Chapter 12
brONX
I wake up hard as fucking steel with my wife's ass pressed against my thigh and her hair spread across my pillow.
She's still on her side of the bed, but sometime during the night she migrated toward me instead of away. Progress, even if she'd deny it with her dying breath.
Last night's kiss is burned into my memory. I keep replaying the way she melted against me before snapping back to reality, the broken sound that escaped when I licked into her mouth, how her hips rocked forward like she couldn't help herself.
Then she had to go and ruin it by bringing up her fucking ex again.
I slide out of bed without waking her. She looks peaceful so I’ll give her a reprieve this morning and let her sleep. Besides, I need a special kind of shower this morning after having her pressed against me all night.
Cold water does nothing to kill the hard-on she's given me, so I wrap my fist around my cock and stroke myself off thinking about her mouth, her tits, the way she'd look riding me with that fire in her eyes.
Three minutes later I'm coming all over the shower tiles with her name on my lips.
By the time I'm dressed for the day, she's awake and making coffee in the kitchen wearing nothing but a thin tank top and shorts that show off legs I want wrapped around my waist.
“Sleep well, princess?” I ask, moving close enough to crowd her against the counter.
“Fine.” She doesn't look at me, just stares at the coffee maker like it holds the secrets of the universe.
I cage her in with my arms on either side of her body. “I'm picking up Connor from JFK this morning. Thought you might want to come.”
“I didn’t realize I’d get a leave of absence from my gilded penthouse cage.” Her head whips around, eyes bright with excitement before she catches herself. “But why would you want me there?”
“Maybe because he's your brother and you've missed him.”
“Or maybe because you want to control the narrative from minute one.”
Smart fucking girl. Too smart for her own good sometimes.
“Can't it be both?” I let my mouth hover near her ear. “You smell like my sheets, wife.”
She elbows me in the ribs, hard. “Back the fuck off.”
“Never.” I step closer instead, pressing her fully against the counter. “Did you dream about me last night?”
“I dreamed about stabbing you with kitchen knives.”
“Kinky. I like it when you get violent.”
The coffee maker beeps and she ducks under my arm to escape, but I catch her wrist.
“You're coming with me to get Connor.”
“I don't take orders from you.” She snarls the words but we both know she wouldn’t turn down the opportunity.
“You do when it comes to your brother's safety.” I let that sink in for a second. “He's under my protection now. That means my rules.”
Her jaw clenches, but she nods. Victory tastes sweet as fuck.
Two hours later we're at JFK, standing in arrivals like a normal married couple instead of two people locked in psychological warfare.
People spill into the baggage claim area and I know him as soon as I see him, mainly because of the resemblance to his sister. Connor Blake looks exactly like what I expected.
He’s young, clean-cut, and carries himself with the confidence of someone who's never had to truly fight for anything.
Every inch the golden boy his sister sacrificed everything to protect.
“Tier!” He drops his bag and sweeps her into a hug that lifts her off the ground.
Watching them together, seeing her face light up with genuine joy for the first time since I've known her, does something strange to my chest. She's beautiful when she's happy. Fucking radiant.
And I want to be the one putting that expression on her face.
“Connor, this is my husband, Bronx,” she says in a tight voice when they break apart.
I extend my hand and he shakes it with a firm grip, looking me straight in the eye. “Thank you for this. For protecting Tierney and giving me somewhere safe to stay.”
“Family takes care of family,” I reply, meaning it more than I expected to. And I don’t miss the appreciative look on Tierney’s face when she meets my eyes.
During the drive back to Manhattan, Connor peppers us with questions about New York, about the apartment, about how we're settling into married life.
Tierney deflects most of the ones about us, clearly not interested in rehashing our newlywed experience, but I catch her watching me in the rearview mirror when she thinks I'm not looking.
“You’ll be staying in an apartment three floors down from us,” I say.
“It’s easier to keep you close. We have security staked out at the building so it’s safer than a hotel.
You’ll have your privacy but Tierney will only be upstairs.
The place is fully furnished, stocked with food, and has a killer view of Central Park, too. ”
When we get back to the building, I pull into my spot in the garage and we take the elevator up to Connor’s new apartment.
