A Corruption Dark & Deadly
Author: Myers, Heather C.
Date: 2017-06-04T10:09:46+00:00
Keywords: Romance; Fiction; ident; Suspense; JeanneP
Description: Librarian's Note: An alternate cover for this ASIN can be foundhere. Jericho is the nicest criminal Annie Brennan has ever met. When her brother drags her to a business meeting with his boss, notorious criminal and billionaire, Jericho, Annie Brennan is forced to attend. She doesn't know Bruce has borrowed an exorbitant amount of money from him with no way to pay him off except by handing over the deed to their house. The house Annie's been living in her entire life, even after her parents died in a car accident. She gets no say. She's not even on the deed. Jericho moves in the next morning an
Publisher: Createspace

Table of Contents

- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12

A Corruption Dark & Deadly

Book 3 in The Dark & Deadly Series

Heather Myers

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Acknowledgments

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Also by Heather Myers

Also by Heather Myers

Also by Heather Myers

Also by Heather Myers

Also by Heather Myers

Also by Heather Myers

Chapter 1

Annie Brennan glanced sideways at her older brother as he drove past their usual stop – Mr. Bowman’s burgers, a small diner just outside of the bustling city of Seattle. It was close to a more rural part of the city, with wilderness surrounding the wooden diner, but it was only a mile south of the city Annie didn’t particularly like visiting. She had gone to college in Seattle, and while she had had enough string of ex-boyfriends that could make her resent being there, she just didn’t like the busyness that filled the air whenever she was there.

“Bruce,” she drawled slowly. “Where are we going?”

Bruce glanced at his sister and gave her a crooked smile – his patented Don’t worry about anything; trust me smile that made Annie trust him even less – and turned his attention back to the road.

“I just have to see this guy about something,” he told her, his tone nonchalant as he continued into the city. “No big deal. You can stay in the car.”

A shiver slid down Annie’s back as she leaned back in her chair and rested her forehead against the cool window. Annie preferred to drive her own car – it was a 1986 Dodge Volt that she bought from her grandfather for five hundred dollars and fixed up herself – but during their weekly get-togethers, Bruce liked to drive and she didn’t want to take that away from him. They lived on opposite sides of the city, anyway – he lived in the center of it all, she lived by herself in their parents’ place, surrounded by the woods. It wasn’t the suburbs, exactly, but she did have neighbors and they did know her name.

The problem wasn’t hanging out in the car in Seattle. She could lock the doors and had her own set of keys in her hand to use as a weapon if someone tried to break in – highly unlikely with her being in the car. It was she didn’t particularly care for Bruce’s friends. A lot of them were shady people who had some sort of run-in with the law, whether they were johns, petty thieves, or sexually deviant. She didn’t like being around them or in the slums where they liked to hang out. Also, when they looked at her, their stares lingered a little too long and always in the wrong places – not that she wore clothing that exposed her skin much anyway. Seattle rained a lot, and if it wasn’t raining, it was overcast and cold. The girls who were able to pull off shorts in sixty-degree weather didn’t have her judgment, either, they had her respect.

“I know, I know,” he said quickly. “But it shouldn’t take that long. It’s… it’s important. I’m meeting with Jericho today.”

Annie’s eyebrows pushed up. Jericho? As much as she avoided Bruce’s friends – even going so far as not remembering their names and writing them off as people she would never see again – she couldn’t escape the notoriety held by the nightclub owner. Rumors were rampant that he was head of some mutt mafia gang, where the bond wasn’t in the blood but in the anti-family bond that could be stronger than actual family.

Annie didn’t pay much attention to the news. Every now and then, someone on her Facebook feed would post an article about a gang shooting or a kidnapping that might catch her eye, but for the most part, she tried to avoid that sort of thing. Jericho, however, was impossible to avoid. He was extremely good looking in a pretty boy sort of way but with an underlying darkness that made you feel uneasy, just looking at his picture in the paper. He owned a string of nightclubs throughout Seattle and was one of the wealthiest men in the city. He wasn’t married, and as far as anyone knew, did not have any children. He was dangerous, Annie knew, but that didn’t stop the majority of Seattle’s female population from throwing themselves at him. In fact, one fifteen-year old girl claimed they had sex together – which was great for Seattle PD since they were looking for any reason to take him in – but it was later proven without a doubt that that was a lie.

“I don’t do children,” was his statement, and that was all he said on the matter.

“How do you have a personal meeting with Jericho?” Annie asked suspiciously, picking her head up off the windshield to cut her brother a suspicious look. “You barely bartend.”

