Epilogue
HOPE
Playa de la Palmera
3 months later
“ I ’m so close.” I moaned and clutched Vaughn’s wet hair.
With my legs hooked over his shoulders and his head between my thighs, my man was doing a stellar job of devouring my pussy.
After chasing me back from the beach this morning, skin salty and feet sandy, he’d tossed me on the bed, spread me out, and made a meal of me. Vaughn’s favorite, if his eager ministrations and low groans of satisfaction were anything to go by.
Titan, who’d grown used to Vaughn and me engaging in vigorous bedroom sports, snored on his dog bed in the corner.
“Vaughn, please.” I arched my hips, needing more and knowing he was toying with me, because he could’ve made me come in minutes if he’d wanted.
But he’d been going at me for God knew how long, bringing me to the brink of climax multiple times before backing off. The man was making me delirious.
“This is punishment. You know what for.” He growled against my pussy and reached up to pinch a nipple, making me squeal.
I instantly regretted being such a brat last night. When I’d asked sweetly, Vaughn had let me tie him up despite the necessity for bindings being long forgotten. Perhaps I’d pushed him a little too far when I’d teased every inch of his body while making him watch me get off with my toys. But seeing his eyes grow ravenous and wild each time I pushed myself over the edge had been such a turn-on.
I thought I’d made up for my misbehavior by deep throating him—a skill I’d recently caught the hang of—then untying his restraints so he could redden my ass with his handprints and fuck me into oblivion. Twice.
But Vaughn’s memory was even longer than his deliciously thick cock, and if he wasn’t going to let me come with his mouth, I needed him inside me to get the job done. Time to get his mind off tormenting me.
I wiggled my hips. “Baby, you need to hurry. I have to get to work early and show the new guy around.”
Vaughn froze and glanced up at me with piercing dark eyes and glistening lips. “New guy? What new guy?”
“Julio. I’m sure I mentioned him. Nice smile. He’s funny, too.”
My plan was working. Vaughn hadn’t blinked once since meeting my gaze.
“You never mentioned him.” He sat up on his elbows and frowned. “I definitely would’ve remembered if you’d mentioned him.”
“My bad.” I twisted my fingers through his hair. “I hope you two get along. He’s working the same schedule as me, and I can see us becoming friends.”
Later, I’d reveal that Julio was mid-fifties, gay, and in a committed relationship, so Vaughn didn’t need to go all jealous boyfriend on his ass .
But for now, I’d keep Julio’s sexual preferences to myself because I wanted to let the jealous beast that lived inside my man come out to play. I was a cruel woman.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
Without another word, Vaughn lowered his head and sucked on my clit the way he knew I loved. When he pushed two fingers in me, I saw stars and came apart.
Finally .
I gave myself a mental high five as my thighs quaked around Vaughn’s face.
The things this man could do to my body.
He rose to meet me on the pillow. “Don’t look so smug, Gatita. I see exactly what you just did. You wanna know what happens when you play games like that?” He snatched my wrists and pinned them above my head with one hand. “You get fucked hard . So no matter how much this soon-to-be-dead man smiles and flirts with you, every time you move, your aching pussy is going to remind you who made it that way.”
My possessive man. So unhinged. So perfect.
Then Vaughn hitched my leg high and drove into me with one powerful thrust.
I cried out at the sudden intrusion, but I loved this part, being filled by him in the most breathtaking way. Vaughn covered my open mouth with his, muffling my sounds as his tongue lashed mine.
He pounded into me, again and again. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? To make me lose my goddamn mind.”
“Yes,” I hissed, and closed my lids, lost to the ecstasy of Vaughn hitting that sensitive spot deep inside me. I loved it when I caused the final fibers of his control to pull taut and snap.
He paused and clasped my jaw with firm fingers. “Then look at your man when he’s fucking you.”
Slowly, I opened my eyes, delighting in this side of him. “ Okay, Vaughn. I’ll watch you fuck me.” I said the words innocently enough, but when I scraped my teeth over my bottom lip, Vaughn’s demeanor shifted.
A primal growl rumbled from his throat, and the intense look in his eyes darkened. “Goddamn, woman. When you talk like that, it does something to me.” Then he drove back in with renewed fervor.
Vaughn released his hold on my wrists, planted his elbow beside my head, and attacked my neck with his teeth and tongue. Goose bumps covered my skin, and I dragged my fingernails down his back, urging him on.
Some couples might find the missionary position vanilla or boring. But for Vaughn, being face-to-face, having my body wrapped around his, was a profound experience he’d never thought he’d have again.
