Caged (Dark Empire #2)

Five.

Ethan

Rage simmered as I sat in my office, the heat of it searing through the stack of urgent account forms I barely glanced at. Even after signing them, I stayed put, brooding. Ashlee’s defiance gnawed at me. Protective? Controlling? Hell, yes. Did she not understand the terror that gripped me last week when I almost lost her? She was oblivious to the crushing guilt I bore. She got hurt because of my ruthless decision to kidnap her.

Regret? None. Because now, Ashlee was mine, my fierce and beautiful wife. That only underscored my darkness. But here’s the brutal truth: I didn’t give a damn about being a good man. I’d make the same choice a thousand times if it meant she was by my side. Ashlee was my everything, and nothing—no one—would take her from me.

I released a sigh. She was right, I couldn’t take away her freedom, but I also needed to make sure that she was safe. That’s all I wanted.

I had a surprise planned tonight, but now she was mad at me and I was also pissed off. This wasn't how our marriage was supposed to go, especially after only a week.

No, I needed to fix this before I fucked it up completely. I couldn't push her away.

I stood, doing up the middle button of my jacket before leaving my office to go in search of my wife. Just as she said, she was sat at the bar chatting to Diana with a fruity cocktail. I took a moment to just stand and watch her.

The topless women gyrating under the pulsing lights in the corner of my vision were little more than distractions. My entire focus was on Ashlee. Another sigh escaped me, heavy with frustration. I was being an asshole, and I knew it wasn't fair to her. My intentions were to shield her from the darkness that surrounded me, but my approach was all wrong. I needed to find a way to protect her without pushing her away.

I walked over, standing behind her and leaning over to kiss her cheek.

“Congratulations on your wedding, Mr Prezello,” Diana said.

“Thank you,” I replied. “I’m a lucky man.”

Ashlee didn’t say anything so it was clear that she was still pissed with me.

“Let’s go, sweetheart.”

“Fine,” she muttered. “Thanks for the chat, Diana. I should be back soon.”

“Enjoy your honeymoon, whenever you're going now.”

I smirked. It was a lot sooner than Ashlee thought.

I grabbed her hand as she started walking towards the doors. I needed to make things right and not ruin my plans for tonight.

“Ashlee, can we talk?” I asked as we stepped into the lobby.

“Are you asking or telling me?” She muttered.

I pulled her to the side away from the security guards and people entering. “Baby, please don’t be mad at me.” I forced her to face me. “I'm sorry. You don’t understand what it was like seeing you last week.”

Her eyes softened.

“I was so scared about losing you and I blame myself. I know I'm being protective, but I need you in my life. I will never take your freedom away, you have to know that, but I can't have you being reckless either. I love you, sweetheart, but the guilt is eating me up. I'm sorry for being overbearing.”

She released a sigh. “I just feel like you're trying to control everything I do.”

“I want what's best for you. Ashlee, you know that I crave control.”

“You have it, but not in every single aspect. Just give me a little bit of space.”

When my eyebrows creased she quickly continued.

“I just mean that rushing me out of the rain is a little excessive. It’s not going to kill me and a minute in it won't make me sick. Christ, Ethan, I’ve managed to look after myself for this long. I am an adult you know.”

I released a sigh. I couldn't argue with that. “If you allow me to buy you a coat, then I'll calm down.”

She laughed, finally giving me a small smile. “Okay, deal.”

I cupped her cheek. “I am sorry. Ashlee, I love you, but I’m so scared that I'm going to lose you.”

“I know, but I'm not going anywhere. You need to relax a little bit.”

I leaned forward and brushed my lips against hers. “Forgive me?”

“No matter what happens, I will love you, so yes, I do.”

I grinned. “Thank you. Now I have a surprise planned for tonight.”

That piqued her interest. “What is it?”

“I said it’s a surprise. Come on, sweetheart.”

Once we slid into the car, an electric buzz of nerves crackled through me. I had orchestrated this plan meticulously, but the uncertainty of involving anyone else gnawed at my resolve. This was essential, not just for us, but it would also simplify things come morning. More importantly, I knew exactly what my wife needed.

As we pulled into Mag's driveway, I caught Ashlee's eyes lighting up, her excitement palpable. Mags had been absent all week, engrossed in assisting my father with interrogating the hostage. His fury over what had happened to Ashlee dwarfed even my own anger, a fact that took me by surprise.

While fear had clawed at me for what she had endured, Mags was a storm of raw, unbridled rage. His temper, always volatile, had reached a ferocious peak I had never witnessed before. Channelling his fury into interrogating that bastard was a necessary outlet, but he had kept his distance, not wanting Ashlee to see the beast he had become. Despite his absence, he kept me informed, but it was clear that Ashlee missed him deeply.

I held her close to my body trying to shield her from the rain while we waited for him to open the door. I didn’t care what she said, I still didn’t want to risk her getting sick. She was small and fragile no matter what she said. Mags didn’t know that we were coming so he wasn't exactly rushing to answer.

When the door eventually opened, his eyes instantly landed on Ashlee.

“Hi Mags,” she said.

“Princess,” he said softly.

“Can we come in?” I asked.

He met my gaze with a look of confusion before moving out of the way. “Am I missing something? Aren't we leaving-”

“Thought we could spend some time together,” I cut him off. “Ashlee, take your coat off and go and sit down on the sofa. We'll grab some drinks.”

I didn’t wait for her to obey, walking towards the kitchen with Mags following.

“Why are you really here?” He asked quietly enough so Ashlee wouldn't hear us. “Aren’t we leaving in the morning?”

I smirked. “Don’t you want to spend some time with our girl? I thought we could have some fun. She doesn’t know about tomorrow yet but I thought it would be easier to leave from here.”

He stared at me blankly like I'd grown and extra head. “Seriously?”

“Yes, but I have one rule for tonight, if you don't mind.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“What I say goes. I dictate everything which happens. Just for tonight, I want to completely control this.”

I wanted us to have fun together because I knew how much they both loved each other, but I was also aware that I hadn't consummated my marriage. I needed to be the first one to fuck her after our vows.

“Deal,” he replied. “I’m just happy to see our girl up and about.”

“So am I. Let’s have some drinks before we head on upstairs.”

I'd never stayed the night here and I was fully aware that I was practically inviting myself to, but Mags wouldn’t complain. I was sharing my wife with him after all.

“Ethan, you've made my week.”

“I suspected so.” I smiled. “This seems like a fitting way to start our honeymoon.”

He grabbed a bottle of whisky and some glasses from the cupboard. “Let’s go and loosen our girl up a little then.”

“Let’s.”