“This is incredible,” Connor says when we walk inside. He immediately goes over to the floor to ceiling windows, his jaw damn near hitting the floor. “I’ve never seen a view like this,” he murmurs. “Place must’ve cost a fortune.”
“Yeah, it’s prime real estate in this section of the city.” I lean against the marble kitchen counter. “Just follow the security protocols and don't leave without checking in with us first. The best way to keep you safe is for us to know where you are at all times.”
Connor nods, a wide smile spreading across his face. “Of course. I can't thank you enough for this.”
Tierney stands by the windows with her arms crossed, one eyebrow lifted and suspicion written all over her face. She knows there's an angle here. She just hasn't figured out what it is yet.
But she’s gonna try. That wife of mine is stubborn as hell. She won’t stop until she’s got my balls in her fist, ready to squeeze.
“We should let you get settled,” she says, turning to Connor with a bright, warm smile and for a second, I can’t drag my eyes away. Shit, she’s fucking stunning when she smiles for real. “I'll check on you later.”
We say our goodbyes and leave the apartment. By some miracle, Tierney manages to stay quiet until we're in the elevator when I know the words were on her tongue, ready to lance.
“Why are you really doing this??” she asks.
I shrug. “I’m a man of my word..”
“Bullshit.” Her eyes narrow, spitting blue sparks. “You’re a man who doesn’t do anything without expecting something in return.”
The elevator doors slide open and she stalks into the penthouse ahead of me.
“Maybe what I expect is for you to stop looking at me like I'm the enemy,” I say.
She spins around, hair whipping over her shoulder. "You are the enemy, asshole. You’re trying to control every aspect of my life, and Connor is an example of that..”
I shake my head. “You really are delusional, princess. First off, let’s get something straight right now. Your father is the one who forced you on my family, not the other way around. And second, how exactly am I using Connor by putting him up rent free a few floors below you?”
Her nostrils flare and she clenches her teeth. “It’s your weak attempt to make me grateful. By doing something nice so I'll let my guard down.”
I move toward her slowly, like approaching a wild animal, which she most definitely is. But she doesn’t bolt. She stands there, waiting, watching me. “And is it working?”
“No.”
“Liar.” I'm close enough now to see the pulse jumping in her throat. “You were happy at the airport then again when we were downstairs. Really, genuinely happy for the first time since I've known you.”
“Because I was with Connor, not because of anything you did.” She slants me a look. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
I point a finger at myself. “I'm the one who brought him here so you’d be close to him.”
She doesn’t need to know the real reason why he’s here. If I can win a round, I’m sure as hell gonna take it.
“Please.” She rolls her eyes. “He’s close because you have an agenda. I’m not na?ve.”
“Maybe.” I reach out and graze my thumb against her cheek. Heat flares in her gaze. She stiffens, no doubt trying like hell not to lean into it. Oh, it is gonna be amazing when she finally cracks. “Or maybe I’m trying to be a good husband for my argumentative wife..”
Before she can respond, my phone buzzes with a text from Kingston.
We need to talk. Now.
“I have to go,” I tell her, stepping back. “I’ll be back later.”
“How will I ever survive without your wit and charm?” Her eyebrows fly up in mock excitement. “Thank goodness you’re leaving me here to choke on your sickening cologne cloud while you’re away?” She clutches her heart. “How am I the luckiest girl in the world?”
I snicker. “I think we’re tied for luckiest in the world, princess.”
She flips me off and I pull the door closed behind me, unable to bite back the smile.
The drive to Kingston's office gives me time to prepare for what's coming. He’s gonna be all over my ass about that damn USB but he doesn’t realize that putting a crack in her armor is like melting a glacier with a goddamn hair dryer.
He's been patient about the Tierney situation, but patience isn't one of his stronger qualities.
“How's married life?” he asks when I walk into his office.
“Complicated.” I drop into a chair. “But you remember what that’s like, yeah?”
He chuckles. “Is she falling for you yet?”
I think about last night's kiss, the way she responded before pulling away. “Getting there.”
“Good. Because we need to accelerate the timeline. The longer that USB is out of our hands, the more at risk we are.” He pours himself a scotch even though it's barely past noon. “Our sources in Dublin are getting nervous. They say Declan Blake seems antsy about something. Desperate, almost. They keep watching but they’re not getting much else. And I don’t like desperation.
