Chapter 27
"T his is nice." 'Nice' is an understatement. The hotel bathroom boasts a huge clawfoot bathtub, which I filled to the brim with hot water and bubbles before helping Abigail into it and settling in behind her with our drinks within reach. Holding her close to me after the earth-shattering sex we just had makes me feel on top of the world. I never would have imagined she'd be my perfect match in the bedroom, but damn, the way she got so hot from being spanked, the way she clenched down on me with every dirty word that left my mouth, has me eager for round two.
However, I'm not such a brute as to think her body can handle another pounding so soon.
"Hmm. Yeah, it is. Are you feeling okay?" I ask her, kissing her neck and smirking at the catch in her breath when I do. She’s so responsive to my every action, and I can’t wait to explore that more. Perhaps I could spend a morning edging her before sending her on her way, with strict instructions not to finish herself off, and see how long it takes her to come begging for more. My cock jerks at the idea, and with a groan, I adjust myself so I'm not digging into her back, nipping her neck when she snorts at my discomfort.
“I’m great…that was more than I could ever have prepared for, in a good way. Honestly, if I wasn’t so tender, I’d be asking for round two,” she looks over her shoulder at me with a smirk and mischief dancing behind her eyes.
“Don’t tempt me. How about we change the subject before we do something we’ll both regret?”
“Hmm, fine,” she pouts before facing forward again and leaning her head back against my chest as she asks, “Fancy explaining to me how come you and Alex were essentially on the run?”
“I wondered when you’d ask me that. Fine, I’ll tell you the whole sordid story if you explain why I had to run out and grab pregnancy tests yesterday.”
“Deal, but you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone.”
“That’s fair. It’s no secret my father was a piece of shit. However, what most people didn’t know until recently was just how twisted he was and how deep his dodgy connections in the seedy underbelly of the world were. He was wrapped up in a human trafficking ring, which I first learned about when he sold my mum off at one of his auctions.” As I lay my soul bare, Abigail freezes before twisting so she can look up at me with horror painting her features in a way I’d hoped to never see.
“As I was getting older, I think he realised that he was losing control over me. His punishments of broken bones and being thrown in the cellar weren’t stopping me from digging into what happened. I was just about to turn eighteen, and Angus was adamant that I would not be going to rugby camp that summer. That I was too old, and he needed to ‘train me up’. Peter knew as well as I did that was a load of shit, and he just wanted me there to torment, so somehow Peter got me to the camp without Angus knowing. At first, it was the same as every other year; I hung around Owen and Matt for the most part if I wasn’t with my classmates. Until one night, some of Angus’s men showed up in the middle of the night with every intention of killing me then and there. If it hadn’t been for Owen saving my ass, they would have.”
“Lo, that’s barbaric,” she rasps, looking at me with wide eyes brimming with tears for teenage me.
“It was all I knew, Abigail. The fact my father wanted me dead didn’t even shock me. By then he had made it painfully clear what he thought of me, and there was no love lost between us. I’d also learned what exactly had happened to my mum, which made him furious, and if it wasn’t for Alex showing up just as Owen killed the last of my father’s men and dragging me out of there, he’d probably have come to finish the job. I didn’t even know Alex at that point, but he knew of me. His sister had vanished the previous year and while trying to find her, he found the same thing I had. His sister was sold at one of my father’s auctions.” At her sharp gasp, I wince and hurry to add, “Shutting them down was the first thing I did when I took over. But that’s how Alex knew who I was, and we soon bonded over the fact my mum and his sister had met the same fate and from there we followed whatever lead we had while trying to get answers. Which didn’t exactly get us far. It soon became clear I’d need to take over the Clan to gain access to the resources needed to get to the bottom of this, so here we are.”
“Holy fucking shit, Logan. That is insane. How can one man be so evil right down to his core? I’m glad you killed that bastard.” She reaches over to cup my face between her hands and pulls me in for a kiss.
Taking hold of her waist, I pull her closer and cherish the fact she's not looking at me with disgust or pity marring her features before trying to lighten the mood by prompting her, “Your turn to spill your secret.”
With an Eskimo kiss and a shaky chuckle, she pulls back so she can look at me as she explains, “Honestly, it’s nowhere near as dramatic or exciting as yours. Basically, Lily had a scare and... well… if anyone saw her getting a test, the domino effect that would have would be catastrophic.”
“Why? Surely Jonathan’s not that old school he buys into the whole virgin ‘till marriage thing.”
“Well, no, but he does do marriage contracts as you well know.” With a pointed look between us, she raises her eyebrows at me.
“Fuck, Lily’s promised to someone?”
“Worse. Her would-be baby daddy and said baby daddy is none other than her stepbrother.” Frowning, I try to recall the family trees of the Four Points, only to freeze when I realise what she’s saying. Don Salvatore would no doubt declare war if Matt did anything to risk the marriage due to take place in the next few years.
“Fuck. What the hell is he playing at? Is he looking to get killed? Because this is one surefire way to go about it.”
“Exactly, but luckily it was a false alarm, so no one needs to know.” At her raised eyebrows, I’m quick to agree with her. I’ve enough messes of my own to balance without adding any fuel to the ones brewing up here.
“On that, we are without a doubt on the same page, Princess.”