Page 77 of The Devious Husband

“Sierra,” she says, her tone grim. “You need to help me.”

I sit up, instantly on high alert. “What happened?” I ask, running a diagnostic on the tablet I carry everywhere, finding all of our security measures intact.

Xavier has spent months training me, teaching me how to shoot, and making sure my fitness levels and fighting skills stay at a level he’s comfortable with. He’s going to therapy, but in return, he asked that I make sure I’m never helpless, and that at the very least, I’m able to defend myself beyond what I was taught in my kidnapping prevention classes. It’s a task I’ve taken very seriously in an effort to show my commitment to him, and I’ve spent months learning about all kinds of security protocols, learning Krav Maga, and becoming comfortable carrying and using a gun.

“Enzo is acquiring half of Kingston Enterprises. I wasn’t told until literally ten minutes ago, and they’ve already drawn up the paperwork. Elijah isn’t listening to me and keeps saying that he’s more than happy to let go of managing the business so he can focus more on operations. You need to help me, Sierra. You need to talk to Xavier for me. If they sign those papers, Enzo will become my boss, and I…I can’t work with him. I just… I can’t.”

I frown as I listen to her. Kingston Enterprises is our private intelligence firm, and Elijah and Valeria mostly work with government agencies, off the record. Most of the people that work there don’t even exist on paper, and I would have been surprised that Enzo would want to get involved with it — had Valeria not been working there. “I’ll talk to Xavier about it, alright?”

She thanks me just as Xavier walks up to the car, and I end the call just as he opens the door. “Who was that?” he asks, leaning in for a kiss.

I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and lose myself in our kiss for a few moments, my heart instantly beginning to race. He still gives me butterflies, and he still makes time stop the moment he touches me.

“Valeria,” I answer, before pressing another quick peck to his lips. “I’m supposed to talk to you about Enzo trying to acquire a big stake in Kingston Enterprises.”

His expression shutters closed, and he looks away. “It’s a good partnership,” he says. “Enzo is exceptionally skilled at making businesses thrive, and quite frankly, Elijah just isn’t interested in that. He wants to be a field agent, but we can’t hand the reins over to anyone we don’t fully trust. I don’t have time for it, and Valeria isn’t ready for the position, nor has she ever wanted it.”

I nod as I drive us to The Siren, where we go almost every week. Valeria changed a lot after Enzo’s engagement party, and very quickly too. She became much more spirited, and more than once, I’ve heard Mom remark on how she’s herself again. I’m not sure what caused it exactly, but I know it’s got something to do with Enzo. “I think it’s a great idea,” I murmur. It feels like a betrayal to say it, because I know this isn’t what she imagined I’d say when she called me for help, but I think she needs him — more than she knows, more than she cares to admit. Seeing him at his engagement party wasn’t closure for her. It was something else, something I can’t quite put to words.

Xavier smiles as he steps out of the car and walks around it to open the door for me. “It is,” he reassures me, entwining our fingers as we walk in and head straight for our usual table.

“So, how is your book?” he asks as we sit down.

I never ask him about his therapy sessions, because I think that’s private, and it’s enough for me that he’s going. So instead, Xavier and I spend our lunch break talking about the books I’m reading, and every week, he asks me about my favorite scenes, only to then find little ways to re-enact them throughout the week. It’s thrilling to know he’s really listening to me like that, that he cares enough to make my little daydreams come true.

“Okay, so,” I begin to tell him, and he leans in, watching me like I’m telling him the most riveting story he’s ever heard, and my heart pounds wildly. I’m so in love with this man, and it’s absolutely unreal that I get to be his wife.

“So if I’m understanding correctly, the hero bought the apartment the heroine was renting when her landlord threatened to evict her? So now she can stay there? But she doesn’t know he bought it?”

I nod excitedly, and Xavier frowns. “I don’t get it. Why didn’t he just buy the whole building? He could’ve just moved in next door, and then he’d get to see her every day. Plus then she wouldn’t have to suffer from all those noise complaints you mentioned earlier, since there’d be no pesky neighbors anymore.”

I blink at him. “That’s... it’s just…” I shake my head and burst out laughing. “You know what?All my life, I’d been scared that no one would ever live up to the heroes I read about, and I guess it’s true.” He tenses, his expression falling. “You’re better, Xavier. You’re more than my dreams come true — you raised the standard, and I fear I’m forever spoiled.”

He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles gently. “Good,” he tells me, his eyes twinkling. “Because I love spoiling you.”

Seventy

Xavier

“When are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?” my wife asks excitedly as she looks out of the window in our private jet.

My heart warms as I watch her, and gratitude rushes through me when she looks at me and smiles. She’s so beautiful, so precious, and somehow, she’s entirely mine. It’s surreal, and even after all this time, I can hardly believe that she’s my wife.

“You’ve been acting kind of weird all day,” she adds, narrowing her eyes at me as she crosses her arms and stares me down. “First you wake me up super early, then you drag me onto this plane with a suitcase Raven has allegedly packed for me, and you won’t even tell me where we’re going.”

I grin and reach for her hand as the plane begins to descend. “You always see straight through me, don’t you?” No one knows me like she does, and it’s thrilling to have one person in my life that’s just mine, someone who understands what I’m thinking without having to explain. “I’m taking you on a little island retreat.”

She gasps and tightens her grip on my hand. “Are we going back to Enzo’s island? God, I loved it there.”

I shake my head. “I bought us one of our own, since you seemed to really love it. Besides, Enzo is being weird about that particular island anyway. Told me it’s meant just for his wife and no one else, when somehow, that wasn’t an issue last time. He isn’t even married yet, so I don’t know why he’s being like that.”

Sierra’s eyes light up, and she laughs. “Probably for the best,” she says, her eyes roaming over me. “You’re always so stressed out when we go on holiday. I’d much prefer having a place of our own that we know is highly secure, so you can actually rest. You’re never fully relaxed in unknown places.”

There’s no judgment in her eyes, no blame, and I love her for it. “I have a surprise for you,” I admit.

“I know,” she replies. “Why else would you have been scheming all morning?”

I can’t help but chuckle, and she grins as she leans in and threads her hand through my hair, pulling my lips onto hers. I groan as I kiss her, loving the feel of her. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of kissing her, of being with her. I smile as we both sit back, my eyes on hers as we land. She’s the light of my life, the love of my life, and every single day, I fall a little deeper in love.

---