Chapter 21
Sean
I don’t like this. Haven’t liked it since the second Johnny opened that door and let us walk in.
It’s been a week in this goddamn penthouse. A week of playing house with a man I’d happily toss off the roof. He’s been giving Aro space, acting like some reformed gentleman, but I see through it. The smirks. The calculated distance. The way his eyes track her when she’s not looking.
He thinks this is his second chance. But the second he forgets himself and fucks with her? I’ll remind him exactly how dangerous I can be.
Aro’s been quiet. I know her well enough not to push. She’s processing. But watching her struggle like this is killing me. She’s the strongest person I know, but even strength can bleed.
I glance out the window watching the rain smear across the city. Night’s coming down hard. I haven’t seen Johnny for a few hours. That should relax me, but it doesn’t. A man like him disappears for a reason.
Aro’s been hiding in her room all day. Things are still off between us, and I don’t know how to fix them. Doesn’t help that all I can think about is that kiss. Her lips on mine. The taste of her. How it wrecked me... I’ll never recover.
Carrying a plate of snacks I threw together, I head for her room with my peace offering in hand. Johnny let me out of the apartment yesterday, which pissed Aro off even more. What she doesn’t know is I used that time to grab her favorites: chips, dips, candy, and more.
I’m about to knock when I hear it—a soft moan. I freeze. Listening closer, I can make out a faint buzzing. Her breathy sigh.
Jesus Christ. This woman.
Quietly, I set the tray down and twist the knob. The door gives, opening soundlessly.
And there she is.
Laid out on the bed, naked, eyes closed, vibrator pressed to her clit. My throat dries out. My cock’s already at attention. I step inside and shut the door behind me.
She arches on a moan, panting. Her free hand moves up to tease her nipple, and then she cries out, coming hard. Beautiful.
I move closer, and she turns her head, eyes dark, a wicked smile tugging at her lips.
“Knew you were a voyeur, perv.”
“Only for you, Baby.” My gaze drops to the toy in her hand. “Where’d that come from?”
“Bedside table. It was still in the packaging. Figured I’d help myself.”
That fucker… I highly doubt Johnny provides sex toys for all his guests.
“Mmm.” I hum low. “And did it help?”
“Somewhat,” she teases.
“‘Somewhat’ isn’t good enough.” My voice drops. “Turn it back on. Press it to your clit.”
Her eyes light up. With no hesitation she switches it on, sliding it slowly down her stomach.
She moans the second it hits her again.
“Fuck, Aro.” My breath’s ragged. There’s not enough oxygen in this room.
“Yeah?” she taunts. “Get over here and touch me.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice.
I climb up on the bed between her spread thighs, eyes on the toy in her hand. It’s a standard wand. Three buttons. I thumb through them, changing the pattern, grinning when her body jolts beneath me.
“Keep it right there, Baby,” I murmur. “I’m gonna make you feel so good.”
I kiss up her thigh, slow and torturous. She gasps, arching when I near her heat, but I pull away to repeat the path on the other side.
“Sean,” she whines. I laugh against her skin.
Then I grip her ass with both hands and dive right in, tongue fucking her deep. She yells and writhes, hips rolling, breath broken. The vibe keeps her teetering, alternating short and long pulses that won’t let her fall.
I moan against her, her taste flooding my mouth.
“Oh God!” she cries when I quicken the pace.
I feel her legs tighten, her walls clench. Then, I stop completely.
“Sean!” she gasps, frustrated. “Stop being a dick! I need you inside me! Now!”
“So bossy.” I smirk, shoving my pants down, cock already hard and ready. I line up with her entrance unable to wait another second.
“Look at me,” I order.
Her glare meets mine.
“Get inside me,” she snaps back.
I drive into her in one thrust, making her scream. Fuck. She feels better than I ever imagined. I pull back, slam in again, hard and deep.
“Yes!” she cries.
I take the vibe from her trembling hand, toss it aside. Gripping her knees, I press them wide, so I can grind against her clit with every thrust. Her fingers dig into my arms, hard enough to bruise me, but I don’t care. I want her marks.
“I’m gonna—” she gasps.
“I know, Baby. Give it to me.”
And she does. Her body shudders, nails clawing me as she falls apart beneath me. I keep moving, wringing every last pulse from her until she’s boneless, trembling.
I release her legs, cage her with my arms, and kiss her slow and claiming. Her sigh melts into my mouth.
When I pull back, her eyes hold something I can’t name. Something I’m not ready to believe.
Her brow knits. “You didn’t…”
“Nope.”
“But you didn’t finish.”
I smirk. “Who said I was done with you?”
Her eyes widen a second before I flip us, her still impaled on my cock.
“Ride me.”
And she does. She rides me until we’re both sweat-slicked and trembling, until there’s no space left between us but heat and want.
∞∞∞
Later, after we’ve cleaned up and showered, we lounge in her bed with the snack tray.
“This is amazing. You’re the best,” she says, grinning around a mouthful of gummy bears.
I smile at her excitement. She’s easy to please if you pay attention, and fuck, do I pay attention. It’s one of the things I love most about her. Life hasn’t handed her much good, but somehow, she still knows how to take joy in the small things.
I lean back against the headboard, one arm behind her, watching her attack the gummy bears like they’ve personally offended her. I want to learn every version of her. This one. The guarded one. The broken one. The soft one that surfaces when she lets herself feel safe.
“I live to impress,” I tease.
She grins. “Oh, trust me. You impress, all right.”
Christ. I feel my cheeks heat. Grown-ass man, blushing like a fucking schoolboy. I shake my head, but the grin stays.
We eat in easy silence for a while. She’s curled against me in one of my clean shirts, legs tangled with mine. It’s a good look on her. Hell, it’s a good look on us.