“Hey,” Bruce said, shooting his sister a wounded look. “I’m twenty-six and still finding myself, okay?”

“You’re not answering the question,” Annie pointed out.

“What, you don’t think your big brother has it in him to score a meeting with one of the country’s biggest businessmen?” Bruce asked. “I’m offended at how little faith you have in me, dear sister. Extremely offended.”

Annie rolled her eyes.

“You’re a charmer, Bruce,” she told him. “But that charm isn’t going to save your rear if you royally screw up. I just wanted to make sure you don’t want me to have 9-1-1 typed in my iPhone just in case things get… dicey.”

“Did you just say dicey?” Bruce asked, furrowing his brow. “What are we in, a nineties cop drama?”

“Bruce, I’m being serious,” Annie told him. “And you still haven’t answered my question. What are you discussing with someone like Jericho? You have to be careful with people like him, Bruce. The guy’s a criminal.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Alleged criminal,” he pointed out. “He hasn’t even been arrested.”

“The guy is richer than God and the Seattle PD isn’t as law-abiding as we believe,” she threw back. “You don’t think he can bribe his way out of handcuffs?”

“He’s actually-“

“If you say nice guy, I’m going to hit you,” Annie threatened. “I know I’m two years younger than you, but we both know I fight better than you.”

Bruce pressed his lips together and Annie grinned triumphantly. She knew she was right and she was glad he had the good sense to know it, too. The scenery turned from green to steel as woods and trees transformed into buildings and businesses. It was a unique setting, Annie had to admit, that a city was surrounded by woods but she still didn’t like the sleek, populated environment. The sky was overcast as usual, the dark grey making the black sky seem more ominous and threatening. She couldn’t even make out the moon or the stars.

“How long is this going to take, Bruce?” she asked. She didn’t like to whine but she couldn’t help the question from coming out of her mouth. Her stomach was rumbling and she wanted food like five minutes ago.

“Why?” he asked, glancing at her sideways. “You hungry?”

At least he knew her well enough to understand.

“Also because I don’t want to hang out in a rusted old Ford F-150 made the same year I was,” she told him. “You say it won’t take long but we both know that that could mean it will take five minutes or it could take thirty. You don’t know how Jericho is in person.” She paused, furrowing her brow. She turned her head to look at him. “Do you?”

Bruce moved his hands around the steering wheel but didn’t respond. He didn’t even look away from the road. That was probably a good thing, considering the streets were starting to get more and more populated with cars and the drivers in Seattle were nearly as bad as the drivers in Los Angeles.

“I might have had some dealings with him in the past,” Bruce said. “Come on, Annie. Don’t judge me. I bartend at one of his bars. It was bound to happen.”

“That’s exactly my point, Bruce,” Annie said. How could her brother not see how ignorant he was being? “You bartend. You are a bartender. Even the bouncers rank higher than you do. No offense but think, for a minute. Why would Jericho want to talk to a bartender? Out of all people?”

“We actually have good ideas, Annie,” he said, somewhat defensively. His brown eyes were hard and narrowed ahead of him.

Annie felt somewhat chastised; she knew he was sensitive about his intelligence. He had the opportunity to go to college just like she did, but he didn’t like sitting in one place and learning things he didn’t care about, so he opted out. Annie, on the other hand, went to school for business and graduated with honors and a guaranteed full-time job starting at sixty grand a year. Bruce always insisted he was happy for his sister but there were moments she expected him to be bitter.

“I’m not saying you don’t,” she told him, softening the edge that had creeped up in her tone. “Look, aren’t you the least bit suspicious? A little bit?”

Bruce shook his head. “You don’t get it, Annie,” he insisted. “Just like you don’t get Jericho. I know the press makes him look out to be this crazy criminal mastermind, but the guy is actually pretty down to earth. He meets with all of his employees personally and asks for ideas and if there’s anything he can do for us. He lent me the money to bury mom and dad last year.”

“What?” Annie shrieked, throwing daggers in her gaze at her brother.

“Jeez, why are you freaking out?” he asked, giving her a look.

Annie scrunched her face up, dropping her mouth in a decidedly unladylike scowl, widened her eyes, and furrowed her brow. It wasn’t the most attractive look but she didn’t care one way or the other. The fact that her brother borrowed money from some criminal billionaire was enough to make her want to throttle him. How could he be so stupid? What had gone through his mind to allow such a thing to happen? While her parents had never been rich, Annie knew there had been enough to take care of two small plots side by side, two caskets, and funeral services. Bruce hadn’t needed to borrow the money.

