Chapter 47
ASHA
Iwoke to callused hands nudging my thighs apart and the hot scrape of stubble against my sensitive skin.
I blinked away my bleary vision and squinted down the bed to find Rook, fully dressed in his usual black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, no tie, hair slicked back, staring at my bare pussy like it was his final meal on death row.
His gaze lifted just enough to catch mine. “Morning, love.”
I rubbed at my eyes to make sure this wasn’t an erotic dream. “What are you doing?”
“Keeping my wife satisfied.”
“You did a pretty good job of that last night.”
“I’m going to be gone all day,” he said, already ducking down. “I want to be sure.”
Then his mouth was on me.
My hips jolted. “Jesus, Rook. My brain’s been awake for ten seconds.”
Undeterred, he hooked his arms beneath my thighs, holding me open while his tongue made lazy circles over my clit.
Whatever happened to Good morning? How are you? Would you like a coffee before I destroy your pussy?
“You can take it.” His breath caressed my damp skin. “And you’re too sore to fuck, so let me please you this way.”
Well…if he insisted. Seemed rude to interrupt.
Especially since he already had me halfway to detonation. Rook was a fast learner. He knew every inch of me. How to tease me until I begged for release and how to set me off in seconds if that was his intent.
Which it seemed to be now. If he kept sucking on my clit like that, I was going to come in record time.
Just as I reached the edge, his phone buzzed.
Rook didn’t stop. He fished the phone from his pocket, checked the screen, then placed it on my lower belly.
I glared at him when his finger hovered over the Answer button. “Don’t you dare.”
One brow quirked. “It might be important.”
“As important as your life?”
“If I leave this world with my face between your thighs, I’ll die happy.”
“Rook, I swear to God—”
He answered. “Aidan,” he said, lips brushing my clit.
“Hey, cuz. Can we reschedule training today from midday to four? Ciaran wants an extra session before his fight, and I promised I’d help him.”
“Mm-hmm,” Rook mumbled. His tongue didn’t pause. Neither did the finger that slipped inside me and curled in just the right spot.
“Oh yeah. Real important call,” I hissed while giving Rook a death stare.
He sucked harder.
“Fuck,” I gasped, and dug my fingers into his shoulders.
“Is that your girl?” Aidan asked. “Can she hear me?”
“Mm-hmm,” Rook mumbled again.
“Hey, Red. You okay after last night?”
Dear God, no. Please don’t make me use words when I’m seconds from having a religious experience.
“I’m fine,” I managed. “Thanks for that…ah, thing you did after the party.”
Was I going to get in trouble for mentioning murder over the phone? Did the NSA monitor Rook’s calls?
Aidan’s laugh was low and sinister. “Rook had all the fun. Fucked him up bad for you.”
“Great,” I said, reaching for the phone. “Good talk. Gotta go now. Bye.”
Rook moved it just out of reach, the smug bastard.
“Am I interrupting something?” Aidan asked.
“Yes,” I said at the same time Rook answered, “No.”
There was a beat of silence before Aidan said, “Holy shite. Are you two doin’ the nasty?”
“No,” I yelled at the same time Rook said, “Aye.”
“You dirty fuckers.”
I’d never be able to look Rook’s cousin in the eye again.
“Hey, Orla,” Aidan called out. “Come listen to this. Rook and Red are shagging. I told you—”
“For feck’s sake. Give me that, you flaming eejit,” Orla snapped in the background. There was a scuffle, more swearing, then blessed silence.
Thank God.
Rook, unbothered by the fact that his family now had audio evidence that I’d well and truly crossed over to the dark side, returned his focus to shattering me.
It wouldn’t take long. Not with that mouth, those fingers, and a look in his eyes like I belonged to him body and soul. A few more strokes and I came apart with a cry, the release ripping through me like an electric current.
By the time Rook kissed his way up my body and flopped beside me, I was limp, dazed, and wondering how my life had become one where a hot Irish gangster gave me orgasms before breakfast.
He wiped his mouth and looked pleased with himself. “Still mad?”
“It’s unfair to ask me that when I’m peaking on endorphins. But I’m adding this to your list of offenses. It’ll land somewhere between having me thrown in jail and obliterating my phone in the garbage disposal.”
He perched up on an elbow. “Just so you know, I don’t expect you to ever forgive me for what I’ve done.”
I rolled onto my side and mirrored Rook’s position.
“I will in time. But forgiveness isn’t about you.
It’s about me letting go of anger and choosing peace.
And maybe I’m not ready to forgive you for forcing this on me.
” I held up the glittering emerald on my left hand.
“But I can at least understand why you did it.”
I toyed with a button on his shirt. “There’s this quote I’ve been thinking about lately. To live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”
He hummed. “You read some depressing shite, don’t you?”
My lips tilted up, but I kept my gaze on that button.
“When Niall died, you lost your world. You told me you felt…dead inside. I think you’d lost your meaning.
And then you found me.” My eyes lifted to meet Rooks’, and I held his stare.
“Did you cling to me because you needed purpose? A new meaning.”
His jaw tightened, but he remained silent.
“I don’t want to be a Band-Aid, Rook. I don’t want to be the thing you lean on because you don’t know how to stand by yourself.”
