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  As the men filed out, they shook hands with Hades and exchanged a few words. They congratulated him on the baby and made small talk about golf and wine. Once the last man was out of the room, Hades slowly stalked to me.

  I stacked up my things and placed them on the edge of the table. I actually avoided eye contact with him sometimes because that stare was too potent. It made me feel like I was under a magnifying glass.

  He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His hands rested on my small stomach, and he pressed a kiss to my neck.

  Bumps formed on my arms, and I suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time. My nipples pierced through my bra and dress, but I also felt the sweat start to bead on my skin. My physiology was completely different because of him. His love had changed my chemical composition, made me into a whole new woman.

  His hands moved to my hips, and he slowly turned me around. When we were face-to-face, he pulled me closer and placed a kiss on the corner of my mouth.

  Just that simple touch made me want to rip off his clothes and take him on the desk. He made my thoughts irrational, made everything sexualized. I’d always been satisfied with our physical relationship, but now it felt so much better.

  He looked into my eyes with that masculine stare. “Have dinner with me.” He never asked me questions anymore. He just told me what to do.

  But the odd thing was, I liked it. That wasn’t me at all. “Alright.”

  He grabbed the materials sitting on the desk and carried them for me. It was easy for him to hold the binder and laptop in a single grasp so he could hold my hand with his and guide me back to my office.

  After he placed everything on my desk, we went outside and got into his car. He always opened the door for me and helped me inside, even before I was pregnant. Then he drove to the restaurant.

  We went inside and were seated at a private table off to the side. It was European cuisine, a French-style menu. The waiter was at attention instantly, and Hades ordered a glass of wine for himself and a water for me.

  After glancing at the menu, he set it down and stared at me.

  My eyes roamed over the selections, but I was aware of his hot gaze. I could feel it burn into me, feel that mix of possession and obsession. It was so distracting that I lifted my gaze to meet his. “Know what you’re getting?”

  He didn’t answer.

  I looked at the menu again and decided on a salad. Once I put the menu down, the waiter ran back over. He took our order and our menus and then disappeared.

  Hades returned to his favorite hobby and stared at me.

  I wanted to hold his gaze just to prove a point, but I couldn’t match his intensity. My eyes trailed to the watch on his wrist. Every day when he got ready, he put it back on instead of making a different selection. He normally wore a different watch every day, just the way women wore different necklaces and bracelets to match their outfits. “You don’t have to wear it every day…”

  He absentmindedly adjusted the watch on his wrist. “I know.”

  I lifted my eyes to meet his.

  “It’s my favorite.”

  “Why?”

  He moved his hands back to the table and pulled his wineglass closer. “Because my wife gave it to me.”

  I felt a flush in my cheeks, the first time I’d showed a visible sign of embarrassment. My own husband made me feel like a shy schoolgirl. Which was ridiculous because I was having his son. There were no secrets between us. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “I love it.”

  We hadn’t told each other we loved one another since that night. It didn’t seem like he regretted it; he was just selective when he said it. I stared at his fingers for a moment before I lifted my gaze to meet his again.

  “And I love you…so fucking much.” He kept his voice low so no one could overhear our conversation. His eyes showed his masculine intensity, like he was reminding me that I was his.

  As if I’d ever forget. I’d never said those words out loud to him. I’d never said them out loud to anybody. I said I hated marriage and didn’t believe in love, but now I was head over heels in love with my own husband. I felt like a whole different person. “I love you too…” It felt strange to say those words out loud, to let that confession leave my lips. But it also felt so right. “When I gave you that watch, I was so scared. I wasn’t sure if you would feel the same way.” We used to have long conversations before his birthday, but lately, it’d been nothing but kisses and sex. It seemed like we were ready to move forward in this new relationship.

  “Then why did you tell me?”

  I was still in my chair because I couldn’t think of a response. Truth be told, I didn’t know why I’d done it. If he said nothing in return, it would be awkward for a long time. It had already been awkward enough at the time.

  He answered for me. “Because you knew I loved you.”

  My eyes focused on his.

  “You’ve known it for a long time.”

  My mouth suddenly felt dry, so I swallowed and felt my throat tighten.

  “When I traded places with you, I thought that would be the end. I gave up my life for yours because I’d rather be beaten to death and left to rot in a field than suffer the idea of what was happening to you. I wouldn’t have done that unless I was hopelessly in love with you.” He held my gaze without fear, unashamed to express such raw emotions. “But to be honest, I’ve loved you much longer than that.”

  Feelings like these would normally terrify me, but I wanted to know more. I wanted to know how deep his rivers ran. “How long?”

  There was a long pause before he answered. “You go first.”

  Giving an answer felt daunting. “I don’t know…”

  “You do know. Answer me.” He kept his voice low, but his tone was dictatorial.

  “I’m not sure. It started off slow…like a small fire before it erupted and consumed an entire forest. It started as a little thought in my brain, but as it continued to grow, it became undeniable. It honestly feels like I woke up one day and I was in love with you. It just took me a long time to understand that’s what I was feeling.”

