Chapter 27 #2
We stepped out of the restroom to the gala, which was still going on.
I scanned the room, looking for any threat.
Knowing my family was doing the same didn’t squish the unease that settled further in my gut.
Gazes were aimed our way but none that I could say were hostile, none that I could tell were watching us with keen interest. I shielded my husband using my hulking form to keep unwanted gazes off him.
Thank fuck for my family; they'd kept everyone away and we slipped out the back without so much as a single person speaking to us. I loosened the tie around my neck the moment we were outside. The cool city air brushed over my heated flesh, doing very little to calm me down.
Onyx visibly relaxed once we were out. His shoulders weren't as tight and the hold he had on my hand loosened. I wanted to get him home and wrap him up in his favorite soft pink blanket, brew him a caffeine-free tea, and put on the horror slasher flick he liked so much.
"Sir." One of our guys stood next to a black sedan with the back door held open. He kept his gaze trained on me, giving both of us a nod of respect.
I helped Onyx into the car before shutting the door.
Before I headed to the other side, I made a conscious decision.
"Stop at Midnight Desserts before dropping us off.
" I pulled out a few bills and handed them over.
I slipped into the backseat, grunting at the tight fit.
The leg room left much to be desired but I wasn't focused on me.
The moment I was settled in the car, Onyx moved to get closer to me.
I tossed my arm around him, rubbing any part of him I could.
Neither one of us said anything during the drive. Not even when the car stopped for a little while and then started up again. The silence was like a blanket over the night, holding everything, not quite snuffing it out, but covering it.
It wasn't until we were dropped off that the quiet was finally broken. "What's that?" Onyx asked, pointing to the box in my hand.
“A surprise.”
He looked at me but didn’t bother asking any further questions. The elevator took us to our floor, and Onyx handed over the keys. I ushered us both in, closing off the world the moment the door shut.
"Go get changed," I said, ushering him toward the bedroom.
Onyx didn't argue; that was how I knew something was wrong. He listened to me and went to our room. He didn't bother shutting the door as if he was expecting me to follow. He glanced over his shoulder and stared at me intently.
He needs me.
I knew it was wrong, but I loved the feeling that came over me when my husband needed me.
If I wasn't careful, it would be easy to get addicted too.
The distance between us was even too much for me to handle.
I put the desserts down on the coffee table before following behind him.
If I could stay attached to Onyx, I would.
As if on auto pilot, we both got ready for bed.
I slipped on some pajama pants just as Onyx walked out of the closet looking like a wet dream.
He wore a mint green silk pajama set. The top clung to his slender frame.
The edge of it was decorated in soft lacy frills that rested just over his belly button.
The shorts had the same frilly stuff that wrapped around his thighs.
I licked my lips, demanding my body hold it together.
I had his favorite blanket in hand, and the moment he got close enough, I wrapped it around him.
"I'm okay, Lucero."
I grabbed his chin and forced him to meet my gaze. "You're not, and it's okay that you're not. I'm here. Let your husband take care of you."
Onyx licked his parted lips, leaving behind a sheen of wetness.
The strong taste of toothpaste greeted my senses.
I leaned down and stole a kiss. The moment our lips met, it was like coming home after a hard day of breaking down corpses.
Everything felt right in the world, and I pulled him closer, not wanting to part.
My lungs ached with the need for air, and I held it as I stayed connected as long as I could.
I didn’t even deepen the kiss; it was the simple touch that had my entire world exploding with fireworks.
I only pulled back for a second. "Please, bella."
His shoulders sagged as he fell against me. Onyx closed his eyes, his fingers curled into the waistband of my pants. The touch sent shock waves of heat down my body. "Okay."
Finally.
It was my time to show Onyx why having me as a husband was the best thing.
I’d make it so he couldn’t live without me.
I scooped him up and moved us to the living room.
I sat him down as I gathered everything up, moving as quickly as I could.
I felt his gaze, which was trained on me, tracking my every movement.
The weight of his attention only made me love him even more.
I burrito'd him before settling on the sofa together. "Comfortable?"
Onyx let out a chafed chuckle. "Hot, but yeah." He rested his head back on my chest as I found some camp slasher that he said he'd been wanting to watch. I already had everything on the coffee table except tea. Instead, I had a glass of red wine to pair with the desserts.
As the screams on the screen filled the room, I didn't expect Onyx to finally talk to me. He pushed away the double chocolate chip s’more cookie.
"Tonight was—” He cleared his throat and fidgeted in his spot. “What happened was—" Each time he started, he stopped.
I didn't rush him, didn't even ask him to calm down and explain things. I just waited.
"Fuck. Pourquoi est-ce si difficile ? Je veux te le dire mais je ne sais pas si je peux te faire confiance." Onyx twisted until I was met with beautiful gray eyes. "Can I trust you?"
"Yes." There was no hesitation in my voice. I wanted that more than anything in my life.
He offered his lips up to me, and I closed the distance in an instant. "I don't want to go into detail tonight, but I want to tell you.” He shook his head, his eyes downcast. “No, it’s more like I need to… I’ve never trusted anyone like this.”
