Chapter 70
CHAPTER
SEVENTY
JULIETTE
“I don’t think I should do this,” I say.
I’m standing in front of a mirror, staring at my reflection. “Yes, you really should. Babe, if I had your body, I would be unstoppable.”
Looking over my shoulder, I arch my brow as I look back at the beyond curvy and sexy woman who is standing just a few feet away from me. Elodie is wearing a little black dress that could stop traffic.
She is gorgeous, as always.
“You’re crazy,” I state.
“Long and lean, can wear anything on earth, and it looks amazing. Yeah, I’m so crazy.”
I shake my head once. “Curves and a body that goes for days, you’re crazy.”
There is a moment of silence before she rolls her eyes, then she moves toward me. Turning around to face her, I watch as she closes the distance between us.
“We’re going to agree to disagree, and instead of arguing back and forth, go visit our men.”
Before I can respond, she lifts her hand and gently glides her fingers across the inside of my wrist. She does it gently so I don’t cry out in pain. The ink is brand new, like, less than an hour old, and I’m going to show it off tonight.
As I glance down at the black ink on my wrist, my lips curve up into a smile. Loot. I never imagined in a million years that I would permanently put someone else’s name on my body, but here I am, name inked on me forever.
“He’s going to love this. Seriously.”
“Yeah,” I breathe.
I know he is.
Slade mentioned me getting his name inked on my body somewhere. I kept telling him that it was never going to happen. It’s been a bit of a point of contention between us. It’s something important to him, although I didn’t quite understand why until I talked to Elodie about it.
She’s got a Wrath tattoo. It brands her as his woman for everyone in their world to see, to know, to understand that she is untouchable. She is to be respected. She is Wrath’s old lady, better than his wife, but that, too.
Slade wants all of that for me. I can understand that, even if I don’t quite get it.
This world is all new to me. Hell, the world itself seems brand new to me.
Victor is gone. I don’t have to run and hide anymore.
It’s as if the entire planet burst into color.
What was once black, gray, and white is now filled with vibrant, electric colors.
Alex has also mentioned a tattoo for himself, but I don’t know how that would work for him, and he hasn’t confirmed or denied anything when it comes to Fantasy. All he did was give me information about it all, but I can tell he wasn’t really talking to me about it. He was talking more to himself.
What it means.
What it stands for. How important it is to Slade, and in turn, to Fantasy. I know that’s what he was thinking, and I didn’t call him on it, mainly because I think it’s sweet as hell.
Flicking my gaze to the fancy cursive lettering shouldn’t turn me on, but it does.
Extremely.
Loot.
Pressing my thighs together, I wonder how long I can hold off. I doubt very long. I’ve never wanted a man more than I want Slade Voss. And I want him all the damn time. When he’s near, when I just think about him… it doesn’t matter.
I want him every minute of every day. I have to wonder if there’s something wrong with me, but I’m also not sure I care.
Turning back around to the mirror, I take in my reflection. Elodie talked me into my first little black dress. The sleeves are flowy and stop just below my elbows, then bell out to skim my forearms.
It’s shorter than I would normally wear, and the lacy deep V goes down past my breasts. Thankfully, I don’t have much there, so even though the center of my chest is exposed, there’s no chance of anything popping out.
“Let’s go show your man his wedding gift.”
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I turn again, squaring my shoulders as I look across to her. “Let’s go show him.”
Wedding gift.
That’s exactly what it is, because our wedding day is just a month away. I’m sure it’s too soon. Nobody in their right mind would marry someone they hardly know, but here I am, ready to leap.
To jump directly into his arms.
I love him more than I imagined I could ever love another person.
We leave Elodie’s place, and Alex is already waiting in the car for us. We head straight for the clubhouse. It doesn’t take us long to get there, and I’m lost in thought for the entire drive.
My gaze focuses on the tattoo at my wrist again. I wonder when or if I’ll ever get tired of seeing his name on my skin. I can’t believe this is real. That I’ve marked my body, and in just a few short weeks, I’m going to have this man’s last name.
Voss.
Juliette Voss.
I’ve never wanted anything more. All of the pain, heartache, and fear were worth it because it led me to him.
To Slade.
I would have never found him had I stayed in Los Angeles. I wouldn’t have even found him if I’d stayed in Las Vegas. My running from Victor was the only way I was going to find him, which meant Victor had to chase me and scare the absolute hell out of me. But it was worth it.
I’ll never regret my time with him. I can be angry with him. I can vow to never forget what he did to me or how he made me feel, but the hate I had for him has vanished. And that’s because Slade has loved all that hate out of me.
My life is fuller and better than I could have ever imagined in a million years. The past doesn’t matter any longer. I don’t have to look over my shoulder or listen to every single noise in the night.
I sleep now. Peacefully. I sleep beside the man who would burn the world down for me. I would let him, too, because I know it would be in complete and total love. Not to control me or hurt me, but to protect me.
And I’ve never been happier.
We pull up to the clubhouse, and I’m the first one out of the car. I see him there. His back leaning against the building, his gaze focused on me. I close the distance between us, probably moving faster than I should in these wedge sandals, but I don’t care… He’d catch me if I fell.
“You good, honey?” he asks as soon as I am in front of him.
My lips slowly curve up into a smile. “I’m not,” I say. I’m great, not just good, but I don’t say that. “There’s something going on with my wrist. Will you look at it for me?”
Without a word, he reaches for my arm, and I expect him to roughly pull it toward him, but he doesn’t. Instead, his fingers gently curl around my wrist, and he guides it closer to his chest.
I watch as his chin dips slightly, then his eyes scan my flesh. He looks, then blinks, then I suck in a breath and hold it as it registers what I’ve just done.
“Honey,” he rasps. “You did it?”
My smile turns into a grin. “I did it,” I whisper.
“Why?”
“It’s important to you, and I love you. I’m going to be your wife, and now I’m officially your old lady.”
He lowers his head, his lips touching mine. “It means more to me than you could ever know, Jules.”
Pressing my chest against his, I whimper against his lips before I whisper something daring—something that I would have never said six months ago. But Slade brings this side out of me, this little bit of a wild side.
“Take me to bed, Slade. Show me just how much it means to you, so I can show you just how much you mean to me.”