“Iamyours,” I agree, then tilt my head sideways. “But you don’t fuckingownme.”
“I know. Butyouownme.”
I suck in a breath at his words, at the unfiltered vulnerability on his face.
Dorran motherfucking Ledger – the man who makes people piss their goddamn pants just by existing – is here right now, withme, telling me that I own him. And if that isn’t the hottest fucking thing I’ve heard, then it sure is the most beautiful.
I lean in and kiss him, hard enough that it makes him groan. “I love you,” I tell him. “Death threats and all.”
He chuckles. “And I love you. Irritating defiance and all.”
I laugh, and am about to kiss him again when his phone starts ringing.
Dorran quickly grabs it off the nightstand, and we both watch as Aras’s name flashes on the screen. Dread coils up my chest, and I know it’s only because I’m being paranoid, but still, I can’t stop my heart from beating out of control.
“Lutkus,” Dorran says after receiving the call.
“Ledger,” comes Aras’s smooth, at-ease voice. “I’ve got some things I need to discuss with you about tonight. Can you come toCornelia Circlein thirty minutes? I’ll have someone waiting there to escort you to my underground arena.”
“Send me the exact address, and I’ll be there.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you then.” Aras disconnects the call, and a few seconds later, Dorran’s phone pings with a new text message from him.
“I’m coming with you,” I tell him.
He looks at me with a hard expression on his face. “No, you’re not.”
“I–”
“I have yet to assess the guy, Cigs,” he says firmly. “And until I’ve done that, I willnotbring you or the crew into this.”
“He already knows about us, though,” I remark.
“Sure, but having you there turns things on a completely different tangent.”
“I can protect myself, Dor.”
He sighs and places his hands on my waist, then pulls me to him. “A few combat lessons from me are not enough to make you an asset, baby. And I say that in the kindest way possible. You and the crew will forever be my top priority, but I can’t put you first today because I’m not well-versed on how Aras operates. I need my space so I can get a feel on him.”
I swallow, then run my fingers through his soft curls before cupping his jaw. “Promise me you’ll text or call if anything, and I meananythingfeels off. You get the slightest hint that this guy is shady, you reach out to me, you fucking hear me?”
He smiles a smug little smile at me, the asshole. “Aye-aye, ma’am.”
“Fuck, I love you,” the words rush out of me. I pull his face closer and kiss him again, and he all but engulfs me in his arms as he kisses me back.
This is the first chapter in a brand-new story of our lives. It’s not how I would have wanted it to be, but we don’t exactlydonormal here, so I guess something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. Inevitability calls to danger, and Dorran and I – we are the prime byproducts of fucked-up realities. So yeah, Iknowwe’ll get through this; of course we will. What I’m worried about is the ‘how?’ of it all. I never said I was patient, did I?
2.
Itake a wide turn and enterCornelia Circle, then twist the throttle and change gears on my Harley so that I can breeze past the quiet suburban houses on either side of me. The air is perfectly cool today, and crisp rays of sunlight are reflecting against my sideview mirrors, casting prismatic shadows on them.
I spare brief glances at the neighborhood, and can’t help but think about the one I grew up in back in Riverside. It was always noisy there, with occasional accidents, cop visits, and what not. Whereas here, all I can hear is peaceful silence, and all I can see are freshly manicured front yards and neatly parked cars.
I twist my neck side-to-side and look ahead, then sigh as a gust of chilly wind whips by me. Reaching the end of the street, I notice a man standing in front of a dark grey shutter that’s all but hidden behind a small alleyway. The word‘CLOSED’is spray painted diagonally on it, with the teal paint dripping down it haphazardly.
“Dorran?” he says, his voice gruff. Another gust of icy wind blows by us, messing up his shoulder-length blond hair a little.
I park my Harley on the other side of the alley, then turn off its engine. “Yeah.” Getting off it, I set my helmet on the sissy bar, then walk over to him.
