Chapter 14

14

SCARLET

I woke to the welcome aroma of bacon wafting through the air, its salty scent teasing my nostrils. I peered through one eye, adjusting to the soft morning light, and saw Tyrone's imposing figure standing in the doorway. He was balancing a tray in his hands, and I couldn't help but wonder what other delights he might have brought besides the bacon. My stomach growled, protesting its emptiness, and I pulled myself into a seated position as I tried to shake off the lingering tendrils of sleep.

"Morning, Scarlet," Tyrone said as he strode in. "Thought you might like some breakfast."

He set the tray on my lap. Bacon, eggs, and toast filled the plate. My mouth watered at the sight, but I arched a brow at him. Since when was breakfast in bed a thing?

"You made this?" I asked, surprised at the display.

Tyrone nodded. "Figured you deserved a treat after yesterday."

Yesterday. The memory of Ian's blood on my hands flooded back like a detached nightmare. I swallowed hard and picked up a piece of bacon, my hunger waning. So this was a gift to commemorate my murder. How delightful.

"Where's Cristian?" I asked, noticing his absence as I glanced around the room.

"Out with Julian. Business stuff." Tyrone settled on the edge of the bed. "You've got me for company today."

I decided not to offend him by turning the food away now that my mind had moved back to yesterday's gruesome events. I tried to shove all the bloody images away as I chewed slowly. "What... What happened to Ian's body?"

Tyrone's expression hardened as he gazed past me and over the city. "Don't you worry about that. He'll never be found."

Of course not. He was probably buried under ten layers of cement or dumped in the ocean for all I knew. Whatever his final resting place, I was glad it was hidden from the world.

"How does this change things? For us, I mean." I set down my fork after another mouthful, my stomach knotting. I'd made a choice yesterday, one with many implications, and I needed to know what this meant.

Tyrone stared hard at me for a moment, and I gazed back, my heart fluttering with unease. He suddenly leaned in, his lips brushing against mine, taking me by surprise. The kiss was soft, almost tender, but I remained frozen before him. When he pulled back, his dark eyes bore into mine.

"It changes everything," he murmured. "You're one of us now."

I nodded slowly, unsure how to feel about that declaration. "Which means?"

"That we treat you as one of our own."

Again with the vague answer, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes, wishing he'd not be so cryptic for a change.

Tyrone stood, smoothing out his shirt, and glanced at my barely touched food. "I want to take you out today. You need more clothes. That wardrobe of yours is looking mighty empty."

"My wardrobe?" I arched a brow, wondering which invisible one he was referencing.

"Mine. I don't have much in there, so the rest of the space is yours." He returned his gaze to the city as he clasped his hands behind his back.

I'd hung my dresses in his walk-in closet, but it was a fairly empty space, just a selection of his suits, nearly one whole wall empty.

"Really?" I frowned, not sure how I felt about this.

"Yes, now finish your food while it's hot. Want a coffee?" His gaze met mine once more.

"Um, sure."

He nodded and strode out, leaving me there feeling rather uneasy.

I stared down at my food, lost in the memories of what I'd done yesterday.

The revenge I'd gotten for my sweet little Lily.

I blinked away the sudden tears that had swelled, not wanting to shed another single one because of that horrid man. I'd gotten justice for her, and that was all that mattered.

But it didn't bring her back.

I squeezed my eyes shut and sucked in a shaky breath. I'd done the unthinkable, taken another life. I'd let my rage and need for revenge consume me, plunging me into the same dark world these monstrous men called home.

I was just like them.

I clenched my jaw, my appetite now gone. Tyrone was right. This changed everything. Not just my place with them, but who I was. I was a killer, no longer someone who'd just murdered to save another. No, I'd murdered, brutally, for justice. I'd allowed the monster lurking beneath my skin to show itself, embracing a side of me I'd tried to pretend didn't exist.

When push came to shove, how many of us were capable of spilling blood for those we loved?

