Chapter Thirty-Three
JAX
I never intended to take Lily, but denying her of anything is impossible. The way she touched me was driven by a palpable need. She wanted me to give myself over to her, just as she did to me.
Rising to my feet, I pull her in for another toe-curling kiss. I’ve never been so content to just kiss a woman as much as I am with her. The selfish part of me wishes I could keep her in this state and all to myself until we need to leave, but my boys need her just as much as I do.
Reluctantly, I bring the kiss to an end, her grey eyes shining back at me, her skin still flushed from her orgasms. I give myself a few more minutes to drink her in and commit this vision to memory.
I know I need to say the words sitting heavy on my chest. If the worst should happen, I don’t want to leave this world without her knowing how I feel.
Cupping her cheek, I brush the pad of my thumb over her plump bottom lip.“I love you, Lily Montgomery.” Words I’ve only ever said to blood relatives and those who I consider family.
Her lips part, and a myriad of emotions flitter across her face as she attempts to formulate a response.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything back. I just wanted you to know.” I lean in and kiss her forehead. “We really do need to go downstairs before they come and get you,” I say, causing her to laugh.
Once we’ve rinsed off, I wrap us both in a towel and leave her alone to go get dressed, knowing she likely needs a moment to herself before facing the rest of the guys.
Lily isn’t exactly quiet, it’s obvious what we were doing up here.
I quickly dry off, running a towel through my hair before getting dressed. The smell of bacon has me heading downstairs, my stomach grumbling as I approach the kitchen.
“Morning,” River says with a huge smirk on his face. He salutes me with the mug in his hand. “Where’s our girl?” he asks, peering around me.
Reaching for a mug, I pour myself a coffee. “I left her to dress. She’ll be down in a minute.” I say, because the truth is, if I had stayed, my selfish side would have prevailed. I would have wanted to take her all over again. She’s quickly becoming an obsession.
“Good,” Tommy says, his back to us as he transfers the bacon from the frying pan to a plate. “Because breakfast is almost ready.”
“Morning. Did somebody say breakfast?” Lily asks, joining us.
Tommy turns towards her, a smile lighting his face. “Morning, Sunshine.”
River reaches out and pulls her in for a quick kiss. “Morning, Vixen.” She blushes and glances at Elliot as he approaches, tilting her chin. He kisses her softly before pulling back.
“Morning, Sweetheart.” A shy smile graces her lips, still swollen from our earlier kissing.
He steps back, giving her some breathing space as she looks at Tommy.
“What can I do?” she asks Tommy, bouncing from one foot to the other.
“Not a thing, go sit down. River, you’re up,” he says.
River’s lips turn into a salacious grin. “Yes, yes, I am.”
Elliot swats his arm and pulls him towards the plates lining the counter.
I pull a chair from under the dining table and signal her to sit.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I kiss her on the corner of her mouth. “You’re welcome, Duchess.”
Tommy dishes out a full English breakfast, and everyone takes their seat. I sit opposite along with Tommy, allowing River and Elliot to sit on either side of Lily.
We talk about anything and everything between bites. It’s the most ordinary thing I think we’ve done as a group since all this began, and it feels welcome, like this is always how it’s meant to be. I can imagine this as our future, us all together as a family, cherishing Lily as she deserves.
But like everything in life, all good things must come to an end.
We all work together to clear everything up from breakfast, which doesn’t take long, bringing us closer to our impending departure.
“Maybe we should come with you,” Lily says, making the room fall silent.
I shake my head. “No.”
She reaches out and grabs my arm. “Jackson, she’s my sister. This is my mess.”
Turning back to face her, I find her stormy gaze staring back at me and holding me captive. I let out a heavy sigh and take her soft hand in mine, my thumb stroking over the back of her hand.
“Firstly, Duchess, this is not your mess. Secondly, Mia is your sister, which makes her our family, too, by default.” Her features soften at my words. “But the safest place for you right now is as far away from Richard as possible. Being there will only put you at greater risk, and that’s not an option.”
She opens her mouth, but I stop her with my finger on her lips. “This has nothing to do with you being a female or us believing you’re weak. You are far from it. But these people will stop at nothing, and our main concern is Mia. We can’t give her our all if we’re worried about you, too.” I notice the moment her shoulders slump, my words hitting home.
Lily’s tongue darts out, brushing over the pad of my finger. It’s an innocent move, but one that has my dick twitching. And the beast inside me hopes that every time she moves today, she feels the pull deep in her core of what I did, and what River and Elliot did when we brought her pleasure.
Her slender fingers wrap around my wrist, but she doesn’t tug me away. It’s more like she’s holding onto me like an anchor.
River approaches us from behind, his hands going to her hips as he presses his chest up against her back. But I don’t pull away, still needing to hold onto this physical connection for a little longer.
She peers over her shoulder as he lowers his face to hers and kisses her softly before pulling back.
“We just need you safe,” he says.
“Promise me you’ll be careful and look after each other. I’d never forgive myself if any of you were hurt because of me.”
Elliot steps up beside us, his hand moving to her cheek. “Sweetheart, none of this is on you. There is only one person to blame, and it’s not you.” He doesn’t need to say his name. Richard is the one at fault, and he’s about to get his dues.
She nods, her eyes flicking to Tommy leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. He lets them fall to his side before taking a deep breath and then slowly moves towards our makeshift circle, where he reaches for her free hand and wraps her palm in his larger one.
The air around us is full of unsaid words and silent promises as we allow them to wash over us, taking in the significance of the moment.
River leans in, his lips skimming that mark I left on her neck before pressing against her ear. As he whispers, her eyelids flutter closed, lips parting on a soft gasp.
“River, I?—”
His knuckle strokes over her cheek. “You don’t have to say anything back,” he says, his words filled with adoration. “I just wanted you to know.”
Seeing River and Elliot with Lily solidifies my decision for what can only be described as a high-stakes visit. There were so many variables I had to consider when coming here. The last thing I want to do is put Lily at any further risk. But we need her as much as we need to breathe, and fortunately, after ample checks, we are confident there have been no signs of her being tracked.
“I’ll look after her until you get back,” Tommy says.
His words are a stark reminder of the reality of the situation and that we don’t have much time before we need to leave.
Lily shuffles from one foot to the other. Her nerves are palpable.
“Come on, help Elliot and me grab our bags,” River says, tugging on her wrist gently.She glances at me, slightly unsure of herself.
I smile, giving her a subtle nod.“I just need to talk to Tommy. You go ahead.”
Lily straightens her spine with determination, yet again showing us her inner strength and one of the many things we’ve all grown to love about her.
I wait until she’s disappeared up the stairs with Elliot and River before sighing and scrubbing my palm over my jaw .
“You’ve got this, Jax. Mason is the best of the best. If anyone can help us, it’s him.”
He’s right, of course, and luckily for us, since leaving the MI5, Mason is now doing private security. He just so happens to be between jobs, and after we helped Caleb and Noah with his sister Jessica, he was more than willing to step up and help us take down Richard.
All too soon, we need to leave. I pull Lily in for one last kiss, hoping it conveys how much she means to me—to us.
Pulling away, I watch Tommy and Lily in the rearview mirror, feeling like I’ve left a huge part of myself behind.