The weight of his words settled in the pit of my stomach like an atomic bomb. I nodded with understanding.
So don’t fuck it up, Lucero.
The words were there even if he didn’t say them. A sour taste filled my mouth as I thought about my transgression.
I should tell him.
I was ready to confess every sin I’d ever committed, but then it would make it all about me, and I wasn’t the focus. Onyx was and always would be.
He blew out a breath, straightening his shoulders and sitting up straighter.
His confidence was back and it filled me with pride.
“Tonight I came face-to-face with someone from my past." He looked anywhere but at me.
"I never thought I'd see him again, and to be honest, I never wanted to.
" His gaze was glazed over as if he was seeing something else instead of our apartment. "He's my—my… failed first kill."
There was something to this that I was clearly missing, but I focused on what I did get. "Did he hurt you?"
He shook his head. Platinum strands fell forward, obscuring his face.
"Not in the way you're thinking. He never…
Not to me." A choked off sound wretched from Onyx that sounded closer to a wounded animal than anything that could ever come from a human.
"It would have been better if it had been me.
Then maybe he could have lived a better life. "
"Who?"
Onyx snapped his mouth shut as if he’d said too much already. Our eyes met, and it was like the dam broke. Tears broke out and spilled down his cheeks. He pulled free of the blanket to wipe at his face. "I hate crying." He angrily swiped at his face.
I pushed his hands aside, and kissed his tears away. "I know people around the world are so angry right now."
My husband stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I'm going to regret this, but why?"
"Because you're even gorgeous when you cry."
Onyx rolled his eyes but his tears had stopped and there was a soft smile on his lips. "Idiot."
I let him collect himself before speaking again. "I can help you."
"You're helping right now. It's my pro?—"
"Onyx."
He stared up at me. "Let me think about it, okay?"
I shook my head, knowing that was already a big step for him.
***
Onyx fell asleep before the movie was over. I moved him to the bed and laid down with him, watching as he snuggled up to me with ease. I bet he didn't notice how he sought me out so much lately. There weren't many nights we didn't sleep together.
Soft snores from Onyx was all I needed to hear to slip free from the bed.
I took a second to watch him snuggle up to the huge plushie I'd gotten him a few weeks back.
His pouty lips pursed before smoothing back out.
His delicate features almost seemed unreal as he slept.
My phone was out, and I snapped a few pictures.
Whenever there was opportunity, I'd make sure to capture Onyx.
I stayed there for a few more seconds before slipping out of the room.
I moved over to the living room with a hot-poker-like pain in the middle of my chest. There were so many questions and not enough answers.
I wanted somewhere to point my fist and I had none.
My phone buzzed in my hand. Damian's name flashed on the screen, and I answered it on the third ring.
"Yeah?"
"Everything good? Nash filled me in." Damian's tone was calm and leveled, opposite of how I felt.
"No, someone is fucking with my husband." The unease I'd felt all night hadn't been me getting into my own head. I still had no idea where I needed to point my fist and that only made it worse.
There was an audible pause before a soft click resonated through the line.
"A threat to him is a threat to us," Nash said, joining the conversation. It was no shock that the two of them were together. The gala had been a big deal, and I hadn't even known my brothers were going until they'd informed me our newest partnership had sent an invitation.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank us, tell us who's threatening family," Damian said.
Bile burned that back of my throat. "I don't know," I said through clenched teeth. That was the worst part. Working on Onyx’s trust was hard, well worth it, but right now, I wished he'd trust me with this especially since he was struggling.
Damian sighed. "We didn't find anything at the gala. The night went on without an issue. We only left an hour or so after you two."
"Someone saw something," I growled into the phone.
I racked my brain over and over again and still came up short.
He'd been in the bathroom for a little too long, and the moment I found him, he'd started crying.
My stomach turned at the image, and I committed to memory whoever made my husband break down like that would shed real tears, I'd make sure of it.
"He didn't say?" Damian asked. He sounded exhausted.
I'd feel bad if my husband hadn't been hurt. "Yeah, he did."
"And?" Nash asked.
"All he said was he ran into his first target. The one that got away; the worst of them all."
There was a pause from the other line before Damian spoke up. "And who the fuck is that?"
"I don't know. That was all I got."
"Fuck, he's more tight-lipped then a virgin on Easter Sunday," Nash said.
The ball in my chest only grew heavier.
"What about that apartment, think they know?" Nash asked.
Adam came to mind, and I'd thought about calling him briefly but abandoned the thought the moment I had it. If Onyx had brick walls up, Adam was locked away in safe after safe and buried deep underground.
"No."
"You sure?" Damian questioned.
"Yeah." I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"I can't protect him if I don't know what we're up against." I couldn't lose Onyx, not now or ever.
I knew for a fact I wouldn't be able to go on without him.
And I wasn't some sentimental fuck wad who would live on, I'd race to the Grim Reaper in the hopes of finding him again in the next life.