11. Riley
I siton the side of the bathtub and watch it fill up with water. I’m sore all over, the aches and pain from my time in captivity slowly overtaking the relaxation and relief I found with Logan.
Hopefully, the bath will help. With my body, at least. My mind is worn out too.
It’s hard to believe that earlier this morning, I was still Austin’s captive.
It’s even harder to keep my thoughts from veering to the harsh, dark reality of what may be coming next.
We’re all alive, so that’s a plus. The way things had gone down when the men came to make the exchange, it’s all too easy to imagine it having gone a different way, but we’re still standing. Whatever Austin plans on doing with the money, at least Maddoc is still in charge, the Reapers have survived to fight another day, and we managed to get Chloe out before all hell breaks loose.
Knowing she’s going to be far away and relatively safe when the fighting breaks out means a lot.
Knowing my men allowed me to stay here, with them, where I belong, means even more.
I stand up and slide my thong down over my hips, letting my eyes flutter closed as I step into the mostly full tub and sucking in a sharp breath when the piping hot water laps at every cut, scrape, and bruise on my battered body.
I lower myself down, sinking as low as I can with my head still above water and letting the rush of sensation wash over me. The heat hurts like hell, but feels so unbelievably good at the same time, and slowly, one by one, my muscles start to relax.
I exhale the breath I’ve been holding and then inhale deeply. The realization that I can relax, that I can take as long as I want, sit here until the water cools if I choose to, hits me harder than it should.
I’m free now.
Free.
Once, this house felt like my prison. Now it’s my sanctuary. Nobody is on the other side of that door, timing me and waiting to walk me back to that windowless little hell hole of a room Austin was keeping me in. I don’t have to answer to anyone here, or worry about what kind of whim that sadistic fucker will want to exercise on me next. Taking a long, proper bath was the last thing on my mind while I was West Point’s prisoner, but now I’m wondering how I survived without this.
I scoot down even further and lay my head back, letting the water come right up to the edge of my face before closing my eyes again and slipping completely under the water.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
Bringing my head back up out of the water, I open my eyes and take another deep breath. I’m not just washing away layers of dirt right now. I’m getting the stink of captivity off me. I’m letting go of piece after piece of mental armor, and brick after brick of the walls I built to keep myself sane.
And not just during my time of captivity with West Point.
Yes, I built those walls and put on that armor to keep myself alive until Maddoc and his Reapers could find me, or I could figure out a way to escape on my own. But I’ve been protecting myself my whole damn life, I’ve been the only one protecting myself, and now I’m not alone anymore.
Three men who used to be my enemies put their lives on the line to get me back today.
They weren’t sure their plan could work.
They didn’t know how many men Austin was bringing.
If anything—anything—had gone wrong, Maddoc would have been taken in exchange for my freedom.
And then he would have been killed.
I’m still shuddering from that thought when the door swings open on silent hinges. Maddoc. He stands in the doorway with his arms folded across his broad chest, his eyes locked onto mine, and a wave of such strong emotion goes through me that I’m not sure what to do with it.
He didn’t knock, but I don’t ask him to leave.
He takes a step toward me, then another. Finally, his eyes break away from mine and quickly roam up and down my body.
“Those cuts and bruises,” he starts, frowning as his voice rumbles up from somewhere deep in his chest. “Did you get them looked at?”
I nod, my thighs squeezing together of their own volition. The inspection was deliciously painful, but what it led to has me feeling closer to Logan than I once would have thought possible.
Maddoc is still frowning, though.
“It looks worse than it actually is.” I glance down at my own naked body and swallow hard. “Mostly.”
It comes out as a broken whisper, the memory of being at Austin’s mercy overtaking me for a moment.
Maddoc sits down on the side of the tub and traces a finger along a deep scratch on my shoulder, one left by Austin’s ring.
I lean into his touch. Logan treated each mark. Cared for me and cleansed me. But I need this too. I need Maddoc’s hands on me, staking a claim and erasing Austin’s.
His eyes snap up to meet mine, almost as if he can sense it, and I bite back a needy moan, my pulse thrumming.
Without saying another word, Maddoc reaches for the shampoo bottle and squeezes some out into his palm, then rubs his hands together, lathering it up.
“I’m glad Logan took care of you,” he says, his movements slow and methodical and his meaning clear.
He is glad… but it’s not enough. He wants to take care of me too.
His strong hands are surprisingly gentle as he works the shampoo into my hair and massages my scalp. I know the kind of violence these hands are capable of, but the simple gesture is full of so much care and tenderness that I can’t help feeling my throat start to tighten as he works his fingers from my scalp through the long waves that spill down my back.
I don’t say a word. I don’t want to risk opening my mouth and spoiling the moment we’re sharing. It feels inevitable and almost sacred, reminding me of the way Logan bathed me and took care of me after Frank died.
Once, I never would have imagined that any of the Reapers were capable of making me feel safe, protected, or cherished, but that’s exactly what Logan gave me then, and what Maddoc is giving me now. It’s what I’ve found in Dante’s art studio too. These men take care of me, always. It’s never happened before, not really, and it feels really fucking good.
I lean into Maddoc’s touch, watching his stern face as it softens, his focus completely on me.
