12. Serenity

“Ihave a day filled with meetings,” Gareth said as we shared our morning coffee at the kitchen table in Charleston.

Wed been here for two weeks, settling into a new routine that had a wholly different vibe than the one in Chicago. A routine that was filled with normal business transactions on Gareth’s end and a lot of adjusting to my new surroundings on mine.

Gareth had managed what I thought was impossible, which was getting my father kicked out of the billionaire’s game, and despite knowing he wouldn’t back off now that he knew I wasn’t an asset to him anymore, at least not until he squeezed something from Gareth, either money or a favor, it still felt like a win.

“What are your plans today?” he asked.

The question was an innocent one, but it stirred up a slew of emotions that I had a hard time controlling. Gareth was being sweet, genuinely interested in how I would spend my day, and there was no judgment on his behalf, either.

A few days ago, I told him I had nothing on the agenda except to finish the latest season of Bridgeton on Netflix. Hed kissed me and told me to take notes if there were any scenes I wanted to recreate.

It was becoming more and more clear to me that as long as I was happy, Gareth was content. Which I still couldnt fully believe. Chalk it up to my upbringing, but I kept waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. At my home, rewards and luxuries and praise were accompanied with conditions and prices and passive aggression.

“I think Ill call Daisy and see if she wants to grab lunch. Is that okay?” I asked, , then immediately cringed. “Sorry,” I said. “You have to be tired of me asking for things.”

Gareth set down his mug and reached for my hand across the table. “There’s no time limit that you’re expected to heal in. We cant undo years of conditioning in two months. You dont have to apologize. And you dont need to worry about me getting tired. Havent I proven to you that I have the stamina of a mythical god by now?”

A warm flush raked over my skin, and an effortless laugh escaped my lips.

This man.

Hope built inside me, painting an optimistic future that stretched on forever.

But my reality hadnt been shaped in daydreams and fantasies. I’d spent most of my life in between nightmares, both waking ones and those that chased me from sleep, and that wouldn’t go away overnight.

“Thank you,” I finally said, shaking my head because I didnt have the words to express how grateful I was for his patience with me.

He scooted back from the table, dipping down to plant a too-quick kiss on my lips. “Call me if you need anything,” he said before grabbing his suit jacket off the back of the chair and sliding into it.

I stared up at him unabashedly, unsure how somebody that big and that terrifying-looking could be so damn beautiful.

He caught me looking, a wolfish smirk shaping his lips. Then he winked at me.

The man winked at me.

It was a good thing I was sitting because I probably would’ve swooned.

A few hours later, I sat across from Daisy at a small table in a quaint little restaurant. Shed picked me up and taken me to a place in Sweet Water, a little suburb outside of Charleston that apparently had been dubbed Reaper Village, after the Carolina Reapers—apparently most of Asher’s NHL team lived there.

I couldnt complain, especially when the food was so damn good. The owner of the restaurant, a delightfully sweet woman named Lyla, had come over to make sure that we were enjoying ourselves and the food, which she had personally cooked.

It was so refreshing to be in an establishment where the owner came over simply because she wanted to know if we enjoyed her food and her restaurant as opposed to the owner coming over to the table out of obligation to pay his respects to my father.

I felt like I was living a completely different life than the one Id had a mere two months ago. Any time I thought about it too hard, it gave me whiplash.

As we ate and made small talk, Daisys eyes kept flashing behind me, so I followed her line of sight, spotting a couple of Gareth’s guards two tables over, enjoying their own lunch.

“Im not going to lie,” Daisy said when I returned my attention to her. “The secret service is a little creepy. Does that bother you?”

“Oh, this is nothing,” I answered, taking a sip of my sparkling water. “At high-profile events, my father would put six or more guards on me at a time. They were bastards too, never letting me explore anywhere on my own. They had strict orders to keep me in the place my father left me. At least Gareth’s guys are nice. They never question where I want to go, they just follow me.”

“Asher filled me in,” Daisy admitted. “I get it, but it also sounds like something I would write in one of my novels,” she teased.