I spent the day with Tyrone, trying on clothes in high-end boutiques I'd never dreamed of entering before. I could only imagine what his response would be if I requested to go to a thrift shop.

He insisted on purchasing entire outfits, from bras to shoes, sparing no expense. I wound up with sneakers, heels, underwear sets, and so much more, bags being piled into the car by our driver and bodyguard.

He requested I give him a show with every outfit, although I'd argued the underwear sets, and he'd begrudgingly allowed me not to flaunt them for him until our last boutique for the day.

I stared at my reflection, the lacy baby-pink set something I wouldn't have tired on, but Tyrone had selected it, his expression masked as he'd requested I try it on.

I wouldn't lie, it did look quite cute on, the push-up effect of the bra working wonders for me.

The rustle of the curtain had my gaze snapping to the figure peering in as I instinctively covered myself feebly. Tyrone's brow arched as his gaze trailed over me.

"You shouldn't be sneaking a look. Close the curtain," I said, my voice steadier than I felt as my heart skipped a beat.

He didn't. Instead, he stepped into the small area, the space shrinking around his imposing figure as he closed it behind him. His dark eyes roved over me with an intensity that set my nerves alight. "I knew you'd look good in pink," he said, his voice low as his hand caught my cheek. "Now stop hiding yourself from me." His other hand was soft as he guided my hand away from covering myself, revealing my rather bare body to him.

"There, much better," he breathed as he stared down at me, his lip quirking as heat flared through me. He shouldn't have had such an effect on me, but I couldn't control how I reacted to the desire burning in his eyes.

"I'm glad you like it, I should probably get dress-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, he pinned me to the mirror, the cool glass at my back stark against the heat of his body. His lips claimed mine in a fierce, possessive kiss that seared through me. "I want you, Scarlet," he groaned against my lips as he ground against me. It was making me quiver as my own need made itself known.

"You're mine," he growled as his hand moved to tangle in my hair, angling my head so he could kiss my neck.

His other hand trailed down my side, his fingers tracing the lace edge of my panties. A single finger hooked into the delicate fabric, grazing over my pubic bone as his lips suckled on my neck. I was acutely aware of the wetness already blooming between my legs.

His finger glided down, glossing over that sweet spot and making me quiver. This elicited a low groan from him as his teeth grazed my neck.

"You like that, don't you?" he breathed before sucking softly on my neck. I could feel the mark he was going to leave there, but I was too caught up in the way his fingers deftly worked my clit. My body throbbed and ached, desperate for more in this moment, but I was at his mercy as he continued to tease me. I was a shaking mess in moments, desire coiling tightly within me, begging for release. I wanted him inside me, to feel the fullness of him, the completion of that connection. But he had other plans.

With a gentle but firm pressure, he guided me to my knees. The plush carpet beneath softened the impact, but the command in his voice was unyielding. "I want to feel your mouth," he said, his eyes locked on mine as he freed himself from his pants. "Touch yourself until you finish."

I obeyed, the sinful nature of this entire situation only fueling me on. I slipped my hand between my thighs as I took him into my mouth. The dual sensations of his hardness against my tongue and my own fingers working in rhythm were intoxicating. I was aching, throbbing, my body quivering on the edge of release.

"Fuck, that's it, that's my good girl," he hissed, his voice a low rumble as his fingers threaded through my hair, fisting tightly. The sting of pain where his grip tightened only heightened the intensity of the moment. He held me in place, his control over me absolute, as he began to thrust into my mouth with an urgency that was both thrilling and terrifying. It'd be far too easy for him to choke me with his length, to suffocate me on his dick.

Wouldn't that be the headstone of the year? Death by dick.

"Such a good girl, you take it well," he grunted as he drove in deeper, choking me as he tried to get his dick down my throat.

I worked on myself as he did this, the mix of pleasure and pain making tingles course through me as my pleasure grew. It felt so wrong and yet so right, my skin burning as my core throbbed with need. I wanted him inside me, but the risk was far too high after what Cristian had done.