So we almost always started out this way—him pushing inside me while staring into my eyes—but where we ended up often surprised me. The shower, the floor, any number of available surfaces in the house if Daphne was out. I was pretty certain I’d never be able to look at our dining table again without my core clenching.
God, he was beautiful. That sharp jaw dusted in dark stubble, curved lips I could amuse myself with for days, and a pair of soul-shattering brown eyes I grew more in love with every moment.
I understood how people were intimidated by Vaughn. Hell, he’d made me nervous the first time we’d met. But now, all I saw was the amazing man who’d risked his life for me and for the hundreds he’d rescued. I saw a man who’d endured the most horrific of circumstances—twice—and remained committed to helping others despite the ever-present danger.
He kissed me again, softer this time. “You ruin me, Hope. You ruin me, and you rebuild me stronger. Each time I’m inside you, it’s like you’re stitching together every broken cell in my body. How do you do that? How do you make me a better man just by being with me?”
I traced my fingertips down the side of his face. “You’ve always been a good man, Vaughn. I just helped you to see it.”
He squeezed his lids shut for a moment before pressing his forehead to mine. “I fucking love you.”
I smiled, my heart full of more joy than I’d ever known. “I love you, too.”
Then he ground his hips into mine. Each thrust of his pelvis lit up my clit and pushed me to the edge again.
I dug my heels into his back. “Oh God, Vaughn.”
“Say it. No. Beg for it.”
“Please—” was all I got out before he slammed home one more time and my body ignited.
Vaughn kept working me through my release, extending my bliss until I was boneless beneath him.
A few moments later, he found his own climax. He thrust relentlessly like he couldn’t get far enough inside me.
Sweaty and panting, he swept a strand of hair from my face and held my gaze. “You’re so beautiful when you come.” Vaughn graced me with one more kiss before rolling onto his back and dragging a hand through his still-wet locks. “Do you really need to go to work right now?”
I scrunched my nose. “Not until this afternoon.”
Vaughn continued accompanying me to Javi’s each shift, watching over me from his table at the back like my devoted, lethal bodyguard. At first, he’d used the excuse that there were still rogue cartel cells active in the area, but as time went on with no suspicious activity, I wondered if he just wanted to be near me so he didn’t worry.
I was okay with that. I’d do whatever he needed to feel secure again after we’d both almost lost our lives. Vaughn’s mental health was a work in progress, you could say.
He shifted to face me with one hand propped beneath his head. The other gripped my hip, and those long tattooed fingers dug into my flesh. “Manipulative witch.”
I made a haughty expression. “I regret nothing.”
“Got everything you wanted, did you?” He narrowed his eyes, then his fingers drifted toward my pussy.
I squirmed as he gently parted my swollen lips. “I thought what we just did was my punishment.”
Vaughn’s mouth curved into a sinister smile. “Did I say I was done?” He dipped two fingers inside, scooped up our combined release, and smeared the sticky wetness across my belly.
I choked out a confused laugh. “ What are you doing?”
“Marking you. There ought to be enough pheromones in there to keep even the randiest fuckboy away from you at work today.” Vaughn repeated the process, and this time, he traced his fingers between my breasts and over my nipples, blowing across my skin to dry his bizarre artwork. Then he leaned in close and gave me a stern look. “You don’t shower before you go to work, and you don’t cover yourself in perfume. Are we clear?”
“Are you kidding me? I reek of sex.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” He nuzzled my neck and inhaled. “And you don’t just reek of sex; you smell like me and the orgasms I gave you.” The smirk on his face when he climbed out of bed and slipped on a pair of black gym shorts was positively wicked.
“Vaughn”—I sat up on my elbows—“Julio’s gay. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
He arched a brow. “More deception? That makes you an even bigger brat.” He pointed at my languid naked body. “You’re wearing my scent all day.” He picked up his discarded T-shirt from the floor and sniffed it. “And this.” He tossed it at my chest. “Tie it in a knot or whatever, but you’re wearing that, too.”
Unbelievable .
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.” I supposed I had been the instigator of Vaughn’s ultra possessiveness. If anyone called me out on my musky odor, I’d never recover. I rolled on my side to face him. “But you’re mopping the floors at closing time.”
“Don’t I always?” He winked, and my stomach fluttered.
Pussy, belly, heart. There was a whole lot of fluttering going on inside my body whenever this man was around.
And he was right. Whatever chores needed doing, be it at Javi’s or helping with the dogs, he was always first to lend a hand.
After leaving the hospital, we’d returned to Playa de la Palmera so Vaughn could convalesce while Daphne and I cared for him. Not that he’d let us. He’d constantly battled with Dee over what activities he was allowed to do while his punctured lung mended.
