Page 112 of Jace
Vivian reaches for my hand again, squeezing it. I roam through the side streets of North Charleston, making sure we lost our tail.
“What if it wasn’t Sheremetev?” She sounds pensive.
“You mean, what if it was one of your ex’s cousins?”
“Yeah.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see her chin lift. “I’m not afraid of them; I just want to grab my rifle too.”
“Smokeshow, you can’t shoot that rifle.”
She whips her stare at me, her ponytail in a swish. “The hell I can’t.”
I smirk, taking a right. “No, I mean, the hell I can handle my queen packing heatanda strap-on. My balls will explode in admiration.”
It twitches my dick again, remembering the erotic memory of Vivian taking me that way last night, of how hard I came withher. It’s only topped—pun intended—by the certainty we’ll do it again.
My entire world is loving this woman now.
And love always tries for each other. It gives and takes. It talks and explores.
Hell yes, there are things shared only between us.
Parts of her that are all mine.
No one gets to hold Vivian. No one has her heart. No one can touch the tender places inside her but me.
Hell, no one will ever touch her again without her consentandmine.
She finally has her power back, and it’s my honor to protect it. Hell, it’s my privilege to pleasure her. At least once, I’ll make sure she gets her fantasy. I won’t share her, I’ll worship her. I’m a beast, a buck, the stag who proudly wants to watch his woman get what she wants. And if that’s me and the kings for a night, then Vivian was born to be mine.
She truly is my queen.
“Seriously though.” She grabs me out of my heated haze. “David’s cousins know by now they were robbed. That somehow I had their servers taken, and they’ll come after me to find out who.”
I smirk. “Good. I’m thirsty for blood in your honor.” She’s quiet. I glance over, seeing her wheels turn. “Viv, I told you the kind of monster I’ll be for you. If you can’t watch, don’t. But if I even see a manthinkingabout hurting you, he’s dead.”
She can hear it in my tone; I’m serious. Savage even.
“I’m not bothered by you protecting me, or by me defending myself.” Her tone mirrors mine. “But where’s the line? When does defense become an offense so morally wrong that you become the evil you fight?”
That’s.
THE.
Question.
It’s the one I’ve been asking myself lately when it comes to my father.
Years ago, I obsessed over killing him. I planned to lock him alive in a coffin and walk away. Then, when I found out how he stole our sister from our mother, I wanted to put a bullet between his eyes first.
I could see myself doing it.
But while a dark storm of revenge raged inside me, Vivian became the light shining through. Her love evaporated the clouds, and all I can see is a future with her, not my past.
“You’re right.” Slowly, I pull into the lot outside the old naval bunker we own. Random cars are parked around, but our snipers hide on the surrounding buildings, guarding us. They know my truck as I park and turn to her. “I promise, I won’t kill anyone unless it’s to defend you. But for now, you can stay here while I interrogate him because it’ll get bloody. I need to make sure you’re safe.”
She smiles. “Can I help?”
I’m not sure if she’s kidding. Her head is held high, but her hand shakes as I hold it, walking toward the bunker, nodding at the familiar guard posted at the metal doors.