He sighed and took my hand, twining our fingers together.
“It’s true that when I found you, I was lost, and maybe that’s what kicked off my intrigue.
If you’d turned out to be a right cow, I’d have forgotten about you in a heartbeat.
But you aren’t. And when I learned everything I could about you, that’s when I became proper infatuated.
The cases you pick, how you work on them tirelessly when no one else will.
You struggle to make ends meet when you could be charging those families for your time.
A PI sure as hell would. I admired all of that about you.
It drew me in deeper because it reminded me of—”
“Niall.”
He nodded once. “Aye. He was always helping people out, giving them cash, doing unexpected favors. I shouldn’t have been surprised by what he did for Catalina.
” He gave my hand a squeeze. “So aye. At first, you were a crutch, and maybe you did give me purpose. But what I feel for you is real, Asha. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. ”
It wasn’t tidy or foolproof, but it was Rook’s truth. And sometimes, a person’s word was the only validation you’d get. It was enough for me, at least for now.
I glanced at the duvet and smiled to myself. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m glad I met you that night at the bar. And I’m glad you made me stay with you.”
Rook’s methods? Not a fan. But the end result might make it all worthwhile.
“I’m glad, too.”
“No, jerk.” I laughed and shoved his shoulder. “This is the part where you’re supposed to say you’re sorry.”
“But I’m not.” He curled my hair behind one ear. “I never liked upsetting you, but I 'd do it all again to have you here, sleeping in my bed, moaning my name every night.”
“You’re incorrigible. In your next life, I hope you come back as a toad.”
“Aye, and I’ll hunt you down in that life, too. Then you’ll have to kiss me to find the love of your life.”
“That only works on frogs, gangster. And excuse me, love of my life? Who went and planted you on such a lofty pedestal?”
“Deny it all you like. You know I’m it for you.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to brush off his comment, but when I thought of leaving here, of leaving Rook forever, a heaviness settled in my chest.
Because Rook could be it for me.
He could absolutely sweep me off my feet and carry me away, never to return me to the land of normal people who did normal things like work for a living, take out the trash, and fight city traffic every day.
I wouldn’t have to wade through the cesspool of online suitors for a date with a mediocre man who stood me up to play pickleball with his friends.
I wouldn’t have to waste my time making small talk with someone who thought my obsession with true crime was a cute hobby that would never lead anywhere.
Life with Rook would be complicated, and he’d frustrate the hell out of me. But he’d also challenge me, encourage me to push for my goals, and allow me to be myself unashamedly.
I could see it so clearly. And I wanted it.
I wanted it all.
Ugh. I’d have to eat my words and tell Beth and Daisy a man had won me over.
But falling hard and fast for Rook was dangerous. His controlling, obsessive ways weren’t going to change. Choosing to be with him could be a recipe for heartbreak and disaster. I wasn’t ready to commit to life with a gangster.
I poked him in the chest and smiled. “Any feelings I have for you don’t count when I’m trapped here with a textbook case of Stockholm syndrome.”
“Aye. Well, that definitely explains why we both had the best sex of our lives the night we met.”
I frowned. “I don’t like you when you make logical arguments.” I needed to derail this conversation before Rook forced me to admit things I wasn’t ready to share. “Question: Do you own any shirts that aren’t black?”
“Of course. I have obsidian, raven, coal, and onyx. I even own a shirt that’s graphite.”
I whistled. “Wowzers. Let’s not get too wild on the color spectrum.”
He brushed a hand down my side. “I have to meet with Torin. I’ll be home for dinner. Call me if you need anything.”
“Wait.” I reached for his hand before he could stand. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
We couldn’t delay this conversation any longer. Plus, Rook seemed in a good mood, so maybe this wouldn’t go as badly as I expected.
“I’m going out for drinks with Beth and Daisy tonight.”
He narrowed his eyes as if my apprehension were written all over my face. “And I’m not invited.”
I shrugged. “It’s girls’ night. We gossip and talk shit about men.”
“Will you talk shite about me?”
“Of course. That’s why you can’t be there.”
“I’ll sit at another table.”
“So you can spend the entire time giving random men murderous glares? I don’t think so.”
He rubbed a hand along his jaw. “This is important to you?”
“Yes, Rook. I miss my friends, and I can’t keep putting them off. They’ll send out a search party if I don’t show my face soon.”
He circled his thumb over the back of my hand. “Okay. I want you to have fun with your friends. But I have conditions.”
Good. This was progress. I’d expected way more of a fight over this.
I nodded. “I’m listening.”
“It’s too much for Finn to handle on his own. He goes with backup.”
“Two bodyguards?”
“Aye. And you’ll go to a bar owned by the Beasts. There are plenty to choose from. Look up Torin’s hotels and pick one from there.”
“So you can watch me through the security cameras?”
He cocked his head. “Clever girl.”
I guessed if he wanted a bird’s-eye view of me talking to my besties for a few hours, he could go right ahead.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. What else?”
Rook smirked. “Only that you come home to me and let me strip you naked and fuck you until you smell like me again.”
“Deal.”
I couldn’t think of a better way to end the night.