Our Finest Moment ✔️

42

LIANA

The front door opens just as I finish pulling my t-shirt back over my head. The raging fire inside my lower abdomen has moved and grown roots in my boiling veins instead. I clutch Colton's hand as he finishes buttoning his shirt, and then we both spot Rina moving through the hallway, towards the home office.

I grab the decanter of bourbon from the floor before Colton drags me towards the hallway, and to his office.

Rina's arms are crossed when we enter. She's leaning against the dark desk, and her cold eyes move from me to Colton, and then back. "Are you guys together, now?" she asks, raising a brow as she motions her head towards our entangled hands.

"Yes." A chill goes through me at that quick reply. Colton shuts the door with his heel, and he presses a kiss to my temple, before walking up to his second.

"Good," she says, nodding. Then she looks at the alcohol in my hand and smirks. "You're gonna need a lot of that to handle this, girl."

"Dorian filled in what he's found," Colton says, as if I'm not here anymore. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not, until he looks at me, and then his lips move up on one side, as if he's proud that I'm here.

It's a good thing.

And all my previous thoughts—all I decided after Dorian told me about the intestines—have just disappeared into thin air. Colton took away our rules, and he just told the person he respects most in his employment that we're together. All he said before Dorian called was like it was pulled out of a fever dream. It was...everything.

My heart has never pounded so hard before, as it did when he said he just wanted me. I've never felt so good before. So alive, and wanted, and needed. And I've never had such an aching heart when I look at someone before. Even now, as he's just a few meters away from me, talking with Rina, I'm itching to touch him—to just hold his hand, to know he's right here with me.

I'm in—

"Fuck!" Something heavy clatters against the sleek black wall, pulling me out of my thoughts as Colton places both his hands on his desk.

The office suits him; it's black and cold, yet somewhat homey with specks of light here and there, like the picture of his mother on the wall by the door. I noticed that when I snuck in to grab the alcohol earlier. And the picture of Cory on the bookshelf brings even more warmth into the room. I look around for more as Colton asks, "This is absolutely certain?"

"Yes." Rina inclines her head, and I'm unable to return to my thoughts as I see the raging fire behind my husband's eyes.

"I should've killed the bastard." He punches the desk.

"Well, yes, but letting him go was the right decision at the time." Rina shrugs, and adds, "The people needed to see you can be reasonable."

"I could've been reasonable to anyone else instead of that damn coward." Colton meets my gaze, and then he takes a deep breath. "Liana's not allowed to go anywhere without an escort," he states darkly.

"What?" I step up, my knuckles turning white around the neck of the decanter. "Why?"

"Because I have a loose cannon in my employment who's gone to our enemy with information I didn't even know he possessed," he explains. He crosses his arms. Gone is the man I undressed and hugged before. In front of me now is the ruthless mob boss who threatened to kill me if I didn't marry him. "I will not allow my wife to be in any danger. You're still free to go and do whatever you want, little one, but not alone. Do you still have your gun?"

I nod, and before I can protest any more, he says, "Good. I'll teach you to use it myself." Then he turns back to Rina. "Put out word that Ron David is a traitor. I want him alive, so I can torture him myself." When she nods, he adds, "And then we'll make that damn Sergeant pay."