NERTHUS
I’m leaning against the seat of the fancy limousine Arawn drove us to the amusement park in. With a deep sigh, I watch the city pass by my window, the smell of the leather and the constant rumbling of the motor lulling me to sleep.
After having brought Danny home, who left the car under strong protest, we didn’t speak once.
My heart is beating so strongly in my chest that I fear that he can hear it.
After another few minutes of painful silence, his deep baritone disrupts it, making my heart jump in my chest. “Are you alright?”
Turning my head to look at him, I see him staring at the street forcefully while he clenches the steering wheel. His exhaustion is dominant in his traits, even if another emotion seems to push through.
It could be uncomfortable nervousness, but I could be wrong.
Maybe because of what he said to me.
He might sense something as he usually reads me like a bluff.
“Yes,” I say, sighing again. “Will you promise me not to freak out if I take a bit to answer you?”
He laughs, his nervousness seemingly lifting off him a little bit. “As long as you don’t take too much time.”
“Okay, let’s say I’ll take a week max.” I gesture a sharp cut with my hand, making him shake his head.
“That is too long. I have my poker round on a Thursday, this is a bit less than a week. But after that, I will come to you, and get my answer.”
Pursing my lips, I tilt my head at him. “Okay.”
He smiles, even if it doesn’t reach his eyes. My chest tightens as I think about telling him that I understood him as this secret is weighing heavily on my heart.
But I zip my mouth as I want him to get his sleep and decide that I would tell him in the morning.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask shyly, not sure if I should push my luck.
He is already concentrating back on the street before us as he answers, “Sure. Everything you want.”
“Erm… It’s about Danny. You told me his mother wouldn’t care about him. And his father… As Danny talked about him tonight it sounded like he is not with them anymore. Is he… is he okay?”
A sad smile plays on Arawn’s lips as he looks at me shortly. “His father was my father’s right hand if you will. Their fathers came over here together, they grew up together, built everything up together. You get the picture. A few years ago, they were ambushed, or it was a deal that went wrong, we still didn’t figure it out. Anyway, they were shot. Both died on the spot.”
He wrings his hand around the steering wheel, and I gulp. “I’m so sorry.”
“Ah, you don’t need to be,” He grimaces as he forces up a smile again. “My stepmother was going crazy as he didn’t return home. And it took Jensen and me weeks to find the bodies.”
He takes a deep breath as he turns into my street, and I lower my head as I wait for him to speak again.
Not wanting to rush him, I wait for him to park the car in silence.
I watch him slumping back into his seat as he takes a deep breath.
“Let’s share one,” I say, propping myself against the backrest of my seat.
My heart blooms at his smirk while he takes a cigarette out of his pocket. He lights it and takes a puff before he passes me the cigarette with a smile.
Feeling shivers passing up and down my spine, I see him watching me as I take a pull off the cigarette in relish.
He turns towards me, leaning against the seat with his shoulder. “Luckily, the ones who did the mess weren’t used to the disposal of bodies. Or maybe they panicked as it wasn’t the plan to kill a boss of a territory. Because if it were my men, I would still be looking.”
Passing him the cigarette, he takes it with a pensive frown. “I’m glad to hear they were such failures, and you got to have a burial.”
“Yeah,” he scoffs, letting his gaze roam over the street. “For me, it wasn’t that bad, even if it got annoying. For Danny, it was harder. He was young, so his dad was still his hero. I didn’t actually think that we lost a big deal of good people. And I got the job I was training for, so…”
He shrugs, taking another pull. “His mother had just given birth, so she was suddenly left alone with a newborn and a very active boy.”
“Poor woman,” I say lowly, making him scoff.
I look at him questioningly, and he shakes his head. “Sorry. My stepmother didn’t see it this way and was all about how we shouldn’t spend a dime on her. But this is not how a family works, and luckily, she was not around much longer, so I took it into my hands to make sure they were okay. A lot of people checked in on her at first, but you know how those things are…”
I purse my lips as he takes a deep breath. “She spiraled downwards faster than we could keep up. Even the people closest to her didn’t see it coming as everybody kept saying how grief is hard, and that she suffered so much. So, they let it slip when she was stumbling around in the streets and threw up in the staircases of the building.”
