First Love: A Superbundle Boxed Set of Seven New Adult Romances (171 page)

“What are you doing here?” I ask as he strokes my hair away from my face.

His hug crushes me to him. “I had to be close to you. I knew you needed your space and you weren’t ready for me to be with you again yet, but I couldn’t stand the thought of being almost an hour away if something happened.”

“You’re like a fucking stalker, you know that, right?” I mean the words I’m saying, but there is no animosity behind them. Not anymore. I’m so glad he’s here, stalker or not.

“Is it okay if I only stalk you?” Arion gives me a sexy smile that would be almost impossible to say no to. Almost.

“Maybe.” Yes. He gave me my space like I asked, but he was also here for me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel safer already. “How did you even get here?” Surely I would have heard his truck, right?

“Chelsea distracted you with riding while I parked my truck behind the hay barn.” Arion takes me by the hand, leading me inside.

“That wench was in on it!” I’m not sure yet if I’m irritated or not, but I’m leaning toward ‘or not.’

“Of course.”

I’m fuming, but also flattered. He went to a lot of trouble to be close, just in case. I can’t seem to summon much indignation, no matter how much I want to. The cottage isn’t as small as it looked from the outside. There’s a tiny kitchenette complete with a mini-fridge and a toaster oven, a bathroom, and a bed. A large window lines one wall, and a dusty art easel guards the corner.
 

As happy as I am to see Arion, it doesn’t change the impending threat. It’s only a matter of time before Nick shows up, and seeing Arion again only reminds me of the happiness I stand to lose.
 

Arion holds out his hand, palm up. “Give me your phone.”

My body is beginning to go numb with fear as I comply. Arion deftly removes the battery and SIM card then tosses it on a small table beside his laptop.

“That’s not going to be enough to stop him; he’s probably already on his way.” My eyes hurt from the tears stinging behind them, and I hug my arms around myself as I turn away.

“It’s going to be okay. I’m waiting for a call, and I’m setting a few things in motion. I promise you, I will keep you safe.” Arion cups his palm around my chin, softly stroking my cheek with his thumb.
 

I sigh against him as his lips glide across mine. If it were possible for a kiss to fix all that is wrong with the world, Arion’s kiss could do it. It’s the perfect blend of comforting and carnal. Only our lips are touching, but I feel his presence everywhere. When we pull apart, our hands remain together.

“So now what?” I ask. “We crawl in bed and make love, waiting for the end to come for me?” I try to fake humor but fail miserably. It isn’t funny, because it may well be true.

“Are you a fighter, Angel?” He says it so nonchalantly, I think I misunderstood.

I turn my head upward to face him, not understanding. “What?”

“When we only knew each other in game, I was impressed by how hard you tried at everything. You never accepted failure.” Arion holds my gaze for a long moment, making his point.
 

“If you’re going to play, win,” I mutter, forcing myself not to look away.

“Exactly. Do you still mean that?”
 

The light of hope ignites in his eyes, but hope is something I’m finding in short supply.

“I don’t see how it applies to this, but yes.” I look down at our hands, realizing we’re finally together again. When I look at him again, I’m overcome by just how kissable his lips are, and I can’t help thinking that maybe waiting for the end from the comfort of each other’s arms isn’t such a bad idea. Because I have no illusion that this is going to end well. Nick is coming, and I won’t survive.

Arion’s eyes bore into mine, conveying how utterly serious he is. “Then just be willing to play, but we’ll play by our own rules. I want you to fight back against Nick.”

What he’s suggesting is inconceivable, and I shake my head. “You don’t know how dangerous he is. He’ll put a bullet in my head before I ever know he’s there. How am I supposed to fight against that?” I let out a long, shuddery breath, acknowledging in some far recess of my mind that I’m discussing my own death.

“I think I do. And I think you’re wrong. He won’t simply execute you from what my sources have been able to learn about him. You’ve crossed him, and he’ll want to confront you and terrorize you first.” As he mentions terror, Arion’s jaw hardens with anger.

I force a half smile. “Like a cat with a mouse.”

“Exactly.”

