She could only nod breathlessly in response to his vow, utterly spellbound by the blazing determination burning in those navy depths. Whatever existed beyond this meager sanctuary, whatever bloody gauntlet awaited them next - Lily knew she was ready to face it head-on at this man's side.His hands were everywhere, stoking the raging inferno of need coiling low in her belly. Lily arched and writhed against James with wanton abandon, surrendering herself over to the scorching riptide of their passion.When he finally sheathed himself inside her with one powerful thrust, she cried out - part pleasure, part primal release. This joining, this most intimate meshing of two souls into one, was what they'd both been starving for in the face of the new threat looming over them.James set a punishing pace, every driving slam of his hips seeming to stake his claim on her more ferociously. Lily matched his intensity with hot, shameless demands for more, nails scoring lines down the flexing muscles
Chapter 40 Lily took a deep breath as she stepped out of the panic room with James. She knew this Spike man turned into horrific news and they'd ought to address him quickly, but right now she simply desired a bit of destruction from all the craziness. "You okay?" James requested, squeezing her hand. She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just...Looking to wrap my head around everything, you know?" "Tell me about it." He pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "Finding out you are pregnant inside the center of this whole mess - it's plenty to take in." "But a great marvel although, right?" Lily looked at him, searching his face. As overwhelming as it was, she wanted to make sure that he was satisfied with the baby. The tiniest of smiles tugged at the corners of James' mouth."The best surprise, baby girl." His calloused thumb stroked over her cheek tenderly. "You and me, starting a family together? Shit, I couldn't have dreamed up anything better." Warmth bloomed in Lily's ch
Chapter 41Lily nodded, feeling a bit knot of hysteria in her chest lighten up at James's words. She wasn't being sidelined or overlooked of the loop anymore. They were partners, 100%, no matter how crazy things got from here. "Okay, good." She took a deep breath and gave him a small smile. "So, where do we start with taking down this Spike guy? I'm guessing we can't just, like, call the cops on him?"James let out a short, humorless laugh. "You could say that. The police wouldn't touch this situation with a ten-foot pole." His expression turned grim. "Spike always had a way of staying one step beforehand of the law through bribery, threats, you name it. He's been operating within the town's underbelly for decades without anyone being able to pin anything strong on him."Lily frowned. "So he's basically untouchable then?""Was untouchable," James corrected. "Before I took down his whole crew almost ten years ago. Put a major dent in his operation." His jaw tightened. "Clearly the son
He led Lily around the bar to a dingy back room, pausing to exchange terse words and a complicated handshake with the hulking bouncer posted by the entrance. The big man grunted something that might have been "boss" before allowing them to pass. The cramped space on the other side looked like the kind of shadowy meet-up spot for backroom deals that you only saw in movies. A battered card table stood in the center, ringed by mismatched chairs occupied by an assortment of seedy-looking men. The air was thick with pipe smoke and the bitter tang of cheap liquor. Several pairs of narrowed eyes swiveled in their direction as James and Lily entered. Lily fought the urge to shrink back under the weight of those appraising, deeply distrustful stares. Instead, she lifted her chin and met their scrutiny head-on, unconsciously standing up a little straighter at James's side. If this ragtag group was expecting their notorious former leader to put on airs or play it arrogant, however, they wer
Chapter 43 On the drive back from that shady meeting, James was pretty much silent the whole time, just staring straight ahead with a intense look on his face. Lily could practically see the gears turning behind those piercing eyes as he calculated his next moves. She figured it was better not to push him for details until he was ready to share. James clearly had a plan brewing for how to take down this Spike lunatic, and she trusted him to loop her in when the time was right instead of leaving her out of the loop. In the meantime, Lily tried her best to just be patient and keep her nerves under control, though that was easier said than done with the stakes so high. Every little bump or sound from outside the car had her heart leaping into her throat, fearing an ambush or attack. Spike seemed like the type of psycho who could strike at literally any moment. By the time they pulled back into the villa's underground garage, Lily felt like she'd aged about ten years. James must have
Chapter 44 Lily nodded seriously. "Got it. I'll stay put no matter what until you come get me." James held her gaze for another beat like he was sizing up how much he could really trust her to follow that order. At last, he gave a curt nod of acceptance. "Good girl." With that, he climbed out of the car, leaving Lily to let loose a shaky breath she hadn't found out she'd been maintaining. She watched through the tinted car windows as James strode away, shoulders squared and each inch the implementing figure she'd come to recognize so nicely. Once he disappeared from view, she allowed herself to slump back against the leather seat with a frustrated groan. Her body still hummed with lingering arousal from James's heated teasing, leaving her feeling antsy and unsettled. Part of her understood why he wanted to keep her safely tucked away while he made his moves. But the other part, the defiant rebel she hadn't even known lived inside her until recently, chafed at being sidelined yet
Chapter 45 The heavy footsteps paused in the sudden silence, making Lily's heart pound even harder in tense anticipation. For a long, agonizing moment, nothing happened except the faint sound of harsh breathing from the intruders. "See anything outta place?" one of the gruff voices eventually spoke up again, sounding perplexed. "Nah, just looks like a regular walk-in closet to me." There was a disdainful snort. "Barely even big enough to fit a broom cupboard in this fancy-ass place, let alone some kinda panic room." Lily didn't dare move a muscle, lungs straining against the effort of holding perfectly still and silent as the men continued their judgemental sweeping of the area just beyond the hidden door. She could only pray the panic room's seamless camouflage held up under their scrutiny. "Yeah, you're probably right," the first voice allowed after another tense pause. "Waste of time looking too hard in here. C'mon, let's take a look at the rest of the upstairs before reportin
chapter 46The escape tunnel appeared to stretch on with no end in sight inside the pitch blackness, making it not possible for Lily to decide how far she'd traveled or if she was even heading in the proper direction anymore. Her lungs burned with exertion, every ragged breath feeling like shards of glass in her throat.She tried her best to move quickly yet carefully, hands skimming along the rough walls for guidance while avoiding any unseen obstacles. The last thing she needed was to take a wrong step and end up sprawled on the ground, injuring herself or the baby.The sounds of the assault against the villa still reached her even through the thick concrete - distant explosions and shouts echoing like the muffled rumblings of a coming storm. Each faint reverberation made Lily's heart stutter with a fresh spike of adrenaline, driving her stumbling footsteps onwards in blind desperation.At some point, her palm grazed across a metal rung set into the wall at hip-height, nearly making