Chapter 25
Briar
What is it about assholes that I find strangely addicting?
Despite the chaos swirling in my head during his absence, I”m still pissed that he”s keeping me hidden from everyone as if he”s ashamed of me.
“I just made you come moments ago, and you’re still scowling?”
I ease my face and look up at him.
“Your dick isn”t that magical, asshole.” I playfully pull his hair. “I’m still mad at you.”
Rurik chuckles as he enters the bathroom, gently setting me down but keeping a hand on my waist as he leans over to turn on the bath. With a sigh, he turns to me, swatting my hands away with a tsk as he proceeds to undress me until I stand completely naked before him.
I raise a brow at him, watching as he sheds his clothes. I couldn”t help but smirk when I saw his dick giving me a standing ovation.
“Behave,” Rurik mutters, taking my hand and helping me get in the tub.
“Are you telling me that or your dick?” I tease.
He ignores me as he gets in after me, pulling me down with him so I can sit between his legs with my back against his chest.
“Something”s poking me!” I feign annoyance, fully aware of what that something is.
“Briar,” He grunts in warning when I wiggle my ass against his dick. “Fucking stay still so I can clean you.”
“Yes, clean me, angel. I”ve been a dirty girl.” I grin as I lean the back of my head against his chest.
“For fucks sake, woman.” He huffs, taking my shampoo and lathering it onto my head. He massages my scalp with skilled hands, ensuring every strand of hair is thoroughly coated.
“Besides blatantly flirting with some asshole in front of me, what were you up to today?” He asks after rinsing my hair and moving on with the conditioner.
“Don”t be dramatic,” I laugh, tilting my head as his fingers glide through my hair. “Not much. Just work stuff. Like I said earlier that asshole I was ‘flirting’ with was a target I needed to dig info from. What about you?”
“Same. Minus the potentially killing someone part,” He adds snobbishly.
I roll my eyes. He finishes with my hair and then reaches for my body wash, squirting some onto his palms and lathering it before gently applying it to my skin.
“How did you get in my apartment?” I ask as his fingers meticulously massage my upper back. “The keys I gave you shouldn’t work on this new lock.”
Rurik sighs, his hands moving to my shoulders after adding more body wash. “I went to Oscar and Natalie. I figured you gave one of them an extra key or something.”
I glance back at him over my shoulder. To my absolute surprise, he kisses the corner of my lips. I blink because how can a jerk like Rurik be so damn affectionate?
My tongue darts out to lick the spot he kissed.
“Uh,” I clear my throat, turning back to the front so he can continue rubbing his soapy hands all over me. “How did that go? How did you ask for the keys without them being suspicious of us?”
Rurik pours some water on my body to wash off the soap. “I told them the truth.”
I freeze. What the fuck?
He laughs, kissing my shoulder as he explains, “You were right, Briar. I should have given them more credit, you know? When I told them about us, they looked at me as if they weren’t sure they should act surprised.”
I grin, “Yeah, they had a bet going. Not sure who bet what, but... They pretty much knew I was into you from the beginning.” I glance over at him again and wink. “I guess they knew you eventually couldn”t resist my awesome charm.”
“Awesome charm?” He mutters with a scoff. “More like incessant, aggravating harassment.”
“And yet, you’re still here.” I grin as he wraps both arms around my waist and pulls me tightly against him.
“Yeah,” Rurik says quietly. “I’m still here.” He breathes heavily, his lips pressing behind my ear.
We continued talking, not caring that our skins were becoming pruney and the water was becoming cold. We just stayed in the tub, his arms holding me against him while my hands ran along his muscular thighs and calves.
Occasionally, I would feel Rurik kissing the back of my head, neck, and shoulders, even lifting my hands to kiss the back.
I noticed he becomes increasingly hands-on whenever we get back together after a fight. It”s like he”s using his hands and mouth to apologize for the hurt and anger that caused the rift between us.
But whatever, I”m not complaining... I fucking love it when Rurik gets all adorably affectionate.
“I’m really sorry,” Rurik randomly says after I told him a story of Nat accidentally setting her oven on fire.
I frown, turning my head to look at him. “For what, angel?”
But he just shakes his head and forces a smile. “Nothing. Never mind.” He surges forward and kisses me, preventing me from saying anything.
“Did you miss me, angel?” I ask as his lips trail beneath my ear.
Rurik breathes deeply, his nose skimming my neck as he grins against my skin.
