Monster In The Shadows: A stand-alone dark romance, page 19
“For what it’s worth, I know I haven’t known Donovan long either, but I’ve learned he doesn’t trust many people. And he trusted Sway enough to let him save me. He’s very protective of me. I’m his, and no one is to touch me. So the fact that he let Sway come for me means he’s not all bad.”
She sighs. “I just need time. I’ve been thinking about going back to teaching this fall because I don’t want to spend all of Grandma’s inheritance. And with you being a full-time nurse soon, I just think my time at the library is done. Teachers are supposed to be good influences, and I don’t know if dating Sway would make me one.”
Grabbing her hand, I give it a squeeze. “Do what you think is right, but don’t push him away because of who he is on the outside. I’ve learned that sometimes the inside is a lot different.”
“I’m ready to sleep, and honey, I don’t judge you for choosing Donovan. I don’t know if I can make the same decision, but if you’re happy, I’m happy. I just want you safe.”
“I feel safe with him,” I say with a smile. “He pushes me out of my comfort zone, but I don’t ever feel afraid. And I know he didn’t put me in danger on purpose.”
We each set our wine glasses on the nightstand and climb under the covers. We haven’t shared a bed in a long time, but I don’t think either of us wants to be alone tonight.
“So, tell me everything.” I say to Sway from my spot on the couch.
I still have to rest a lot, but I was finally discharged from the hospital. I mean, my girlfriend is a fucking nurse. She can help me if I need it. And believe me, she’s doing a good job. I’ve only been home a couple of hours, and she’s already taking charge.
Paige is hot as fuck when she puts on her nurse attitude and bosses me around. Still, I can’t wait until I’m healthy again so I can remind her who the real boss is.
“I got the girls out of the library, obviously unhurt,” Sway tells me. “I was able to sneak in and kill the target quickly, and as quietly as possible. The body has been disposed of, and the library’s been cleaned. As far as I can tell, no one even knows anything happened there.”
Nodding, I try to sit up and quickly regret it. After I let out a groan, Paige storms into the living room.
“What did I say?!” she barks. “You need to fucking take it easy. You. Were. Shot. You’re lucky to be alive. If you need something, ask for it. You’re on bed rest for two weeks.”
Her face is red, and I can’t help but smile.
“You’re fucking hot when you’re angry,” I tell her.
She rolls her eyes as she walks out of the room. “Blow a fucking stitch! See if I care!”
“What happened at Hector’s house?” I ask, this time turning to Mark, who is smirking at my exchange with Paige.
“She’s a fucking keeper,” he chuckles. “I think she’d get along with my old lady. Weak women don’t make it in our world.”
I nod and wait for him to answer my question.
“We’re pretty sure your sister shot Hector, which set us into action. We followed your directions and entered at the first gunshot. I lost two men, but they weren’t expecting so many of us. All of his men are dead. No one got out alive. I’m sorry I had to kill your sister, but she was going to kill you.”
I know that, and I hold no ill will toward him for doing what he did. Unfortunately, my sister was beyond saving.
“Thank you for saving my life,” I tell him. “Anything I can do for you, consider it done. You have my loyalty.”
He nods. “I appreciate it. Your skills could definitely come in handy in the future. But I think your woman there is going to make sure you take the appropriate time off work.”
I laugh and wince. Fuck, why does everything have to hurt? I mean, I know I was shot, but couldn’t the painkillers do a little bit more?
“She’s a spitfire, but she’s also more obedient than I ever dreamed possible. She’s exactly what I was looking for, and I didn’t even know I was looking.”
“Fuck love,” Sway growls, taking a sip of the bourbon he poured himself when he got here.
Leanne is still refusing to talk to him, and I think it’s hurting him more than he’ll ever admit.
“Did you find the girls?” I ask Mark, who smiles and nods.
“Yeah. There were over a hundred of them. They were keeping them in C-cans down in the forest of Hector’s property, only bringing them out to torture and fuck.”
“Disgusting,” I hiss, and both Sway and Mark nod.
“I offered as many as I could jobs as bartenders and waitresses at my clubs. There are other clubs across the country that I can get them jobs at if they are willing to move. As for the children, I felt wrong putting them back into the system, so we spoke with the club, and everyone who can is taking a kid or two to foster. The others will be going to another club I’m close with. I just wish we could have shut it down sooner.”
“Me too. But thank you for everything. I know the world sees us as a bunch of bad men, but sometimes I think we do more good than the so-called good men.”
Mark laughs. “I believe it. Men who are seen as good are usually pathetic pigs. We don’t hide behind a façade, that’s all. What you see is what you get.”
“Are you taking in a kid?” I ask Sway.
He laughs, almost spitting out his drink. “Fuck, I’m still a kid myself. Nah, I’m passing on that. But maybe I’ll give one of the women a job as my receptionist at the garage, and maybe she can suck my dick on the side if she wants.”
“You’re a sick pig,” Leanne says from the entryway.
How did I not know she was coming over?
Paige grabs her hand and pulls her down the hall without a word.
“Real smooth,” I say, and Sway glares at me.
