Chapter 18
CEZAR
The ride with Lina beside me and Dorin behind the wheel felt unreal.
When I first laid eyes on her, I never imagined being this close without a gun pointed at my head.
She was their leader, yet she sat next to me like I belonged here.
No caution or distance, partially because she only had so much space to move away in a car.
Fucking ecstasy.
Our destination didn’t matter. As long as she was near, I didn’t care where the hell we ended up. The mansion we arrived at was massive, with a garden maze sprawled across the grounds. The kind of place I used to dream about.
Maybe I could chase her through it someday.
She lived in a level of luxury most people could only fantasize about.
I wondered if it came from old money or if she built it all herself.
Her clan—her empire—had definitely been crafted from the ground up.
Every time I thought I understood her, she showed me something new. Something that made me want more.
When we stepped out of the car, a few other vehicles pulled up behind us. Subordinates poured out of the mansion, making one thing very clear—she commanded a force much larger than I realized. Lina never left herself unprotected.
Some of her people seemed hesitant when they saw me. A couple I recognized from the kidnapping. I pretended not to notice, throwing out a casual “Sup” with a lazy wave as I stretched my legs.
Dorin and Lina shook their heads and headed toward the entrance. I stopped for a moment, unsure if I was allowed to follow her. Would her people let me through the doors? Would she?
Suddenly, someone poked me. Instinct took over, and I grabbed the hand that touched me. A woman stood there—a bit shorter than Lina, around the same age—and unfortunately, she’d chosen to jab me right in the broken rib. Pain shot through me and, judging by the sounds behind us, guns were drawn.
“Ah, shit, my bad. Didn’t expect anyone to sneak up on me.” I moved her hand away and lifted mine behind my head. Not a complete lie.
“You should always expect the unexpected. Who are you anyway?” she asked, polite but curious. Dorin and Lina were both watching. Dorin looked like he was seconds away from sprinting over. Was this his girlfriend? No. No fucking way.
The thought amused me, and a laugh tripped out. “My name is Cezar. And you are?”
“My name is Vali. I’m Dorin’s little sister… unfortunately.” She smiled and bounced lightly on the balls of her feet.
“Oh, he has a sister. That is unfortunate for you. Sorry to hear that.” We acted as if we were mourning who she was related to.
“Fucking seriously, you two. Vali, get your ass in the house. What are you doing hiding in the damn bushes like a wild animal?” Dorin marched through the doors without looking back. Lina was still watching me. So were her people. Suspiciously.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to ask permission to enter. Vali hooked her fingers around my sleeve and pulled me along, guiding me right past Lina, who looked like she couldn’t decide what to do.
After a very enthusiastic house tour, we ended up in the kitchen with Dorin and Lina. Lina crossed her arms and leveled a playful warning at me.
“Better have taken mental notes, Cezar. If you steal anything, I’ll cut off your hands.”
“I would let you use my machete.” I moved behind her, crowding her. She paused mid-bite on her sandwich, hands still on the bread. My palms slid slowly up and down her arms, and I rested my chin on the top of her head.
“Seriously, I’m trying to eat here.” Her body pressed back into mine just enough to suggest she wanted me off her.
I needed more.
“I know, I am hungry too.” I pouted.
“What are you, a child? Then make a sandwich. I’m not your mother.”
Her voice wasn’t cruel, but the words hit like a punch. My chest tightened, and I stepped back. Then farther. More. She turned, surprise shimmering across her face. Maybe she thought I was acting childish. I wasn’t. I just couldn’t stop the memories. And most of them hurt.
An awkward silence lingered. Even Vali refrained from talking. I avoided looking at anyone, trying to piece myself back together while plates and utensils clattered around me.
Then a small motion—Lina setting a sandwich in front of me.
Grief was a strange companion—a shape-shifter that hid in the shadows, then lunged when I least expected it. It never went away. It wrapped itself around my being and refused to fucking die. Some days, I wished love stayed within the boundaries of mortality, and my love wasn’t eternal.
Dorin and Vali left the kitchen, discussing a movie. It felt strange to think that we all had lives outside of our survival routine—that we, too, enjoyed movies, and well, Lina was a foodie. I had thoughts about that one.
I took a bite of the sandwich, and it tasted like heaven.
Maybe because it had been so long since someone did something nice for me—even something as small as making me food.
