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“Faster,” she demanded.
“No.”
“Yes,” she growled, and pulled his hair.
He chuckled, “There’s my girl.”
Then without a word, he increased his pace. He pounded into her like a desperate beast, and she was there for it. She met him thrust for thrust, bit him, scratched him, kissed him. It all meant they were alive.
“Daze…” he choked out, eyes turning desperate.
“I’m not there yet,” she panted, grabbed one of his hands from beneath her thigh and directed it between her legs.
When his finger pressed down on her sensitive nub, she almost screamed his praise. “Yes, more.”
He pulled out suddenly and dropped to his knees. Her leg went over his shoulder and he replaced his fingers with his tongue. The magic he created with that mouth would go down in history. He brought her to climax within seconds, kept working her as she shuddered around him, then thrust back in and finished while she blissfully rode out the last of her throes.
When they were done, as she leaned against his chest under the stream of warm water, he pointed out that this time she’d not flooded the bathroom.
“There’s always tomorrow,” she patted his chest.
“Promise?” he laughed.
“Absolutely.”
* * *
The entire Lazarusfamily waited in Mary’s and Flint’s living room. After making love in the shower, Daisy felt better emotionally. She thought she had the courage to face her siblings, but the moment she stepped into the apartment, and sensed despair, she chickened out. She turned to leave, but Axel put a firm arm around her shoulders.
“Take a breath. I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.
It was one thing to see Mary and Flint leave. It was another to relive it. And they might ask her to explain. Despair was not a fun sin to have, but then again, she supposed none of them were. She had to be strong for her siblings. They would be looking to her to lead the way forward, to show them how to keep the faith, as Flint had put it.
She lifted her chin, patted Axel on the rear and they walked in together.
Everyone gathered around the living room sectional and adjacent dining table. Her siblings were injured. Split lips, black eyes, bandages, but nothing too critical. Relief washed through her at that. Griffin sat with his heavily pregnant wife on his lap, his chin on her shoulder, his arms protectively around her belly.
Misha sat next to them with her baby girl in her arms. Wyatt was in the kitchen with Sloan and Tony, preparing cakes and tea. Liza, Joe, Bailey and Max were at the dining table, looking at a collection of white envelopes—unopened. Parker spoke with Evan at the sectional, and Grace and Alice stood to the side near the television, pretending to flick through channels.
Alice’s body language was hunched. She had minor scrapes on her face but Daisy didn’t think that was why she stayed separate from the group. It might have to do with the Sinners knowing about Mary’s and Flint’s final sacrifice play, but keeping the family from stopping it. From the protective way Parker kept his eye on her, Daisy guessed some sharp words had been exchanged between his siblings and Alice.
Everyone looked up when Daisy and Axel stepped further into the room. For a second, her nerves went haywire, but then Parker unfolded his immense form from the couch and stood. His bearded jaw clenched. And he started slow clapping.
One by one, everyone in the room stood and joined him until the sound of their somber applause filled the room. Was this a joke?
She met each of her brother’s and sister’s eyes and, no, they were deadly serious.
“You did it, Daisy,” Parker said, coming over.
The applause died down, but they remained standing.
Parker stopped before her. “Julius is gone. The gates are closed. The Syndicate is gone. It’s over.”
Her jaw dropped. Axel squeezed her shoulder.
“I didn’t do it alone,” she choked out, blinking hard to hold the emotion at bay. “And…” She glanced at the letters on the dining table. “You’re not upset?”
“I think I can speak for everyone when I say, yes, we’re upset.” Parker’s voice softened. “But not at you. And now that we’ve all cooled down, not at the Sinners.”
