Page 27 of You Know I Love You

"Not that easy." He hugs me back. "I've got a fight I need to get ready for." I drop my arms from around him, knowing he wants to escape. He's not great with emotions. Never has been.

We all watch him go, knowing this isn’t the time to stop him. He’ll fight us on it, and that is the last thing I want right now. It’s important that he knows that we are all on his side.

“We’ll see you guys out there?” Teddy asks, giving me a hug.

“Yeah,” I tell her. To my surprise, West comes over and gives me a hug too.

“Give him time. I’ve been where he is.” I give him a smile and nod. If anyone can relate to my brother, it would be West. When the door closes behind them, I turn to face my husband.

“Any more secrets that I need to know?”

“Need to know?” He lifts a brow.

“Oh, gosh.”

“Nothing for you to worry about, Princess.” My husband lifts me off my feet. “Small things, like plotting to marry you and making sure I give you the thrills you need.”

“You know what? I’m not going to ask.” I shake my head.

“Good, because I give you what you need, and you sure as fuck give me what I need.” I wrap my arms around his.

“You do,” I agree. “But know if I do find out things along the way, I’m not going to run. I trust you’d never do anything that would hurt me.”

“Never,” Vasily says without hesitation. “But I won’t lie. You’re my sweet princess. I want to keep you safe. I have never felt that way before, and I can’t stop it.”

“Then don’t.” I rest my hands on his cheeks. “Your kind of safety is what I need.” I kiss my husband. He’s all I truly need. The thrill I’ll never be able to live without.

Epilogue

VASILY

MANY YEARS LATER

“Never really thought too much about if they got pregnant together; then they wouldn’t be pregnant at the same time,” West mutters from beside me as he takes in the scene in front of him.

He’s got his arms folded over his chest as he stares across one of my clubs. We’re on the upper level, which gives us a clear view of the whole place. I always have eyes on my woman. I picked this club because I knew it had the best layout for me to be able to watch her. She gets to experience a taste of freedom, or what she perceives as freedom, while I manage not to lose my shit like West is about to do.

"They're safe," I tell him. The three men and two women that are on the dance floor with them right now are plants. They blend in with the crowd but stay close to my wife and Teddy so that no other fuckers can get too close.

"Still don't like it."

I shrug. I know my jealousy can rival West's, but I also know what my wife is up to. She seeks excitement, and I participate in that pursuit. I will resist my instinctive desire to drag her homelike a savage, ensuring that we ultimately achieve our mutual desire. My wife thoroughly fucked. Her happiness is always the end goal.

Willa needed a night out. Actually, we both needed this. I get off on giving my girl what she needs while keeping her protected. It might be a strange kink to some, but I never did give a shit what others thought of me. My girl's kink is doing things she thinks she shouldn't. To be a bit of a rebel or brat. That is fine with me.

We have the whole night to do whatever her little heart desires. Our kids are tucked away for the night. Teddy and my wife left for dinner while West and I hung back to feed the kids, then put them to bed. We wanted them to have their girls’ night out at dinner and still be able to beat them to the club.

We are all in the city this weekend. It’s something we try to do as much as possible. I gave West and Teddy one of the empty floors of my building to use when they left the island. That way they could be nearby but still have their own space.

All of our kids are close. We already have two, and I know more will be on the way. Both Teddy and my wife enjoy having a tight-knit family; they want it to grow. I found that I did too. It was so different from the childhood I had. I never thought a family of my own was in the cards for me. Willa changed all of that.

Willa and I have a similar setup when we go back to the island at the estate. Rich had gutted the wing of the estate their father once claimed, taking it over for himself. That had given us room in the other wing so there was space for not only us but also our children. The place is big enough for everyone. Willa always says that it finally feels like a home now.

Hell, not only has West grown on me, but so has Rich, who is gone more often than not. We all have fucked-up childhoods in our own right. Now we have come together to give our childrenwhat every child in this world should get, providing them with happiness and unconditional love.

Then again, there might not be many men like West, Rich, and me. The type that are willing to toe the line in the gray areas. To do the wrong thing for the right reasons. It’s all a balance, and I wouldn’t change one thing in my life because in doing so, it would mean never having found Willa.

I’d bet my life West would say the same, and so would Rich, but that’s his own story to tell. I just don’t think he ever thought of himself as being the hero, but that all changed the night he saved his runaway little mermaid, fishing her right out of the ocean.

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