The blade Jorge had stabbed through Vaughn’s chest had also nicked an artery in his heart, causing him to almost bleed out before the surgeons had repaired it. I still had nightmares of being in that torture chamber, feeling utterly helpless as the man I loved hung from chains, dying before me.
Initially, Vaughn had lost a little weight while bedridden. But now, his tall tattooed form showed the bulky muscles he’d worked hard to rebuild, and he was as strong as the day we’d met. There was one fortuitous outcome from Vaughn’s injuries. He’d been forced to quit smoking to allow his lung to heal, and he felt all the better for it.
Aside from the ink-free scar tissue at his thigh, shoulder, and chest, you’d never know he’d been at death’s door three months ago. He’d told me he didn’t want to cover his newly imperfect skin with fresh ink. Those scars he’d wear as a symbol of the challenges we’d both overcome to be here. I was so proud of him.
The dogs out back started barking. Vaughn tensed and turned toward the window. I heard it then, too. A car approaching.
“Are we expecting a visitor?” he asked.
“Could be Dee home early. Maybe she forgot something.” She’d left this morning to visit a nearby village to make house calls.
Vaughn’s phone pinged. He grabbed it from the nightstand and checked the screen.
One side of his lips twitched. “It’s Brandon and Sage. They’re a day early.”
I slipped into my white linen shorts and Vaughn’s used tee, tying it in a front knot as he’d suggested, while my man remained shirtless. That was another change he’d embraced during his recovery. Vaughn no longer felt the need to cover his scars with long clothes, and if anyone was rude enough to ask what had happened to him, he straight up told them. No shame. No fear.
Titan and the other house dogs were pawing at the door when we made our way to the porch and a black Escalade came to a stop out front, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Brandon and Sage emerged from the vehicle, and we met them at the bottom of the stairs.
In a cute pair of cutoffs and a faded band T-shirt, Sage approached me with an easy smile and arms open for a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You, too.” We embraced, and I gave my new friend a squeeze.
Sage and I had become close during my time at the ranch, and we’d spoken on the phone regularly during Vaughn’s recovery. We messaged and chatted about all sorts of things, not just team stuff. It was nice to have another female friend after losing Mari.
Brandon, wearing Wranglers and a black T-shirt, gave Vaughn the usual fist bump, then leaned his large frame down to give me a hug. “Hope, how are you?”
“I’m good. Great, actually.”
When Brandon released me, he gave me a curious look accompanied by a small smile. “I can see that.”
Oh God. If he said anything about the way I smelled, I’d die of embarrassment.
“Hey, cranky pants.” Sage offered Vaughn her knuckles, but he didn’t return the gesture. He didn’t say anything at all as he stepped in cautiously and put his arms around her shoulders. Sage’s shock left her frozen only briefly before she slowly rested her hands on Vaughn’s back. “Um, wow. Someone’s making progress.”
The loose hug only lasted a second before they parted, but for Vaughn, this was a huge step.
He returned to my side, throwing an arm around me and scratching the back of his head. “I’m testing new limits. Figured you’d kick my ass if I didn’t react well.”
We were working on the theory that a woman’s touch would be less threatening to Vaughn since his torturers had been men. He’d been too nervous to try anything with Dee due to her frailty, but Sage, who was strong, fit, and a skilled fighter in her own right, was the perfect choice. All the same, I knew he’d never lash out at the woman who was like a sister to him.
Sage and Brandon followed us inside to the kitchen, giving pats to each of the house dogs on the way. I poured coffees and handed them to our visitors, who sat at the breakfast bar, while Vaughn and I took ours standing at the counter opposite them. Titan stretched out on the floor beside my feet.
It was the first time we’d seen Brandon and Sage since Manzanillo, and even though we’d talked on the phone often, we took some time now to chat and catch up. Sage wanted to know more about our dog rescue operation, and Brandon gave Vaughn an update on the missions the team was currently working.
Vaughn braced his palms on the counter. “What do you say, boss? Can I come back to work?”
Hesitation gnawed at me whenever I thought about Vaughn carrying out more dangerous missions, but now that he was healthy again, he was itching to get back in the field. He felt like he was letting the team down by spending his days here with me. And truthfully, the man needed something to do other than delivering growls and menacing stares to any man who looked at me twice or tipped poorly. He needed something to sink his teeth into that would give him purpose again. I’d support him in any way I could, even if it meant him rejoining the team.
Brandon drew in a deep breath and held it. “No.”
“No?” Vaughn lowered his chin. “Why the fuck not?”