But he did.

“I’m freaking out because you borrowed money from Jericho, Bruce,” she said, speaking as if she were talking to a simpleton. “Jericho.”

“Jericho isn’t Beetlejuice, Annie,” Bruce said, his tone flat. “You can say his name more than three times and he won’t pop up. But he’s not even a bad guy, anyway. He was the one who actually offered me – us – the money. I didn’t ask for it.”

Annie raised a doubtful brow and waited for him to elaborate.

“Okay,” Bruce said. “So what happened was he brought each employee into his office – he has his own office in every club, Annie. Honestly, the architecture of each place is really cool. Did you know he took buildings that had been around for a hundred years, preserved them, but made upgrades to it? So it’s this blend of modern and old timey, like from back in the Depression Era. How rad is that?”

Annie rolled her eyes. Her brother always went off on tangents, especially when it came to architecture. She had no idea why he didn’t just suck it up and take his general education classes in order to get to architecture and design but the guy was so impatient and also particularly lazy so college was a no-go from the start. Which was disappointing because he would have made one heck of an architect.

“Focus, Bruce,” Annie told him, her voice tight. “How did Jericho offer you money?”

And why the heck did you take it? she finished silently.

“Oh,” Bruce said. “Right. So I was in his office and he was asking if I had any ideas to make the business better, so I gave him my ideas. Then he said he heard my parents died in some DUI car crash and I said they had and that you and me were stressing out about paying for the funeral expenses.”

“You told him about me?” Annie asked. “Why would you do that? Why would you tell him about me?”

“I talk about you all the time, Annie,” Bruce said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re my favorite little sister.”

“I’m your only sister,” she pointed out under her breath.

“I’m telling you, Annie,” Bruce continued as though he hadn’t heard her. He probably hadn’t, in all honesty, considering he rarely picked up little things she muttered under her breath because he was so focused on whatever point he was trying to make. “He really cares about his employees. He asks about us all the time. He remembers everyone by name, even the janitors. He has like five nightclubs throughout the city and he always makes an appearance at each one throughout the week. Why do you think he was rated as the best boss of Seattle to work for?”

Annie bit the inside of her bottom lip to refrain from saying anything. She wanted to tell Bruce that he was probably collecting intel on his employees as a way to blackmail them or find any weak points he could exploit them with. But Bruce wouldn’t get it. Jericho was someone who walked on water to Bruce. Unless something happened directly to him, there was always an excuse, always a reason why he was the way he was. Bruce was loyal if he was anything, sometimes stupidly so. He was almost like a dog you couldn’t shake if you tried. It was an endearing trait, but also a dangerous one. His ignorance could get him into a lot of trouble, and Annie was worried that that had happened now.

“So you’ll stay in the car-“

“I’m not staying in the car,” she told him curtly, flashing her hazel eyes at him. “I’m going in with you.”

“Annie-“

“Look,” she said as he turned into an adjacent parking structure next to the nightclub they were heading into. “You involved me by bringing me here. You could have rescheduled dinner with me or had the meeting at a different time but you didn’t. I don’t feel comfortable sitting in the car in a city I only went to college in at night as a woman by myself. I don’t care if I need to sit in the lobby or what, but I’m not waiting for you in that car. Especially considering there’s a good chance this meeting is going to take a lot longer than a few minutes.” She pushed her brows up, daring him to argue with her.

For a moment, it appeared as though Bruce was going to say something, but then he stopped, appearing deflated. Annie shot him a smirk. She knew she would win – she always did. He pressed the button to lift the parking lever and the machine spat out a ticket that needed to either get validated or paid for. The Red Door, Bruce’s place of work, validated only after eleven thirty but employees had their own stamp in the break room. He found a parking spot close to the club, considering it was attached to the structure and it was only just after seven. The line would begin in a couple of hours; the club would open at ten thirty exactly.

After he turned off the car, Annie slid out of her seat and shut the door. She shoved her hands deep into her red pea coat and wished she opted to wear her trench coat because at least that had a hood. Bruce, on the other hand, was in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. No jacket, nothing that appeared to keep him warm. But he didn't seem to have a problem with it. He seemed unperturbed, which amazed Annie to no end because it was freezing.

"You sure you want to come in, Annie?" Bruce asked slowly, giving her a doubtful look.