Why doesn’t Arion hear how hopeless this is? I’m not a super-human angel, I’m just a girl in way over her head. “I can’t fight him; he’s too strong, and I don’t even know how to fight!”

“There’s more than one way to fight, Angel. Fighting back doesn’t mean you have to be the one swinging the punches. It means not running and being willing to face what comes. It means out-smarting, out-lasting, out-thinking, and sometimes it just means knowing when to ask for help.”

It sounds good; it really does. But I know no matter what we do, it will never be enough. Nick has too many ways of side-stepping the law. “He’s untouchable, Arion. I don’t think you understand.”

“That’s just what he wanted you to think, baby. That’s part of his power over you:
 
that he has you convinced that you’re powerless against him, so you choose not to play. We can win if we don’t play his game. We need to play our own.”

“Life isn’t a game!”

“On the contrary, life is the biggest game of all. And every game has rules.” He plants a firm kiss against my forehead, letting his lips linger.
 
“Do you trust me?”

I do; I really, truly do. I’m not sure when or why exactly it happened, but somehow I’ve decided to forgive him and I do trust him. But can I trust him in this? “What about Officer Lopez? He’ll see to it that Nick isn’t charged, even if we report him.”
 

“Kevin—my security consultant—has a contact with Internal Affairs, and Officer Lopez has been detained on suspicion of corruption. If you’re willing to, I want to meet with the DEA and work with them to take Nick down.”

I can’t even process what I’m hearing. It’s like my brain has fallen off the sanity train, landing in crazy town. Or maybe not my brain but Arion’s. I don’t even frickin’ know anymore. “What would we have to do?”

“I don’t know the details yet, and I’m waiting for a call back from Kevin. He’ll have contact information for us of officers we can trust. He’s already done some preliminary talking to them about this, but we had to wait for you to be on board with it before we went too far.”

Am I on board? “You’ll be with me, the whole time, no matter what?” I still don’t know that I can do this, but I also realize that the only way for Arion and I to have a real chance is to confront this. I just wish running and screaming in the other direction was a legitimate option.

“Always.”

“I guess we can talk to them and see what they say. They may want to arrest me, too, you know.” I worry my lower lip with my teeth, trying not to think about the possibility of going to jail.

“Kevin should be calling soon. He should have some answers.” Arion squeezes my hand.

Confronted with the prospect of an anxious wait, I look for safer topics. “What is this place?”

“It was my mother’s studio,” Arion says quietly, letting my hand fall from his.

So much for safer topics. I snatch his fingers back and squeeze. “It’s beautiful and perfect.” And it really is. My eyes roam over the sketches pinned to the walls, and they remind me of the framed drawing of my in-game character that rests on Arion’s nightstand.
 

“She was an amazing artist. She used to let me nap on that bed or lay there with my own sketchbook while she worked.”

I pull him closer to a nearby wall so I can examine the pictures better. Several are of a young boy, I’m assuming Arion, and they are so life-like I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him toddle off the pages. Taking in the mop of dark hair and round cheeks, I can’t help but feel like I’m experiencing a part of his childhood with him. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about her? I had no clue…”

“We all have scars, Angel. Just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”

I bite back tears, overcome by the emotion enveloping the room. “I don’t want to be another scar.”

Arion sighs and walks to the bed. He sits with his back against the wall, and I sit beside him, leaning horizontally across his chest while he cradles me. My hair fans around us, but it doesn’t seem to bother him; he’s too lost in his own memories. “My mother left when I was five. I don’t honestly think about her much, because I don’t let myself. She caught my father cheating on her, and she left. She told me she’d be back in a few weeks, but she never came.”

“Oh, Arion…”

“She was there, part of my life—my mom—one day, and then she was just gone. No goodbye, no warning. She just left.”

“And then I did the same thing.”

He nods, because there isn’t really any use in denying it. “My dad dated a lot when I was a kid, but none of those women stuck around either. I was starting to be sure there was something wrong with me, that no one I let myself love would stick around, so I vowed not to love anyone. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with someone online.”

Does that mean he thinks he’s in love with me? My heart swells. “Why didn’t you tell me? So many times I thought you were going to, but you didn’t, so I thought we were just for fun. I didn’t think you cared like I did.” The weight of the numerous mistakes I’ve made when it comes to me and Arion is staggering; how can any love ever grow strong after such a twisted start?

