NINA I hadn’t meant to sit on Jeremiah’s lap. Not really. It just... happened. One minute I was talking to him, telling him he wasn’t a coward, the next, I was apologizing and now I was curled up against him like he was home.The heat between us was tangible and tantalizing, reminding me of the last kiss we had. Which was not that long ago, it was last night when I had asked him for a kiss because Lachlan had fallen asleep and I had read the next chapter in his journal. The details of their first time had made me blush and left me flushed with throbbing need. And the fact, that after being fucked daily now the sudden abstinence had made me feel more achy and hungry.So I had given in and begged for a kiss from my husband when he had come to check up on us like we were his charge and he was our guardian. It was when he had tugged the blanket over us and caressed Lachlan’s hair back to kiss his forehead, that I had grabbed his hand and demanded he kiss me.I hadn’t waited to check if
JEREMIAH Five days later... No matter what I said, no matter how many times I walked into a room he was in, my little shadow didn’t even look at me. Not once. It was visible to everyone who paid even a little bit of attention that Lachlan was trying everything in his power to ignore me and not to be in the same space as me. And Nina paid attention. She not only noticed, but she also questioned. My wife wanted to know what I did or said to make Lachlan like that. It didn’t even occur to her that this might be Lachlan’s fault, she already knew it was mine. And now the only person connecting me to my little shadow was my wife. I was sure there was some kind of irony there in it, but I wasn’t much keen to find it out. One thing my wife did and I appreciated was the fact that if it weren’t for her demands that Lachlan sit with her he won’t even breathe in the same room as me. And he only stayed until she was there or she fell asleep. And the moment I tried to t
2013 [Lachlan: 19, Jeremiah: 22] LACHLAN I was never good at parties. Too many people. Too much perfume. Too many fake smiles and lies. All of it made my heart throb, the only thing that settled my mind was focusing on one thing and being in control of my surroundings. Right now, everything was getting on my nerves, especially the group of women cackling like they were attending a stand up comedy. And the men, they smiled like they wouldn't plan your murder in the next second if you did something they disliked. But that’s not the only thing that was making me itch, I hated the fact how all of them always surround my Jeremy. And it was like he couldn't see the intent behind their fake smiles and sweet words, he induged them like they were all his friends. Even now he was surrounded by people that were vying for his attention. Even Jonathan kept a boundary so to not let them think they could talk to him so freely, but not Jeremiah. Instead, he relished the attention and showe
JEREMIAHI listened to her quiet breathing as she slept in my arms, the taste of her was still on my lips and I couldn’t deny the way my heart was beating in rhythm with hers.But my mind was elsewhere. It felt like everything was slipping through my hands. And I didn't know how to control it anymore. There was danger to my wife’s life and I didn’t know what it was. We had sent men to contact Salvatore Ricci, the man was infamous for his notorious and cut throat reputation. But there was one more thing he was known for in our world, he didn't support or take part in violence against women and children. And yet, I knew that my wife had been afraid of being attacked by his men and was assaulted more than once for the debt she owed to him.Salvatore didn't meet my men, but I did get a very interesting message from him. “Stop sending me your men, or I’ll start sending them back in pieces.”It was one of the things I wanted to talk about at the meeting in the afternoon before I got that c
NINA “Leave the blanket.” I froze. “But I... I’m naked.” “I know.” For a moment I looked into his eyes, and then without hesitation or questioning myself, I loosened my grip on the blanket and stood up from the bed. His steel grey eyes raked over me, making goosebumps dance on my skin and my nipples hardened as a shiver went through me. When I stepped closer to him, he widened his legs and settled me in his lap, careful to not jostle my injured arm. His hand settled around my waist while the other supported me at the back. And when I looked up at him, he was so close.... involuntarily my eyes shifted to his scarred cheek and I lifted my hand. “Don’t.” My hand froze mid-air. Jeremiah’s voice wasn’t loud, but it held the kind of weight that made your pulse stutter. I let my hand drop, but I didn’t pull away. Instead, I tilted my head and said softly, “I have a scar too.” His brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t speak. “It’s ugly,” I whispered, my gaze holding
NINA I woke to the dull ache in my side and warmth that made me want to melt deeper into the mattress. As my eyes adjusted, I realised the only light was coming from a lamp that was lit into the corner of the room. Shadows danced lazily on the walls, the silence heavy… but not empty. On my side Lachlan slept, one arm around my middle and his chin resting on my uninjured shoulder. He was the source of the warmth I was feeling. But it wasn’t only his presence that had me waking up. I was tucked beneath soft covers, and yet I could feel his steely gaze on me. I turned and my body throbbed in dull pulses at the movement. My shoulder, ribs, thighs and legs everything ached. And sure enough, as I lifted my gaze there he was. My husband. His forearms rested on his knees, fingers laced together and he was watching me. "You’re awake," he said, voice low, like velvet brushing over my skin. "Were you hoping I don’t?" I croaked out and winced as I tried to sit up. "How's t