“How the fuck was I supposed to know she would be here?!” he yells, his face red and the vein on his neck twitching. “I haven’t spoken to her since the hospital. She won’t return my calls or texts.” He downs the rest of the bourbon and stands. “You guys have a good chat, but I’m done.”
He storms out of my house and slams the front door so hard that I hear the vibrations all the way from the living room. I hear his bike come to life outside, and then him gunning it as he rides away.
“Should we try to calm him down?” I ask, still new to this actual friendship thing.
Mark laughs. “He’ll come back to the club eventually. Sometimes you just have to ride out the anger.”
“Is there anything else I need to know?” I mumble, fighting for my eyes to stay open.
“Nah, man. We have it all taken care of. Even though shit hit the fan, if you hadn’t made a smart plan, I would have lost a lot more men.”
Mark stands and leaves, and I let myself drift off to sleep.
I’m jostled from my sleep and I open my eyes slowly to see an angel standing over me.
“Did I finally die?” I ask, only half-joking.
Paige smiles and shakes her head. “You’re too stubborn to die. And if you actually die, I’ll find a way to bring you back to life so I can kill you myself.”
I chuckle, but it hurts. Paige’s face quickly falls, and she lowers herself to her knees.
“I hate seeing you like this,” she whispers, grabbing my hand.
“I know, but this is my life, Paige. Nothing’s ever guaranteed. All I can guarantee is that I will love you until my last breath.”
Her eyes go wide, and I realize this is the first time I’ve actually said the words out loud.
“I love you, Paige,” I reiterate. “You know I can’t change who I am. I was born and raised to be a killing machine, and one day I will die. But like you said, I’m stubborn, so that day won’t be for a long time.”
She leans over and plants a kiss on my lips. “I love you too. I never thought this would be my life, and I know you aren’t a good man, but you are good to me.”
For a long time, I thought that my heart died when I heard that Ciera was dead. I truly believed that I was the monster everyone else seemed to think I was.
I’ll never be perfect. I’ll never even be good. But Paige has shown me that even the monster who lurks in the shadows can find happiness and peace.
“I’m only going to ask one more time, Paige. Did you eat the last piece of cake?”
She bites her lip, her eyes gleaming with mischievousness. Slowly, she nods her head.
“And did I specifically tell you not to?”
Again, she nods.
My girl loves to be a brat sometimes. She told me she likes to obey me, but this girl also loves to push my buttons. And fuck, do I love putting her in her place when she does. We were made for each other.
“Girls that don’t listen get punished. You know that, right?”
She nods again; this time, a smirk forms on her lips.
“Go to our room, get completely naked, and lie on the bed. Don’t even think about touching yourself. Attach the ankle cuffs and wait for me.”
Her whole body bounces with excitement as she runs up the stairs.
This past year has been insane. The human trafficking ring has been completely shut down. No one would even think to start one up again after the way we completely took down all of Hector’s men.
We found out that Winston had put a listening device on Sway’s phone, and he was the one who tipped off Hector that we had a plan and told him how to take our girls. He was pissed that we turned our backs on him. But fuck, was it fun watching the blood seep from his neck and spill down his body. He thought he was untouchable, but no one is untouchable.
New men will move into power. Bad things will still happen. I’ll still kill those who need to be killed. But an order of sorts is back in place.
I wish I could say I was sad that my sister was killed, but to me, she was killed when we were just kids. The woman who shot me was not my sister anymore. And I’m sure death is better than the life she was living anyway.
Paige and I have been living together peacefully. She works at the hospital where she did her clinicals and is loving her job. She has also helped Mark’s guys out a couple of times when they needed to be taken care of but, for obvious reasons, couldn’t go to a doctor. She doesn’t mind helping where she can. She’s just thankful that Mark was able to get the women we rescued out of hell and into a better life. Well, as good of a life as you can get in this fucked-up world.
Reaching into the fridge, I grab the whipped cream, then get some ice cubes from the freezer and put them in a bowl. I’m ready to have some fun with my girl and make her wish she hadn’t eaten the last piece of cake.
Walking into the bedroom, I’m pleased to see Paige exactly how I asked for her to be.
“Good girl. Too bad you can’t be like that all the time,” I tell her, setting the items I brought on the nightstand.
I grab her left arm and attach it to one of the cuffs at the head of the bed, then I do the same with the right arm.
“Are you sorry for eating the cake?” I ask.
She smiles. “Not even a little bit.”
“Are you going to apologize?”
She takes a deep breath, her eyes trained on me. “I’m sorry for eating the best cake I’ve ever had.”
She tries to fight the smile that is forming on her face, but she loses.
I shake my head. “That wasn’t a very good apology.”
Reaching for the ice, I trail it down her body, starting at her collarbone. Judging from the way she shivers and the way her legs pull at the cuffs, I know she’s enjoying it.
I circle her left nipple and hold the ice there for a minute. She hisses from the cold temperature, and I smile.
“Are you going to give me a better apology?” I ask, not removing the ice just yet.
“Fine,” she huffs. “I’m sorry! Will you please take the ice off my nipple and fuck me?”
I laugh and put the ice cube back in the bowl. “I will fuck you, but your punishment isn’t over. Thank you for the apology, though.”
