Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
VIOLET
Ipecked Dimitros on his forehead and said, “Okay, bedtime. We all need to get some sleep so we can function tomorrow. I intend to talk to your papa tomorrow and convince him to let me stay with you all.”
I slid off the bed and stood up, but before I turned to leave, Dimitros’s words froze me in my tracks.
“You won’t have to convince him. He’s been tracking you for the past ten years and eliminating any men from your life.”
“What? How do you know that?”
Dimitros shot me a guilty look. “I kind of snooped in his office and found a file on you.”
Harsh breaths came and left my lungs while fear coiled deep in my stomach. Not for me, but for all the failed chances at companionship I’d had over the years. No wonder moving on had been impossible, considering Lykos stalked in the shadows to ensure no man ever got close enough to me.
“Are you mad?” Dimitros asked.
I let out a frustrated breath. “Well, I’m not exactly happy.”
He winced. “Don’t tell my dad… Please.”
“I won’t, but promise me you’ll go to sleep now.”
He smiled and said, “You got it,” then turned on his side, holding Aria’s hand and closing his eyes.
I left the bedroom with tears burning my eyes at the loneliness I’d endured.
Standing in the dark hallway, I forced myself to calm down and consider what I’d learned. It wasn’t as if I could have met the love of my life. I’d never felt much of anything toward any man over the years. Just going on dates was a chore I’d eventually given up on.
The part that bothered me was the invasion of my privacy. Or maybe it was the fact that he was so close yet so far away all this time.
Taking several deep breaths, I drew strength from my years of training as a therapist to keep calm. It was something that was a necessity in my profession. Then I went looking for Lykos. Judging by the tug in my heart, this was where I belonged.
The living room was empty. The kitchen was too, all cold counters and gleaming surfaces. I kept moving, my footsteps soft as I traced the length of the hallway, seeking the one man I’d wanted in my life.
I finally found him in his office.
He was slumped over the desk, arms folded beneath him, his head resting on them as if the weight of it all had finally become too much to carry. He appeared exhausted, dark shadows swirling all around him like dark clouds.
“Lykos,” I called out.
He straightened in his chair and leveled me with an expression so soft it drew a shuddering breath from my lungs and made my throat tighten.
“You’re mad,” he stated slowly. I was considering how to address what I’d learned without exposing Dimitros, when Lykos added, “Don’t bother to deny it. Tell me what’s wrong. No more bullshit between us.”
“I agree.” I headed toward him and took a seat across the desk. “Have you interfered in my life over the last ten years?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
He held my gaze, unapologetically and with calm conviction. “I got rid of any man who tried to get close to you.”
“Did you…” I paused, unsure if I wanted to know the truth. However, he said it himself: No more bullshit between us. So, I pushed the question past my lips. “Did you kill them?”
“Not all of them.”
“Why?”
“You’re Aria’s mom. It was my job to keep tabs on you and keep you safe.”
My eyes widened until my eyebrows met my hairline. “I wasn’t in danger from those men. Not for a moment.”
“I couldn’t risk one of them sweeping you off your feet.”
“Why is that?”
He shrugged. “At first, I was furious that you abandoned our child. I told myself I was keeping an eye on you for her sake. To ensure you didn’t come back for her. But as years went on, I finally admitted the truth to myself.”
“Which was?”
“That I didn’t want anyone else to have you, touch you, kiss you. It was my worst fear you’d show up with some black-tie perfect schmuck who would think he could be a father to my child. Of course, I would never allow that.”
“And later?” I prompted him to continue. Lykos’s fierce attitude could be scary and a turn-on, but it was important we lay it all out and be honest with each other.
He sighed.
“And later, I admitted it was because I wanted you only for myself. I knew I couldn’t have you. I was a married man, but…”
He trailed off, and when it looked like he wasn’t going to continue, I encouraged him. “And?”
“I hoped that life would give me a second chance with you, even though I didn’t deserve it.
My blue balls were killing me, and maybe a reasonable man would have found a way to move on with a woman without standards and morals.
But I wanted you. I needed you. I told myself I was trying to be a good husband, but if we’re being honest, I was being faithful to you from the moment you touched me that cold winter night. ”
“Okay, then,” I breathed in a barely audible voice while we stared at each other, two lonely humans who had spent so many years alone while always thinking of each other.
“Are you shocked?”
