Chapter Ten #2
He steps in closer, pressing his hips against mine, just enough friction to make me gasp. He holds there, his forehead resting against mine, breathing hard like he’s trying to keep control as his hands palm my breasts.
My fingers claw at his shoulders, the stretch of him stealing my breath completely. He holds still for half a second, chest pressed to mine, face inches away, breathing like he’s falling apart.
Then he starts to move.
Slow at first. Deep. Controlled. Each thrust stealing sound from my throat. His hand digs into my hip, guiding me against him, his mouth dragging across my jaw, my neck, my shoulder.
Without warning, he flips me over. A scream escapes, and I giggle when he swats my backside.
And then he’s back there, pressing against my entrance.
His hand wraps around my thigh, pushing it up against the worktop as he takes his time to slide into me.
His fingers entangle in my hair, tipping my head back.
He grips my jaw gently, forcing my gaze to his.
“Look at me.”
He withdraws equally as slowly; it’s torturous. And then, with his eyes burning into mine, he slams in hard, shoving me up the counter, bruising my hips against the marble. “Shit,” I hiss, squeezing my eyes closed.
He leans closer, his mouth pressed to my ear as he repeats the motion. His heavy pants do something to my insides as he continues his onslaught. Both of us climbing higher with each punishing thrust.
My head falls forward, and he tugs on my hair again, guiding my gaze back to his.
“Don’t look away,” he murmurs.
His movements become jerky, he reaches between us, his fingers finding my swollen clit. Within seconds, I’m shuddering through a second orgasm, my entire body quivering.
He follows, a low groan ripping from his chest as he loses control with me.
His movements slow to a stop, and the only sound in the room is our heavy breaths. His body stays over mine; his hand still tangled in my hair.
We don’t speak, and a dread begins to knot in the pit of my stomach.
We’ve been here before.
WARREN
I move from her, despite wanting to stay buried in her forever. She remains still, probably wanting to hold onto the moment just like me.
I trail a finger along her spine. “Why don’t you take a shower, I can send Anthony to get some clothes, or I can find you something in my—”
She stands, turning to me. “Do you regret it?” she blurts out, like she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
A faint smile tugs at my lips, and I brush my thumb over her swollen lower lip.
“No,” I tell her, because I don’t. Not even for a second.
“And if you don’t shower and dress, I’m gonna do it all over again,” I say with a smirk.
I press a chaste kiss to the corner of her mouth. “And then again, and again.”
She smiles, it’s genuine… happy even, and I know without a doubt, I cannot break this woman.
We shower together. Taking our time to explore one another as we wash the morning away.
We dry in silence, and then she pulls on my boxers, rolling them a few times at the top so they fit better, followed by one of my t-shirts.
I press a kiss to her nose, and I force her back to bed to rest. I climb in beside her, tucking her against me, her cheek over my heart, and my hand moving slowly through her hair as she settles.
And something in me settles too. It terrifies me.
I bow my head, lips brushing the crown of her hair. Soft. Warm. Real. God, I need her. And needing anyone has always been fatal in my family. But I’m done living the way he taught me. Done being the weapon he built. I won’t let my father use her. I won’t let Erik play his games.
She is mine to protect. Not theirs to break.
Her fingers tighten in my shirt, like she can hear the promise forming.
“Warren?” she murmurs softly against the silence.
“I’m here,” I whisper, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Her breathing steadies, her body melts fully into mine, and for the first time in years, the world is quiet.
I don’t know how long it’s been before there’s a knock at the door. A coded knock—three short, one long.
Anthony.
I exhale once, reluctantly shifting her just enough so she can remain asleep. I pull on joggers and unlock the door, stepping into the dark hallway and closing it softly behind me.
Anthony stands there, his jaw tight. His voice is low. “I’ve got more information.”
My stomach turns cold. “You’d better come in.”
We go into my office and close the door. He hands me a thin folder. “Your mother, Elena, was in a relationship with Mick Rowe.”
Everything inside me goes still. Mick. Leoni’s father. Suddenly, it begins to click into place.
“How long?” I mutter, gripping the worktop.
“I think it lasted almost two years, give or take.” Anthony’s voice is grim. “It wasn’t just some fling. He cared about her. And she cared about him. She was going to leave your father.”
My chest goes tight.
“Did he know?”
“About the affair? Yes. But about Mick, no. He only found that out recently.”
“Makes sense. That’s why he hired Leoni. That’s why he ended Isaac.”
“Seems that way. He’s known about the informant shit for years and was happy to sit on that knowledge, Mick’s been hiding in seg for so long, your father obviously decided to wait it out. But this, this he won’t forgive. This he wants blood for.”
