Forever (Betrothed 7)

Her eyes suddenly fell down, visibly disappointed. But she didn’t make an argument or guilt-trip me for leaving her so abruptly. “Please be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” My hand moved into her hair, and I stared at her for a while, treasuring the moment even though we would have so many other good memories in the future. This beautiful woman wanted me to stay in bed with her instead of attending to business. It was all I’d ever wanted.

I just hadn’t known that until recently.

“Get some sleep.” I leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the lips, a gentle touch that was purposely superficial. Anything more than that would get me back in bed again.

I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed to the door.

“Damien?”

I turned back around, my hand resting on the doorknob.

“I love you.”

Paralyzed by her sincerity, I watched this woman love me with naked eyes. Those words always pierced me right through the heart. Every time she’d said it in the past, I’d always felt like shit because she should love someone better than me. But I would work harder to be a man worthy of her love, worthy of the heaven between her legs. It made me feel so much. And it made me want to leave her even less. “I love you too.”

I took care of a few things at the lab, collected a payment from my distributors, and I prepared my own payment for the asshole I despised.

I’d had a strong month, lots of sales, lots of drugs. The cash was stuffed into two black duffel bags set on the rug in front of my desk. Sometimes I considered skewing my numbers so he could collect as little as possible. But if he called my bluff, there would be repercussions. He had eyes and ears everywhere, so my secrets weren’t safe. And now that I had someone to protect, I couldn’t risk her for anything, couldn’t make a single mistake for fear of her safety. My vendetta against him was officially over because I couldn’t do anything about it. The risk wasn’t worth the reward…not anymore.

He announced his presence obnoxiously, like always. “You came prepared this time.” His heavy footfalls were audible even on the thick rug. “Good job. You get an A for the day.”

I sat in my chair behind my desk and watched him saunter inside like he owned the damn place. There was so much violence in my blood, wanting this man dead for so many reasons, but his arrogance was the biggest reason of all. I despised myself for giving in to his demands, for rolling over like a fucking dog. But I knew I didn’t have any other choice.

He crossed his arms and glanced at the two duffel bags on the floor. “Looks like you’ve had a good month. Or should I say, we’ve had a good month.” He kicked each bag, as if that was an accurate way to count the cash inside.

I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his bullshit, so I stayed quiet at my desk.

With his arms still crossed over his body, he stared at me as if he’d asked me a question that never got a response. His bright-blue eyes were the only kind feature he possessed, a pretty color that probably made women go weak. Everything else was rigid, hard, and thick like steel. He was in a dark blue t-shirt and black jeans, his thick muscles filling out everything he wore. “You’re no fun tonight.”

My fingers scratched against the scruff of my jawline as I dragged my hand across my lips. “Take your money and go.”

He pressed his thin lips tightly together. “Bad day?”

“No. It didn’t go to shit until you walked in.”

He chuckled and looked from side to side, as if people were standing there with him, mocking me along with him. “You really hate this, don’t you?”

“Would you enjoy being robbed?”

“Trust me, if I were robbing you, you’d know. You wouldn’t have a cent in your pocket right now.” He moved to the doorway, snapped his fingers, and two men came inside and picked up the heavy bags of cash. “And this is my money. I earned this shit, asshole.”

I fantasized about shoving a knife through his throat all the way to the back of his skull. His body would go limp first. His eyes would turn dull quickly afterward.

“Maybe your life would be a bit easier if you weren’t screwing another man’s wife.” He turned to join his men in the hallway.

I didn’t react to his statement initially, but after a few seconds, I understood the implication of his words. My heart started to beat fast as if a battle was about to rage. Even my palms were a little sweaty. I jumped out of the chair and followed him out the door. “What the fuck are you trying to say?”