Annie shot him one back but kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to argue with Bruce here, now, where anyone could overhear them. She didn't want to air her dirty laundry knowing Jericho could be around and use it against her brother at some point. Although, to be honest, she honestly believed Bruce wasn't a big fish. Why even get involved with some bartender? Sure, Bruce borrowed a lot of money and Jericho had a right to expect it paid back. But why lend some stranger, some lowly employee, that amount of money in the first place? It made no sense.

There was a bouncer at the door, despite the early time, but Bruce flashed him some laminate badge and the bouncer waved him through without question. They didn't seem like they knew each other but maybe that was because their jobs were so different, they didn't socialize all that much. Instead of leading her up the stairs, where Annie knew the break room was, there was already a small group of people at the bar, including Jericho.

Annie's eyes could look nowhere else but at Jericho. He was breath-taking, much more striking than the pictures taken by various media made him out to be, and that was saying something. It was an odd thing, to be in the presence of some sort of celebrity. He didn't look as tall as he was portrayed; he was just a normal person. A normal person surrounded by three incredibly tall, incredibly bulky men - probably his security guards. They made him look even smaller than he really was.

"And who is this?" Jericho asked, placing his eyes - a pale green color, Annie realized - on her.

"This is my sister, Annie," Bruce said, taking a step back.

Annie wanted to yell at her brother. He wasn't supposed to thrust her into the spotlight. Heck, Jericho shouldn't even know about her! She thought she'd hang out in the lobby, let Bruce do whatever he needed to do, and then they'd be done and could go to dinner. She hadn't expected Jericho to be hanging out in the bar with three bodyguards. More than that, she hadn't expected Jericho to notice her or want to meet her personally.

But there he was, staring at her like she was something strange and wonderful, wrapped in the same package.

On her end, Annie was surprised at how beautiful he was. He wasn't as tall as she thought he would be, coming in under six feet - maybe five foot nine, five foot ten if she was being generous - but his body was muscular and lean. He wore a suit, which wasn't unexpected of him. The only pictures she'd seen of him were in suits so it made sense for him to be in one now. It was more how it clung to his body like it was a layer of skin, but not so tight it looked tacky or inappropriate. His golden brown hair was slicked back and his eyes were big and captivating, a pale green color. His cheekbones were ridiculously high and just as sharp, and his mouth was small but his lips looked soft. He had a sharp jawline and a round chin. He wore a white collared shirt tucked into black slacks and a black leather motorcycle jacket over his shirt.

"Annie Brennan," he said, sliding out of his seat to walk toward her. He stretched out his hand, the look in his eyes never wavering. "Bruce's little sister. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Annie stared at his hand. Bruce nudged her hard, grabbing her attention. She didn't want to touch Jericho, didn't want him to touch her. Annie clenched her jaw but placed her hand in his. It was surprisingly soft and warm and when his fingers closed around hers, it covered practically all of her hand.

"Your brother talks about you all the time," he continued. His touch lingered a beat too long before he gently released her hand. His eyes still sparkled as he looked at her and Annie could understand why so many women fell for him regardless of his enormous wealth. "It's nice to finally put a name to a face."

She pressed her lips together and nodded in acknowledgment. There was really nothing else for her to say. In fact, she didn't want to say anything. She didn't want to offer him any sort of information he could use against her at a later time. She took his offered seat even though she wanted to stand, and bent her head forward so her long blonde hair covered her face. She liked the long hair, liked hiding behind it when it was convenient for her. She rarely wore it up, afraid if she did, people would really see her and she didn't like the feeling of such exposure.

“Will she be joining us?"

"I can stay here," Annie said. She didn't particularly want to know what was going on; she didn't want to know what business Bruce had gotten himself wrapped up in. She just wanted to be inside, somewhere dry, until Bruce was finished and they could leave.

"Nonsense," he said. "We'll have our discussions here." He stood behind a bar stool and offered it to her. "Would you like to sit? Let's get this started, shall we?" Jericho said, taking his own seat across from Annie. He did not offer a seat to Bruce and she couldn't figure out if that was on purpose or if he hadn't thought to do such a thing.

Regardless, Bruce grabbed his own seat and placed it next to Annie.

"It's been about a year since I lent you fifty grand," Jericho said.

Annie blinked. Before either could continue, she said, "He lent you how much? We did not spend fifty thousand dollars on our parents' funeral, Bruce."

"Annie," he hushed out of the side of his mouth, not even looking at his sister. Not because he was ashamed of her behavior, exactly. More because he wanted to keep his eyes on Jericho, which was probably a good idea since Jericho had lent Bruce fifty grand and was expecting him to pay him back.