“No.” He says, then proceeds to kiss me.
I turn my body to face him, settling between his legs. My legs are bent, draping over his legs. I could feel his hardening dick brushing against my pussy as we continued to kiss. He groans as his hands grip my hips, tugging me closer against him.
“You’re going to make my poor dick fall off,” Rurik groans as he leans back.
I grin, kissing his chest as I push myself up on my knees so I’m now straddling him. I can feel the tip of his hard cock poking between my legs. I lick his jaw, his low rumbles sending an electric jolt to my insides as I slowly lower myself on him.
“Fuuuuuck,” Rurik groans loudly, throwing his head back when he’s entirely inside me. “I’m so fucked.”
“Yeah, angel.” I snicker against his neck. “You are getting fucked.”
He grumbles something, but I can’t understand a word he says as I ride him. The sounds of water splashing on the floor and the echoes of our mix of moans and groans bouncing off the bathroom tiles.
I pull my lips away from him to find him staring at me. Any smartass quips I wanted to say are stuck in my throat with the intense look in his eyes. He swallows hard, touching my cheek and leaving it there. He’s breathing heavier, his brows furrowing. His eyes droop, his teeth peeking out as he bites on his bottom lip.
I trace his lip with my thumb to release it. His eyes fly open again, and he mumbles something I can”t hear. Because, fuck… the noises coming out of me are almost embarrassing, even for me.
He leans forward, capturing one of my nipples with his mouth. His tongue tracing it in circles as he hungrily groans.
“Shit, baby,” Rurik sighs, nipping my breast. “I fucking hate you.”
“Funny,” I respond by riding him faster. “You don”t fuck me like you hate me.”
He lets out a groan, dropping his forehead between my breasts. “Goddamnit, Briar. Why did you come and fuck up my life?”
“Angel,” I say as his hips thrust harder to match mine. “You fucked mine the moment I laid eyes on you and your art.”
He takes a deep breath, pressing his lips against my neck and murmuring something. But I can’t hear him because of the raging fire burning through me as I cling to him.
What began as a captivating obsession has evolved into something more profound. I don’t want to imagine life without him. I”m not going to lie —it”s kind of freaking me the fuck out.
What’s going to happen when he is finally done with me?
When I want more from him?
When he doesn’t ever plan to tell anyone about us?
When he finds out I’ve been plotting some revenge against his stepdad?
Fear has me in a chokehold, and the pleasure I’m feeling is fighting against it.
“Come with me, baby,” Rurik roughly says, chasing away the dread poisoning my thoughts. He puts his hand between us, his thumb pressing against my clit, rubbing it in circles, and listening to the sounds I make as signals while he continues to fuck me.
With one more thrust, we both groan together. He latches his mouth on mine, gripping my hips so tightly I’m sure it will leave a bruise as he continues to pound inside me as he comes.
“Tell me you’re mine, Briar,” Rurik whispers soon after, with me sitting on his lap.
“I’m yours, Rurik,” I say. He releases a sigh, rubbing his nose against mine. I pull away slightly to ask, “Are you mine?”
He nods, then releases a disbelief chuckle. “I never stood a chance with you, huh?”
“Nope,” I grin, squeezing his cheeks.
He rolls his eyes, grinning back. It’s such a beautiful sight, so I mentally take a picture so I can forever store it in my mind.
After we drained the tub, retook a proper shower, and wiped the water clean off the floor, we found ourselves on the couch, wrapped in my fluffy blanket.
Rurik sprawls on the couch, his feet dangling over the edge due to his height, while I lay atop him, facing him with my chin resting on his chest, using his warm body as a makeshift mattress.
“What’s up?” I ask him, noticing the frown on his face as he looks at me.
He takes my left hand and lifts it between us. “Shouldn’t this have healed by now?”
I glance at what he’s staring at and feel my heart stop cold.
Fuck…
Fuck!
The wrap I used to cover the cuts on my wrist must have fallen during our long bath, and I completely forgot to cover it with a bandage.
I try to tug my hand off his grip, but his fingers tighten.
Rurik’s face darkens. “Briar. What the fuck happened?”
“Nothing,” I quickly say. I force a laugh when his expression doesn’t change. “I cut myself by accident. The knife slipped while I was cutting and prepping veggies and shit.”
“But how?” Rurik pushes. “How did you hold the knife and vegetable for you to jab a knife to your wrist like that? And when did this happen? It looks new.”
It’s because it is.