I chuckled, nodding. “I can see that,” I said. “Im actually reading one of yours now. Gareth gave it to me. Im in love.”

“With Gareth?” she spluttered. “I mean, I know hes your husband but?—”

“With your book,” I hurried to correct her, my heart racing at the mention of love and Gareth in the same sentence.

“Oh,” she said, waving me off. “Thank you.” She nodded to the guards eating their lunch. “Are they going to be here forever, then?”

“I hope not,” I admitted. “Now that Gareth successfully kicked my father out of the game, it was just one more slight against him. And even though he didnt do it in an effort to start a territorial war, our families have been rivals for longer than you can even imagine. Im sure hes getting pressure from various sections of our family to strike back. And until we figure out his next move...” My voice trailed off, a trickle of ice-cold fear slipping into my bloodstream. The idea of Gareth getting hurt because of me was one of my waking nightmares. And try as I might to push it out of my mind, it always slithered its way back in. I wouldnt be able to forgive myself if something happened to him.

“And until you figure out his next move,” Daisy repeated for me. “You have to stick with the Secret Service Bros.”

I tried to shake off the lingering fear and nodded. “If you ever decide to write a mafia romance, at least you know who to turn to for the details.”

“I love the way you think,” she said, smiling at me. “But that’s the last thing on my mind right now. I just want to be here for you. I can’t imagine the shit you’re dealing with.”

“Everything is chaotic right now, even though this is quite possibly the most content I’ve ever been in my entire life. That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

“I think it makes a certain kind of sense, given your circumstances,” Daisy said.

Our server cleared our finished plates, and we ordered coffees to keep the lunch date going. I finally worked up enough courage to ask her more about her books. “How did you know?” I started. “That you wanted to be an author?”

“I’ve always wanted to be an author,” she said. “I fell in love with writing stories when I was younger, and I took a little bit of a detour in high school and early college because so many people told me it wasn’t a real career. But the more I tried to deny what I wanted to do, the worse my life felt. The moment I started typing out my first chapter—a horrible scene riddled with typos, tense changes, and my main character staring into a mirror—I was in love. It took me a long time to hone my craft, but even those sleepless nights where I pulled a seventeen-hour day writing gave me life.” She sighed wistfully. “And it must’ve been the right choice, because here I am fifty-three books later.”

“That’s an incredible accomplishment,” I said, marveling at the successful career she had doing something she loved.

“Have you ever had anything like that?” she asked.

“What, a dream?”

She nodded.

“I was never allowed to think like that,” I admitted, even as pathetic as it sounded. “I was raised to be a robot wife, popping out heirs for whoever brokered a deal for our alliance.”

“Jesus,” she said, then tilted her head. “Wait, isn’t that person Gareth now?”

I chuckled. “On paper, yes. And I won’t lie to you, sleeping with him is absolutely a dream. One I’d had long before I knocked on his door on New Year’s Eve. And while I wouldn’t be opposed to having his babies, I know I need to figure out who I am first.”

My admission came effortlessly, and it radiated through me like the ripples in disturbed water.

I checked myself internally, allowing the truth to play out a visual in my head.

My belly swollen with Gareth’s child. A little girl with his pale green eyes and my blonde hair, or a son with his dark hair and my blue eyes. Gareth would be a loving father and an incredible husband. He’d already proven as much, but I’d had no idea that I was that attached already.

“You could go to college,” Daisy offered. “That’s where a lot of people discover their passion. Uncover what they want to do by trying a lot of different things. Or there are trade schools. Hell, you could even just take random classes to see if anything sparks your interest.”

The possibilities she laid out filled me with hope, but they were instantly dashed. “I was tutored my entire life, but I highly doubt I could even get accepted into a college. With the way my father was about control, he ensured my education was minimal. Just enough to make it by, but nothing extensive.”

“What a prick,” she said, then flashed an apologetic look.

I waved her off. “He is a fucking prick.”

Daisy’s eyebrows raised as she barely held back a smile. “I like it when you get all sassy,” she said. “It suits you. You know, if I were you, I’d make a list.”

“A list?”

