Chapter Thirty-Three
Ican’t verbalize how much Mira’s words mean to me, what her sacrifice means to me.
As she relaxes against me, hooking her arms around my neck and pressing her forehead against mine, a confidence I haven’t yet experienced fills me.
One that promises everything will be okay, because I have Mira— truly have her.
She’s no longer just my reluctant guest, she’s something more.
She’s willing to stick out her neck for me and trusts that I’ll protect her.
She cares for me, pretty damn deeply if she’s willing to go to a place that holds a lifetime of bad memories for her.
I press a kiss to her nose, her cheeks, her chin, trying to find a way to showcase my gratitude, my own affection for her.
My love for her. The words to tell her how I feel are on the tip of my tongue, but I hold them back.
Mira’s always been flighty, and I don’t want to scare her into trying to flee.
I’ll wait until I’m certain she loves me, too, and then I’ll tell her. Then, I’ll put a ring on her finger and a baby in her belly. She’ll never be able to run after that.
Christ, sometimes my thoughts around this woman are enough to take me aback. I’m not someone who grows obsessive over people—I’ve never found someone interesting enough to obsess over, until Mira. I’m willing to do just about anything to keep her.
“Thank you, baby,” I murmur, kissing her neck. I find her pulse and suck on it, needing to leave my mark on her. “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”
“I know you will,” she says. Her confidence is enough to undo me. If I didn’t know for a fact that she’s sore, I’d showcase my gratitude physically. As is, I want to spoil the fuck out of her, starting with taking care of her needs.
“Let’s get something to eat,” I tell her. “I can make French toast and bacon—”
“I’ll cook,” she disagrees. “Then I have to get to school. Where are Connor and Seamus?”
“Home,” I reply. “I’ll talk to them while you command the kitchen.” I kiss her neck again. “I have to go out with them tonight. We’ve located the last members of the gang that attacked us, and we’re going to take care of them.”
Her nails dig into the back of my neck and she stiffens on my lap, gazing at me with wide eyes. “Dorian,” she breathes. “That sounds dangerous.”
“No more or less dangerous than the things I’ve done dozens of times.
” I kiss her lips, trying to make the gesture reassuring.
“I’ll be fine, baby. I promise. I need to get rid of anyone in the area who can pose a threat to us, and more importantly, you.
Then we’ll take care of Clyde and Carver, and then everyone who opposes us will be dead. ”
“Cut off the head of a snake and three more will grow back,” Mira murmurs. “How can you ever feel safe with what you do? With who you are? How can you ever be sure that you can keep those around you safe?”
I suspect this will be a constant point of contention between me and Mira.
She’ll always worry over my involvement in organized crime, she’ll always hate it, and I don’t want to spend my life arguing with her and making her miserable with my refusal to change.
I can’t leave altogether, and I don’t intend to stop being active in the dark parts of my legion until after college.
Down the road, however, I’ve always planned on stepping into an administrative role, moving away from the blatantly illegal operations I carry out.
“I can feel safe by destroying my enemies so thoroughly that none can stand against me,” I reply.
“This won’t be forever, baby. I’m graduating next year, and I plan to go into business.
I won’t abandon my legion, but I’m going to back off from the illegal shit that leads to shootouts.
” I kiss her lips again. “Bear with me for now. Trust that I’m doing what I need to, and trust me to keep you safe. ”
She releases a long sigh, nodding reluctantly. “I’ll never like it, but I can tolerate it. Just, please… be safe. Be careful. I—” She looks away, biting her lip. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“I know you don’t, baby, and I don’t want to leave you.” I pat her ass. “Come on, let’s get breakfast. If we stay here much longer, I’ll end up fucking you again, and you’re already sore.”
I find Connor and Seamus in the basement. They’re kicked back on the couch, playing Call of Duty. Seamus pauses the game when he notices me, which earns him a glare from Connor. Credence peeks her head out of the cardboard box, gives me a cursory hiss for having the gall to exist, and disappears.
“Boys,” I greet, tilting my chin. “How did things go last night?”
“We learned what we needed to know,” Connor says shortly.
“You’re coming with us tonight.” His words aren’t a question, they’re an order.
Connor’s used to being in charge; being part of a legion where we all hold equal power was challenging for him at first. Now that Mira’s disrupted our flow, he’s regressing to his old ways.
“I am, but not because you proclaimed it,” I say calmly, leaning against the arm of the couch. “I’m coming because I’m in a good enough place with my woman that I’m not afraid to leave her for the night.”
Connor’s eyes darken as he glares at me, but after a moment, he gives a grunt of assent. “She’s settled, then?”
“Yup.” I pause, glancing at Seamus. “We’re moving into an apartment in the next few weeks. Not much will change; I still plan on spending plenty of time here.”
“Abandoning us for pussy,” Connor mutters. “I expected more from you.”
“Enough,” Seamus sighs. “Can’t you see the man’s in love? Loving Mira doesn’t make him love us any less. If you’d stop scaring the living hell out of her, Dorian wouldn’t need to move out to keep her safe. Stick a sock in it, Connor, we’re fed up with your shit.”