"Don't Annie me," she snapped. "Why would you borrow that amount of money from Jericho? Not only is he your boss but he..." She cut her eyes over to the man in question, who smirked at her. His eyes somehow remained on her, not bothering to look at Bruce for any reason. She wasn't quite sure what to make of that and didn't bother to think about it all that much. She clenched her jaw to keep the rest of the sentence in: but he's a criminal.

"Sir, I apologize for my sister," Bruce said, staring at Jericho. "We typically go out to dinner and I was already on my way to pick her up when you called."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Jericho told Bruce but he kept his eyes firmly on Annie. "Are you saying that you weren't aware of your brother's debt?" He tilted his head at an awkward angle, almost like some sort of feline. The gesture was graceful and smooth.

"Yeah, she-"

Jericho cut a look to Bruce, one that clearly stared this was a warning and to tread carefully. "I was asking your sister," he said.

Annie swallowed. There was a small, rebellious part of her that felt flattered by his lack of dismissal, that he took her presence here seriously. But the more prevalent part of her was curious as to why he was being so nice, as though he couldn't possibly be being nice just to be nice. There was a reason for it, something he wanted from her. What that was, she didn't know.

"No," she said, shaking her head once. "I didn't know he borrowed that much money from you. I didn't realize I had to worry about that."

"You don't," Bruce said with a hint of exasperation in his tone.

"Hey," Jericho snapped, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't talk to your sister like this. Honesty is a good thing. It helps you learn about people." He turned his attention back to Annie. "So he didn't tell you about the loan? Interesting, because he said as an accountant, you would be the perfect person to assist him on some kind of payment plan in order to ensure I got back my loan in a timely manner."

Annie clenched her jaw. "You told him what I do for a living?" she asked through gritted teeth. "What did you use that money for, Bruce? Because four grand covered the funeral expenses and a year later, you mean to tell me you spent forty-six grand and don't have anything to show for it?"

"That's what the meeting is for," Bruce explained.

"I'm sure Jericho called the meeting because you weren't paying him back," Annie said through gritted teeth. She crossed her arms over her chest, cutting her brother a look she hoped screamed absolute fury with him. "I'm sure this night is your fault because you couldn't, for the life of you, be responsible for anything. What did you spend that money on? Concert tickets? Parties? Going out to eat every dang day?"

"Annie," Bruce said. "I understand your frustration-"

"I'm not frustrated, Bruce," Annie corrected. "I am literally angry with you. Angry. I don't think I've ever been angry with you but I am now."

"Okay," Bruce said defensively. "Okay, I get it, but-"

"No, you do not get it!" Annie exclaimed. "Do not tell me you get it. How could you possibly get it? I never borrowed that amount of money before."

Bruce gave her a sideways look. "Oh, and what about your student loans?" he asked. "Don't you owe like seventy grand back? Not including the interest that's accumulating?"

"That's different," Annie said. She could not believe he would think of comparing borrowing money for further education and borrowing money from a known criminal he happened to work for because he needed the money for God knew what.

"Why?" Bruce asked, a flicker of annoyance in his tone. "Because you say it is? Why do you get to decide that?"

"I don't," Annie said. "But my education is bettering my life."

"Is it?" Bruce asked doubtfully. "You make good money at your firm but you can't afford to live in the city. A good portion of your check goes straight to your loans. Yeah, maybe you're taking a path that will lead to marriage and children and security but that doesn't mean your life is better than mine. You don't get to decide that."

"I borrowed money for an investment in my future," Annie said. "I will continue to promote, I will make better money, and I will pay off my loan."

"Same here," Bruce said, his gaze unflinching.

"Then why are we here?" Annie asked. "And, by the way, you never told me one way or the other what you spent that money on. Oh, I'm sorry, invested." She did air quotes around the word invested, clearly not believing he did such a thing.

"Don't get nasty," Bruce said. "I invested it. Not that it's any of your business but I invested in property. There a cabin in the middle of nowhere that I'm working on to fix up and rent out by next winter. There is nobody around for miles. Just think about it. What a perfect romantic getaway, right?