“Yeah, a list of things you’ve always wanted to try but never did. Or things that pique your interest now. Cooking, baking, sky-diving, whatever you want.”

“And then…” I let my voice trail off.

“Then you think on it. See which ones excite you the most and try that first. And so on.”

I nodded, liking the idea.

“Plus, I’m sure Gareth would be more than happy to help with anything on it,” she said. “Especially if the tasks were closer to what I write about in my books.”

We both laughed at that, and it felt unnaturally good to share the companionship of a female who hadn’t been forced into my company.

She liked me for the new me I was becoming and had always been kind to the old me, too. She’d never tried to breach those boundaries I put up in fear of repercussions from my father. But now those walls were lowered, and on the other side I found genuine friendship.

Not just from her, but also the other girls. And in Gareth. It wasn’t until I found those things that I realized how deprived I’d been in my previous life.

While all of that was hopeful and optimistic, I still didn’t have a clue what I genuinely wanted, but I liked her idea of creating a list. I could do that now without the fear of my father finding it and killing any dream I might have.

I just had to figure out something to write down.

It was well after nine when Gareth finally made it home, finding me in our bedroom, finishing up one of Daisy’s books.

“Long day?” I asked after one look at him. His usually hard features were…drained. I had no other way to describe it. It made my stomach drop.

“Long,” he confirmed, sliding off his jacket and loosening his tie.

I pressed my lips together, guilt churning beneath my skin. I had no doubt the heaviest item weighing on him was my father’s lack of response to his more than fair requests.

“I’m going to shower,” he said, sighing as he looked me over. “You okay?”

I nodded, unable to answer for fear my voice would crack.

He gave me a soft smile, then headed toward his bathroom.

I breathed deeply, my heart aching. I didn’t want to put this weight on him, this responsibility, this danger. It was all directly tied to me, and despite him saying this had long since become more than a favor, I was still the catalyst for the added stress in his life.

I wished I could fix it.

Wished I could contact my father and talk some sense into him, but I knew him better than most…he’d never hear me out. He never had before.

I heard the water turn on in the shower, and I realized there was one way I could help alleviate the stress for Gareth. At least, in this way, I could be of some help, not that he’d ever ask for it.

Hurrying toward the bathroom before I lost my courage, I stripped myself bare, and opened the glass shower door.

Gareth’s head was dipped, letting the heavy stream of water rush over his body. I followed the rivulets of water, appreciating every inch of him. He was beautiful, his inked skin stretched over muscles he worked hard as hell on. A carved, incredibly tall protector that I never knew I’d be so lucky to touch.

I stepped into the shower, letting the door shut behind me, my fingers grazing over his muscled back as I settled behind him.

He relaxed under my touch, grabbing my hands and bringing them around his body to rest on his chest.

Gareth remained silent as we stood like that, me holding him from behind, as if he needed me to keep him together.

I kissed his back, a silent show of support as well as an apology.

I wiggled my hands free of his, gliding them over his body, massaging his back, his hips, anywhere I could reach before I finally urged him to turn around. His eyes immediately trailed the length of my body, that gaze turning hungry as he took me in, soaking wet in front of him.

I guided my hand down between us, gripping his cock, which was already hardening under my touch as I stroked him. He captured my mouth, our kiss slow, sensual, and wet from the water pouring over us.

Pulling out of the kiss, I sank to my knees before him, thankful for the stone floor ensuring I didn’t slide all over the place as I traced my lips with the thick head of his cock. He groaned at the tease, and I parted my lips, flicking my tongue over him before taking him in my mouth.

“Serenity,” he said, his fingers sliding into my wet hair.

I bobbed up and down, taking him in as much as I could. I pumped him with one hand to make up the difference, swirling my tongue around him in that way I knew he loved. And while I’d gotten off before on him pumping into my mouth in that dominating way of his, this wasn’t about that. I wanted to give him a release with no conditions. Wanted to show him that I appreciated every single thing he did for me, even when he expected nothing in return.

“Fuck, angel,” he growled when I dragged my teeth lightly along his shaft. The more time I spent with Gareth like this, the more I learned what he enjoyed, what I enjoyed. I gained confidence I never knew I could possess and felt like a damn goddess on my knees before him.

