Page 58 of Magic or Madness

“Are we good, Fallon?” Max asks, and before I can answer, the door opens.

Ozzy walks in, and his eyes scan the room, immediately falling on me as I hold Journey at gunpoint.

“What the hell is going on?” He barks, that protective instinct kicking in as he strides across the room to my side.

“Just a misunderstanding,” Journey attempts to defend himself, but I shake my head, not letting him speak another word.

“He touched me while I was sleeping.” I stand firm, my hands beginning to sweat as I keep my grip tight on the pistol.

Just because Ozzy is here doesn’t mean I’ll back down. He fucked with me, and I’ll be the one to handle it. I don’t need my man to fight my battles every time, especially when it comes to sleazy guys who think a woman’s body is something they automatically have a right to.

Oliver pulls Ozzy aside, and I hear them whispering, but I don’t take my eyes off Journey. This is far from over, and I’m not letting him get away with disrespecting me.

“Ozzy, she’s got it all wrong, man.”

“Did you not just admit to touching her?” Lex asks, and Journey stumbles over his words, attempting to excuse his actions.

“Enough. I know what you said, and I felt your hands on my body. He is the only one who touches me, are we fucking clear?”

“We’re clear,” he says, raising his hands in surrender.

“One punch, Fallon. That’s how we settle shit,” Ozzy explains, and I toss the gun back on the table, focusing solely on my target.

I wind up, using every ounce of strength in my body, landing a hard punch to his gut, and instantly, he doubles over, holding his stomach while stumbling backward.

“Is it done?” Max asks, offering me a beer as everyone finally relaxes now that I’ve dropped the gun.

“If he fucks with me again?”

They all exchange a look, something I’m not privy to, but I wait patiently through their silent conversation.

“You handle it as you please,” Max answers, and I’m learning that he uses minimal words, but always gets the point across.

“Then it’s done.” I let myself relax, sipping from the beer bottle as I walk to Ozzy, wrapping my hands around his neck, and pulling him in for a kiss.

The power is still coursing through my body, and I raise the stakes a little higher, letting everyone know not to mess with Fallon Mariano.

“Fuck me to sleep?” I challenge a playful grin forming on my face.

The guys all laugh, and Ozzy doesn’t waste a second, tossing me over his shoulder and carrying me to the bedroom.

He slams the door shut behind us, locking it for good measure, and when he sets me on the floor, a fierce rage is behind his dark chocolate eyes.

“Are you okay?” He questions, an affirmative tone in his low voice that shoots fire through my bones.

“I’m fine. He had it coming.” I shrug, and he takes my cheeks in his hands.

“I’m so fucking proud of you. You’re a force, Fallon,” he says, kissing my forehead gently, letting his lips hover against my skin.

Everything clicks back into place now that Ozzy is in my arms again, and if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s me and him against the world.

Nobody touches me, except him.

Not a single person will ever reduce me to ashes, again, stealing pieces from me with their actions, words, or hands.

I’m unequivocallyhis, and have been ever since the moment he locked eyes with me across a crowded restaurant. He entered my life, planted seeds, and wrapped his vines around the darkest depths of my soul that nobody else has ever seen.

He made me his home, and unintentionally,but ever-so beautifully, I’ve done the same for him.

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