I know him better now, and I can see right through that mask he wears as the Reapers’ leader. I know his heart—all of their hearts—and they know mine. And it doesn’t matter that we haven’t exactly put those feelings into words yet, I—
No, it does matter.
Suddenly, it really matters.
Life’s too fucking short, and these men mean everything to me. When I sacrificed myself by going with Austin, there was too much still unspoken, and in their world—my world now, too—everything can change, or end, in a moment.
Maddoc tips my head back and turns on the water, rinsing my hair and giving me no choice but to look up at him.
He smiles, a private one meant just for me.
I hold his gaze, my heart fluttering. “Why did you do what you did today?”
“You didn’t want me to wash your hair?” The corners of his mouth twitch. “You didn’t seem to mind while I was doing it.”
I laugh and it feels good to let go for a second, but then I shake my head, my heart too full to stay silent about this right now.
“You know that’s not what I meant.” I swallow, then let myself fall into the black-ringed-gray of his eyes as his face gets serious too. “Earlier,” I whisper. “Why did you risk yourself to get me free?”
He goes still for a moment, his hands a comforting weight as they rest on my shoulders. “You know why.”
My heart beats faster. The look he’s giving me is so intense I can practically feel the air crackle between us, but I need to hear it. I need the words.
“Tell me.”
The silence stretches out, and the sound of my heart beating like a frantic, insistent drum in my ears is all I can hear. I know Maddoc isn’t used to opening up like this any more than I am. He didn’t flinch from the bullets flying around us during the exchange with West Point, but somehow, this feels riskier. More dangerous. Terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
“Tell me why,” I repeat, the request more breath than air. “I want to hear you say it.”
Finally, he speaks, his voice low and quiet, gravelly with emotion. “I did it because I couldn’t stand the thought of you being hurt. Held captive. Kept from me.”
A warm flush moves through my body.
For a moment, I think that’s all he’s going to give me, and it’s… enough. It’s not everything, but I know it’s the truth, and it is enough.
“Thank you.” I cover one of his hands with mine, holding his rough palm against my wet skin. “I—”
“Riley,” he says, cutting me off. A muscle in his jaw works, and his eyes practically bore a hole through mine. “I did it because I’m falling in love with you.”
I suck in a quick breath, and he catches my chin between his thumb and finger, pinning me in place more effectively than any captivity.
“Your turn. Why the hell did you sacrifice yourself to that son of a bitch?”
“Because I’m falling in love with you too,” I whisper, the words hovering in the air between us. I swallow and, before he can say anything, before I can lose my nerve, I add, “And with Logan and Dante.”
His brothers.
His seconds.
Maddoc’s eyes burn into mine, and my nerves settle down even as passion flares in my blood from the heat in his gaze.
He already knows. He feels just as strongly about Logan and Dante, in his own way, as I do. And he doesn’t seem possessive, or pissed off to hear me say it. He looks… satisfied. Almost smug.
Then he palms the back of my head and kisses me.
I melt into his touch, exactly where I want to be. My aches and pains are forgotten. My exhaustion replaced by something hot and needy and insistent that this man always brings out in me.
I reach up and tug him closer, water sloshing out of the tub, and he smiles against my lips.
“My butterfly,” he murmurs, kissing me deeper, dirtier, as he leans over me, his free hand sliding down to my breast.
I arch up into his touch, splashing him again, and he squeezes just hard enough to make my breath hiss out in a needy whine, my nipple pebbling from the friction of his palm despite the warmth of the bath.
His lips are just as possessive as his touch as he moves his hand down my body, beneath the water, and emotions fill me hot and fast. Familiar, electric ones as I respond to his touch, but softer, giddier ones too.
I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and tug him even closer, then laugh into the kiss. “You’re getting all wet.”
He pulls back just enough to smirk at me, working his hand down between my legs and then dipping inside me and making me moan before I can catch myself.
“Pretty fucking wet yourself.” His voice is like a growl, low and primal and so damn sexy I go from teasing to feeling so hungry for more that I can’t help but whimper.
I only have to wait for a moment before he hauls me out of the bathtub and lifts me, dripping, into his arms. Neither one of us reach for a towel, and I wrap my legs around his waist and scrape my nails through his dark brown hair as I yank his head back to mine, greedy for him, as he turns without a word and heads out into the hall, toward my room.
Dante is walking toward us, and those vibrant green eyes of his immediately fill with appreciation.
“Damn.” His voice is rough with all the same emotions that welled up between Logan and me; all the feelings Maddoc and I finally laid out in the open just now. “Best thing I’ve seen all day,” he says, stepping aside as Maddoc starts toward my bedroom. “Hell, all week.”
He lets his eyes roam over my naked body, but I know he means more than that.
He means the fact that I’m finally here. I’m home again. With them.
And I need both of them.
“Wait,” I whisper as Maddoc walks past Dante. I look over Maddoc’s shoulder and hold eye contact with Dante, my heart rate picking up yet again. “Join us.”
Maddoc grunts, his arms tightening around me, and Dante licks his lips, his signature grin spreading over his face as his eyes flare with heat.
“I’d fucking love to, princess,”
Maddoc takes my mouth again as Dante follows us, and when Dante steps up behind me as we enter my room, boxing me in between them and kissing my neck, I know for sure that this is exactly where I’m meant to be. Where we’re all meant to be.
Now, I just need them to get naked too.