“I remember.”
“What if someone takes him away?” I asked.
Cassie reached across the table. “I wish I could say that’s never going to happen, and believe me, I hope it doesn’t. People die, Charlotte. They get sick. They have accidents, and then of course, people kill them.”
Just the thought of it filled me with fear.
“But there is always that risk. You cannot live in fear, and if you have feelings for Ive, you can’t hide from them. You can’t ignore them, otherwise one day you’re going to wake up and life will have passed you by.”I didn’t getthe chance to respond. Cassie pulled her hand away as Ivan, Rage, Hubert, my husband, and the mystery stranger approached the dining room table. Hubert left to grab the rest of the food. Ive sat at the head of the table, while Ivan took the other seat. I tried not to look at my husband, but felt very much aware of Cassie looking at me.
Lifting my head, I caught Ivan’s eyes, and he stared at me quite intently so I forced a smile to my lips. It was then that I noticed the new black eye Rage was sporting.
I had no idea what was going on, but it must not have been too bad since they all sat around eating food. Turning my attention to my husband, I saw he had an equal shiner on his face. What happened?
After the food, I found out that the mystery stranger was called Vlad, and he worked for my husband. There was no time to get to know him because Ive ordered everyone out, including Hubert.
I stood with Ive as we saw everyone out. Ivan was the first to leave. Rage and Cassie left together, followed by Vlad and Hubert. Once alone, Ive turned toward me.
“It has been a long night.” He stepped toward me and cupped my face. “I think you need to get some rest.”
I nod. I can’t argue with him. He doesn’t let go of my face.
“Can I sleep with you tonight?” I asked.
Ive frowned.
“Not sex, I mean, erm, just sleep next to you, if you don’t mind?” How stupid and childish did I sound?
I didn’t want to sleep close to him for comfort. I wanted to sleep next to him so I could keep an eye on him. Ive couldn’t be taken from me. And that felt even more messed up to think so.
“Yes, you can.”
Ive
TwoWeeks Later
Charlotte has slept in my bed for the last two weeks and as I wake this morning, I find her still fast asleep. Most mornings, I wake to find her staring at me.
Anyone else, I might find it a little fucking strange, but not Charlotte. I’d never shared a bed with anyone before. She was the first woman I had slept with all night long. Staring at her now, curled up facing me, she looked at peace. One of her hands was beneath her head, the other laid flat on the bed. Her face tilted downward a little and her mouth was slightly parted. I watched her breathe in, and then out. The sounds and motion seemed to calm me, which I didn’t expect.
I reached out and slowly pulled back some of her hair, tucking it out of the way. She let out a little moan and then groaned. I’d woken her up. Her eyes opened and she looked at me, offering me a smile.
“Morning,” she said.
“Good morning.”
“You’re awake,” she said.
“Yes, so I get to look at you thistime.”
Charlotte chuckled. “Please, don’t keep bringing it up.”
“Oh, you mean how you like to look at me, and watch me?”
“How do you make it sound so bad?” she asked.
“I don’t mind.” I rest my hand on her back. I noticed whenever I touched her, at first she tensed up, but then, she’d seem to move into the touch. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine.”
Neither of us spoke for several seconds and I just looked into her eyes.
I’d never enjoyed awkward silences with women. I didn’t want to have to read a woman’s mind, which was why in the past, most women knew I was after a fuck. I didn’t have time for their bullshit.
I looked at Charlotte, and I wanted to have all the time in the world to just look at her.
“What are your plans for today?” I asked.
Cassie still hadn’t returned to the MC, while Rage had left to deal with club business. The guy who’d been shot at the French restaurant had been a Demon supporter. A man who’d wanted to see the end of the Volkov Bratva, and wanted to take back more territory.
Rage had said he’d gone missing a couple of months ago. He didn’t suspect the guy turning traitor on the club, but here he was. I’d been so pissed off that he had put Charlotte’s life at risk, I’d punched him in the face. Rage had responded by hitting me back, and as we went to go at each other, Ivan stepped between us. He’d threatened to tear us both a new one if we didn’t shut the fuck up and deal with the problem at hand.
Hank still wasn’t talking, so I’d been giving him some of my special treatment for the past couple of weeks. Not only had we slowly withdrawn food, until I hadn’t fed him for two days. We were also depriving him of sleep. Vlad was taking turns with my men to keep the guy awake.
It wouldn’t be long before he cracked and told me everythingI needed to know. As for Benjamin, he seemed to have disappeared, the fucking coward. There was also no sign of the Irish. Now this was new. One of their men was dead, and they hadn’t come to retaliate. Did they not know that every time they didn’t react normally, it told us they were up to something?
Down at the docks, there was no suspicious activity. However, Victor Abdulov was arriving any day now, as he’d been dealing with the cartel as well.
I didn’t want Victor in my territory, not with Oleg’s still exposed. Ivan was in talks with The Butcher and The Beast, and I knew it wouldn’t end well if he decided between the two of them. They were equal when it came to kills.