Page 64 of The Lies We Believe

Sweat dripped from Bane’s face as he clutched me to him, still lost in the aftershocks of his orgasm. Every shockwave made his still hard cock twitch inside me, eliciting a groan deep within my chest. My muscles refused to work, and my arms and legs felt like jelly. I was high on my post orgasmic haze, my body and mind finally sated.

I felt kisses all over my face and sighed, sinking into the mattress. Rough fingers kneaded the lax muscles in my arms, while Bane whispered sweet words of love and affection into myear. He rolled us until I was sprawled on top of him and drew the blankets over us.

“Shh, angel. Sleep. I’ve got you.”

My head weighed a ton, but I managed to lift it enough to rest my chin on his chest. After a couple of deep cleansing breaths, I said, “Stay inside me…for…as long…” Sleep claimed me before I could beg him to stay there, plugging me. I didn’t want this magical connection to ever end.

CHAPTER 26

BANE

“How are you feeling about today?” River asked cautiously as I sifted through the folder laid out on the counter in front of me. I took a beat to digest the question. We’d spent a month putting everything together for the raid we had planned for today, and I had the job of checking and cross-checking every lead and piece of information the team had pulled together for it. From who would attend, to the location, security, and most importantly, what was up for auction. The products on the docket for tonight were children, none of whom were older than twelve. I’d even liaised with the alphabet agencies before Bower took that off my hands. That man had his sights locked on a promotion. Word had it there was a head of title up for grabs with one of them if he could pull this off.

Miraculously, we’d managed to turn one of the lower level guys—Marco—in Black Dahlia’s network. The promise of full immunity in relation to the case had him singing like a lark once the paperwork was signed and sealed. What the idiot didn’t know was we had enough dirt on him for unrelated activities that he’d never see the light of day once the night was over.

The guy didn’t know a thing about loyalty, which benefited us exponentially. He worked security for Dahlia’s establishments, namely the strip joints that acted as backstreet brothels, and had a tendency to sample the merchandise with a rather rough hand. We’d acquired several statements from the girls that ended up in hospital because of him.

Fortunately for us, he played poker with guys who were higher up the food chain. And it turned out once those men got some hard liquor into them, they let slip about upcoming events like auctions or big clients that were coming in to sample product.

“I’m cautiously hopeful.” I glanced up at him when a mug of coffee brushed my fingertips. “Come here, angel.” River slipped into my open arms like he was made for them, and when his wrapped around me, I felt settled for the first time in nearly forty-eight hours.

“When do you l-leave?” He tried to hide it, but I heard the tremble in his voice and so did Shadow, who appeared at his feet, his head butting into River’s calf, making him chuckle. It was like that dog could sense when his anxiety spiked and was there instantly, demanding attention and distracting him.

I checked my watch and gulped down my coffee. It seared its way down my throat, but I welcomed the pain and the much needed hit of caffeine. “Montoya should be here in ten.” A sigh slipped past my lips, and I buried my face in his unruly hair. River’s cinnamon and orange scent infused me with a much needed sense of calm and clarity.

“I promise I’ll be back.” I knew what he was thinking, even if he never said it. His fear of me not returning was a palpable thing. It was written in his forest-green eyes every time I caught them. He’d come so far with Joelle’s support, but the fear of abandonment was deeply ingrained in both of us. I wasn’t sure we’d ever get its hooks out of us.

“I know,” he murmured into my chest and tightened his hold on me.

“Cooper’s coming round, isn’t he? Bringing the new pup to play with Shadow?” River tipped his head back and grinned up at me, a childlike wonder sparking in his eyes.

“Yeah. It’s a pom-pom or something.”

I snickered and nodded my head. A dog breed specialist I was not. “Or something, alright.” My lips brushed his forehead in a tender kiss that melted into a smile when River’s fingers traced patterns across my back. My eyes shuttered closed, and I focused on their path. It wasn’t random shapes; he was writing something. A shiver skittered down my spine as my brain tried to piece it all together, but if the thudding of my heart was anything to go by, my heart and body knew already.

“You got it?” he whispered softly.

“No. Again?” His husky laugh heated my face, and his answering smile warmed my insides.

“Now?”

I closed my eyes and focused intently on the path River’s fingers took, like they were painting the darkness with the light of his love. First there was an I, followed by an L, then an o?

“I love you.” My voice shook as emotions overwhelmed me. Although River had become more vocal and confident, he still struggled to say those words, so he found as many creative ways to show me how he felt.

“That’s not all,” he breathed against my ear.

With my face in the crook of his neck, my lips brushing against his silky soft skin, I let my mind drift as he started again. This one wasn’t so easy to decipher, and when I asked him to repeat it, something changed, but the meaning was still the same.

“You did a symbol instead of a word the second time.”

“I did.” He shrugged. “Did you work it out?”

“It took me a minute, but I did.”

River stepped back so he could look at me. Eagerness and excitement lit up his beautiful features. “Well?”

“My heart.”

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