34. Isla
34
ISLA
My nail was chewed to the quick. How much longer were they going to be? I couldn’t stand the thought of waiting for even one more minute. IKE said he would let me know as soon as it was over. I glanced at my wristwatch and sighed.
“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor,” Riley said, flipping a page in her magazine.
“That’s not even a possibility. This house is made of thick wood.”
“Yeah, about a hundred years ago.”
I sighed, sitting heavily on the bed, making her bounce. “I just wish he would call.”
She flipped another page. “He will. When he’s done.”
“That’s not good enough!” I shoved both hands through my hair, frustrated and ready to kill someone. I’d never felt like this in my life. I just wanted this to be over, to finally have my life back. I wanted to go home and remember what it was like to sleep in my own bed and make coffee in the morning in my own kitchen. I wanted to swing on my porch and eat Jujyfruits and push Riley down the stairs. Was that really too much to ask?
“Seriously, I swear I can hear the floorboards wearing down. I think they’re even splintering. You might want to take it easy.”
“I’ll take it easy when he calls and says it’s over.”
She sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “Speaking of, what happens when it’s over?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, the whole Shawn tried to kill you thing? What happens?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, are you going to press charges?”
My jaw dropped open as I thought about saying yes, but then I realized I had no evidence that it was him. “How would I prove it?”
“Well, not that it matters. The department knows. I guess OPS will turn him in. He’s going away for a long time. I hear cops don’t have a very good time in prison,” she winced. “Guess he should have thought about that before he got in bed with the Irish.”
She was right, but I hated to think about anything happening to Shawn.
“Oh my God. Please tell me you don’t feel bad about him going to prison.”
I sighed heavily, rubbing my hand across my forehead in confusion. “It’s not that I feel bad, but…could you knowingly send someone to prison?”
“If he tried to kill me? Yes!”
“But it’s Shawn! At one time, I loved him very much.”
“Uh-huh, and then he tried to blow you up. I think that very much crosses the line between love and hate.”
“He didn’t want to do it,” I argued.
“You sound like a battered wife!”
“I know that, but?—”
“But what?”
There was no excuse for how I felt. I knew I couldn’t begin to explain it to her. It didn’t make sense to anyone, including me. But allowing him to go to prison, knowing what his life would be…I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“Isles, he did this to himself,” she said softly.
“I know,” I said, feeling the weight of the words pressing on my chest. “I just…didn’t want to say it out loud.”
“Why?”
“Because…if he’s not in prison, I can tell myself that I got a divorce and my ex isn’t a scumbag. That he’s out there somewhere living a different life. Maybe he has a new wife and kids. We went our separate ways because we were incompatible. But if he’s in prison, then I married a man who was capable of not only becoming a dirty cop, but also stealing from the mob, putting my life in danger, and attempting to murder me.”
She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look. “I really hate to point this out since you’re all depressed and everything, but IKE kills people. He’s not much better than your ex.”
“At least he wouldn’t kill me,” I grumbled.
“True. I’ll give him brownie points for that one.”
I sank down on the bed and hung my head. “God, when did my life get so depressing? We had plans! We were going to move out here and everything was going to be perfect. What went wrong?”
“Well, Kavanaugh lied to you on multiple occasions, his father manipulated him and you, his nasty fake fiancée pulled a few stunts, your ex tried to kill you?—”
I glared at her before she could continue. “It was a rhetorical question.”
“Oh. Well, I didn’t get that from the tone in your voice. Good to know.”
I flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “Maybe I should run away and join a commune.”
“I can’t see you sharing anything with anyone. You won’t even share your Jujyfruits with me. How are you going to share food and clothing?”
“I could go on a mission trip, then. Maybe a trip to Africa or something.”
“Where you might be taken hostage by guerrillas who will sell you or trade you for money or drugs?”
I rolled my head to look at her. “Way to look on the bright side.”
“That is the bright side. They could just kill you.”
“Then what would you suggest?”
“I would suggest you sleep on it a few days before you make any rash decisions. You know, wait until IKE gets back and try to be normal again. Then you can see how life goes.”
I blew out a harsh breath, irritated with her rational thinking. “I guess I could do that. I mean, it’s an idea.”
“Right. Not the best, but it’s all I could come up with on short notice.”
“Well, we can’t all be the brightest in the family.”
“Speaking of family, have you talked to Mom and Dad lately?”
I rolled my head back to face her, not liking the tone of her voice. She stared at her nails, paying way too much attention to them. “Riley, what did you do?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing.”
