Her fingers tangle weakly in my hair, pulling me closer. “Yours,” she whispers, spent, her voice shaky but sure.
The last of the tension drains out of me, leaving nothing but the raw truth. I’ve never needed anyone like I need her. And no matter how much I try to fight it, she’s branded into me now.
Chapter Fifteen
Remi
I can’t move. My body feels like liquid, every nerve still buzzing from what he just did to me. My chest rises and falls too fast, my throat raw from screaming his name, and all I can do is lie in the wreckage of the bed, trembling.
Shadow eases out of me carefully, pressing a kiss to my temple before slipping away just long enough to toss the condom and grab a damp cloth. The mattress dips as he returns, and I shiver when he runs the warm cloth gently over my skin, cleaning me with care that doesn’t match the brutal way he just took me.
“Easy, darlin’,” he murmurs when I flinch. “I’ve got you.”
I manage a weak laugh, tilting my head towards him. “You nearly broke me.”
His mouth curves in that dark, dangerous smirk, but his eyes soften. “Yeah, but you handled me. We were meant to be.”
When he’s done, he tosses the cloth aside and pulls the covers over us, sliding in next to me. The second his arms come around me, hauling me against his chest, something inside me eases.His skin is hot, damp with sweat, his heartbeat a heavy drum under my ear.
I curl into him, eyes fluttering shut as exhaustion tugs at me. He kisses the top of my head as his hand strokes slow, steady lines down my back.
“You’re not going anywhere, Rem,” he mutters, voice rough but low, like a promise meant only for me. “Not after tonight.”
A warmth spreads through me, deeper than the aftershocks, deeper than the ache in my body.Safe. Wanted. Claimed.
“Good,” I whisper, barely audible as I fight sleep, “because I don’t want to.”
We lie tangled together in silence, the afterglow humming between us, warm and heavy. For a while, I just breathe him in, my cheek pressed to his chest, listening to the steady thud of his heart.
But curiosity itches at me, refusing to be ignored. I tip my head back to catch his eyes. “So, what do you actually do?” I ask, my voice quiet but edged with teasing. “For a living, I mean. You throw money around like it’s going out of fashion, but I’ve yet to see you work a single day.”
He smirks, eyes half-lidded as he runs his fingers lazily over my breast, circling my nipple until it puckers.
“Work?” he echoes, like it’s a foreign word. “Darlin’, I’ve been working since I was old enough to throw a punch. Just not the nine-to-five kind you’re thinking of.”
I narrow my eyes. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.” His grin turns wicked, but his eyes stay sharp. “Let’s just say money’s never been my problem. And if you stick around long enough, you’ll figure out exactly why.”
My stomach twists, equal parts nerves and intrigue. He makes it sound like a warning and a dare all at once.
I chew my lip, the old knot of fear tightening in my stomach.Money’s never been my problem.It’s exactly the kind of thing my stepfather used to say before handing me a bag of pills and telling me to start pulling my weight.
I shift against Shadow’s chest, cautious but determined. “I need to know something,” I murmur. “You keep telling me I’m yours, but I can’t get into that life. Drugs. Prostitution. Any of it. If that’s what you mean when you say money isn’t a problem,” my voice cracks, but I force the words out, “then I can’t stay.”
His smirk fades, replaced by something harder. He tilts my chin up, his eyes locked on mine. “Remi, listen to me. I’ll never put you in that world. Never. That shit? It’ll never touch you again.”
I search his face, needing to believe him. He must see it because his hand cups the back of my head, dragging me closer.
“You’re mine,” he growls quietly, “but I’m not your stepfather. There will never be a time when I ask you for anything like that, especially money. I provide. I take care of you. End of.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “You never have to worry about all that again.”
His words should settle me. They should be enough. For the first time in years, someone’s telling me I don’t have to carry the weight.That I’m safe.
But I can’t silence the voice in the back of my head. I’ve got to find twenty grand to cover Mum’s debt or risk Shadow finding out about it all. And I can’t tell him, not when everything feels so good. I can’t have my past dragging my future down, or he might regret ever pulling me into his life.
I lay my head back against his chest and allow my eyes to drift closed. I’ll find the money, one way or another.
I wake to the faint buzz of my mobile. Blinking against the dim light, I glance at Shadow sprawled on his back, fast asleep, one arm flung over his chest, his breathing deep and even.
