“Lonely,” I said as I thought about it. “Hard. It’s an eye for an eye in there, only an eye for a life. If you fuck with someone, you’re likely to die. It was about survival.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m glad you made it
out alive.”
“I ran that prison, baby. I was the go-to man. Just like I am now. The guys, which you will meet in a few minutes, are all criminals, but we are all innocent.” I was getting close to telling her that we were a group that planned heists and that we were on the road to vengeance now. I didn’t want to tell her that I had her ex-fiancé chained against the wall of the basement or that I ruined her wedding.
Or that I threatened to keep her for ten years for the years taken from me.
Yeah, we would work up to that.
I stepped off the elevator and entered the kitchen. Ingrid was there, baking cookies while Louis sipped coffee and read the newspaper.
“Mr. Steele. Ms. Taylor. Glad to have you back,” he said, laying the paper down on the counter to look at us over his bifocals.
I called and told them about her memory loss. So they made sure to keep their lips sealed about certain aspects of our life.
“Rabbit, I’m glad your back. I made you your favorite. Chocolate chip,” Ingrid held out a plate of freshly baked cookies.
“I like oatmeal raisin,” she said. “How do I know that?”
“Some things are just engraved in us,” I said.
“I know you like oatmeal raisin. Chocolate chip is my favorite, Rabbit. I knew you’d turn them down. More for me.” Ingrid shoved a cookie in her mouth, and with a debonair glide to her steps, she walked down the hallway and snapped her fingers. “Louis, come.”
“Boss calls,” he said, folding up the paper and trailing behind Ingrid like a lovestruck fool.
“Interesting people,” Quinn said. “And I also don’t think I like that she calls me Rabbit.”
“You don’t,” I said on a short laugh. “Come on; I’ll introduce you to the guys.” I carried her to the game room where the doors were shut. “Use your good foot to knock, would you, baby?”
“My pleasure,” she said, biting her lip as she stared at my chest. She didn’t look away from me as she lifted her foot and banged on the door.
My cock took notice of her attention, and I wanted to lay her down and fuck her like it was the first time, which it would be to her, and that had my blood boiling with the pleasure I could bring her. Shit, she didn’t even know I was her first sexual experience. And right now, she was acting like a vixen with how she was checking me out.
A man could only be so strong. If she kept looking at me like that, I was going to pounce and eat her pussy before fucking her so good, the only man she’d ever remember was me. I shifted on my feet when my erection pressed against my zipper to readjust it, but it was pointless. Everyone was going to see how fucking turned on I was, and I had no shame.
The doors opened, and Heaven tossed glitter in the air and confetti while Grayson blew on a whistle while Owen released balloons, and Sebastian tugged the rope that dropped a sign that said….
“Happy Retirement?” I asked.
“They didn’t have a welcome home sign,” Heaven answered. “Quinn, welcome home! I’ve missed seeing you.” He stole her from my arms and hugged her, and somehow, the guys ended up passing her around like that to give her a hug.
Every guy’s arms she was in, she laughed, and her flesh was the color of a tomato with all the blushing.
“How’s she doing?” Heaven asked me, but it was hard to take him seriously when he wore a ‘happy birthday’ hat. They must have really had no ‘welcome home’ supplies.
“Good, I think.” I scratched back of my head when I was more uncertain than ever. “Things are familiar to her, but she doesn’t remember me. She only remembers Brian.”
“Ouch. That sucks. Does she know he is here?”
“No, I want to keep it like that, Heaven. You got it? She knows about him and me and how she is engaged to me now. I told her I went to prison, but I’m innocent, and she believed me. She hasn’t asked about Brian since. I’m sure she will. I felt like we just took four steps backward, man.”
“It will be okay.” Heaven was as positive as ever. Sometimes his bright ray of fucking sunshine all the time really ticked me off. “We did that job without you, by the way.”
“Excuse me?” I crowded against him and shoved him against the wall. “You went on a heist without me? Is that what we do now?”
“Don’t make a scene,” Sebastian said between his teeth as he smiled. “Everyone is having a good time. She’s having fun with Owen, shocker. That will never happen again when she remembers what an ass he is.”