I sat up suddenly, gripping her by the shoulders. “Riley, tell me you didn’t invite them here.”
“Invite is such a strong word.”
Anxiety rippled through me. The last thing I needed was my parents anywhere near me. “How could you do that?”
“Technically, I didn’t do anything. Mom asked about you since you didn’t exactly call and tell her how you were doing since you moved out and left Shawn. Thanks for leaving me to that uncomfortable conversation, by the way. So, she said she wanted to see you, and I said that you were busy at the moment. She wanted to know what made you so busy that you didn’t have time for your own mother, and you know me. I really had no good response for her.”
I glared at her, my nostrils flaring.
“What? You know I’m no good with her. I was defenseless!”
“You could have told her I was doing fine!”
“I tried to. She didn’t believe me. She said that if you were fine, you would have called her. Which you would have. You always avoid her when you’re not okay, which she knows. You’re not hiding anything from her at this point.”
I stood, shoving my hands through my hair again. This was awful. She would never understand the situation I was in. How was I supposed to explain IKE to her? She wasn’t exactly the type of woman who believed in living together before marriage, so how would I explain to her that I was shacked up with IKE when I wasn’t even divorced yet?
“You didn’t tell her about Kavanaugh, did you?”
She winced. “I didn’t have to. Remember that article in the paper?”
My eyes slipped closed in mortification. “Crap. I totally forgot about that. I’m surprised she wasn’t calling me the moment she saw it.”
“Well, I think the only reason she didn’t was because she thinks you’re with him and she’s excited about that.”
That was even worse.
“Did she say when she was coming?”
“Next week. Tuesday.”
“Tuesday,” I murmured. “That doesn’t give me much time.”
“Not really.” She watched me carefully. “What are you going to say to IKE?”
“I don’t know. Should I ask him to stay away?”
“Honestly? I think if I was in love with a man and he asked me to stay away, I’d be pretty pissed.”
“But, it’s just because I need to give them time to adjust to?—”
“It makes it look like you’re embarrassed about him. It doesn’t matter how you cut it. Sorry, Isles, if you ask him to stay away, that’s the beginning of the end.”
As if he knew I was talking about him, my phone rang and his name lit up the screen. I looked at Riley, my chest tightening painfully. “He’s calling.”
“Then I guess you have a decision to make.”
The moment he strolled up to me with that sexy look on his face in his three-piece suit, something eased inside my chest. It was over. He already told me it was, but now that I saw him, it was real. I didn’t think as I took off across the parking lot and threw myself into his arms.
I squeezed my eyes closed as my arms mimicked the gesture around his large frame. I felt his muscles flex as he held me tight, lifting me higher as he buried his nose in my hair.
“It’s over, gorgeous.”
“For real?”
“For real.”
I exhaled freely for the first time since this whole thing started. Through it all, I wanted to believe I was strong enough to handle anything, that nothing would scare me, but deep inside, I knew I wasn’t far from cracking.
The moment I released him, his lips were on mine and his hand was at the back of my neck, holding me to him. His kiss was harsh and punishing, taking everything I had to give. When he set me down, I swayed on my feet, dizzy from his kiss.
“Let’s go home.”
I grinned at his words, ready to get out of here and into my own bed. Of course, I wouldn’t be going alone. I heard her before anyone else.
“Let me through!”
I rolled my eyes, prepared for the onslaught. “So much for being alone.”
“We can go to my place.”
We could, but I wanted to be in my own bed for at least one night.
Riley shoved to the front of the crowd, staring down IKE as if she was his mother. “Alright, mister. Tell me this is over. I cannot stand to stay in that creepy mansion for one more minute. I want my books. I want my shelves and my stairs. I want my kitchen and things. But most importantly, I want my own bathr—yah!”
Bowie picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, winking at IKE. “I’ve got this.”
“You most certainly do not got this!” Riley shouted, banging her fists into his back. “Put me down, you big brute!”
“Riley, I think it’s about time we got our own place.”
“Our own place? If you think for one minute I’m moving in with you anywhere, you’ve got another think coming!”
“I wasn’t asking,” he chuckled.
“Then you’re going to find yourself sorely disappointed when you move my stuff and I’m not there.”
“I’ll move you, too, even if I have to tie you up and take you over there.”
Riley pushed off his back and craned her neck around to look at everyone, pointing her finger at the gathering crowd. “You all heard it! He just threatened to kidnap me! If I go missing, you know where to look!”
