SEALed Bride: A Bad Boy Romance (Includes bonus novel Jerked!) (48 page)
Read SEALed Bride: A Bad Boy Romance (Includes bonus novel Jerked!) Online
Authors: B. B. Hamel
I had wanted to put a bullet between that rat fuck’s eyes for a long time. And I finally got the chance. All more than justified.
Back in my car, I took a deep breath, my wound throbbing again. I thought about Bren back home. I thought about my own apartment, and what things were going to be like now that she wasn’t a prisoner anymore. I thought about O’Brian approving of me and her, and of my position in the Mob with Davin completely out of my picture.
Who knew what was happening next. But I was going to drive fast back to Bren and find out. Because we had unfinished business, me and her.
She was mine. And I was going to take what was mine.
T
hree months later
His apartment was nothing like I had expected.
I lay in his bed, covered only by a thin sheet, looking up at the high ceilings. Above me were thick, heavy-looking wood beams, and all the walls are old exposed brick. Apparently, his place used to be an old underwear factory back in the old days, but he paid to have it renovated and set up as living space. It must have been obscenely expensive, but he never once mentioned it while we were staying with my dad, or even acted like it was anything special. No matter how many times I woke up in his bed and looked up at the ceiling, it never got old. It never ceased to take my breath away.
At first, it felt weird being surrounded by his things. I had come to think of him as someone who lived in my dad’s place, but I was finding out more and more about his actual life. He was a person with his own wants and desires, completely separate from our old lives. He had hobbies, actual hobbies, and watched most of the same shows and movies that I did. I felt like I knew him so well already that every new discovery was like unwrapping a brand new present.
And I loved it. I loved peeling back the layers of him and finding more surprises underneath. I would never have guessed in a million years that he would like collecting art by local painters, or that he had an expensive record collection. He also had all the latest video game consoles, and more gym equipment than I’d seen outside of an actual gym, but I couldn’t have expected anything less. How else did he get a body like that? He was an Eagles fan and a Phillies fan, but he couldn’t get into hockey for some reason. He rarely used the dishwasher because he said it made people weak. Every morning he got up at the same time, brushed his teeth, and took a shower, all without fail, and in that exact order.
It was so domestic and simple and incredible. We had come together under horrible and stressful circumstances, and we hadn’t had the chance to really settle down and get into the flow of just being together. After months of it, I knew that I’d never get sick of it.
And he was still as hungry and insatiable for me as he was during those first few weeks.
I stretched my legs, loving the expensive and soft cotton sheets he used, wondering how the hell I had fallen in love with my potential stepbrother. It had all happened too fast, but there I was, missing him when he had only been gone for an hour or two. And the best part was, my dad approved, or at least he didn’t actively try to stop us from seeing each other. Colin was never going to become my stepbrother, but he still might become my dad’s son-in-law.
I climbed out of bed with a sigh, glancing at the clock. It wasn’t exactly late, but I had definitely slept in longer than I wanted. I pulled on his favorite pair of yoga pants and slipped on a sports bra then walked out into the main room, loving the feel of the slick hard wood floors.
I blinked at the natural light filtering into the clean and modern-looking room. The one wall was entirely made of glass, and the counters were all stainless steel and wood mixed in artful ways. It looked a lot like the farmhouse did, and I had the sneaking suspicion that he had a hand in its design. I didn’t ask him about it, though. He definitely would have denied any involvement. Design wasn’t masculine enough, he would have said. I could practically hear him grunting his denial at me, and it put a big smile on my face.
I put on a pot of coffee and sat down on a stool eating a banana. I had one last day of freedom before I started work at the largest advertising agency in the entire city, and I was pretty nervous. I had plenty of experience, but I had been out of work for a while, and I was worried I would have trouble adjusting to it. Colin told me that I didn’t have to go back to work until I was ready, or ever if I didn’t want to, but I was sick of constantly having to rely on his money. I was living with him while I looked for an apartment, or at least that’s what we were saying. Truthfully, I doubted I would ever leave, and I didn’t think he wanted me to. I could always occupy my dad’s mostly-empty place if Colin got tired of me. I hoped that day never came.
It was a dream come true, all of it. A beautiful apartment, an incredible man, an exciting job; it was everything I had ever wanted. Movies and TV sometimes tried to make it look like getting everything you wanted was some horrible thing, and that it wouldn’t ever make you happy, but that wasn’t true.
Because I got it, and I was the happiest I had ever been before.
As I finished my breakfast and poured a cup of coffee, the front doorknob turned, and Colin walked in.
