Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
WINTER
I guess I’m ordering a new set of lingerie for Halloween.
We were getting ready and Enzo was watching me while I sorted through my dresses trying to decide which one to wear. Then he spotted the three piece set hanging just behind them—bikinis and a bra made of black lace and orange satin trim with a filmy black negligee to cover them. Immediately, he perked up and wanted to know what it was, and judging from the bulge in his pants, something else perked up as well.
I tried to put him off, but he wheedled and pleaded until I finally agreed to try it on for him. “Just for a second,” I told him sternly. “It’s for Halloween. You weren’t even supposed to see it.”
“Then why is it in the closet?”
“Because I didn’t think you’d pay attention to my clothes?”
His lips quirked. “Winter. I pay attention to everything about you.”
So I had to try it on. How could I not when Enzo said something like that?
“Just for a second,” I reminded him sternly. “Then I need to get ready.”
“Absolutely.” He gave me a small salute. “Whatever you say.”
Technically, he stayed true to his word. But it’s because he took one look at me, growled low in his throat, then scooped me up and nearly sprinted to the bed. In a matter of seconds, he was peeling off the lingerie and trailing hot kisses across the bare skin left behind.
Not that I’m complaining.
I’m never going to complain about making love with Enzo. Not when I get to look at his gorgeous arms flexing as he braces himself over me, the ripple of his gazillion abs, that broad chest dusted with the soft fuzz I love to run my fingers across…
I’ll never complain about feeling him moving inside me, a perfect combination of hard and soft, plunging deep and filling me completely. Or how he knows just how to touch me—with his fingers, his mouth, his tongue—to send sizzles of pleasure and arousal all through my body.
And his eyes; the way he gazes at me with love and desire and desperate need, like he’s not whole unless I’m with him.
I know that’s how he’s feeling because he tells me every time. No matter when or where or how long we take, Enzo always gathers me into his arms at the end and murmurs, “I’ll never get enough of you. I love you. You’re everything to me.”
Then I tell him the same thing. Because it’s the truth. I never believed in soulmates until I met Enzo. Now I do.
“I love you,” Enzo groans as he sinks into me again, lifting my hips so he can go even deeper. Then he withdraws and I make a small sound of dismay before he plunges back in again. As he bottoms out, filling me even more this time, my inner walls flutter around him.
The promise of ecstasy is right there , but I’m not ready. It feels too good to have Enzo so deep inside me.
I never knew before.
I never knew I could want this all the time. Not just the sex, which is amazing, but the closeness. The trust. The overwhelming love. The knowledge that I finally found my perfect match.
“I love you,” I gasp. Pleasure coils tight in my belly; heat and pressure building like a supernova on the cusp of exploding.
Enzo reaches between us and flicks my sensitive bud just the way he knows I like it. Electricity streaks through my body, all my nerve endings sizzling in arousal and anticipation.
My womb clenches. My inner walls convulse around him.
I’m so close.
“Enzo, please. I want to feel you?—”
“Yes.” He pulls halfway out again, then slams back in. Our bodies meet in a collision of heat and need. “Almost?—”
I wrap my legs around his waist, anchoring myself to him.
We come together one more time, and he angles himself just so…
It’s an explosion. Fireworks. Stars bursting to life.
My head falls back and I moan; a needy, guttural sound I never could have imagined coming out of me.
Enzo lets out a low groan as he thickens inside me. Then he stiffens, and a pulsing heat fills me. It’s hot and perfect and makes me doubly glad I went on birth control so we could have moments like these.
As the aftershocks ripple through us, he rolls over and pulls me against him. His heart thunders beneath my ear, beating the same frenzied rhythm as mine. One hand rubs my back in long, slow strokes, while he plays with my hair with the other.
I rest my hand on his chest, trailing my fingers across the soft dusting of hair.
He’s still inside me, gradually softening, but I don’t want our connection to end.
“I could stay like this forever,” I murmur.
Enzo’s hand stills on my back. His heart jumps.
“Me too,” he replies, his voice going low and rough. “Me too.”
It almost seems like he’s saying something else. Something I’ve been thinking a lot about.
Like the future beyond next month, or next year. The real kind of forever.
I think he wants the same thing as me. I hope he does.
Just as I’m gathering up my courage to ask—I don’t know why I’m so hesitant when we’ve agreed to share everything—my phone dings loudly, and I jolt at the sudden interruption.
