Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
LILITH
He’s beside me when I wake, even though I told him to sleep on the couch. He mumbles something in his sleep, so I lean over and hit him in the ribs. He jolts and sits straight up, his eyes finding mine, and he smiles slowly.
“Morning, wife.”
“Explain,” I demand. “How the hell did you get into my bed?”
“I was cold, and you’re warm, so I fixed the problem,” he says smugly. Well, two can play that game. I reach over and slide my hand over his ribs. He flexes at my touch, and in an instant, he is over the top of me, hovering as he pushes down onto me. I squirm because the weight of him feels good.
But I want answers.
“Soren was here yesterday.”
His back straightens at that as he stays where he is. “When?”
“Just before you arrived, actually,” I inform him as he moves away from me, and instantly, the loss is there. He mumbles something about firing the security, and I watch as he slides out of bed. “Now, take me for a Hunt.”
“I need to find someone to Hunt, my needy wife.” He winks, and I can’t help but admire him. Fuck, he is beautiful to stare at.
Can I hunt someone after all that therapy and trying to work on myself to be a better person?
Yes, the answer is yes. I can, and I will take control back. And I will do it in any manner that I deem fit.
“Well, being in my bed won’t solve that problem.
” I wave at him. “So get up and find me someone to hunt before I take my aggression out on you.” I pick up a pillow and throw it at him.
“Also, don’t think I forgot about the wife part.
Explain it to me now.” He stands, finds his pants, slides them on, then heads toward the door as I follow him.
“Reon, if you don’t tell me now, I will withhold my body for a lot longer than you can talk. ”
He pauses on the threshold, then turns back to me. “You want to withhold sex from me?” he asks, smirking. I say nothing, realizing what I just did. “That means you’re thinking of having sex with me.”
“I am not.” I keep my expression blank.
“Oh, but you are.” He winks. “I like that my wife thinks of fucking me. It’s hot. Now, I have to find a wedding gift for my wife.”
“How are we married?” I groan with increasing frustration as he opens the door and steps out. But just as the door is almost closed, he opens it enough to pop his head back in.
“Any chance for a goodbye kiss?” he asks, hopeful. I pick up the shoe next to me and lob it at his head, missing. I hear his chuckle as he closes the door. Asshole.
As I return to my bedroom, my cell starts ringing. I run to it and answer without looking at the caller ID.
“You stupid, stupid whore. You run off and get married? You think you can do better than me? Well, ha, joke’s on you, bitch. I’ll make you wish you’d never left me.”
I hang up before I hear anything else. Deven clearly has had way too much to drink. I head into the bathroom to change my bandages. I feel better today. Good even, considering what I went through the other night. I assumed I would be fucked-up for days.
The wound on my leg doesn’t look too bad, but the one on my arm is quite red.
After cleaning the wounds and applying fresh bandages, I get dressed.
I don’t have any plans for today. Instead, I’m going to lie on my couch until Reon, who thinks he’s my fucking husband for some reason, gets back.
I never thought for one second I would want to marry again.
Ever. One marriage was enough for me, so why would I choose to do it again?
I wouldn’t.
No.
But it seems I didn’t have a choice.
It seems Reon took that out of my hands and won’t even tell me how he did it.
A loud bang makes me jump. My hand goes to my chest, resting over my heart, as another bang comes. I look around for something, anything, I can use as a weapon. I don’t ever want to be defenseless again.
Reaching for the toilet cleaner brush, I grip it tightly as I open the bathroom door—another loud bang. I jump back as the banging becomes louder.
“Fire!” someone shouts from the hallway, and I hear loud screams before I smell the smoke.
Smoke… in my apartment.
Reaching for a jacket, I slide it on before I cover my mouth, slipping my cell into my pocket and making my way to the living room. The first thing I see is a bottle on the floor with a rag hanging from its neck, lying next to my couch. My brand-new couch is on fire!
“Lady! Lady, get out of there, please.” An older gentleman stands at my door, which looks like it has been kicked in. “Lady, move it before the smoke gets to you.” Looking behind me, I see another bottle with a rag in my kitchen.
“My home!” I cry, looking around as everything starts to blaze around me.
I run back into my bedroom, grab a bag, and shove as much as possible into it before running back out.
When I get outside the building, I see the man must have gone in, grabbed as much as he could, and dropped it in a pile on the grass.
I can hear the fire engines coming as I stand there and watch my apartment burn.
Burn up in fucking flames.
Everything I just bought. Everything I own…
Gone.
“I saw a man running off just before I smelled the smoke,” the older gentleman says as he sits beside me.
The firefighters are here now, and everything I have left—a bag and a few other items the man managed to grab—sits in front of me.
I should be crying.
Like, what the fuck is this life?
How unlucky does someone have to be to have this happen to them?
My head falls into my hands as I listen to my neighbor talk about the man who ran off.
“Sandy-blond hair, swearing something about marriage. He ran when I called out to him.”
Deven.
It was for sure Deven.
Pulling out my cell, I press call on the last number he called from.
The dickhead answers, “I see you got my surprise.”
“Are you for real? Did you really just do that?” I ask in disbelief, pulling the cell away from my ear. “Have you lost some brain cells, Deven?”
“No, but it seems you have. Move back in with me, Lilith. Move back, or I’ll take it further. Maybe next time I’ll pay your Auntie a visit… while she sleeps.”
“Deven, you need help.”
“This is the type of man you wanted, isn’t it? A dangerous one?”
