AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He catches it as he chuckles but continues. “There’s going to be a learning curve, but you’ll pick up on how things work in no time.”
He has a point, but I still wasn’t convinced.
When I don’t respond, he speaks up again. “You also don’t have to do this. You’re my wife now, which means I’ll take care of you.”
“No.” I shake my head.That’s not an option. “I’m afraid if I don’t take over, something worse will happen. Like, what if the next person still wants me dead and is worse than Andrew? Plus, I feel like I’d be letting my parents down. Which I know is stupid, since I never knew my father and barely had my mother with me.” A tear slips from my eye and lands on my husband’s chest.
He pulls me in closer and sighs. “Babe, no one has the answer to that. I don’t know what’s going to happen when this is over, but the one thing I do know is that I’ll still love you.”
I know he’s helpless right now, wishing he could put my mind at ease.God,this man.
I look up at and admire the man before me. His eyes start to glaze over with lust, and I lean forward to kiss him deeply. He wraps his arms tighter around me, pulling me up as I climb on top of him, straddling his lap. He hardens underneath me.
I pull away from his kiss and lean my forehead against his.
“Nico, I want you to know whatever happens tomorrow—whether I survive or not—I choose you. Maybe it makes me weak or naive to put a man first, but I don’t care. It’s you above all else. The Triad, the Cosa Nostra, the Outfit. And I know your duties, so you don’t have to feel the same—”
His lips crash into mine.
“You will survive. And don’t you get it? It’ll always be you, Anya. You come first. I think a part of me knew that the moment I laid eyes on you,” he confesses, his lips against me.
“I love you,” I tell him before he pulls me back into a kiss, grinding his erection into me.
“Show me how much you love me,” he demands.
And I do. All night.
Our bedroom is dim as the sun slowly starts to come up, barely peeking over the horizon. The alarm sounds, but I’m already awake. I have been for hours. I look over at my husband as he stirs; he reaches over to shut the sound off when he lays back down. His eyes meet mine. We lay there in silence, soaking in the calm.
Without a word, we rise out of bed to get ready for the day. In the bathroom, I stand in front of the mirror, doing my daily skin care before I pull my hair into a ponytail. I don’t see the point of makeup for an occasion such as this one.
Nico keeps looking over at me with concern, but I don’t give him any sort of reaction. I need to be able to remain focused. I have one job today, and failure isn’t an option.
Nico stands behind me and looks at me through the mirror. He leans in to kiss the top of my head before moving into his walk-in closet.
You are Anya Liu.Daughter of Peter Liu.The most feared and respected Triad leader in centuries.I remind myself. A rush of calm-rage overpowers me. I wasn’t going to let some entitled usurper get the better of me. This is what I’ve been training for.
“Babe,” Nico says, cutting me out of my thoughts. I look into the mirror at him, and he’s leaning against the doorway. “It’s time.”
I give him a tight smile and nod. He keeps his palm on my lower back as we exit the house into the SUVs that will take us to the airstrip. I look around at the men. A group of soldiers load weapons in several vans. Several vehicles are parked outside. Dom and his men are getting into two, Bash and Enzo another. Nico and I ride with Dante.
I look over to my left, and my eyes meet Dom’s. We nod at the same time and pile into our vehicles. This is it. The second we leave this property, I leave my old life behind.
Chapter Thirty-One
Nico
We’re three hours into the five-hour flight, and Anya is strangely calm. She stares straight ahead, expression completely blank. That was her, though. My wife is sweet, warm, and emotional. The boss is cold, aloof, and calm. I love that she can be both. I squeeze her hand tightly. She finally looks at me, her expression softening, and kisses me.
“I love you, Nico.”
I could tell by the way she says it and the look in her eyes that thejust in case anything happens to mepart was implied. I pull her back in and kiss her deeply.
“I love you. Nothing is going to happen to you. My brothers and yours won’t allow it.”
She doesn’t respond, but she nods and looks ahead. That’s how I know she’s focused. She didn’t even try to assert her independence. After some time, she leans her head on my shoulder. We don’t talk the rest of the way.
When we’re thirty minutes out, we gear up. She looks so sexy in her tight-as-sin black jeans. She’s putting on a bulletproof vest, and my mouth practically waters as she straps on her weapons.