  “And when did it start?”

  My eyes stared into my water glass. “Months ago. I guess when I saw you in the hospital. But sometimes I wonder if I felt this way a long time ago and didn’t realize it then either.”

  His expression didn’t change after he heard my confession. It was controlled and stoic…like he was in a meeting with someone he didn’t trust. He didn’t blink as he digested what I’d just said.

  “Your turn.”

  He grabbed his glass and took a drink before he told me. “Sofia, I’ve loved you forever.”

  My heart started to race a little faster.

  “I loved you shortly after we met. I loved you when we were together. I loved you when we were apart. I loved you when I asked you to marry me…both times.” He looked into my gaze without fear. “It feels good to tell you that. It feels good to tell you the truth without scaring you away. It feels so good to love a woman and have her love me back.”

  Hades walked in the door in his running shorts, his chest and neck covered in sweat. He pulled his earbuds out of his ears and then wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. He moved into his closet and took off his shoes and socks and dropped his bottoms before he stepped into the bedroom completely naked.

  I was sitting in bed in his t-shirt, reading a baby book. I forgot the paragraph I’d just read because the sight of him, his muscles pumped with blood, was incredibly distracting. My fingers shut the book absentmindedly. “How was your workout?” It was nice to see him hitting the gym again. He’d been too injured to do anything more than physical therapy. Now he was getting strong again, lifting weights and building muscle.

  He didn’t answer my question. He came to the bed and lifted up my shirt so he could kneel down and kiss my bump everywhere. His large hands cupped either side of my belly, and he loved the son growing inside me.

 
; For nearly two weeks, we’d spent our time in newlywed bliss. We’d been married for over six months now, but it felt like we were starting over. We made love through the night, and whenever we needed a break, we spent our time talking about things that we never talked about before. With every passing day, I grew more in love with the man who had loved me for so long. How did I not see what was right in front of me? How did I not fall madly in love with him at first sight? There was no better man in this world, and I still didn’t understand how he was mine.

  After he finished kissing my belly, he placed a soft kiss on my mouth. He tasted salty from the sweat, but it was still a good kiss. He righted himself and stood to his full height before he gently replaced the shirt over my stomach. “I’m gonna get in the shower.”

  “You want me to join you?”

  A slight smile emerged on his lips. “Always.”

  I followed him into the bathroom, and we got under the water together. I rubbed soap onto his chest and arms, watching the suds turn into bubbles and drip down his hard body. The water followed the rivers in his stomach, dripping all the way down his powerful thighs and toned calves. There were scars on his body that would be there for the rest of his life, but that didn’t detract from his perfection. In fact, it made him even more perfect.

  He rubbed the soap onto my tummy. He used to be infatuated with my tits and ass, but now all he cared about was my pregnant belly. When we were in bed together, he liked having me on top because he liked to stare at my stomach as I bounced up and down. He was clearly excited to be a father, even though he seemed like the kind of man that might not be interested in settling down.

  Life had been good these past few weeks, so good that I forgot about reality, forgot that we still had a problem to address. Now that my son would be part of our family in a few months, I had to protect him with my life. That meant Maddox needed to be eliminated…for good. Hades had not mentioned his vengeance once since his birthday. “Hades?”

  He lifted his gaze to mine.

  “Have you figured out how to take care of him?” I assumed he would know who I was talking about. I hated saying his name; it seemed to give him more power.

  Hades stared at me for several heartbeats with his hands still on my belly. “No.”

  I couldn’t keep the disappointment out of my face. “Well, you need to. I can’t raise a son in a world where he exists.” I knew Hades would do anything for me, and it was ridiculous to be upset with him for not taking care of this problem sooner. If it were that simple, he would’ve done it already. But I wanted this finished so I knew for sure I never had to worry again.

  “I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

  “I know, but I want him gone now. What’s taking so long?”

  His eyes drifted down again, and a loud sigh escaped his lips. He probably didn’t want to talk about it, especially when we were having a nice moment under the water. “It’s complicated. He’s hard to track down. I’ve found a way to lure him out, but he hasn’t shown his face yet. But he will.”

  “And you think this will work?”

  He nodded. “It’s only a matter of time.”

  “And when he does show up, you’ll kill him?”

  His hand cupped my cheek. “Yes. I will torture him for what he did to you, for what he did to me. And I will make sure he’s dead and gone.” His hand slowly slid down to my neck. “But don’t worry about him. The only thing you should be worrying about is our son. He’s my problem…not yours.”

  23

  Hades

  My phone lit up on the nightstand with a text message. It was Damien. We need to talk. Ash and I are at the bar.

  I glanced at the time and realized it was almost midnight.

  Sofia was cuddled into my side, her face in the crook of my neck and her arm at my waist.

  I didn’t want to leave my wife, but I knew this was important. I slid out of bed and entered the walk-in closet to put on jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket. The watch Sofia gave me was clasped around my wrist, and I put on my boots before I crept across the floor to the door.