Sudden noises still make me a little jumpy, which my counselor says is to be expected, especially only two weeks after Thomas’s unexpected and very unpleasant visit.
Enzo hugs me and presses a gentle kiss to the top of my head. “It’s okay, hun. It’s probably just someone asking if they can pick something up on the way over.”
Pick something up…
The party!
Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, I let out a little screech of alarm. “Enzo! I only have an hour to get ready!”
As I rocket out of bed, I cast a mock-stern look at him. “You distracted me. Now I’m going to be rushing around and I won’t have time to get everything ready.”
Enzo sits up and grins at me, looking not sorry in the least. “I didn’t hear you complaining a few minutes ago.”
“Fine,” I huff at him, but my lips are twitching. “But I’m still running late now. And I have to get new lingerie for Halloween, so it’ll be a surprise.”
“It’s going to be fine.” He gets out of bed and comes over to me, framing my face with his hands and capturing my mouth with his. After he pulls away, he adds, “I’ll start setting up all the food. Take your time getting ready.” He pauses. “Not that you need it, Winter. You always look gorgeous.”
Oh. There he goes again. Turning my heart into a melty puddle of goo.
Grasping his shoulders, I stretch up to give him a quick kiss. “I love you. I really do.”
“Ah, Winter.” His gaze softens, his love for me right there, on full display. “I really love you.”
The party is going even better than I expected.
Everyone loves the food, and we have a regular influx of guests headed to the kitchen, loading their plates with an array of appetizers like buffalo chicken dip and antipasti roll-ups and soft pretzels with beer cheese. There’s always at least one person at the make-your-own-nachos station with the melted cheese dispenser I ordered on Amazon, which Alec declared as the best invention ever.
In the dining room, we have a full bar set up, complete with seasonal drinks like apple cider margaritas and cranberry sangria, and of course, a selection of beer from Blissful Brews. Ronan appointed himself as the bartender, and he’s really gotten into it. He pours the drinks with a flourish and I even spotted him spinning a few liquor bottles Cocktail- style.
The decorations look fantastic and are well-worth the time it took finding and arranging them. There are varying sizes and shapes of pumpkins and gourds arranged around the room, some of them carved with battery-operated tea lights inside. Fake autumn leaves are scattered across the tables and shelves, accented with thick pillar candles in deep reds and golds and oranges. And in a nod to Halloween, which is a few days from now, I tucked little ghosts and black cats and witches around the living room.
Our guests seem to be enjoying themselves, judging from the smiles and happy chatter and bursts of laughter over the last couple of hours. People are situated in clusters all through the living room and dining room, talking or eating or playing a heated game of Jenga on the coffee table.
I think there might be some sort of sabotage going on, because a few minutes ago, I heard Knox grumble loudly, “Who’s shaking the coffee table? Gage? Cole? It’s one of you, isn’t it?”
Cole—who I’ve heard lots about but only met yesterday—just chuckled before retorting, “Don’t blame us if your hands aren’t as steady as they used to be, old man.”
“Old man,” Tayo chortled from his spot on the couch. “You are getting up there, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t you?” Knox tossed back, but he was laughing, too.
“I don’t mind,” Tayo’s wife, Kayla, said while giving him an affectionate look. She stroked his cheek and added with a small smile, “A little silver is sexy.”
That’s another great thing about this party. I’ve gotten to spend time with more of Enzo’s friends. Or really, given all they’ve been through, his brothers.
There’s Tayo and Kayla, who flew in from Colorado last night.
Cole and his wife Maya arrived yesterday with their precious daughter, Clara, and I’d be lying if I said my biological clock didn’t get a little jolt when I saw Enzo holding her.
Leo came with his wife, Georgia, who’s five months pregnant and so excited about it.
Then there are all the local people.
Max closed the shop so he could be here, and Sage and Patrick switched shifts so they could both attend. And of course, Alec, Knox, Gage, and Ronan came—we wouldn’t be having this party without them.
When I think about it, it’s pretty amazing, considering where I started from. Moving to town without knowing anyone to finding the love of my life and a new group of friends.
Six months ago, I never could have imagined being this happy.
“Hey, hun.” Enzo comes up beside me and wraps his arm around my waist. He brushes a kiss across my cheek before continuing, “You look beautiful, by the way. Have I told you that lately?”
My heart swells. “Maybe. But you can say it again if you want.”
He gives me a little squeeze. “You look beautiful. And I love this dress.”