“Oh, God.” I lower my head, sighing deeply.
After flipping the cigarette out of the window, he puts a finger under my chin to raise my eyes back up to his. “It was my fault because I just gave them money and a few maids instead of checking in myself. Only as a neighbor, and retired soldier of my father, called me to tell me that the baby hadn’t stopped crying for days, did I pull up to the house. I thought I was prepared for everything because I figured she must be overwhelmed and crying and just… I don’t know. After I arrived, I had to kick in the door because apparently she wasn’t home, and Danny didn’t manage to open the door himself. As I finally got the door open, I found him beaming at me. The house was an ugly mess, and I feared that they might have rats. He was trying to feed his baby brother something. I don’t remember what it was, but seeing that he is a diabetic, it is quite a wonder that he wasn’t dead yet or in a coma. I found his mother passed out in her bedroom, got help for her, and brought the baby to the hospital. After organizing a clean-up, and a nurse for his brother, I took Danny to eat at a burger place. He kept telling me how it was the best day of his life.”
He laughs as he finishes his sentence, turning his gaze away from me for a split second.
“Aw, this is so horrible,” I whisper, and he nods, pulling his hand back. “But he is lucky to have you.”
He grimaces as he tilts his head at me. “Yeah.”
“I’m serious. Thank you for telling me. I know it wasn’t my place to ask…”
He stops my doubtful rambling with a gorgeous smile of his. “I wouldn’t have told you if I hadn’t wanted to tell you.”
“I appreciate it,” I say happily.
I don’t want to let another wave of awkward silence envelop us, so I clear my throat as I grin at him. “Want to check on my apartment too? I have been hearing strange noises lately.”
He nods his head with a broad grin, and we get out to enter my building.
I know that he picked my line up as a flirtatious joke, but I really need to talk to him seriously about the strange noises in my apartment. Especially as Danny heard them too. At least this time, I know that I would be entitled to.
As the only woman of his life.
I have to swallow a happy giggle as we greet the night concierge and get into the elevator.
We remain in silence until we are in my apartment when I ask him if he wants a glass of wine.
Not getting any answer, I turn around and realize that he has just been waiting for me to do so.
As soon as I have turned towards him, he crouches down slightly to wrap his arms around me. He hugs me just below my ass to lift me up.
My surprised squeal morphs into laughter as he carries me into the bedroom, and I wrap my arms around his neck.
His pleased groan that shivers through me as I hug my breasts against his face, has my insides tingling.
Setting me down right before my bed, he starts kissing me. We start undressing each other hastily while our lips stay as connected as possible. It feels like forever to get him out of his damned clothes, and I sigh happily as I finally get hugged to his naked frame, able to feel his skin against mine.
Only as I get on the bed and move on top of it, do we separate. He follows me to get on top of me with lust-filled eyes. My heart flips in my chest as he hovers above me, taking my appearance in hungrily.
“I won’t ask anymore. You will just tell me when you are ready. Okay?” He asks, pressing his forehead against mine.
Nodding, I squirm beneath him, my arms clutching the pillow below me.
He captures my lips with his and lets his hands glide up my arms to link them into mine.
Shifting between my legs, he positions himself right in front of my entrance.
He teases me pleasurably, and I feel his grin in his kisses as I moan.
Just as I think that I can’t take it anymore, he pulls his hips back, pushing into me slowly, making me lose my breath.
“Oh my God!” I breathe out as he starts moving in and out of me, increasing his pace eagerly to claim me hard.
He moves to kiss my jawline and down my neck, having me scream in pleasure freely.
“You feel so fucking good,” he whispers, as he squeezes my hands tighter, and fucks me harder.
Spreading my legs wider to allow him to penetrate me deeper, I throw my head back, enjoying his thrusts. “I missed you.”
“You should have called me. I would have satisfied every one of your needs.” His husky whisper shivers through me, as he mocks me ghosting him.
I laugh, my breath nearly not being enough to utter something after it. “I’m always learning my lessons the hard way.”
“That’s how you like it anyway.” He chuckles, making me laugh again.
But I can’t really contradict him, can I?