Page 25 of Edge
“Okay.” While his agreement came out soft and shaky, he had never meant anything more. He had been chosen. Mickey had his love and loyalty for life.
Mickey slowly lowered his head and brushed his lips across Edge’s mouth, forcing Edge to chase him. The moment he caught him, their kiss turned heated. It got harder for Edge to focus on anything other than his building pleasure. Sounds came from the back of his throat that matched Mickey’s moans. They moved against each other, racing toward the same goal. Mickey cried out and then Edge touched heaven. Every breath stuttered from him as Mickey’s body convulsed. Even as he tried breathing through the powerful orgasm, his mind was crystal clear. Never again would he lose this. He would die first.
Chapter Ten
Ithadn’tbeenaquick process of getting their entire setup moved from one place to another. While they hadn’t lived in their house for very many years, they had chosen to dig in and build a fortress of sorts. There was more involved than just moving houses, getting rid of furniture, and figuring out where they would all stay. The house had to be scrubbed of all traces of them and Beau’s place had to become Tracker’s standard of secure. But every day, Edge got to be with Mickey at some point, even if it was only at night while they relaxed in bed. They always got at least a couple of hours of quality time before falling asleep.
They were still on the fence about whether they would get rid of the dance studio. There wasn’t a good space for them to work at Beau’s. While Kylo had a playroom where Shadow and Rain could dance, that was only occasionally, since the room was Kylo’s private space. They had been in talks with Beau about breaking ground on a new building to add to his compound. The biggest pain was finding a company they could trust andthe security nightmare. Beau had a connection on the east coast who had built homes and warehouses for mafia bosses and other types. He came highly recommended, but they hadn’t had a chance to fly the guy out to really get into things. Life had just been in a bit of an upheaval for a few months. Still, Edge couldn’t get enough of this new life.
“You’re always quiet, but it’s different these days. It’s like you’ve found peace.”
At Tracker’s words, a smile automatically tugged at Edge’s lips. It was true. He felt at peace. “I suppose I have. It’s almost funny. I spent years sitting quietly and reading, trying to lose myself in books. I thought that was what peace looked like. Strange how it’s actually this madness of uprooting everything and scrambling to get everything done while still studying for jobs. Who knew?”
Tracker laughed. “It’s Mickey. He’s a calm person. I think he’s healing you in some way only he can. It’s nice. You deserve this. Everyone thinks so. That’s really why everyone didn’t balk at moving.”
Guilt washed over Edge. Tracker drove them to inspect the rooftop of a building of an upcoming job. It was just the two of them, which was rare. Tracker had always joked that Edge was the boss, but Edge had always felt more like Tracker led them. He was the calm one, always in control. Everyone talked to him. If anyone knew the collective thoughts of the group, it was him.
“Damn. I never meant to steal everyone from their home. There’s still time for everyone to change their minds. I can go alone. Beau would keep me safe.”
Tracker shot him an annoyed look. “We stay together. That was the deal. If we start falling apart, everything goes with it. You know damn well that’s when they’ll pick us off one by one. They’d know immediately we were down by one man. Maybe they’ll even find ways to keep pulling us out one at a time until they have Rain all alone. Setting all that aside, Beau is right. We need a powerful ally. Our plan to dig in never stood a chance of lasting forever. All it would take was enough people and they could overwhelm us. No one would care. No retaliation or repercussions would come. We’d just be dead… if we’re lucky.”
All that was true. He still felt bad.
Thankfully, Tracker wasn’t finished. “With Beau on our side, there’re consequences. Kuznetsov won’t have government backing. That’s too much risk of exposure and losing a powerful connection. They won’t chance that happening just for us. Plus, he can’t keep saying we’re a loose end. We’re not now. We’ve teamed up with one of their biggest weapon suppliers.”
“Is Beau supplying weapons to them?” That tidbit was interesting.