She shakes her head and bites her lip. She’s already learned that a smart tongue gets more punishment, and she doesn’t even know what I have in store for her.
I take the whipped cream and spread a good layer on her pubic bone.
“Since I didn’t get my dessert, I’m going to eat you,” I tell her before lapping at the sweet creaminess.
Once I’ve cleaned up all the cream, I swipe my tongue over her wet center.
“You taste even better than the whipped cream.”
A moan escapes her lips, and the cuffs pull as she tries to move her legs.
I slide two fingers inside her, stroking her g-spot just right, and when I feel that she’s about to come, I stop.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she pants.
“I think I need a glass of water. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I walk out of the room, and Paige screams a few curse words. I love it.
One of my favorite forms of punishment is orgasm denial. It’s hard for me to do it for too long with Paige, though. She’s just too fucking hot, and my cock wants to play too.
After I get a glass of water, I make my way back to my room, and Paige looks pissed. Good. Maybe next time, she won’t eat my fucking cake. She knows the rules. When I give her an order, she obeys. If she doesn’t, she gets punished. Like tonight.
“Are you going to listen next time?” I ask her.
She pouts. “It was just a piece of cake.”
“Yes, but you know the rules. I gave you an order, and you disobeyed.”
“I already said I’m sorry. Can I please come?”
“We’ll see.”
I climb on the bed and kiss her hard. Her mouth quickly opens for my tongue. She still tastes likes fucking cake, and for some reason, that’s turning me on. A lot.
“Do you want my cock inside you?” I ask.
She nods enthusiastically. “Yes, please.”
“Good girl, using your manners.”
I straddle her body and slowly insert myself into her soaking wet pussy.
I will never get sick of being inside Paige. It’s my happy place.
Picking up speed, I fuck her hard, but again just before she comes, I stop.
“For fuck’s sake!” she screams, and I laugh.
“Calm down, baby. You’ll get to come soon enough. First, I want you to taste yourself on my cock.”
She licks her lips, and I know it’s turning her on. I unshackle her arms and pull her to a sitting position. Rising to my knees, I bring my cock to her lips.
“Suck,” I command.
She quickly opens her mouth, taking me in. She sucks and slurps and twirls her tongue like the fucking pro I’ve trained her to be. Using her now-free hands, she strokes one up and down my shaft in sync with her mouth. I’m about ready to blow, but I want to be back in her pussy when that happens.
“Stop,” I tell her, but she doesn’t. “Do you want to come, Paige? You’d better listen.”
She quickly releases my cock with a satisfying pop.
“I would very much like to come, please.” She bats her eyes at me, trying to act all innocent.
I unshackle her feet and turn her onto her stomach. “Get on all fours and hold on. I’m going to fuck you hard.”
She wiggles and quickly gets into position.
Grabbing her hips, I line myself up and enter her hard and fast. She lets out a gasp, and I quickly pound her like I’ve been wanting to all night.
“Come for me, baby,” I tell her, reaching around to find her clit.
The moment my fingers press down, she screams and convulses around my cock. I follow behind, emptying into her.
I pull out and lie down, pulling her into my arms. “I will never get sick of you. I love you.”
“Love you too,” she whispers before drifting off to sleep.
Life changes in the blink of an eye. I’m just thankful that Paige is along for the ride now.
I hope you enjoyed Monster in the Shadows. If you did, I’d love it if you would leave an honest review.
Here are the songs I listened to while writing this book. Listen here!
“Every Breath You Take (in Minor Key)” by Chase Holder
“Rock Bottom” by Hailee Steinfeld
“Hotter Than Hell” by Dua Lipa
“Poison & Wine” by The Civil Wars
“Greenlight” by the Jonas Brothers
“Numb” by Nick Jonas
“Body Say” by Demi Lovato
“Nexus” by Niykee Heaton
“Fire Alarm” by Wax Motif and ANGELS
“Powerful” by Major Lazer feat. Tarrus Riley and Eliie Goulding
“Like This” by JoJo
“Champagne” by Niykee Heaton
“Close” by Nick Jonas
“Small Doses” by Bebe Rexha
“Poison” by Rita Ora
“I Have Questions” by Camila Cabello
“Trials” by Starset
“Take It All” by Pop Evil
“Oh My God” by Hellyeah
“Monsters” by Shinedown
“Sick Like Me” by In This Moment
“Breaking the Mirror” by Fit for a King
“Keep Away” by Godsmack
“Whore” by In This Moment
“Silence Speaks” by While She Speaks
“Adrenalize” by In This Moment
“Devil’s Calling” by Parkway Drive
“Sick Sense” by Pop Evil
“Big Bad Wolf” by In This Moment
Love in Sienna Series
Secret Smiles (Tia and Mikey)
Hidden Kisses (Leah and Johnny)
Guarded Hearts (Crystal and Dustin)
Whispered Desires (Shae and Tyler)
MORE BOOKS COMING SOON!
Another book done and so many people to thank.
First, as always, you, the reader. I wouldn’t be publishing books if you didn’t continue to read them. I hope I did this book justice and that you enjoyed my first dive into the dark romance world! I’m hoping more will be coming soon!