I upped my pace, alternating sucking his thick head and stroking along his shaft until I felt his muscles clench where my hand gripped his thigh.

“Angel,” he growled. “I’m going to come.”

I pulled away, looking up at him as I kept up my stroking. “Where do you want to come?” I asked, my voice a husky sort of bold I’d never heard before.

“What?” he groaned.

“You want to come in my mouth? On my face? Somewhere else?” I squeezed him tighter, loving the dark flash of desire in his eyes.

“How are such dirty things coming out of that sweet mouth?” he asked, eyes churning.

I grinned, flicking my tongue over him again. “Daisy’s books,” I said.

He smirked, the moment between us charged. He reached down, taking over where my hand had been. “Open your mouth,” he demanded.

I did.

He pumped into my mouth again, and I licked his cock, tasting the salty bead of pre-come there and swallowing it down, adrenaline racing through my veins at the unknown. Gareth knew me, knew everything I did with him was a first, and I’d never felt more taken care of than in his hands. If there was anyone to learn with, it was him.

“Fuck,” he groaned when I sucked him as he thrust into my mouth again. He quickly pulled out, guiding his cock over my breasts, coming on them in a hot stream.

I gasped, the sensation surprising as I watched him lose himself on me.

It was so damn sexy, watching this powerful man come undone because of me.

He breathed deeply, using his free hand to swipe his thumb over my lips as he looked down at me. He reached for me, urging me to stand up, eyes trailing over his work.

“Fuck, Serenity,” he growled, eyes blazing. “You look good wearing all my marks, don’t you?”

I grinned, proud to wear any mark he gave me. I had a few red patches of skin from his mouth still lingering on my body from yesterday, one on each thigh for sure. And I loved them, not only because they felt so good when he gave them to me, but because he chose me to give them to.

“Let me clean you up, wife,” he said, and the endearment soared through me. I was spinning, unable to not arch into his touch as he tugged me farther into the stream of warm water and soaped up every inch of my skin.

He lingered over my breasts, giving them loving attention until I felt like I would combust. He took his time, massaging my muscles as he washed me, planting kisses along every spot until I was thoroughly clean and rinsed.

“My turn,” he said once he was done, shutting off the water and leading me out of the shower. He wrapped me in a towel, drying me off, and when I moved toward the bedroom, he hauled me back against him in the bathroom. “No, in here,” he said, turning me to face the mirror.

I swallowed hard, anticipation crackling in my veins at the sight of him towering behind me, all bare and glorious looking. I looked tiny compared to him, even though I had supple curves that no amount of dieting my father enforced could get rid of. Curves I’d loved all my life because they’d been the one rebellious part of me that had been strong enough to defy my father when I couldn’t.

And now I loved them because Gareth made a point to worship them every night.

“I want you to watch me unravel you, angel,” he said, kissing down my neck as his hands roamed over my breasts.

Heat seared beneath my skin at the sight, at the way his large hands touched me so possessively. My heart raced, but I didn’t dare tear my eyes away.

Gareth pinched my nipples, plucking them until they were rosy for him, and I gasped, pleasure building as he continued to kiss and touch everywhere he could reach.

An ache built between my thighs, and I shifted back against him, shock snapping through me when I felt his cock hard and ready behind me. He’d taken his time in the shower cleaning me, but damn.

His hand dipped between my thighs, and I tracked the move, whimpering when he stroked through my heat. I reached out, gripping the counter for support as he teased my throbbing clit, working me up so tight I felt like I’d snap.

“Gareth,” I sighed his name.

“Eyes on me,” he said, and I snapped mine up, looking at him in the mirror. God, he was gorgeous, pupils damn near blown out as he had his way with me. “You want to come, angel?”

“Yes,” I groaned, rocking into his hand as I chased the release I could feel was right there.

“Where?” he mimicked me, and I couldn’t help but smile as I gasped when he pumped two fingers inside me.

“Anywhere,” I groaned.