Tracker shrugged. “I don’t actually know, but it wouldn’t surprise me. If not, he’s still a possible supplier who’s way too big to alienate. Not to mention the blowback they would get if they took out other countries' supplier. It’s not just us anymore.We have friends. Plus, it’s not like we have to sit at breakfast with the guy. We have our own space. A pretty fucking nice space, I might add.” Tracker suddenly looked excited. “When I talked to Beau this morning, he said he heard back from that guy on the east coast. His name is Bryson, and he’s pumped to help us expand. Beau wants him to build us a garage on our side of the property, so we have plenty of space for our vehicles, and he’s building me a special security space that’ll be decked out with everything, and I mean everything. It’ll be so cool to have my own domain.”
The happiness in Tracker’s voice warmed Edge’s chest. He truly hoped everyone had the same level of excitement about moving. They wouldn’t be all in the same space any longer. With their choice of rooms all over the place, Edge imagined the guys would just choose one that fit them. Edge, of course, would be in the main house with Mickey. Mickey couldn’t go far from Kylo. He needed to be within shouting distance. There were still several extremely nice rooms that sat empty in the main house, but Edge doubted they would choose those. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanted to sit at breakfast with Beau, as Tracker had said. Austen and Rain had already moved all their things into an extremely nice suite, while a few others still weren’t settled. Since Austen was friends with the Bosi family, he didn’t mind taking the guard’s bedroom Beau had suggested in the main house. To Edge’s surprise, Field had taken the bedroom next to him and Mickey, even though it was small. He said he didn’t want to be far from Mickey. While that might be partially true, Edge knew him. A small room was probably his way of accepting less since he couldn’t give Beau anything in exchange for the place to live. Edge had a bad feeling that was wrecking his mental health a little. He had been off since the move. Shadow and Ridgehad also chosen rooms nearby. The rest would likely stick to wherever their usual clique went. He supposed time would tell.
Tracker put the van in park, making Edge realize he had been lost in thought. The poor guy probably thought Edge didn’t care about all the news he had just been excited to share. He threw as much happiness into his voice as he could. “That’s really amazing about you getting your own space. Obviously, Beau sees your worth. You deserve that.” He realized it was true. If they had been allowed to go their own ways, this was exactly what Edge pictured for Tracker—him flexing his skills in a career with a powerful client.
“Thanks, man. Just think. If you hadn’t kidnapped Mickey, we might not have gotten here. We’d still be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives.”
He appreciated Tracker making him feel better about thinking about himself for once. “That’s what I’ve always wanted for us.”
Tracker flashed him a smile before climbing from the van. Edge grabbed his gear and followed. Tracker pointed toward the building. “You go ahead to the roof, and I’ll head inside and take the stairs. That way, I can check on possible positions for various cameras.”
With a nod, Edge didn’t hesitate to hit the alley. He studied the wall for a second before picking a spot and heading up. It was much easier than the schematics had made it look. When he reached the top, he almost fell. Shock tried rendering his arms useless. His entire family waited on the roof. They were allsmiles. It took him a second to realize Mickey was at the front of the crowd… on one knee.
Edge shuffled closer. His entire body was numb, and he had no idea how his feet managed to work. But in a matter of moments, he stared down at an open ring box and a smiling but nervous-looking Mickey.
He didn’t waste words. “Will you marry me?”
Edge blinked. His vision darkened around the edges. He swayed.
Mickey shot to his feet and hauled Edge against him to keep him steady. “Whoa. Are you okay?”
“Yes, and yes.”
Mickey pulled away a hair to meet his gaze. “Was that a yes to my proposal?”
Edge nodded. It felt like wildest of head bobs. “Yes. Fuck yeah.” His voice gained in strength. “I just can’t believe you want to keep me.”
“Here. Take this ring.” Mickey shoved the ring box into Edge’s hands, leaving him free to squeeze Edge until he could barely breathe. “You’re mine. Of course I want to keep you. Now breathe before you pass out.”
Everyone smiled and clapped, congratulating them. He watched Tracker pop open a bottle of champagne, and everything felt so surreal. Edge didn’t even know how Tracker had gotten there so quickly. His entire brain was just a fog of disbelief.
