Epilogue #2
The late show played softly in the background as Cash read the final chapter of his spy thriller.
Clover had gone to bed two hours ago, but ever since Sable had moved in, Cash found it difficult to sleep without her, which was why he’d gotten into the routine of staying up late to read when she was away.
He was incredibly thankful that her consulting business was so successful.
She’d brought the idea to him last year, and he’d helped her get it off the ground, introducing her to many of his contacts.
What started as a local company was now an international business.
Corporations and private collectors around the globe wanted an actual thief to teach them how to protect their valuables, and some even hired her for recovery missions.
Her talent was in high demand, but because his job required him to be at the museum, he unfortunately had to stay home with Clover when work took her far away.
Thankfully, Sable hated being without him as much as he hated missing her, so she balanced her professional and personal life well.
She’d placed boundaries in her business to ensure she wasn’t always working, and she scheduled clients wisely to give her plenty of time at home.
She was currently out of town for the week, and Cash couldn’t relax in bed without her.
He started reading on the couch in front of the TV.
Otherwise, he would just stare at her empty pillow with a hole in his heart.
He didn’t know exactly when she’d moved in because he’d never officially asked her to.
He’d wanted her to live with him since their night in the garden a year ago, but they’d planned to ease Clover into the idea of a woman entering their lives.
It had been just the two of them for so long that Cash assumed his son needed time to adjust to a third person, but the boy had been one reason Sable moved in so fast.
The kid hadn’t been subtle, either. He would suddenly remember homework he needed last-minute help with when Cash was conveniently working a late shift, requiring Sable to come to his rescue.
The projects often ran late, so the evenings always ended with her sleeping over to keep from falling asleep at the wheel on her drive home.
He also signed them up for every early morning family trip that the museum or his school offered, meaning that Sable stayed over to ensure they left on time the next day.
One evening, he cooked them dinner for their date and sneakily kept refilling Sable’s wine glass until she was too tipsy to leave.
His tactics had been so successful that Cash woke up one morning to find Sable and Clover making pancakes and realized it had been an entire month since she’d slept at her place.
The pair stood before the stove, arguing whether blueberries or chocolate chips should go into the batter.
So engrossed by their breakfast prep, they hadn’t noticed him watching until the meal was ready fifteen minutes later, but Cash hadn’t minded.
That moment was a glimpse into his future.
He couldn’t let her go. Not after realizing she was what made their house a home, and as Clover dug into his hard-won chocolate chip pancakes, Cash wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered that he’d move her stuff out of the apartment.
And that had been that. She was family, and Clover missed her almost as much as he did.
Cash closed the novel, satisfied with the ending but unsatisfied with his bedtime prospects.
He’d changed into a pair of comfortable sweats that hung loose off his hips, hoping tea, his pajamas, and a book would put him to sleep, but this happened every trip.
The longer she was away, the less he slept.
How had he been single for ten years? How had he slept alone for all that time?
Now, if he didn’t hug his girl at least once a day, his body felt jittery and unsettled.
The soulmate bond had solidified quickly, and he supposed that was why he suffered without her.
She was truly and completely his other half.
He loved her more than he thought possible, and he grabbed his phone to text her.
If he couldn’t kiss her goodnight, he at least needed to hear from her.
Cash
I miss the fuck out of you, but I have to be up early, so I’m going to sleep.
I love you, and when you get back, please block off an entire day on your calendar, because I’m sending Clover to his grandparents and then spending it in bed with you.
I won’t let you leave our room until your legs shake and you decide to never leave me ever again.
P.S. I am very proud of you, so obviously, I want you to leave. I just miss you.
He waited for Sable to text back, but when the phone remained silent, he tucked it into his pocket and headed into the kitchen for a drink. Sometimes when she was testing security, she put her phone on silent. Nothing gave a thief away like a ringing cell.
Cash didn’t bother to turn on the light as he grabbed a glass and shoved it under the refrigerator’s filter.
The small spout lit up with a faint blue glow as the cool water filled his cup.
It was barely bright enough to illuminate his surroundings, but it was enough to warn him.
Every cell in Cash’s body stilled as gooseflesh raced over his skin.
He wasn’t alone. Someone was in his house.
Cash placed the glass on the counter and stepped into the middle of the darkened kitchen.
He didn’t have a weapon, so cooking utensils would have to do.
Normally, he wasn’t worried about the lack of a weapon.
He was more efficient and brutal than most constructed devices, but this intruder had bypassed his defenses, as well as his heightened Fae senses.
They were good. Too good. And they were in his house with his son.
A shadow on his right shifted, and Cash slowly angled his body for the attack.
His muscles coiled. His senses focused, and he took a calming breath…
and noticed perfume. The floral note smelled like spring and the comfort of home, but before he could fully place the scent, the shadows surged to life.
Cash bent his knees and met the attacker head-on, but at the last second, the intruder’s agile form spun out of his reach.
A hand slapped his ass as the person escaped into the darkened living room, and Cash twisted on his heels and lunged.
His fingers grazed the back of the intruder’s shirt, and a stifled gasp sounded from their mouth… a decidedly feminine gasp.
The woman’s speed increased, pulling her shirt from his fingertips, and she bolted for the staircase.
She was fast, but not fast enough. It took him all of five seconds to catch her as she stepped onto the stairs, and together they crashed to the steps.
Before she could escape his hold, Cash grabbed her waist and flipped her onto her back, pinning her below his weight before grabbing her wrists and trapping them above her head.
“The perfume gave you away, little rabbit,” he growled as he nudged the woman’s legs apart and settled his hips between her welcoming thighs.
“I wanted to sneak up on you, not get shot,” Sable moaned as he ground his hardening cock against her core. “I knew you would recognize my perfume, which was why I reapplied before I snuck inside. If I hadn’t wanted you to notice me, you wouldn’t have even known I was home.”
“You think you’re that good?” he asked.
“I’ve been here for twenty minutes and you never noticed, so yes.” She hooked her legs around his waist and yanked him closer. Cash lost his balance and collapsed on top of her. Sable seized the opening and pressed her lips to his in a ravenous kiss.
“I fucking missed you,” she moaned. “And I believe your text said something about making my legs shake.”
“Oh, I’m going to make more than your legs shake for that,” Cash growled as he gripped her pants and yanked them down. He was so rough that the fabric ripped, and fueled by the sound, he tore her shirt down the middle to reveal her bare breasts.
“No bra?” He leaned forward and bit her nipple just hard enough to tell her how the night was going to play out.
“Fuck.” Sable grabbed his hair and pulled him harder against her chest. “I knew exactly what I was in for when I broke in. Fuck me, baby. Fuck me like I’m a thief you caught and need to punish.”
Cash yanked his sweats down off his hips and thrust inside his girl with one rough stroke.
She was soaking wet, her pussy aching for him, and he bottomed out without resistance.
She was always wet for him, and he wore her pleasure as a badge of honor.
The more a woman craved a man, the easier she welcomed his cock inside her, and Sable’s pussy had become his home.
She always wanted him, was always desperate and ready, and he fucking loved how turned on she was even after a year together.
“Is this what you want, thief?” he asked as his rhythm turned rough.
Through his haze of lust, he realized her back was digging into the steps, but she didn’t seem to care.
She simply moaned and writhed beneath him, her breasts bouncing erotically as he fucked her.
“You want to be pinned to the floor and made to take my cock?”
“Yes, sir.” She pulled his hair as her climax rushed to the surface, and he captured her arms, pinning them back against the stairs so that she was deliciously splayed out for his pleasure.