’s been through, and all of a sudden, I understand exactly why Xavier has always been so protective of her.

“My disappearance made my family go legit in an attempt to honor my wishes. They thought I was dead, but on the off chance I’d truly just run off, they’d hoped that I’d come home if they became the kind of family I’d wanted. They had no idea where I was, but they never stopped looking and came close to finding me a few times. Each time they did, I was moved to a new location and punished for all the damage my brothers did to the organization.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I tell her honestly.

She shakes her head. “You don’t need to say anything at all,” she replies. “I just wanted you to know that because of this, my family and I agreed that I’d stay hidden. I’ve done things I’m not proud of in my attempts to escape, and until I’ve taken care of every last loose end, I’d like to keep my identity hidden from anyone who might come after me. I made a lot of enemies in the time I was there, and not all of them knew my name, since it was a well kept secret.” She smiles at me shakily, and I try my best not to imagine how they must’ve kept her from telling people who she was. “That’s why my brothers let me come to some parties where the guest list is highly exclusive and security is very tight, but they won’t let me be photographed. They want me to live and be out in society, but only in places they can control, where they believe they can keep me safe.”

She smiles shakily. “That’s why I didn’t tell you who I was when I walked in here that day, when I brought Xavier pasta. It’s also why Xavier seems to have two personas: the joker, and the person underneath it. He’d never admit it, but he’s scared he’ll say the wrong thing again, and someone else will get hurt. No matter what I do or say, he can’t accept that what happened wasn’t his fault.”

She grabs my hand and squeezes tightly. “So if it ever seems like he doesn’t care, or he isn’t saying the words you need to hear, please be patient with him. He needs you more than you could possibly know. You’re the only person he’s let in since then, the only one that can bring out the man we all thought we lost.”

Forty

Xavier

I stare at my wife in the mirror as she puts on her dress, and I can’t believe she’s mine. Sierra gasps when I wrap my hands around her waist and lean in to kiss her neck. “Xave,” she murmurs admonishingly, even as she tilts her neck to give me better access.

“You look far too beautiful.” These last couple of weeks with have has been the closest to happiness I’ve ever been, and it terrifies me. Every time she moans my name, her eyes filled with nothing but me, I wonder if I’ve asked for too much, if I should’ve just walked away when I realized she was ready to start chasing her own happiness.

Every time I watch her read her romance novels all curled up on the sofa in her library, the sweetest giggles leaving her lips randomly, I wonder how long I’ll get to have her, how long it’ll take for me to say the wrong thing and push her away, or put her in harm’s way.

I always knew she wasn’t meant for me, that she’s too good for me, but I’ve never been able to contain my selfishness when it comes to her. I’ve always craved her attention in whatever way I could get it, and even now that she’s my wife, I can’t get enough.

Sierra giggles when I unzip her dress, and her eyes sparkle with desire as it pools on the floor. She turns to face me and buries a hand in my hair, our eyes locking. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You, if I’m lucky.”

She laughs, and fuck if it isn’t the best sound in the world, followed only by the way I’m about to make her moan my name. “We’ll be late,” my wife says, even as she unbuttons my shirt, her hand roaming over my skin hungrily.

“I don’t care,” I murmur as I turn her around and bend her over her dressing table, our eyes locking in the mirror. She gasps when I part her legs and slip my fingers between them, my cock instantly beginning to throb when I find her wet. “This...” I murmur, before bringing my fingers to my lips for a taste. “This is all I care about.”

She moans when I circle her clit, teasing her ruthlessly. “Xavier,” she warns. “Are you going to mess around, or are you going to fuck your wife?”

I smirk, a deep kind of pleasure washing over me at the way she’s referring to herself. I fucking love it when she calls herself my wife. I groan as I undo my trousers in a rush, loving the way she moans when I slide my cock against her pussy. “You want this, baby?”

“Yes,” she whimpers, rocking her hips in an attempt to get me closer.

I push the tip in and reach for her hair, tangling my hand into it. She looks fucking magnificent in the mirror. That lustful expression, the way her tits are pushed up against the wooden table, and that beautiful flushed face. “How the fuck are you mine?” I ask, slipping into her an inch.

“More,” she demands.

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