After Rurik and I fought, the blackness I tried so hard to ignore came back tenfold. I couldn’t breathe or properly see, and even working with Nat and Mr. Rogers did little to quiet the chaos raging through my mind. The blood that poured out of the cuts I made only silenced the chaos momentarily. Those moments gave me only minutes of peace.
It reached a point where my body went on autopilot—I ate, talked, laughed, teased, joked, and worked as expected of me, all the while screaming internally because I couldn”t find a single ray of light in the darkness.
Until this morning, when Rurik sent me a text reminding me I’m his. The text notification left a little crack of light filtering through my dark mind, and when Rurik showed up in my apartment, the little crack spread until the brightness nearly blinded me.
Hisbrightness.
Without knowing, Rurik shoved his way into the unknown and made his way to me, back to him. It’s so funny to me how much an asshole like my angel has that much power over me.
Now that I think about it… I am so in trouble.
Rurik has the power to obliterate me, and I don”t think he knows that.
“Briar?”
I blink, realizing he’s waiting for me to answer him.
“Oh. Uh,” Fuck. What should I say? “Yeah. It happened a few nights ago.”
Rurik’s eyes narrow dangerously. “Briar—”
“I’m fine,” I force a laugh, lifting myself to kiss him. “I’ll be careful next time, okay?”
Rurik hesitates for a few tense seconds before relenting and kissing me back. He sighs when I pull away and bring my wrist to his lips. I squirm against his hold.
Why did he do that? It feels weird.
“Where’s your first aid kit? I’ll patch you up. I don’t like how it might scar.” He mumbles, trying to sit up.
“No,” I quickly say, pushing him back down. “Later. Please? I’m really comfortable.”
I just want to stay wrap in his embrace forever.
“Okay, fine.” He says, stroking my hair. After a few minutes of us silently enjoying each other’s company, he clears his throat and says, “So, you told me a bit about your job, but can you tell me what you do? Besides killing people?”
I glare at him, and he grins and shrugs.
I sigh, using my hands to support my chin against his chest. I stare at his Adam’s apple and explain, “I can’t remember if I told you this yet, but I’m the Charons’s secret weapon.”
“Why are you guys called the Charons anyway?”
“Charon is a psychopomp who ferries the souls of dead people across the rivers in the Underworld.”
“Jesus.”
“No, to Hades.”
Rurik rolls his eyes. “Okay, ferrywoman. What does being a secret weapon for your gang mean exactly?”
“People don’t view me as a threat because of how young and innocent I look,” I’m not trying to sound full of myself. It’s true. I look young without make-up. “One look at me, and you’d think I could never hurt a fly.” I pause and chuckle, “Okay. I can’t hurt a fly or any animal. But people? People who deserve it? That’s different.”
“Okay?”
“So,” I continue. “After Mr. Roger’s men fail to get answers, I come in. All sweet and cute. I try to sweet talk the target to get them to confess what they did or get them to pay, whatever we need.”
“And if they don’t fall for your charms?”
She shrugs. “Depending on what Mr. Rogers says, I either kill them or let them go. Sometimes, he tells me I can let them go, but if they do something I don’t like, I just…You know.” I swipe a finger across my neck.
“Something you don’t like,” He echoes slowly, his face blank.
I roll my eyes. “Don’t, Rurik. I know you’re about to judge me, and usually, I don’t give a shit what people think of me. But I care what you think, and I don’t want to hear it right now.”
He tightens his lips, averting his gaze from me as his jaw clenches. Anxiety begins to swell in my chest until he releases a long, heavy sigh and glances down at me.
“So, you”re a siren,” Rurik finally says, lightly tugging at my hair.
My lips twitch. “A siren?”
He nods, “Yeah. You use your beauty to trap men.” He makes a face and adds, “Fuck, that explains why I had no chance with you. You used your charm and voice, and now I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Shut up,” I laugh, playfully slapping his chest. “And you just confessed that I”m always on your mind and that you find me charming.”
“It’s because you’re a siren,” Rurik snarks. “Maybe I should change your name on my phone to Siren instead of Baby.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s My Crazy Baby, but I wouldn’t mind My Crazy Siren as long as you keep the My part,” I tell him with a shrug.
He chuckles, the low rumble vibrating against my hands. He pulls my face to kiss me and mumbles, “I think I prefer calling you my baby, anyway.”
Goosebumps prickle across my arms. Goddamn.
There he goes, melting my fucking heart all over again.