He kissed my neck before lightly biting the soft skin. I rocked harder into his hand, the little slice of pain only fueling the desire coursing through my body.

“How about on my fingers,” he offered, curling them inside me for emphasis. “Then my cock?”

“Yes,” I breathed the word. “Yes, please.”

He grinned at me in the mirror. “Such manners.”

Gareth pumped into me faster, harder, giving me just the right amount of pressure to explode.

“Gareth,” I cried out his name as I came, doing my best to keep my eyes on him in the mirror the entire time, but losing him somewhere along the way as he continued to stroke me right into another crest of pleasure. I threw my head back, leaning against his chest as I trembled, moaning through the throes of it.

He gently removed his hand, sucking his fingers into his mouth and humming around my flavor. “Exquisite,” he said, drawing my gaze again in the mirror.

Then he gently nudged my feet a little wider, lining up his cock with my wetness, dragging his head through my heat and making me shiver.

I was so damn sensitive.

“Condom,” he grumbled, shifting away from me.

I held him in place, gripping his forearm. “I don’t want a condom,” I said, and he stilled behind me. “I’ve been on birth control for two weeks,” I said. Daisy had gotten me into her primary who had been more than happy to write me the script. “And you know I haven’t been with anyone else.” And I knew he hadn’t either, thanks to how open he’d been in the beginning, showing me the last test he’d had that said he was clean.

“Serenity,” he said my name like a plea.

“If you don’t want me that way…if you’re worried about the risk, I get it. I don’t want to force you. But if you want me that way, you have me.”

He shuddered behind me, then moved slightly, relining his cock up with my entrance, sliding in an inch before pulling out.

“Fuck,” he growled, sliding in deeper this time. “You feel like warm silk.”

I bent a little, gripping the counter in front of me as I watched him move behind me. “Gareth,” I sighed. “You feel so good like this.” Nothing between us, just him and me and the pleasure stretching out so damn sweetly.

One hand flew to my hip, gripping me as he glided all the way in, bottoming out inside of me. And from this angle, it felt entirely new, deeper, harder, better.

His other hand traveled along my spine as he pumped into me from behind, his eyes falling from mine in the mirror to my body, hungrily eating up every inch of it on display.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he groaned, upping his pace. “Best part of my day is coming home to you.”

I gasped as he dipped his hand between my thighs, playing with my oversensitive clit as he pounded into me from behind. I watched him fuck me, and it made me go absolutely liquid around him.

“Fuck, angel,” he growled, thrusting into me harder, faster. “You’re drenched. My needy little wife.”

I whimpered, reaching behind me to dig my nails into his thigh, needing something better to grip than the damn counter. I didn’t tear my eyes off of him, relishing the sharp hiss from his lips at the bite of my nails, loving the way he slammed into me harder as a result.

He didn’t handle me like I’d break. He fucked me like he knew I could take all of him and then some, and that was the biggest shot of pleasure.

“Goddamn,” he groaned when I pushed back, meeting him for every thrust. “Angel,” he growled.

“Gareth,” I moaned his name, my orgasm sharp and strong as it pounded on the edge of my body. “Omigod.”

He watched me, pinching my clit as he pumped into me repeatedly, drinking in my reaction as I came again.

“Fuck,” he groaned, his own release following mine as I clenched around him. His pumps slowed, our bodies trembling and jolting with each sensitive stroke as we came down.

I continued to catch my breath, leaning against the counter as he pulled out, reaching for a towel and cleaning us both up before tossing it in the nearby laundry bin.

“Mmm,” he said, wetting his lips as he looked down at me. “Perfection.”

I smiled at him, shaking my head. “I don’t think I can move,” I said, half teasing.

“And you shouldn’t,” he said, scooping me up with one easy move and carrying me to our bed.

I giggled as he tucked me under the covers, climbing in behind me as he curled himself around me. “Careful,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. “I’m starting to get used to this.”

Something serious passed over his features, and I instantly regretted the slip of tongue.

He kissed me from behind, holding me closer against him. “We’re only getting started.”

He said the words like a promise, and in my blissful orgasm haze, I smiled, and let myself believe him.