Dash shrugged. “You know, from what I hear, you can’t kidnap someone you know.”
“Yep, I’ve heard that, too,” Rae nodded.
Riley narrowed her eyes at all of them. “Traitors, all of you!” she shouted as Bowie pushed through the crowd and carried her away. I felt a little bad for her. She was my sister, after all. But then again, she was in love with Bowie, even if she didn’t want to admit it. She wanted this more than she let on. It was just a matter of time before he popped the question and she said yes.
I just hoped this marriage stuck for him.
“Ready to go home?”
I shivered, closing my eyes as IKE’s warm breath skimmed over my ear as he hugged me from behind. “Yes.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him the whole way home. All I could think about was getting him in bed and feeling the weight of his body pressing me into the mattress, making me forget everything that had happened over the last few months. I desperately needed to take my mind off the chaos and be reminded what it was like to just live life and be normal.
As soon as he slid the key in the lock and we stepped inside, he gripped me by the back of the neck and spun me around, pressing me up against the door, gripping my thigh in his hand.
“IKE,” I panted, tearing at his coat, desperately needing to touch his warm skin and feel it against mine.
His lips latched onto my neck, sucking hard, eliciting a gasp from me as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. “Fuck, Isla. I need you.”
The words were lost on me as I tore his coat from his body, shoving the sleeves down his arms. He had on too many layers, and even though he looked positively charming and suave in his suits, at this moment, I absolutely abhorred them.
“Too many buttons,” I muttered, trying to undo them.
He grabbed the vest with both hands and shredded it in two, tearing it from his body.
“That works, too,” I laughed, doing the same to his shirt, though not nearly as effectively.
Somehow, he worked twice as fast as me, undoing all the buttons on my coat without ripping a single one from the material.
He stood in front of me in just his suit pants with his chest on full display. I took a moment to take all of him in, with the few tattoos scattered over his body and only accentuating his muscular arms and defined chest.
“Gorgeous, when you look at me like that…”
“What?”
He didn’t say a thing. He charged forward, gripping me to him as he crushed his mouth to mine. His mouth never left mine as he carried me into the living room, laying me down in front of the fire that wasn’t yet lit.
As he peeled my shirt over my head, I shivered from the cold, but was instantly warmed by his tongue sliding over my skin. From the base of my neck to the swell of my breasts, he slowly slid his tongue over me, tasting every inch.
I shivered as his mouth closed over my nipple and his teeth closed around it, biting gently. My back arched into his touch, and that’s when he slid his hand behind me and deftly undid my bra.
“IKE,” I whimpered as his mouth teased me.
“Isla,” he warned.
“Knox,” I corrected as he pulled away. “Knox. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
His lips returned to my nipple as his fingers moved in a featherlight trail down to my belly button and along the line of my jeans, teasing me, taunting me. He had me squirming, desperately needing his touch.
“Knox, please!”
He chuckled, flicking the button on my jeans and slowly lowering the zipper. God, I was going to kill him if he took any longer. I whimpered as he pulled away from my breast and left me cold and alone to remove my jeans. Cold air hit my lower half like a splash of water and I shivered, needing his warmth.
“Should I start a fire?” he asked, pressing his lips to my calf, looking up at me as he pressed another kiss a little higher.
I lifted my head and glared at him. “Are you asking if you should stop what you’re doing to build a fire?”
“You seem a little cold.”
“I would be warmer if you were inside me.”
“Instant gratification isn’t always the best route.”
This playful side of him was going to get him hurt. But I forgot about that as his hand slid up my thigh, coming awfully close to my center. I was already dripping for him. Heat pulsed through me, and my clit throbbed for his touch. If he would just?—
“Isla,” he whispered, his voice just a whisper from my ear.
I opened my eyes, unaware I had even closed them. “Knox.”
“Do you remember what I told you?”
“You tell me so many things.”
“About what you mean to me.”
His spark. I swallowed hard and nodded. “Remember that. You’ll always be my spark.”
Something about the way he said that left an unsettling feeling in the center of my chest, but then his lips sealed over mine, and I forgot about everything he said as he thrust forward and buried himself deep inside me. My fingers clawed at his back, holding him to me with everything I had as he rocked his body into mine over and over again.
Our bodies were fused together, meant to be this way forever. I could feel it deep in my soul. It was in the way he kissed me, in the way he held me, and the way my heart seemed to melt whenever I was with him. Everything was perfect.
No one was chasing us.
No one was trying to kill us.
It was just the two of us for the rest of our lives.