41. Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Anson
W e'd been dating for four months now, and I spent all my nights in Nova's bed except if I was traveling for work.
I still went to Sentinel once a week but came back in the evening. Instead of driving, Diego and I were burning money and gasoline by taking a helicopter, reducing our round-trip travel time to two hours instead of five.
I came home late on the days I was at the Larue Homes headquarters. And my favorite thing to do was slide into bed with my girlfriend.
"Oh, Antoine, is that you?" Nova purred when I spooned her.
I smacked her ass. "Who the fuck is Antoine?"
"My masseuse," she giggled.
"I come home after a long day at work, and my woman is talking about some asshole who gives massages." I cupped her breasts, and moved my hips against her ass, stroking my erection.
"Massages with a happy ending," she chortled.
I pushed her onto her back. "And just for that, Sugar, you're going to be punished."
I slid down her body.
"If you think eating me out is punishment…well, actually, it is, you should absolutely punish me."
I pressed my face against her pussy. I couldn't believe how good it felt to be with her again, the sense of homecoming I had with her.
I licked and sucked her clit. Every time I tasted her was better than the previous time. Since she'd said yes to us dating, I'd spent as much time as I could between her legs. But we had to eat, sleep, and also go to work—so her pussy did get some rest.
I watched her eyes close, and her breathing went shallow as I slid my tongue back and forth across her clitoris. Her hands were on her sides, clutching the bed sheet. Last time, she'd pulled the fitted sheet off when she came.
I ate her until she cried out her release, and then crawled up her body.
She rolled my unresisting body, so I was on my back, and straddled me. "Welcome home, Antoine . Let me give you the ride of your life."
And she fucking did.
After we cleaned up, and snuggled into bed, I spoke close to her ear, nuzzling the spot that I knew was erogenous. "If you're gonna ride me like that, Sugar, we'll just change my name to Antoine."
She laughed softly. "I love you."
She was saying it first these days. "I love you too, Sugar."
I closed my eyes, loving having Nova in my arms. She snuggled into me and stayed there. It was the best fucking thing in the world.
I had just dozed off when I heard a sound. I turned to look at the clock. It was three in the morning.
I heard another creak, and I pulled my arm away from Nova, immediately alert. Something was prickling down my spine like it did when I was in Afghanistan—before an ambush. I sat up and opened the bedside drawer. I pulled out the gun I'd put there when Bailey threatened me with Pete, who was still missing.
I leaned to put my lips to Nova's ear. "Sugar, I need you to wake up."
She did but didn't move as if she understood instinctively she shouldn't. "I need you to roll off the bed and go into the bathroom and lock it."
I knew she wanted to argue, but she'd seen the gun in my hand, and when she heard a sound, she did as I asked.
Once I heard the soft click of the closed bathroom door, I walked to stand at the wall by the door. I controlled my heartbeat, because people made mistakes when they panicked. Staying calm was the key to protecting my woman.
The door opened, and I heard the pops of a silencer go off. Nova's bed jerked.
I didn't need to see the man behind the door to know who it was. I recognized how he shot. We'd gone to the gun range often enough for me to know his style.
Pete walked into the bedroom and looked at the bed. I stepped behind him and put my gun to his head.
"You wanna drop your weapon now, Pete."
He froze, and I could see the muscles in his neck tense from the light pouring in from the city.
"No way," he growled. "I'm dead either way."
No way was I going to let Pete commit suicide by my gun. After four years in the military and over numerous kills, I didn't ever want to take someone's life again. But if it meant protecting my family—Nova, I would.
"You don't wanna die, Pete," I said, hoping that Nova would be smart enough not to walk out of the bathroom now. I wanted her to stay there and be safe.
"I have no way out of this," he cried out. "You did this, you son of a bitch. After all that I did for you—"
I poked the barrel of the gun hard into his neck. "You fucked my fiancée. You hurt my woman. What the hell else have you done for me?"
"Everything. I kept the mob away from your business when your daddy was alive, 'cause he was walking into their clutches," he roared. "I protected your ass from that bitch."
"And Bailey?"
I was buying time. I needed to find a way to call the cops. I needed to do something to de-escalate this situation. I also needed to find pants, ‘cause I was fucking naked.
"Bailey was a mistake."
No shit, Sherlock.
"You're in trouble, Pete, 'cause you got involved with the mob." I wish I had my phone with me. But I was in skin…no damned pockets. "You gambled. You cheated on your wife. Pete, your life is where it is ‘cause—"
We heard police sirens and Pete moved, turning around. I had a choice. I could shoot the sumbitch, or I could disarm him.
In a split second, I made my decision. I shifted my grip on the gun and lunged forward, using the barrel to knock Pete's arm to the side. The force of the move sent his weapon clattering to the floor. Pete's eyes widened in surprise, but I didn't give him a chance to react. I twisted his arm behind his back, and pressed him against the wall, holding him in place with my body weight.
"Don't even think about it, Pete," I growled into his ear, my breath hot with anger. "It's over."
The sirens grew louder, the flashing lights of the police cars illuminating the room through the window. I kept my grip on Pete, ensuring he couldn't move.
"Anson," I heard Nova from the inside of the bathroom. "I need to let the police in."
"You can come out, Sugar."
Nova had put on a robe, and I saw she held her phone in her hand. Smart girl. She looked at Pete, who was struggling, and nodded at me before going to open the front door.
Things happened fast after that.
Two Savannah PD officers quickly moved in, two of them securing Pete with handcuffs, while another retrieved the fallen weapon. They pulled him away from the wall and led him toward the door. He look enraged and defeated.
I felt a tinge of remorse. He'd been one of my closest friends and today he'd tried to kill me.
One of the officers approached me. He held out his hand, and I handed my gun to him.
"You alright?" he asked, his eyes scanning me for injuries.
"Yeah. As soon as I get some clothes on," I muttered. I walked to Nova's closet and found a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. "Call Agent Fancie from the GBI."
The officer spoke into his radio. I couldn't catch what he said.
A sergeant came into the bedroom with Nova. She ran to me, and I hugged her close. "That was so scary," she whispered.
I kissed her hair and leaned into her. Fuck yeah, that was. I was worried he'd start shooting the place down. I was worried I'd get hurt, and not be able to protect Nova.
"We need you to come down to the station and sort this out," the sergeant said. "And we've reached out to the GBI. I'm sure they'll be coming in hot to get the 411 on this."
"Yeah." I kept holding Nova, needing her close.
"We need a minute, Sergeant," Nova mumbled. She didn't move or raise her head from my chest.
"We'll wait outside for you," the sergeant said, and left us alone.
Nova pulled back slightly to look at me, her eyes searching mine. "You really okay?"
I smiled, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. "Yeah. Now I am. I was fucking scared I'd lose you."
"Me too," she whimpered.
We held each other for a while, and then slowly got ourselves together to go to the police station and deal with the unpleasantness we knew we had to, so we could close this chapter of our lives and move on.