“Can you tell me about your family?” I ask him, loving the feeling of his fingers going back to running through my hair.
He stiffens for a second. “What about my family?”
“You mentioned you and your mom are close. What’s she like?”
He relaxes, his face immediately looking bright as he says, “She’s great. My biggest fan. She’s the one who pushed me to pursue my dream of becoming an artist.”
“I love that,” I smile. “And the rest of our family?”
“The rest of my family are still in Scotland.”
“Oh. What about your family in New York?”
“It’s just me and mum.”
My eyes narrow.
Is he intentionally avoiding mentioning his stepdad, or am I just overthinking things? Should I even ask about him?
Fuck it.
“And your stepdad?” I ask, looking interested. “You mentioned he wouldn’t like me or something.”
The change was immediate. He looks super uncomfortable as he fidgets through my hair. He’s petting my hair aggressively, and I don’t think he realizes he’s doing it. Our eyes clash, and he squirms.
I raise a brow. “Something wrong?”
It’s like he knows that I already know. But that’s not possible. He can’t know the history between me and his stepdad.
Oh, god.
What if he does, and that’s why he’s so scared? Is he scared of how I’ll react?
“My stepdad…” Rurik swallows hard, and for once, the bobbing of his Adam’s apple isn’t appealing to me right now. It’s whatever he’s about to say. “So, mum and I moved to New York from Scotland over a decade ago. She met my stepdad when he visited Scotland, and they hit it off.”
I just nod. “Aw, that sounds romantic.”
He runs a hand through his hair and heavily sighs, staring at me uncertainly. After a few seconds of staring at each other, he says, “You know who my stepdad is, don’t you?”
I raise a brow. “Should I?”
Rurik releases a chuckle. The sound is both disbelief and sarcasm. “I guess everyone would know him.” He drops his hand from his head, touching my hand instead. “He’s a senator.”
Yeah, angel. I know he is. Now, what kind of reaction do you expect from me? Should I gasp and be like, “OMG! That’s so cool!” or “Yeah, he fucking helped murder my friend,” or just “K.”
He’s staring at me, his eyes wide and unwavering. Waiting.
I release a deep breath, biting my bottom lip as I nod slowly. “A senator. Wow, that sounds like a tough job.”
Rurik lets out a sharp breath. “Yeah. Yeah, you can say that.”
“Hmm,” I say. “Are you involved with his job or duties?”
He seems to relax a bit more. “Not really. I’m not really close with him.” He pauses, his brows furrowing as if he’s deep in thought. He then adds, “I mean, he’s great with mum. I think. But, like I said earlier, I’m closer with my mum than him.”
“Is that why you didn’t want me to meet him?” I say. “You’re afraid of the senator meeting someone from the Charons? Afraid one of us will guide him to the afterlife?” I add teasingly.
My teasing seems to have eased his anxiety because his shoulders relax, and he chuckles. “Yeah. I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “I understand, Rurik.”
“I can’t be seen in public with anyone associated with the Charons.”
“But not everyone knows about me and my involvement with them, Rurik,” I say. “No one should know who I am. Unless I’ve somehow become super popular amongst those in that life.”
He remains silent, his thumb brushing against my throat as he stares at me.
“Are you ashamed of me, Rurik?” I blurt out, immediately hating myself for asking that.
Rurik immediately gathers me up until my face is hovering above his. He kisses me hard, his hand cupping my cheek as if afraid I’ll pull away. We do eventually, but he doesn’t let go of my face.
“No, Briar.” He whispers, kissing my forehead. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I should have told you sooner. But no, I’m not ashamed of you.”
“Then why hide me?” I mumble.
“I just don’t know what my stepdad will do if he does find out what you do for a living,” Rurik says softly. He sighs again, pulling my face to his so our foreheads touch. “Can we talk about something else, please?”
I don’t say anything. I just nod because how can I explain to him that I already knew his stepdad and he knows me? I’m pretty sure his stepdad knows what I do. There’s no way someone like the senator doesn’t keep tabs on families like the Rogers.
Rurik is living in a bubble. I bet he believes his stepdad can do no wrong and that he’s so noble because he’s a fucking senator whom everyone seems to love.
And I’m afraid that someday I’m going to burst that bubble the moment my gun aims at his stepdad’s face. Not because I fucking hate the guy, but because of what he did to Amaura.
“Yeah, okay,” I nod again. Then I change the subject. “Tell me what Scotland is like?”