Page 90 of When Sinners Fall
“Everywhere?” she asks. “They're going to be with me everywhere?”
I nod. “Unless I'm with you.”
“How will I do my job like that?”
“You'll have to work that out. You don't need to work at all from my perspective, but either way, they're glued to you from now on.” I swim closer. “I'm not losing you, Wren. Ever. This is what I've got to do to make sure that doesn't happen. That's what this love means to me. You understand? It's my time to protect you.”
I don't get any reaction. She just stays there, slightly away from me, watching. And this time, I'm not going to her. I'm not overpowering her either because she has to give in. These are the rules I'm drawing down now, clear and simple. She’s given me hers; no other women and no information about what I do outside of us. I’m okay with one of those, and the other will need working on, but either way, this time now is the last of our fighting.
“It’ll never stop, will it?” she asks.
“No. Not my love. Nor my world. You've got both, whether you want it or not. You’re in it. With me. No getting out. It's time to start standing by my side and understanding that. That’s where I want you.”
Her lips dip under the water, and quiet ripples push in my direction as she makes her way in closer. “You know, this isn’t where I thought we’d end up. And if I had any sense, I should be running from you.” Her hand lands on my shoulder, legs going around my waist. “But, I don’t want to run. And the protectiveness is kinda hot.”
“It is, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s intense. But that’s what we’ve been from the start. There are rules for a reason, and that’s for me to work through.” I smile a little as she wraps both arms around my neck. “I want my dark nights, though. I want time to keep exploring limits and boundaries. It's where we found each other. I need something that's just us two and no one else. Nothing else. No family. No business.”
A smile rolls over my face. “We can do that. I’ll make it a priority as long as you behave.”
“All the time?”
“You know the kind of handling you’re gonna get if you don’t. Up to you how you play that hand going forward.” She nods and giggles lightly, still snaking her body around mine.
“So, this place is yours, huh? Pretty magical.” Guess it is. “How much can we use it?”
“As much as we can.”
My hands travel over her ass, squeezing it to bring her body closer to me. Everything in me has become more possessive than I ever thought it could be. She’s that one woman who holds me captive somehow. I’d beg for her if it came to it. I know it even if she doesn’t. And we need something to prove that - something that shows that between us.
She leans back, her legs splayed around my waist and hair funnelling back into the warm, blue water, and exposes her full body and skin to me without regret or concern. It gives me an idea. One I’m going to need some time to work on.
CHAPTER THIRTY
WREN
It’s been… hard.
For the third time in as many months, my life has changed irrevocably.
Moving back to San Antonio was to progress my career, but that pales into insignificance now against everything that’s happened.
I handed in my resignation at Louisa Sage three weeks ago. There was no way I could commit to my job with everything else going on. I refused to sign the non-compete that Louisa insisted I sign before leaving. When I’m ready to pick up work as a priority, I’m more than capable of starting up independently. And that doesn’t sound like such a scary concept now. Funny how experiences can give you a completely different outlook.
The only problem with leaving Louisa Sage - Bridezilla. Her wedding isn’t for nearly a year, but she hasn’t taken well to being assigned a new planner. Ironic, really, as she was so determined to complain about my lack of professionalism towards her event. Regardless, her calls haven’t stopped, and I have a feeling that I’ll be delivering her wedding whether I like it or not.
When we returned from Havana, Dante continued to be the other side of him. Maybe seeing me in the middle of his darkest fears has somehow made him determined to prove that he’s worth it. He’s more and more like the best friend I once knew, which helps keep the bad thoughts away.
We both know where we stand. We both know what’s at stake, and we’re both here. Whilst it might have been touch and go for me to stay, I somehow became resolute, and my feelings overwhelmed the danger. I love him. He loves me.
Simple.
My new shadows, Darius and Carlo, have been respectful and polite. We’ve not built up a huge dialogue, but then what do you say to the men assigned to protect you at all costs? Maybe the naive part of me sees us being more than near-strangers in the future, but at the moment, I’m not going to push it.
Even with them, I’m a little unsure when I’m out of the house. That’s the biggest frustration, but it’s getting better. And as I adjust and build my confidence in Darius and Carlo, I hope to forget everything there is about the name Ortega.
Dante’s distraction technique seems to focus on sex. Not that I’m complaining. It’s like we’re back at the start of our relationship. We’re exploring that world together again, and I don’t feel like he’s testing me now. We’ve been back to the same club twice, and we’re going back tonight. I feel like he’s building to something. Each time he’s shown me a couple or done something to me that’s a little edgier – a little darker. We started with the anonymity of who might be watching. Of course, that played straight to all my fantasies of how Dante and I got together.