“Dangerous, not fucking deranged.”
“You’ll regret the day you left me, Lil. I’ll make you pay for the rest of your life.”
I hang up as I sit here, watching my home burn.
I have no car, no fucking place to live, and hardly anything to my name.
Deven has lost his fucking mind; it’s been over a year, and he’s been with other women, has a baby, and still can’t leave me alone.
Just another man thinking they can fracture me and manipulate me. Fuckhead.
“Miss, are you okay?” my neighbor asks.
“I’m sorry. Sorry for not saying thank you,” I tell him. I’ve watched him before. What I wouldn’t give to go back and just watch others. I’ve seen him get out of his car as he carries his groceries into his apartment every other day. He uses the same bag each time.
“It’s fine. I just hope you’re okay,” he says, and I give him a forced smile.
He rises to his feet as someone else comes over and starts talking to him.
Grabbing my phone again, I press call on Reon’s number, and he answers right away, “Wife.”
“So, I have no apartment now,” I tell him.
I hear shuffling before he speaks again, “What do you mean?”
“I have no. Fucking. Apartment. How much clearer do I have to be? I wonder if my life went to shit because I met you,” I snap, then hang up on him.
I watch as the firemen put out the fire, and then as they all stand around talking to one another. At one point, they ask me if they need to call anyone for me. I shake my head, and they leave me alone.
So, now, I sit here as they leave.
I sit here and wonder if it’s all Reon’s fault.
Is he bad juju for me? Surely, he must be.
It’s payback for everything I’ve done wrong.
For that one fucked-up night when I stole a knife from a man’s stomach and kept it.
For my father, who is in prison for killing a man, and my wish that he’d never been caught.
It’s my bad luck.
And now I want to kill my ex-husband.
I hear the rev of an engine, but don’t bother raising my head as I hear a door swing open.
The sound of boots approaching reaches me, but again, I don’t bother looking up as they get near.
That is, until hands are touching me, seeing if I am okay.
When I finally look up, I see his eyes, wild and dark, searching me to make sure I’m fine before he finally speaks.
“Is this everything?” Reon asks, his hands dropping from my body when he can’t see anything physical. I nod as he picks up my bags. I just sit here as he carries my belongings to his car.
“Let’s eat before we hunt,” he says, standing before me and offering me his hand. My stomach fizzes with excitement, and my pulse flutters widely as I stare at that hand for a few moments and wonder what happens if I don’t take it.
Which way might my life go?
Fuck it.
It’s already a shit show. How much worse can it really get?
He places my hand in his, and he pulls me up, our bodies slamming into one another, and his hands go to my ass.
“I missed you,” he murmurs into my hair.
“You’ve been gone a few hours,” I say, and he kisses my cheek, sliding down until he gets to my throat.
“When I kiss you here”—he kisses me again on my neck—“your pulse beats harder and faster. It tells me that you want me, even though you don’t want to admit it.”
I go to pull away, but he tugs me back into him.
“It’s okay, Caterpillar. We’ll have fun later.” His hands slide down my back until he lifts me up by my thighs, my legs going around his waist, as he carries me to the car. Letting go of me with one hand, he opens the car door and drops me onto the seat.
“Tell me how we are married,” I demand.
“Later. First, we eat.”
“I want a burger… a dirty, juicy burger,” I tell him.
“You sure you don’t want a hot dog? I could give you one right now. You have the perfect buns to slide into.” I reach out with my hand and grab his cock. It’s hard, and I’m not sure why I thought for a second it wouldn’t be.
“When you say things like that, it just turns me on.”
He moves too fast for me to stop him as he bites my nipple through my shirt. “I hope so because you’re stuck with me for life.” He grins at me.
“If you say so.” I huff as I push my chest out more.
He chuckles and pulls my shirt down until he can get to my bare nipple.
He takes it into his mouth as my hand starts moving on his cock.
Lucky for us, the sun has started to set, and the light in the car has gone off.
His other hand burrows between my legs, and he rubs my pussy up and down as he sucks, tastes, and basically devours my nipple.
“Other one,” I pant, and he laughs and pulls out my other breast, giving it the same treatment. His cock jerks in my palm, and I don’t stop rocking myself against his hand.
“Needy little caterpillar, aren’t we?”
“Always. It’s been too long.” I breathe out, feeling the buildup coming on quickly.
He slides his hand into my pants and straight to my clit, rubbing it in slow circles before dipping lower and plunging his fingers inside me.
He thrusts in and out at a fast pace, and my head lolls back as he jerks in my hand, coming as well.
He bites down hard on my nipple, and I jolt against his mouth before he pulls back.
My hand falls from his crotch, and I sit, dazed, trying to catch my breath.
My breasts are hanging out of my shirt, my pants are half undone, and my hair is more than likely a mess.
He holds up his cell and snaps a picture of me.
“What are you doing?”
“Capturing this moment… The first time I made my wife come.”
“How the fuck am I your wife?” I ask angrily, tired of him avoiding the question.
He only smirks and steps back, sliding his cell back into his pocket and then straightening his cock before he fixes my shirt.
“Are any of your wounds sore?” he asks, leaning in again.
“No, I feel good, surprisingly.”
“Good.”
“Stop avoiding my question.”
“I’ll tell you… during the Hunt.” He gives me a shit-eating grin as he shuts the door and rounds the hood to the driver’s side door. He’s still smiling when he climbs in. “I think you’ll like this.”
I don’t respond because, to be honest, his smile is making me smile.