It makes people do stupid shit. Desperate is dangerous, and I don’t want to be caught in the middle of whatever the hell he’s involved with. ”
I sweep a hand through my hair, a deep sigh heaving from my chest. “I'm working on it.”
“Work faster.” Kingston's voice thunders between the walls with that edge that makes smart men nervous. “I don't care if you have to fuck her into submission. Get her to pressure her father for that USB.”
“She doesn't trust me enough yet to make that call. She’s still deciding whether or not she hates me.”
“Then make sure she decides fast that she doesn’t. Get her to trust you. Use the brother if you have to. What the fuck ever."
The suggestion twists my gut, but I nod anyway. “Connor's here now. That should help.”
“It better. We took him in for Declan. Fuck, we’re in this up to our eyeballs because of him and Declan.” He shoots the liquor and slams the glass on the top of his desk. “And you know what happens if she can't deliver her father's cooperation..."
Kingston lets the threat hang in the air.
I know what he's not saying. If Tierney can't deliver, she becomes expendable. Connor, too.
And that really lands like a lead weight.
“I'll handle it,” I say.
“You bet your fucking ass you will.”
By the time I get back to the penthouse, it's past eight. Tierney's in the kitchen, reheating what looks like Chinese takeout.
“Connor wanted to explore the neighborhood,” she says without looking up. “I told him to be back by ten. A couple of the security guys are tailing him around, just in case.”
“Good. We need to talk.”
“About what?” Her voice is flat. She doesn’t bother to turn around, and it spikes a fire in my chest.
I slide myself up against her back, resting my hands on either side of her body. “About why you're fighting this so hard.”
“Fighting what?” Her shoulders square, spine tensing.
“This.” I press closer, letting her feel every inch of me pressed into her. “Us.”
Her hands freeze on the takeout containers. “There is no us.”
“Tell that to the way you kissed me last night.”
“You kissed me and I wasn’t into it.”
“Oh yeah?” My mouth finds the spot where her neck meets her shoulder, and I feel her shudder at my breath hitting her skin. “Because it felt like you were pretty fucking into it.”
She tries to turn around but I keep her trapped against the counter. “Let me go,” she rasps.
“Not until you admit what's happening between us. I know you feel it, too. Stop trying to deny it.”
“Nothing's happening—"
I spin her around and slam my mouth over hers, swallowing her protest. She fights me for about two seconds before melting into me, her hands fisting my shirt.
This kiss is hungrier than last night's, more desperate. I walk her backward until she hits the refrigerator, then lift her up so she can wrap her legs around my waist.
“Fuck,” she moans against my mouth. “We can't do this."
“We can,” I growl, grinding into her denim-covered pussy. “We're married, remember?”
“That's not real—"
“This is real.” I bite down on her lower lip, making her buck her hips. “This is the realest thing either of us has.”
I dig my fingertips into her back, devouring her like she’s my last meal on earth. She fists my hair, tugging it hard as our tongues tangle and tussle. My cock strains against my pants. I tug open my belt when Connor's voice echoes from the foyer.
“Tier? I'm back!”
She pulls away and wiggles out of my arms. I let her down, both of us panting hard.
“We can't do this,” she whispers, straightening her clothes.
“Why not?” I pull my belt closed.
“Because...” She runs her hands through her hair, looking everywhere but at me. “Because it complicates everything.”
“Like everything isn’t already complicated?”
Connor appears in the kitchen doorway, grinning wide. “Hope I'm not interrupting anything.”
“Not at all,” Tierney says too quickly, moving even farther away from me, leaving plenty of room between us for the huge ass elephant. “How was your walk?”
“It was fantastic. I love this city. It’s so full of life. Going to school here is going to be…”
I tune out Connor’s impressions of the city as I watch my wife try to pretend she wasn't just ready to let me fuck her against the refrigerator
I saw the way she responded. Felt how much she wanted it.
She can lie to herself all she wants. But her body's telling me a very different story.
And tomorrow, I'm going to find out just how far I can push her before she shatters at my feet.
Because Kingston's deadline is real and hanging over my head like a guillotine blade, and I need Tierney Blake to fall in love with me before it's too late…for all of us.
The problem is I need to figure out how to keep this whole sham strictly business when every kiss makes me want to forget about missions and just keep her.