“Good morning, Princess,” he said, grinning at me.
“Good morning, my bloodthirsty mobster.”
He laughed and walked into the kitchen. I marveled all over again at the way he confidently entered the room.
“Sleep late?” he asked.
“I did. Break any knees today?”
“Not yet. But it’s early.”
He pulled me to him and pressed his mouth against mine, crushing me in his usual way. It never, ever got old. He still sent shivers down my spine with every touch, and made my panties soaking wet whenever he felt like it.
The kiss ended, but he kept holding onto my waist.
“What are your plans for today?”
“Well, I thought I’d look at apartments. And I have a lunch date with Nick later.”
“Sounds good. How about you sit up on the roof with me first?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
He poured himself a cup of coffee, then led the way up a back staircase that opened up onto the roof. We walked out onto the wood deck and sat down on matching chairs. I sighed, stretching my legs out, and looked at the incredible view of the city. The Schuylkill River stretched out in front of us, winding its way to the north, and Rittenhouse Park was down and to the left. We were in the heart of the city, more or less, but we had it all to ourselves. I sipped my coffee, savoring the dark and strong taste. I felt more content than I ever had before.
“Did you know—?” He started, then stopped.
I looked at him. “What?”
“Nothing. It’s stupid.” He looked away and smiled to himself.
“Just say it.”
“No, never mind.”
“Say it or I’m pouring this hot coffee in your lap.”
He laughed. “You’d never risk scalding your favorite cock.”
“Okay, maybe that’s true. But I might dump it on your head instead.”
“You’re so sexy when you’re trying to be tough.”
“Don’t try and distract me. Spit it out.”
“Well, did you know that I built this for you? This roof deck, I mean.”
I blinked. “When? I mean, how?”
“When I did the work to the apartment, I built this place too. I never thought you’d see it, obviously. But I remembered how much you loved your dad’s roof deck, and I guess that inspired this one.”
I nodded. “I love it up here.”
“Good. You can stay as long as you want.”
It sounded like he was talking about the deck, but I knew it was something more. He didn’t have to say it.
“After everything that's happened, I never want you out of my sight again,” he said.
I laughed. “You know I have to go to work, right?”
“I know. But fuck that apartment search.”
“Okay. Fuck the apartment search.”
He reached out and took my hand, tugging it toward him. I got up out of my chair and sat down in his lap. He kissed my neck softly, his hand running up through my hair. I giggled softly. His shoulder was all healed up from the wound, but he sometimes winced when I pressed it too hard. The doctors said that would go away in time, and he denied that it ever hurt him, but I knew better. He just didn’t want me to worry.
“Why are you so affectionate this morning?”
“No reason. You just look so fucking good in that outfit.”
“You’re so easy to please.”
“You are too. All it takes is my hard dick.”
I rolled my eyes. “Good one.”
“You know it’s true.”
I sighed for a second, thinking about all of the years that separated our first kiss and the kiss that brought us together. It was too perfect the way the years pushed us back into the same house, and if I didn’t know any better I was almost ready to call it something like fate.
“Okay. Maybe it’s true.”
He grinned that cocky, self-assured grin, and kissed my lips softly.
“So what are you making me do today?” I asked.
“I need plans? I figured I’d take you into bed and make your back arch for an hour.”
“Okay, we can do that. But if I’m skipping the apartment search, you better have plans.”
He laughed. “Fine. We’ll walk down to the farmer’s market. It’ll be like we’re old as hell.”
I shook my head. “No thanks. How about you tell me more about making my back arch?”
He grinned and pressed his mouth against my ear. “Brenna, your pussy is the only thing I want to eat for years. I can’t get your taste off my mind and I never want to.”
I squirmed a little bit, smiling.
“Yeah. That’s better,” I said.
He leaned away. “See? You’re easy to please.”
I laughed and swatted at his arm. He growled at me and chuckled. I sighed and leaned back against his chest, sipping my coffee and looking out at the view.
“Hey,” he said. I looked at him. “You’re going to marry me one day, you know that?”
I blinked, surprised. “Is that a proposal?”
He shook his head. “No, not yet. But it will be eventually. You’re mine, and always will be mine. I just need you to know that.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’ll always be yours.”
Looking satisfied, his eyes turned back out over the city. I followed his gaze and watched the river flow smoothly along its banks.
I was his. I always would be. And one day I would be his wife.
But I was content in that moment to be in his lap, on his deck, in his apartment, in his life. It was as perfect as a moment could get, and I knew I had many more moments like it to look forward to.
