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last update publish date: 2026-05-10 04:00:58

She spun on him, eyes shining. “How did you think this conversation would go, Stefan? Did you think that I'd smile and wish you good luck? Kiss you goodbye and pretend I’m not terrified you’ll never come back?”

His throat tightened. “I’ll come back to you.”

Her laugh was hollow. “You can’t promise that.”

He took another step forward, desperate. “Alana, please.”

But she turned away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “It's been what? Barely four weeks. You couldn't even let me live in m
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  • BAD REPUTATION    177

    He was a patient man, but at the moment he felt the insane urge to tumble her over and drive between her thighs until it was all either of them knew or could feel, but he remembered his injured shoulder and knew that he couldn't. “I want you naked,” he told her, and watched as she did as he asked, pulling her nightie over her head. She was completely naked now and he glanced up her body, following the line over her belly to her full breasts and then back down to the slim curve of her waist to her fuller hips. His cock strained upward, thrusting against her soft curls nestled at his base. His breath caught and wheezed out in a strangled gasp when she lowered her hands inside his boxers to grasp his cock.She smiled as she gently caressed his length. Up and down, she went until the blunt crest had widened and blood had rushed to the tip. It was nearly painful. Each touch drove him more daft by the minute. She was exquisitely gentle, until he was able to take it no longer, and he curle

  • BAD REPUTATION    176

    She tied the bandage a little too tightly, and he hissed in pain. “You should be,” she said, her tone fierce but softening as she touched his arm. “You scared me half to death.”He caught her wrist gently, their eyes locking. “I didn’t want to leave you. I had to. Reese—”“Forgive me, Stefan, but I don’t care about Reese right now,” she said, wiping her tears and cutting him off. “I care that you’re here. That you’re alive.”She pressed her forehead against his good shoulder and let out a shaky breath. For a moment, the world went quiet.Stefan hesitated, then slid his hand up to the back of her neck, fingers threading through her hair. “I’m here,” he murmured. “I made it back to you.”“Sure, I'm glad,” she whispered, lifting her head. “But it's gonna take more than that to make up for leaving us.”He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her — slow, deep, aching with everything he couldn’t say. When he pulled back, her tears had smeared against his skin.“I'm sorry,” he told her, “

  • BAD REPUTATION    175

    He pulled the trigger.The shot rang out — but not from the leader’s gun.His body jerked backward, a crimson bloom spreading across his chest, then collapsed without another word.Stefan spun, gun raised — and saw Petre, standing in the doorway, smoking barrel in hand.“Come on!” Petre shouted. “More are coming!”Stefan didn’t hesitate. He hauled Reese up and ran, the sound of approaching vehicles echoing in the distance.“Move!” Petre yelled.They burst into the cold morning air just as two more SUVs rounded the corner. Petre fired at the tires while Stefan shoved Reese into the back seat of their car. Tires screeched as they sped off, bullets pinging against metal.For a long stretch, there was nothing but the sound of the engine and their ragged breathing. Then Stefan looked at his bloodied friend in the rear seat. “You okay?”Reese coughed hard, blood on his lip. “You shouldn’t have come, man. Your wife's going to kill you,”Stefan looked over, jaw tight. “Yeah she will, but I ha

  • BAD REPUTATION    174

    The car slowed as they neared the industrial edge of the city — gray warehouses, rusted fences, graffiti scrawled across concrete walls.“This is it,” Petre murmured, cutting the engine. “You go in alone. They’ll kill him if they see me.”Stefan nodded, already checking the earpiece. “Stay close. I’ll need extraction once I’ve got him.”He opened the door and stepped out into the biting cold. The street smelled of oil and rain. His boots echoed against the wet ground as he made his way toward the warehouse, blending into the shadows.He reached the side entrance and crouched, scanning the lock. It was cheap — easy to pick. He slipped a tool from his pocket, worked the mechanism for a few seconds, and heard the faint click of success.The door creaked open.Inside, the air was thick and damp. He could hear faint voices in another language, the sound of footsteps echoing across the concrete floor. Stefan moved silently between stacks of old crates, his senses sharpened.And then — he he

  • BAD REPUTATION    173

    Stefan moved and she moved with him. Their rhythm set, they danced together, bodies joined, melded as they reached for the same, shattering end that awaited them. He stared down into her eyes, losing himself in their depths. She met his gaze and held it until finally, as he felt her body begin to fist around his, she closed her eyes, shrieked his name and shuddered violently as her body exploded from the inside.His own release came a scant moment later, and Stefan heard himself shout as the tremendous relief spilled through him again and again, as if the pleasure would never end.He carried her up to their bedroom, where she fell asleep almost immediately in his arms. He held her tight, lying awake and kissing her forehead repeatedly. In the early hours of the morning after he'd showered and gotten ready to go, Stefan stood at the foot of the bed for a few seconds longer, committing the sight of his wife to memory. Then he turned away, heading for the door with quiet, deliberate ste

  • BAD REPUTATION    173

    She spun on him, eyes shining. “How did you think this conversation would go, Stefan? Did you think that I'd smile and wish you good luck? Kiss you goodbye and pretend I’m not terrified you’ll never come back?”His throat tightened. “I’ll come back to you.”Her laugh was hollow. “You can’t promise that.”He took another step forward, desperate. “Alana, please.”But she turned away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “It's been what? Barely four weeks. You couldn't even let me live in my fairy tale longer. Just go, Stefan. If you’re going to do this, don’t make me watch you walk out. You've made up your mind and you're only telling me now to let me know, not to change your mind, because I can't, can I?”He hesitated — just long enough to make her think he might stay — then quietly said, “I’ll be back before you know it.”Her voice broke. “You can't say that.”When he turned and left the room, the silence that followed felt different. It wasn’t the silence of absence — it was t

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