The thought made me inwardly groan, tampering with my bliss, but I shoved it aside. Now was not the time to think about what he'd done. I wanted to enjoy this moment with Tyrone.

"Come for me, Scarlet," he requested, looking down at me and catching my gaze. There was something about how he was looking at me, those eyes so dark and hungry, that sent me tumbling off the edge I'd been teetering on.

I gasped around him, choking as I spasmed and tried my best to not graze him with my teeth. My orgasm crashed over me in relentless waves, each one stronger than the last. Tyrone tensed, his body coiling like a spring.

"Fuck, that's my good girl. Get off tasting my dick," he said with a low moan as his hand tightened in my hair with one final thrust. His hot climax shot down my throat as he drove in as deep as he could, cutting off my airway as I choked and sputtered. I swallowed him down as he pulled back, allowing me to gasp in ragged breaths as I sputtered and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"I got a little caught up, baby girl," he said softly, his form of an apology as he reached down and hoisted me to my feet, holding me to his chest.

In that moment, I was completely his, bound not just by the hand in my hair but by the invisible threads of desire that had woven themselves around my heart. Strings that were so wrong, especially after what his brother had done, and yet here I was, on my knees before him, at his mercy. Despite the chaos that had defined my life, in Tyrone's presence, I found a different kind of turmoil, one that promised ecstasy and a semblance of peace within the storm.

I leaned into his touch, my heart still racing, my breaths coming in shallow pants. The world outside the changing room seemed distant, but it was slowly coming back into focus as he stroked my hair affectionately.

"I would've preferred to be inside you, baby," he breathed, causing a quiver to course through me as my core clenched with the same desire. He sighed as he kissed the top of my head. "But let's not push things."

He tucked himself away and adjusted his clothes with practiced ease, then offered me a handkerchief from his pocket. I accepted it with an eye-roll, wiping my mouth as I caught my reflection in the mirror once more. The woman who stared back at me was flushed with a mix of satisfaction and the lingering high of adrenaline.

Did he own this boutique too? I sure as shit hoped so, and I prayed no one else had come into the other changing room beside us.

"Get dressed, Scar," Tyrone said, his voice returning to its usual composed nature. "We've got the rest of the day ahead of us, and I intend to spoil you rotten."

I did as he asked, slipping back into my clothes once he'd stepped out.

I froze up as I heard him casually speak to someone nearby.

Fuck, we hadn't been alone. I strained to make out what he was saying, but it sounded like he was making sure our little sinful delight was being brushed under the rug.

When I finally stepped out, Tyrone stood waiting patiently.

"Was someone in here?" I asked quietly, my cheeks burning.

"The saleswoman came back, I made sure this little secret is kept," he stated as he arched a brow at my coat hangers of the undergarments. "Let's add that to the haul."

I pursed my lips as he took them from me, hooking his arm through my other before leading me out to the register. I stood silently, my face on fire as the saleswoman gave me a brief glance over before focusing on the task at hand. Was she surveying the culprit who'd done something sinful in her changing room? No, I had a feeling she knew exactly who Tyrone was, and she was curious as to who he'd been enjoying himself with.

Not that he'd been the only one enjoying himself.

I kept silent as he paid and carried the bags out, keeping my arm hooked with his free one until we reached the car.

"God, we can't do that, we'll become the talk of the town," I said in a hushed tone as our bags were taken and loaded into the car for us.

"You think I care what they whisper behind our backs, Scarlet?" Those dark eyes locked onto mine as he caged me against the car, his lip curling into a smug smirk. "Let them talk all they want, let them be jealous that you are the one I've chosen. That you are mine."

I swallowed at the declaration, hating the way it made my knees weak and the heat spread between my legs.

He dipped down, his lips claiming mine in a searing kiss that banished the entire world away for just a moment.

When he pulled back, the look in his eyes made me tremble. I was really playing with fire.

Then again, I was nicknamed pyro.