  Sofia realized I wasn’t there as she reached out her hand to feel me beside her. With her eyes still closed, she continued to feel the sheets until my absence stirred her from sleep. She opened her eyes and sat up in bed, searching for me with squinted eyes. When she realized I was in front of the door, she sighed. “Where are you going?” She ran her fingers through her hair to keep it out of her face.

  I came back to the bed and sat on the edge. “I need to meet the guys.”

  “Right now?”

  “Yeah. I gotta go.”

  She did the one thing I couldn’t resist. She reached out and grabbed the front of my shirt. She yanked me toward her, bringing our lips together for a kiss.

  I loved it when she did that. She’d been doing it since the night we met, and it was a sign of her passion. If killing Maddox weren’t so important, I would sink on top of her and never leave.

  I kissed her back and lowered her to the bed. But then my brain took control, and I sat up again. “I’ll be home soon.”

  Her eyes filled with disappointment. “I worry when you go out late like this…”

  “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

  She looked like she wanted to argue with me, but she silenced her disapproval. “Wake me up when you come home.”

  “Alright.”

  “I mean it. You always say you’ll do it, but you never do.”

  That was because I didn’t want to wake her up. “Okay.” I leaned down and gave her a kiss before I got up from the bed and headed to the door.

  Leaving my pregnant wife was the hardest thing I ever had to do. She was in bed, begging me not to leave, and she had no idea I would rather be with her than anywhere else in the world. I didn’t want to sneak off in the middle of the night to sit in a bar while women bought me drinks. It reminded me of what my life was like before her…and that wasn’t something I wanted to think about.

  I got in my car and drove a few blocks until I parked out front. I walked inside and found the guys in our usual booth. They were both single men, loving every opportunity to get out of the house and land pussy. Not that either of them had to try.

  The waitress already knew my drink, so she came by and dropped off a scotch before giving us privacy. It was loud inside, the bass thumping from the speakers, drowning out conversations everyone was having. The noise was obnoxious, and I started to feel like an old man who never wanted to leave my home.

  Why would I when my whole world was there?

  Damien and I hadn’t spoken since our argument in the bar weeks ago. He’d told me off and very coldly put me in my place. He used to be apologetic, wanting us to repair our relationship, but now it seemed like he hated me as much as I hated him. He turned to me, his dislike obvious in his eyes. “Bad night?”

  I took a drink. “The opposite. So this better be important.”

  Damien cast me a glare. “Trust me, I wouldn’t call unless it was important. The less I see your fuck face, the better.”

  Ash glanced back and forth between us, clearly confused by the bitter exchange. Damien probably hadn’t told him about our last argument. And I certainly hadn’t either. “Let’s focus, boys.”

  If this were the olden days, I would tell Damien that the woman I loved, loved me too. But those days were gone. “You found him?”

  Damien shook his head. “No. But we know exactly where to find his biggest distributor. The shipping company takes his drugs directly into Scotland and then to England. We know exactly where they’re going to be tomorrow night. Once we take them out, Maddox will be left with nothing.”

  Ash nodded. “We could take out all those guys. Easy.”

  This was exactly the news I needed. My own wife was disappointed in me for not getting her the vengeance she deserved, the vengeance our family deserved. It killed me to look her in the eye and see her fear. It killed me to know that I didn’t murder the man who raped my wife. I h
ad to get this fucker at any cost. “Good. We hit them hard tomorrow night. We keep one asshole alive to tell Maddox what we did. He’ll be forced to surrender, and when he does, I’ll kill him.” My hand tightened into a fist because I imagined my fingers curling around his neck. I would break every bone in his body and remember the way he screamed.

  Damien drank from his glass and didn’t look at me again.

  Ash seemed to be the mediator between the two of us. “With my men and yours, this should be straightforward.”

  Damien finished the rest of his glass before he stood up. He pulled out cash from his wallet and threw it on the table. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walked away from our table and exited the bar.

  Ash stared at the door for a while before he turned his gaze back on to me. He then stared at me for a while, giving me that obnoxious look he’d been giving me since we were kids. He was reading me, figuring out if something got under my skin. “If you wait too long, you’ll lose your chance altogether.”

  I slowly turned my head his way, my blood starting to boil in anger. I gave him a cold look.

  Ash didn’t take back what he said. “Good friends are hard to find, man.”

  “Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “And I have yet to find one.”

  He relaxed against the leather seat, his arm draping over the back. He shook his head slightly, showing his disappointment. “This is one of those situations where you’ll forget what you’re angry about ten years from now. But you won’t forget how shitty you feel not having that person in your life anymore. He said he was sorry. Let it go…before he can’t let it go.”

  My temper flared. “Before he can’t let what go? Everything is his fault. My wife was raped because of him.”

  “No,” he said calmly. “Your wife was raped because Maddox is an asshole. There was no way Damien could’ve predicted that. I’m not saying the guy is a saint, but we both know he would never intentionally cause you harm.”

  “Doesn’t fucking matter. He didn’t listen to me…twice.”