“Yes and no,” I admitted. “Because a part of me thought about you and wanted you too. Yes, I went on dates, but I’ve always compared them to you. Their eyes, their smile, everything.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
In all the years of my profession, I never truly understood how vulnerable my patients felt. Until now. It was equally empowering and terrifying to tell someone how you feel. There was a fear of rejection, ridicule, and that fragile, vulnerable feeling of hope that you’re scared would get squashed.
Yet, here we were. Both of us were equally vulnerable and equally starved for one another.
“Don’t kill any more men on my behalf. Okay?” I added in a soft voice.
He remained silent, watching me. “I can’t make that promise. Not right now.”
My brow furrowed. “But I won’t be going on dates with any other men anymore.”
He nodded. “That’s good. It’ll save the population of men. They can have other women; you’re mine.”
I let out an incredulous breath, stuck between laugh and shock. “No beating around the bush.”
“We’ve wasted too much time already, golden one,” he rasped. His dark eyes studied me. “You look tired.”
I let out a heavy breath, somewhat grateful for the change of subject. “It’s been a long day.”
“It has, and it’s high time we went to bed, don’t you think?” My mind went straight to the gutter and my cheeks heated. Yes, I was exhausted, but a part of me didn’t want to be alone. “But shower first.”
He stood and came around the desk, extending his hand. For a moment, it was as if time stopped. If I took his hand, there was no going back, and I knew it. Not that I wanted to go back to my old life without him.
This—him—was what I wanted.
I stood up, closed the distance between us, and wrapped my hand with his.
When we entered his bedroom, he tugged me into the en suite where he removed my stained pajamas with such reverence it made my heart tremble. Gosh, how I loved the feel of his hands on my skin, but that was nothing compared to the look of pure admiration and adoration in his eyes.
Starting the shower, he shed his own pajamas, his magnificent body, which I didn’t get to fully appreciate ten years ago, coming into view. Our circumstances had changed and I had no intention of wasting another minute for my life to start.
I wanted this man. I wanted a family. I wanted this family.
As we stepped into the shower, he gently washed my body, taking his time.
“Every single part of you is so beautiful,” he rasped, drawing a shuddering breath from my lips while I stared at his perfectly toned body.
“And this is long overdue for both of us,” he added in a murmur, his lips against my neck, licking and nipping my skin.
He ran his finger along my breastbone and an ache pulsed between my thighs.
He leaned me against the shower wall, water cascading all over us, then his mouth crushed against mine.
I dragged my fingers over his muscular back, my nails scraping against his skin before raking them through his hair.
He groaned into my mouth, the sound almost causing me to combust.
My oversensitive pussy needed his length, needed him inside me. I thrust my pelvis upward, his thick cock brushing over my drenched, aching spot. I threw my head back, my eyes fluttering shut as my whimpering moan vibrated through the shower.
He laved at my breasts like they were his favorite delicacy. His index finger brushed over my erect nipple and his name rumbled from my throat. I hooked my leg around his waist, aching for him. Ready for him.
Both of our gazes lowered to where our bodies connected, his length disappearing inside me and the image forever tattooing itself on my mind.
A long moan rocketed through the air as his cock sank deeper into my pussy at a painstakingly slow pace.
“Fuck,” he grunted against my lips. Impatient and greedy, I ground against him, wordlessly begging for him to go faster and harder. He gripped my hips, his fingers firm on them.
“Harder,” I begged shamefully, unsure if I screamed or whispered the words.
He withdrew his cock all the way to the tip, then slammed back into me in one powerful thrust.
He increased the tempo with each thrust, the speed making me race toward orgasm. His need matched mine, powering into me and making me feel gloriously full.
“Your pussy is mine,” he growled. His hand came around me, his finger finding my back hole, pushing against it. “Your ass is mine. Every part of you is mine forever.”
He pushed the tip of his finger into me and my back arched off the tiled wall.
“Oh. Oh. Oh. My. God.”
Shudders wreaked havoc through me, feeling the impending orgasm as my pussy clenched around his cock. His free hand held me in place, each powerful thrust sending me higher and higher. His mouth was on my neck, sucking, biting, kissing.
“Lykos,” I moaned, my orgasm launching me over the edge into the abyss of pleasure.
He followed right behind, filling me to the hilt in one last violent thrust and then spurting his hot cum into me. And all the while, my pussy spasmed around his length, milking him for every drop of his seed. My legs shook, his arms tight around me, and his dark eyes colliding with mine.
“You and me, Violet… It’s our turn to live now,” he whispered before sealing his mouth over mine.