Arion sighs, and I feel like he’s slipping away from me.

“I don’t know. Maybe I thought saying it out loud would make it real, and you’d leave.”

I close my eyes, hating myself. “And I did leave.”

“Yes, but you also came back. You’re the only one who has ever come back. And I couldn’t risk you leaving again, so I grabbed on with both hands.” There’s a trace of regret to his voice, and I think maybe we both recognize our mistakes.
 
Perhaps that’s the key to fixing us going forward.

“Your hold was a bit tight.” I smile up at him. “But I understand now why you freaked out about me needing time and wanting to go away. And I am sorry, for everything.”

“I’ve already forgiven you and just pray you can forgive me, too.” His chest stills as he looks down at me, waiting for an answer.

“Done.”

He smiles, but it’s still haunted. “So you aren’t mad I’m stalking you from my own woods?”

“No, I’m glad you are here. If Nick is coming for me—”

A low growl resonates from Arion’s throat as he shifts, moving so I’m now lying on the bed and he’s hovering over me. “The only one coming for you, baby, is going to be me. Every single night.”

There’s no doubt in my mind he means it, but he lowers his mouth to cover mine with an insistence that says he’s hell-bent on demonstrating it.

Forty Two

Arion

I’m almost afraid to breathe, afraid if I do I might wake up and find this is a dream, and that Angel isn’t back in my arms. I realize my caveman tendencies are running on overdrive, and I pull back, ignoring my pressing need to reaffirm to both of us that she is mine. I lower myself beside her, trying not to rush things. My arms slide around her, hugging her tighter, and she’s solid and sweet and real.

“Too tight, too tight!” she squeals, but she’s smiling in a way that warms me in all the right places. “I’m here, Arion, but I do have to be able to breathe.”

“I hear it’s overrated.” Wanting to prove my point, I claim her mouth, showing her just how much I’ve missed her with every caress of my tongue. I think she’s missed me, too, because she wastes no time in meeting each of my kisses with one of her own.
 

So much for not rushing things.

Our hands are everywhere, petting and exploring as if we’re two teenagers in the back of a car. My hands are gliding under her shirt, ready to remove it so I can feel even more of her against me, when my phone rings.

She stills in my arms as I freeze, wanting to savor this moment. “Dammit, that’s probably Kevin.” I sit up beside her and pull her back into my lap. The hunger fades from her eyes as she bites her lower lip, visibly steeling herself for whatever is to come as I flip open my phone. “What’s the word?” I trace her face with my finger, silently willing her to be strong. I know my Angel can do this; she just needs to know it, too.

A brusque voice barks at me through the phone. “Mr. Chadwell, my name is Agent O’Brien with the Philadelphia office of the FBI. I understand you have some information for us, and we’d like to pay you a visit.”

We make quick plans for O’Brien and a few of his colleagues to come to the farm immediately to talk to Angel. “They’re on their way.”

“Are they going to take me away?” Her tiny voice tugs at my heartstrings, wrapping me even more around her finger.
 

Just the thought of her leaving makes me tense, stirring feelings of anger and grief. I look away from her, trying to steady myself. Molly has curled up on a rug on the other side of the room, and she lifts her head to look at me then drops her chin back onto her paws. It’s almost like she’s telling me to get over it already. My fear of abandonment is old news, and I need to move past it. “No, baby, they’re coming to help you. Help us.”

“But I stole from the cafe. I’m a thief.”

The only thing she’s stolen that matters is my heart. “I hear that money has mysteriously reappeared.” I paint pure innocence on my face, or at least I attempt to. Sometimes, having money is a godsend, and this was one of those times, even if Angel isn’t going to be inclined to see it that way. She’ll just have to get over it.

“What did you do?” she asks, searching my face.

I feign exaggerated outrage. “Why do you assume
I
did anything?”

“What did you do?” She lightly tickles my side. “Tell me, Arion.”

“Okay, okay! Truce. I had Kevin take them a check, he said his daughter stole from them while they were eating there, and he was terribly sorry.”