“At the risk of sounding like a shady businessman, I have an opportunity for you. For both of you, if you’re interested.”
Vaughn and I glanced at each other.
“Things are quieter in Mexico now that the major cartels have fallen, but there’s still plenty of activity south of here. We suspect the South American cartels will try to reestablish trade routes through these parts. If we abandon our operations here now, in a couple of years, we’ll be back where we started, with dominant cartels running the country.”
Sage took a sip of coffee and rested the cup on the counter. “That’s where you come in, Vaughn. We want you to establish a Mexican base to run our Central and South American operations. Montana is too far away to mobilize a quick reaction force, and Brandon’s busy with other projects.”
“Wait.” Vaughn frowned. “You want me to start a base and run operations in the region?”
Brandon shrugged. “You’ve got a lot of connections and understand more about logistics in these parts than anyone else on our team. You’re experienced, speak fluent Spanish, and are already settled in-country. I can’t think of anyone better for the role.”
Vaughn blinked a bunch of times while staring at his friends.
I slapped him on the arm. “Don’t look so surprised. Brandon and Sage know what they’re talking about. You’d be perfect for this.”
Vaughn raked a hand through his hair and choked back a laugh. “Okay. I accept.”
“Excellent.” Brandon rested his arm on the back of Sage’s barstool. “We’ve already scouted a suitable parcel of land not far from here. It’ll need a lot of work. Design and construction of a runway, hangars, fuel-storage facilities, offices, and an armory. And we were thinking about building accommodations close to the coast to house a team. Somewhere for the guys to relax between ops.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this,” Vaughn said.
“We have.” Brandon glanced at his wife. “Sage will continue to run your intel from the ranch, but I’ll be working on something new. Something closer to home.”
Brandon seemed reluctant to give details, so I respected his privacy by not asking for any. Surprisingly, Vaughn did the same.
“Hope, we have a job for you, too, if you’re willing,” Sage said.
I leaned my hip against the counter. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’ve been thinking that the trafficking survivors and veterans dealing with PTSD could benefit from a therapy-dog program. Since you have a lot of dogs who need loving homes and we have a lot of people with love to give, we figured it could be a match made in heaven. You train them; we find them homes. ”
“That sounds amazing.” A wide smile split my face. “I’ll need to upskill to be qualified to train therapy dogs, but I’d love to do that.”
She curled her long dark locks behind her ears. “We’d also be willing to provide funding for you to expand your capabilities here. A bigger clinic, specialized staff, extra cages. Whatever you need, but I can see a lot of dogs and people benefiting from this alliance. Don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.” I could hardly believe this. Brandon and Sage were offering Vaughn and me a way to stay together while both doing jobs we were passionate about. “Yes. I accept, too. Thank you so much.” I rounded the breakfast bar to give Sage and Brandon tight hugs.
There was no champagne in the house, so we celebrated with more coffee, and after we showed our guests the rescue facilities out back, all four of us took a walk along the beach.
Following lunch, a bunch of war stories, and plenty of laughs, Sage and Brandon said their goodbyes, promising to visit again soon. Then it was just Vaughn and me, standing on the front porch watching the dust settle as the Escalade disappeared down the driveway.
Vaughn draped an arm around my shoulder and tucked me against his side. “What do you say? Think you can handle me living here with you full-time?”
“I can handle you.” I turned to face him, wrapping my arms around his waist, drawing him nearer. “But if we’re going to make this our permanent home, I think it’s best we spruce up the casita so Daphne can get a peaceful night’s rest.”
“Hmm, the casita.” A sly smile formed on his lips. “I do have fond memories of that bathroom.”
“Maybe we should revisit those right now. I could join you in the shower this time, and?—”
“Wash my smell off you?” He raised one brow. “Not a chance. ”
I clasped my hands behind Vaughn’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “It’s lucky I love you, because you, sir, are one giant walking red flag.”
He ran his nose along the length of mine. “Never pretended to be anything else. What does that say about you?”
I sighed. “I guess it means red is my favorite color.”
“Damn straight.” Then Vaughn lifted me, and I wrapped my thighs around his waist so he could carry me inside.
After Brandon and Sage’s incredible job offers, I was floating on cloud nine, feeling brave and confident about what the future would look like for Vaughn and me.
For the first time in my life, I had everything I’d ever wanted. Friends, found family, the absolute love of my life. No more hiding from the world. No more shame about my past.
I placed my palm on Vaughn’s hard chest, feeling the ridges of scarred flesh, both old and new, and the strong beat of his steady heart.
And he was all mine.
The End