I’d forgotten what that kind of care felt like.
And maybe part of me wished I had stayed numb enough to never remember it again.
I will never go back. This is what I want.
Lina sat across from me on the kitchen island. She wasn’t eating much, shifting around in her seat. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
When I looked at her, I could see it—she recognized my pain. She noticed everything. Always quick to catch the things I tried to hide.
The sadness pulling through me wasn’t just mine. It was for her, too. It was overwhelming. Comforting in a way, knowing someone else understood, but I hated that she did. I hated that she ever had to.
“You don’t have to be. It just caught me off guard.” I tried to brush it off and stuffed the rest of my sandwich in my mouth. Secretly, I wanted to steal hers too.
“Yeah… right… Cezar, you’re looking at my sandwich like you looked at my corn dog that day. You better fucking not. Food thief.” She pulled her plate close like it was a priceless artifact. The stern tone excited me. Who was I kidding? I loved every damn part of her.
Game on, Petal. I distracted her with one small gesture, then I grabbed her sandwich, the plate, and bolted.
Dorin and Vali were in the living room watching the chaos unfold—me sprinting through the house, Lina in pursuit.
Dorin looked beyond done with our shit, and Vali’s laughter rang down the hallway.
“Stop him! He has my fucking sandwich!”
Not fair. Not fair at all. But I wasn’t losing. Half her people came after me, trying to intercept the sandwich like it was a hostage situation. I dodged around them fast, hoping none of them got the bright idea to stab me. With this group, I wouldn’t put it past them.
I burst out into the garden, and for a moment, the beauty of it stopped me. My mom would have loved this place. Hell, she would have loved Lina, too. The thought nearly cost me the win, but I pushed forward, vaulting over one of the smaller bushes.
I yelled, “What are you going to do, Petal?”
“I will get that sandwich no matter what, Cezar.” The conviction in her voice… fuck, it was sexy.
She was chasing me. Her chasing me. I didn’t know how much longer my composure would last. My fucking pants already felt like they were going to rip open.
We stared each other down like we were in an old Western. Lina gasped for air. Damn. I was going to lose. “Give it to me, Cezar, right fucking now.”
“Only if you ask me nicely.” I walked toward her, giggling like an absolute menace. I hadn’t had fun like this in years.
Her eyes narrowed, fists clenching so tight her knuckles went white. “Cezar, please give me my sandwich back.”
That had to kill her pride. Beautiful sight, honestly. I closed the distance fast; I wasn’t making her come to me, not when she needed to catch her breath. I reached out, about to hand over the sandwich—
And she fucking tackled me.
The breath was knocked out of me. Pain exploded through my body as we rolled across the ground.
How dirty could I get her?
When we stopped moving, she straddled me—just like the first time we met—and I was dangerously close to losing it. A cough rattled out of me, ribs screaming. Lina braced herself on either side of my head, breathing heavy. I wanted to touch her. God, I wanted to touch her.
I moved my hand, my pulse hammering for more than one reason. She sat straighter and looked down at me with that sly, wicked glint. Then slapped me. Hard.
I deserved it. Still didn’t expect it to hurt that fucking much. It was everything.
“Again,” I breathed, desperate.
So, she did—again and again and again. Each slap landed harder than the last, her hips grinding down on me like she owned every inch of my body. My hands clamped around her thighs, fingers digging in deeper every time her palm cracked across my cheek.
She paused, out of breath, and I panted.
“I came.” A slow smile stretched across my face as I rocked my hips up into her, milking the last pulse of the orgasm.
She watched me with an intensity that felt like a blade pressed to my throat.
I hadn’t had a hands-free release in a long time, and the fact that it happened now with her on top of me—unreal.
I didn’t want her to move. Reluctantly, I lifted my hands from her legs. The sandwich… that poor thing was a goner.
She pushed up a little, as if unsure. I loved that this was new for her. It showed in the hesitation of her movements. I sat up, grabbed the ruined sandwich, and brushed dirt off the plate, not that it mattered. As I strolled past her, I said, “I’ll make you another one.”
She didn’t sass back. Just caught up to me, and we walked to the house side by side. It already felt like home. That scared me. That excited me. I didn’t want to think too hard about either truth.
I kept my promise and made her another sandwich while she tapped her foot impatiently. Presenting it to her, I grinned. “Don’t worry. I won’t steal this one.”