Remington (The Theriot Family 1)

“Can’t. I… please.”

I tightened my grip on his cock as I continued to drive into his ass over and over, making him slide along the sheets. His legs clamped tighter around my hips.

“I want you to come now, cher. Let go.”

He cried out as cum spilled over my hand. “Love you, Remy.”

His words hit me so hard I went over with him. I poured my release into him as he drove himself into the circle of my hand, coating me with his slick seed and making our bodies slip against each other.

He loved me. Jesus. He loved me. I didn’t think he’d intended to say it, but I knew it was true. I could see it in his eyes, and I felt the same fucking way.

He was barely conscious by the time we’d both finished. All I could see in my mind was his look of awe and need as he’d voiced his confession. I rolled him to his side and brushed his sweaty hair from his face as I spooned around him.

“I love you too.” I whispered the words low and soft. He wiggled back against me and smiled. Had he heard me? For once in my life, I took the coward’s way out. I didn’t ask him if he was awake. I just held him.

36

Henri

I woke with a constant dull throb in my head, but I didn’t feel nearly as bad as I would have if Corbin hadn’t taken such good care of me. I squinted against the sunlight streaming in the window. It was probably at least midmorning. Why wasn’t Remington there? Shouldn’t he still be sleeping after all he’d done the night before?

My memories of the night were fuzzy, clouded by my hungover state, but I knew Remy had come home sometime after I’d fallen asleep.

He’d told me their business was taken care of, then he’d rimmed me and fucked me so thoroughly I’d known what we had wasn’t really a business arrangement anymore, and… Oh God. Please don’t let me have actually said those words out loud.

I sat up too quickly, and my stomach nearly revolted. As I remained utterly still, trying to get my body under control, I realized someone was downstairs talking. Remington and Lance maybe? Remington had said Corbin had gone home.

I very slowly made my way to the door, trying to ignore the way my head hurt. I moved cautiously down the stairs, gripping the railing. Between still being half-asleep and the pain in my head, I was far from steady.

I froze when I was a few steps from the bottom because I heard Lance—I was sure it was him now—say my name.

“Are you really going to let Henri go?”

After a few seconds of silence, Remington said, “It’s for the best.”

“Are you sure, considering what he knows?”

“That no longer matters now that the Landrys are all dead or on the run.”

At first, I’d thought Lance was referring to the fact that I’d discovered some of Remington secrets, but maybe Remington hadn’t told him that because Lance didn’t know about Remy’s bargain with the police. But the Landry’s weren’t connected to that.

“He’s still the only person who can place you in the Landrys’ territory the night you two met. You’re the one that wanted to keep him close so he couldn’t tell anyone what he’d seen.”

“Like I said. It doesn’t matter. There’s no one to tell. He doesn’t need to stay with me anymore.”

I sat down on the step, my pulse pounding in my head. I had to take slow breaths to keep from throwing up. I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t do anything that would alert them to my presence. I didn’t want to confront Remington. I didn’t even want to see him again.

How could I have been so stupid? I thought he truly cared for me, that he was possibly falling for me. The more awake I became, the more certain I was that I’d blurted out that I loved him, and Remington had said nothing in return. I did have a fuzzy memory of him whispering in my ear, but that had to be a dream.

He didn’t love me. He’d only brought me home, only hired me, because I’d seen him on the street where I worked, and he must have lied to me about telling Lance how we met since Lance knew where I’d been. I suppose I should be grateful Remington hadn’t just shot me.

They continued to talk, moving on to a discussion about how to clean up after the previous night’s mess, but I tuned them out and eventually found the strength to stand and move back up the steps, praying they wouldn’t creak. When I got to Remington’s bedroom, I dressed in the tight leather pants and the ridiculous crop top I’d been wearing the night I’d met him. I found my phone, then looked around at all the other things I’d acquired thanks to Remington. I wasn’t going to take them. It had all been a lie. I didn’t want anything to remember it by. I’d keep the money he’d already given me, but I wouldn’t take more. I was standing in the middle of his room, staring at the artifacts of the life I’d fallen into and been stupid enough to think could be mine when I heard Remington on the stairs.