“You’re taking his side?” Connor demands, tossing aside his remote and sitting forward.
“No, asshole, because there are no sides—at least none that aren’t of your own making.
You think it’s us versus them; it’s not.
Mira’s part of this legion now, even if it’s just in essence instead of in name.
When I find a girl to settle with, if that ever happens, it’ll be the same deal.
And if you ever find someone who can tolerate you for longer than a night, I expect it’ll be a similar setup.
Ease the fuck up, man. You’re being ridiculous. ”
“Connor,” I say quietly. “I will never be against you and neither will Mira. She’s upstairs, in our kitchen, making all of us breakfast even though you’ve been a complete ass to her. You need to give her a chance for my sake. Please.”
Connor’s lips thin, but his posture relaxes with dejection. I love the guy; I don’t want to alienate him, but he makes it very damn difficult to be his friend.
“Fine,” he says after several moments. “I’ll give her a shot. If she betrays us or fucks us, though, you’ll need to handle her.”
That’s the best endorsement I can hope for from him.
Seamus stands from the couch, stretching his arms above his head with a loud yawn. “Well, I’m starving, and the scents wafting down here are delightful. I’m heading upstairs to see what’s cooking.”
Even though Seamus has given up his quest to fuck Mira—he now seems more focused on her friend, Valerie—I still don’t want him alone with her.
I don’t want any man other than myself alone with her.
I follow him upstairs, making my way into the kitchen.
Mira’s dressed in a tight shirt and even tighter jeans, back turned to us as she hovers over the stove.
Bacon sizzles on one pan, and she’s flipping slices of French toast on another.
On the kitchen island sits a large glass bowl filled with cut-up fruit.
“If you guys want to start setting the table, it’d be much appreciated,” she calls over her shoulder.
Seamus sighs. “Here I was hoping I’d manage to jump-scare her. The girl has eyes in the back of her head.” He moves to follow her instructions nevertheless, just as Connor makes an appearance.
“Smells good,” he grunts.
“Tastes better,” Mira retorts, bending to pull a pan from the oven. Connor’s eyes fall to her ass, glimmering with appreciation; I damn near stab him in the neck for looking. Instead, I glare at him until he averts his gaze and walks away, shaking his head with derision.
I walk over to Mira, wrapping my arms around her from behind and resting my chin on her head. She gives my arm a squeeze before loading several more slices of soaked French toast onto the pan, sprinkling them with cinnamon and brown sugar.
“Bacon’s about ready if you want to plate it up,” she says. “The croissant casserole is also ready. Just another few minutes for the French toast.”
“Thanks, baby.” I kiss her neck, smiling when a little shudder runs down her arms.
Once everything’s done, we settle in the dining room for breakfast. Mira’s quiet, and it takes me a few minutes to realize that she keeps glancing at the window, her expression nervous.
She must be remembering what happened the night I got shot.
Home invasion is a touchy, difficult subject for her, and she had to experience it here.
I stand, pick her up, and deposit her on my lap.
She melts into me instantly, back relaxing against my chest, resting her cheek against my neck.
She presses a kiss to my jaw, and my cock twitches.
I inhale a deep breath and try to focus on food.
Getting a hard-on when I just negotiated a fragile peace with Connor is not the way to go.
Mira, however, isn’t on board with my thoughts.
When she feels my dick start to stiffen, she sucks in a short breath, then wriggles on my lap.
My jaw clenches as I reach around her and focus on slicing off a piece of French toast, holding it up to her lips.
She stares into my eyes, wraps her lips around the fork, and hollows her cheeks as she sucks the French toast off of the tines.
I suppress a low groan. The little minx is teasing me.
“As riveting as this foreplay is, I have places to be today,” Seamus says. “I’ll meet you lot back here at five. Mira, do say hello to that lovely little firecracker next you speak to her. And tell her to text me back.”
Mira’s eyebrows rise as she quickly chews and swallows, turning to face Seamus. “You’re talking to Valerie?”
“Talking’s the minority of what we’ve done,” Seamus replies with a suggestive smile. “Tell her to respond, love. I’m eager to see her again.”
Mira bites her lip. “Um… I should see her at school today, but Val doesn’t usually date.”
“I’m well aware. We’re not dating.”
Mira clears her throat. “She doesn’t usually… spend more than one night with a guy.”
“Ah, but I’m not just any guy,” Seamus says with a smile. “Tell her to answer, love. I’ll take care of the rest.” He tips Mira a wink, stands, and leaves. Connor exits shortly afterwards, taking his and Seamus’s plate to the kitchen.
“Trying to get me hard in front of my legion?” I growl in Mira’s ear. “That’s not very nice.”
“I don’t have to do much,” she says with a breathless laugh. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, but you’re very excitable.”
“Only for you, baby,” I say. “But unless you want to get fucked over this kitchen table and be late to school, I highly recommend you ease up. You’re sore and I’m insatiable; there’s no need to tempt the beast.
Mira gives me a demure look. “What if I like the beast?”
A long breath escapes me. “Then you better be ready for him to feast on you, because he is ravenous.”