“This?” Grinning, I make a little oh, this old thing gesture. But it’s exactly the reaction I was hoping for when I bought it at the boutique in town last week. The green sweater dress is a shade deeper than my eyes and clings just enough to be subtly sexy.
“Yes, this .” His hand drops to my ass, lingering for a second before returning to my waist. “And I can’t wait to take it off later.”
“Mmm.” Even though we just had sex a few hours ago, I’m ready for another round. “Sounds good.”
Enzo’s gaze darkens, and his voice gets all rumbly. “It does.” After a beat, he shakes his head, smiling ruefully. “Later. But I wanted to let you know we’re about to make the announcement. I just need to talk to the guys for a second. Okay?”
“Of course. I’ll be right here.”
A minute later, he’s in a small huddle with Alec, Knox, Ronan, and Gage; as Enzo talks, the other four listen intently, nodding or lifting a chin every so often.
I know what’s coming, and I’m so excited for them.
While I wait for the announcement, I head over to the kitchen island to check on the food. As I restock the bowl of nacho chips, Sage comes over and asks, “Need any help?”
“I think everything looks okay,” I answer. “But thanks.” Once I finish filling the bowl, I reseal the bag and set it over on the counter. Smiling, I say, “Thank you for coming. I know you had to take the night off. But I’m really glad you could be here.”
“Of course.” Sage pushes a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. “Thank you for inviting me.” She pauses, and her cheeks go pink. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about things. After…”
“It wasn’t your fault, Sage.”
“Still.”
I know she feels partially responsible for Thomas escaping from jail, even though she wasn’t even working when it happened. A few days after, she left a long, apologetic message on my voicemail, telling me she would understand if I changed my mind about meeting for coffee.
As if I’d blame her. It wasn’t Sage’s fault, or Patrick’s. I can’t even be too upset at Officer Hastings, who was the one on duty at the station the day Thomas broke out. Only a few weeks out of the Academy and into his new job, he made the inexperienced mistake of falling for the old I’m sick and need help trick I’ve seen fictional characters pull on TV.
Thomas played sick until Officer Hastings was close enough, then knocked him out, stole his police uniform and keys to his truck, and maneuvered the young officer into bed to make it look like he was the prisoner.
As soon as the ruse was discovered, every cop in the county leaped into action. But by then, Thomas was already here, spewing his threats from the front yard of the house.
I could be mad about it. But what’s that going to do? It happened, me and Enzo handled it, and now I’m ready to move on.
“It’s really okay,” I assure Sage, and pat her lightly on the arm. “I’m fine, Enzo is fine, Thomas is in jail, and he’s definitely not getting out again.”
“Definitely not.” Sage’s brows draw into a little V. “He’s up in Newport now, and there’s no way he’s escaping from there.”
“So it’s all okay,” I repeat. “And I don’t want you apologizing again. Unless it’s because you’re planning on canceling on me for happy hour next week.”
Sage smiles. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“If I can have everyone’s attention?” Enzo’s voice pitches louder as he tries to cut through the buzz of conversation. When it doesn’t work—the Jenga game has gotten cutthroat now that Leo joined in with some sort of extreme rules—Enzo puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles.
The piercing noise is enough to draw all eyes to Enzo, who’s standing by the fireplace with Knox, Ronan, Gage, and Alec flanking him.
Clara stares at Enzo, wide-eyed, then sticks her chubby fingers in her mouth as she tries to imitate him. It doesn’t work—all she does is make a farting sound—but it’s really cute, anyway.
Enzo laughs, along with the rest of the people in the room. When the chuckles die down, he says, “Okay. I’ll try to keep this quick. But I’d like to say a few things.”
I move into the living room and perch on the arm of the couch, catching Enzo’s gaze and smiling at him. He winks at me before continuing, “First, thank you for coming. It’s been really great to have so many of my friends here, catching up, and”—he glances at me—“having you meet my incredible girlfriend, Winter.”
“Glad you finally found someone to put up with you,” calls Tayo, and Kayla gives him a good-natured swat.
“I’m very lucky,” Enzo replies with a smile. Then he sobers. “But there was a time I didn’t feel that way. After I moved back here, I felt… lost. I love Vermont, but it felt like something was missing.”
He pauses. “It turns out, I’m luckier than most. Not only did I find a wonderful woman, but I reconnected with some good friends.” He glances at the four men beside him. “And recently, we realized that just because we’re not active duty anymore, it doesn’t mean we can’t still make a difference.”