“He won’t stop until he’s finished him,” I mutter, rubbing at my brow.
Heat coils through me, rage burning in my stomach.
My pulse slams behind my ribs. “My father killed her,” I state firmly.
This information has confirmed what I already knew in my gut.
“And now he’s killing Mick’s family, slowly, deliberately, to drag him out of protective custody. To finish the job.”
Anthony nods once. “So, what’s the next move?”
I glance back towards my bedroom, and the decision comes instantly. “We stop playing his game,” I say. “And we start building our own.”
I am the son my father raised, and he’s about to find out how much he underestimated me.
She’s still asleep when I dress. Curled in the sheets like she’s finally relaxed. I kneel beside the bed and brush my fingers lightly down her arm. “Leoni,” I murmur.
She stirs, her eyes fluttering open, hazy and soft. “Warren?”
“I have to go to the office.” Her expression dips. Panic or disappointment? I can’t tell. I shake my head, slow, reassuring. “Just a few hours. That’s all.”
She exhales, shoulders sinking. “Right. Work.”
My hand cups her jaw. “You stay here. Rest. Eat. Shower. Don’t leave the apartment, Leoni.”
Her eyes search mine. “Why?”
Because you’re not safe. Because my father is hunting your family. Because if Erik gets near you, I’ll kill him, and I’m not ready to start that war today.
I settle for something she’ll accept, and something true. “Because I said so.” And I add a smile to appease her.
She nods.
I press a warm, lingering kiss to her forehead, one I don’t think about, don’t plan, it just comes easy, like breathing. Then I leave before I lose the ability to.
The Baxter Corporation building feels colder today. Empty, like everything I’ve poured into this place is tainted now, built on lies.
The main receptionist looks up as I stride past, just like she does every morning, with a longing in her eyes that tells me I could fuck her right over her desk in front of everyone, and she wouldn’t be the least bit embarrassed.
“Good morning, Mr Baxter.”
“Morning,” I mutter, unable to hide the irritation in my voice.
“How’s Leoni?” she asks, a smirk pulling at her lips.
I pause, turning to face her. Her smile fades instantly, and she sits straighter, like she can feel the storm brewing. “What did you say?” I ask, my voice deadly low.
She visibly swallows. “She seemed upset when she left yesterday and she hasn’t arrived for work yet,” she almost whispers. “I was just wondering if she was okay.”
“And why would I know that?” I snap.
I feel Anthony's presence behind me. Then his hand on my shoulder. “Shall we head up to the office, boss?” he murmurs, distracting me from my outburst. I take a breath and nod, continuing on to the lift.
I step out onto my floor, and Erik is there, leaning against my office door, smiling like a wolf in every childhood nightmare.
“Morning, brother,” he drawls. “You look tired.” I keep walking, ignoring him and dropping my bag beside my desk. I sit, then reach into it to get my laptop. “Where’s Leoni?” he asks, his tone casual.
“Not here.”
“She’s usually here by now, aren’t you worried?”
“Why should I be? She lost her brother; she’s been in and out of here.”
“Maybe I should drop by her place.”
I glance up, and he’s grinning now. “But she wouldn't be there would she, because she’s hiding out…at your place.” I don’t react. Not externally. He steps closer, his voice low. “This feels like sabotage, Warren. Like you’re trying to win something that isn’t yours to win.”
I hold his eye contact, “Are you worried Daddy will be disappointed in you again?”
“It’s not me he’s keeping secrets from.”
I clench my jaw and open my laptop, trying to give off the vibe I’m unbothered. “Why exactly do you want to see Leoni?”
He folds his arms. “She confided in me, brother. I simply want to check if she's okay.”
“You’re not touching her.”
He laughs. “There he is. The dog, guarding a bone he doesn’t even want to keep.
” My jaw tenses, and I rise to my feet. He steps into my space, noses practically brushing, the way only brothers who have bled together can.
“You don’t get to rewrite the roles now,” Erik murmurs.
“You were promised Nancy. I was promised the girl. That’s the play. Father chose it.”
I smile, cold, humourless, lethal. “You think I give a fuck about his play?” Erik’s eyes sharpen. I step closer, voice quiet enough to be intimate and threatening all at once. “We’re playing it my way, brother. New rules. New game. New players.”
His eyes narrow, confusion sparking there. “We’re not done,” he says, slipping past me, his shoulder clipping mine.
“I know, we’re only just starting.” And as he continues his long strides out of the office, I call, “You picked the wrong side, Erik. The wrong Baxter to impress.”
The line is drawn now. Erik wants to use her. My father wants to destroy her family.
And I?
I want to protect her.