But then, something changes. I feel it before I see it. Tension creeping back into her body. Fingers pausing mid-reach for the chips. Her gaze dropping, no longer meeting mine.
I set my drink aside. “Hey.”
No answer.
I tilt my head, catching her eyes. “Talk to me.”
She exhales, slow and shaky. “There’s a lot I should’ve said. I just didn’t know how.” Her voice drops. “About Marcus. About Johnny. About my past.”
She sucks in another breath, this one sharper, cutting.
“I spent so long surviving, I forgot what living looked like, until it was too late.”
“You survived,” I say firmly. “That takes more strength than most people will ever understand.”
Her eyes flick to mine, glassy now. “I don’t feel strong. I feel pathetic. I let Marcus control me. I let Johnny get in my head. Hell, I had to change my identity twice because I couldn’t escape my past. And I still can’t.”
Her voice catches. I shift closer and pull her into my lap. Her head tucks beneath my chin like it belongs there. My hand strokes her hair, slow and steady.
She breathes deep, shuddering, then starts to speak. She tells me everything. Arizona. Joe. The abuse. Her mom. The murder. Johnny. Axel. Nik. The betrayal. The fallout. Years of running and never quite outrunning it.
But also, surviving. Trying to heal. Trying to forget… but she didn’t forget. She couldn’t.
Her fists clutch my shirt. “I hate how much they still live in my head,” she whispers. “Even now. I wake up some nights thinking Joe is in the room. That Marcus is coming through the door. That I’ll open my eyes and it’ll all start over.”
I close my eyes. Fury hums low in my chest, but I force it down. She doesn’t need my rage. She needs this.
“They’re not here,” I murmur, tightening my hold. “You’re here. With me. And if they ever try again—” I pause, letting her hear the truth. “—they won’t live to regret it.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, her breath warm against my chest.
“You make me feel safe,” she whispers. “Safer than I’ve felt in a long time. I wanted you to know that.”
The words hit like a fucking gut punch. God, I want to deserve that. I want to deserve her. I want to earn it every damn day.
I kiss her hair. “You never have to thank me for protecting what’s mine.”
She lets out a soft, watery laugh. “Yours, huh?”
I tilt her chin up, meeting her gaze. “Yeah. Mine.”
I kiss her slow and deep. For the first time all night, there’s no hunger or urgency. Just a promise. When we pull apart, her eyes shine a little brighter. She settles against my chest again, fingers tracing lazy patterns on my arm.
After a moment, her voice comes out softly.
“I like you, Sean. I like you a lot. But… you should know what you’re getting into.” She hesitates. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be in a relationship with them again, but they still hold pieces of my heart.”
She doesn’t flinch when she says it. Just hands me the truth, sharp-edged and real.
I hold her tighter. “You don’t owe me anything, Baby. Just give me whatever piece of you you can. That’s more than enough for me.”
“You’re sure? Because if not, I need this to end now. I can’t fall in love with you, only to have you break my heart.”
Something in my chest flutters at her words. At her admission of being able to fall in love with me.
“Absolutely. Living without you isn’t an option.”
A small smile ghosts her lips. She nods once, before curling deeper into me.
We stay like that for a long time. Her fingers tangled with mine. Her breath soft against my chest.
I won’t let her go.
Not now.
Not ever.
∞∞∞
The sun’s barely up when I hear Johnny moving around in the kitchen. Good. Saves me the trouble of having to hunt him down.
Aro’s still asleep beside me. She needs the rest after everything she shared last night. Hell, she tossed and turned all night, like part of her still expected a monster to pop out of the shadows.
There will be no more of that. Not while I’m here.
I find him at the counter pouring himself a cup of coffee. Barefoot, sleeves rolled, that practiced smirk already half-formed. I can’t stand him sometimes. Especially not after finding out what I know now.
I cross the room slowly. Loud enough that he knows I’m coming, but quiet enough he doesn’t know what for.
He glances up. “Morning.”
I don’t answer. Just take a measured step closer, until there’s only the counter between us.
“We need to talk, Johnny.”
The smile flickers. Barely. He sets the mug down with deliberate calm. “It’s Jonathan.”
“Yeah. I know.” I hold his gaze. He knows damn well why I used it.
“She told me everything.”
For a second, he goes still, like a wire pulled tight. Then, that polished mask slides right back into place.
“Define ‘everything.’”
“Arizona. Her mom. You. The shit you said. The shit you did.”
His jaw ticks. He doesn’t have a clever comeback this time.
I plant both hands on the counter, leaning in, voice dropping another octave.
“You think this little reformed act fools me? Acting like some protective ex? You broke her. And if you even think about manipulating her again—”
I pause, just long enough to let the weight land.
“—I’ll put you down before you even know it’s coming.”
His eyes flash. “You think you can threaten me in my own place?”
“It’s not a threat.” I push off the counter, straightening. “It’s a promise.”
His jaw works. Then he exhales through his nose, cold amusement flickering back in. “She’s not yours, you know.”
I smile, slow and dangerous. “She’s not yours either. Not anymore. And that’s what’s killing you.”
I turn and walk out without another word.
I don’t need to win this pissing match. I just need him to remember: If he hurts her again, I’ll be the last thing he ever sees.
∞∞∞
Johnny
I watch him walk out, back straight, purpose in every step.
The asshole means it, which makes me respect him. Just a little.
I pick up my coffee, take a slow sip to cover the burn in my throat.
My pulse is thudding harder than I’d like.
She told him. Of course she did. And now the soldier thinks he owns the high ground.
Thinks he can lay claim to her. But the thing about men like Sean?
They play a clean game. They draw lines and follow rules.
Me? I destroyed my rulebook a long time ago.
I set the cup down with deliberate calm.
But inside? I’m already writing his eulogy.