His gaze jumps to Cole, Leo, and Tayo. “I’ve always admired what you guys do at Blade and Arrow and the Brotherhood Protectors, but I never thought about doing something like that myself.” A beat, and then, “Until now. Until I saw what Winter went through, and how important it was to have people I could trust to help me. People like Knox, Gage, Ronan, and Alec.”
“Always,” Alec replies. “We’ll always have your six. And Winter’s, too.”
Enzo lifts his chin at Alec, then turns to face the room. “So we started talking. Planning. And we wanted you here to help us celebrate the start of a new venture. The five of us are going to start our own security company right here in Vermont. The Green Mountain Guardians.”
Once the clapping and cheers and congratulations diminish, Enzo says, “We’re still ironing out details, but we’ll be based here in Bliss. Knox is going to help build some safe houses on my property, so we have places for clients to stay. We’ll be referral-only while we’re getting everything started, but hopefully in the future we can take requests like you guys do at Blade and Arrow.”
“We could definitely refer some clients to you,” Cole says. “Even with our new branch out in Texas, we have to turn people down.”
“Same,” Tayo adds. “Especially contacts we have out on the East Coast.”
“We’ll definitely be asking you guys for advice.” Enzo replies with a smile. “It’s a big undertaking, but we’re excited about it.”
Leo lifts his chin in Enzo’s direction. “I’m really happy for you. Blade and Arrow has changed my life.” He casts an affectionate glance at Georgia. “In more ways than I ever expected.”
“Let’s toast!” Ronan calls out, and lifts his glass. “To a new beginning.”
As everyone lifts their glasses, I meet Enzo’s gaze. He looks so happy it brings tears to my eyes.
His uncle would be so proud—seeing the boy he raised to be a man doing such incredible things, using this house and property to protect people, just like Enzo protected me.
My nose prickles as I imagine Uncle Caleb watching Enzo and smiling. Knowing his prediction came true, and that Enzo is happy here.
Maybe he is here, somehow.
Crap. Now my eyes are burning and I’m in real danger of crying, which is not the reaction I want people to see after such exciting news.
While everyone swarms around Enzo and his new team, congratulating them, I head into the bedroom to gather myself. I grab a tissue to blot away the tears welling up, then peer into the mirror to make sure my eyes aren’t all bloodshot and glassy.
“Hey, hun. Are you okay?” Enzo comes into the bedroom, shutting the door softly behind him. His forehead is creased with concern. As he gets nearer to me, the concern shifts to outright worry. “Are you crying, Winter? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I sniff.
“It sure looks like it.” He takes my hand and leads me over to the bed, then pulls me down on his lap. “Is the party too much for you? Too many people? If you want me to ask everyone to leave?—”
“No!” It’s quick denial, louder than intended. “No,” I repeat more quietly, “the party is fine. Really. I’m not sad. I was just thinking about everything, with your uncle giving you this place, and your plans, and how proud he would be of you. And it just made me a little emotional, is all.”
Enzo stares at me for a second, not speaking. Then he swallows hard. “Winter. Thank you for saying that.” Another swallow. “I guess… I didn’t think about that. But I hope he would be proud. I hope he will be.”
“He is. I’m sure of it.” Holding Enzo’s gaze, I add, “ I’m so proud of you. And I’m thankful. If I hadn’t walked into your store that day… I’m thankful for you, Enzo. I feel so lucky to have met you.”
“Winter.” His eyes go shiny, and his voice thickens. “I’m the lucky one.”
I cup his face and brush my lips across his. “We’re both lucky, then.”
“We are.” He hugs me close and kisses the top of my head. After a few moments, he pulls back enough to meet my gaze, showing me everything he’s feeling. Affection. Love. Trust. Devotion. And something deeper that goes beyond words.
“Before,” he starts, “when we were in bed. And you were in my arms. You said you wanted to stay there forever.”
My heart leaps. “Yes.”
“But.” Enzo takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I want more than that.”
Oh .
“What do you want?” Please let it be what I’m hoping.
“I want forever with you.”
Oh, these tears.
I take my heart and hand it over to him. “I want forever with you, too.”
“Ah, hun.” His jaw goes tight, and I can tell he’s trying not to cry. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”
I kiss him again, tasting salt on my lips. “You’re my forever, Enzo. I love you.”
“Winter.” It’s soft. Rough. Filled with emotion. “You’re my forever, too.”
My Enzo. My love.
Finally, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.