"That's what the meeting is for," Bruce continued. “I'm hoping to have it fixed up, completely furnished. I'm nearly finished with it. I have a huge tub in the restroom and just installed a water heater. I'm working on doing central air and central heat soon, too. Maybe in the next week or two. I've been putting a lot of time into this place, starting to get a real estate license to look into doing a couple of open houses in the next few months. I really thought about it. I put a lot of time and research in this. Yeah, maybe I never went to school like you or graduated with honors but I still read a lot and I still network and make friends with those people who have that experience." His tone sounded defensive and as Annie listened, she couldn't help but feel a tad bit guilty for completely writing him off. "I haven't spent one cent of that fifty grand on myself."

"Fine," Annie said with a curt acknowledging nod. "How are you going to pay Jericho back?"

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Jericho push up his brow and turn his attention to Bruce. He seemed to be interested in Bruce's response, which would make sense, since he had given away fifty grand to a guy who wasn't the most responsible person on the planet. Perhaps fifty grand was nothing compared to what Jericho's wealth actually was but it was still a decent amount of money and if the agreement was that that was a loan, Jericho had a right to want it back. The fact that this was the first time Jericho asked for a meeting a year after he first lent it was mind-boggling to her.

"I was thinking he could get a stipend of the profit I make from the cabin," Bruce said, shifting his eyes over to his boss. "Once I get tenants in there, you and I can split the bills and any fees we require them to pay. The best part is, it's practically passive income once I finish up the cabin. We won't have to do much of anything once everything's finished except repairs."

Annie didn't know much about business but she knew this was a trash offer.

"So," Jericho said, furrowing his brow as he looked at Bruce with a questioning look on his face. "You want me to wait even longer for you to pay me back - not the full amount that I loaned you, but to take my money in payments on the off-chance that you get people to rent the cabin. Am I understanding correctly?"

Bruce nodded slowly, not recognizing that he was prey being led to his death by a predator.

"Okay, you're meeting with a realtor," Jericho continued, using his hands to gesture. "That's great. But as of right now, the cabin isn't finished and nothing is set in stone. So what you're asking me is if I'll continue to trust that your business plan will work out exactly the way you want it. On top of that, you will not be paying me back in full, you'll be paying me back in installments which are all contingent upon you having tenants who pay their rent. Does that sound about right?"

"Uh, yeah?" Bruce said, taking a moment to let Jericho's words sink in.

“If you were a businessman and you loaned your employee fifty thousand dollars, an employee who assured you he would pay you back in full within a year, would you accept being paid this way?” Jericho asked, quirking a brow. He didn’t sound angry, just conversational. Annie was surprised at how much patience he had, to be honest. She felt a twinge of respect for the man who was making her heart flutter.

“I would hear him out, at least,” Bruce replied.

“Fair enough,” Jericho said. “However, I’m afraid to tell you that I will not be accepting your offer to go in with you on renting a cabin out in the woods. I require monetary payment and I require it in the next five minutes.”

“I don’t have that kind of money,” Bruce told him. “I thought once you heard my idea, you’d be all in to help me rent out the place and earn income that way.”

“Why would you assume that?” Annie asked through gritted teeth, leaning forward so her hair blocked her face from Jericho. “Why would you think that? Jericho, Jericho, calls a meeting with you. Shouldn’t that send alarm bells, like, I don’t know, maybe he wants his money back? Maybe? And you show up to this meeting completely un-frigging-prepared, thinking Oh, I’ll offer him a portion of rent if I get tenants. Do you realize how stupid you sound?”

“No need to be a complain about it, Annie,” Bruce said.

She sat back in her chair, flinching at his words. Bruce had never called her names, even when they were younger and fighting. He wasn’t that sort of guy.

“Hey,” Jericho snapped in a low, dangerous voice. His eyes were a piercing grass-green color, and embedded in the irises, they held a warning to Bruce never to say that word in his presence again. And if Bruce decided not to heed the warning, he would suffer consequences. “Do not call your sister – or anyone, for that matter – that word again. I don’t care if I’m around or not. Have some respect.”

Bruce didn’t say anything. Annie could tell he was biting his lip, chastised.

Jericho turned to look back at Annie. “I don’t appreciate it when women are referred to in any derogatory way,” he explained. “Even if they’re quote-unquote acting like a jerk, it just tells me the individual has little to no vocabulary because he has to resort to something as lowbrow as name-calling.”

Annie felt herself agree with him, surprised.

“Sorry,” Bruce shot out, more defensive than sincere. Annie was certain that if Bruce hadn’t been lectured by Jericho, of all people, he actually would have meant the apology. “What if I gave you something else, instead of money? Clearly, I don’t have fifty grand. I invested it and I have the receipts to prove that to you. Since I don’t want to give you the property I purchased nor do I have fifty grand to give you now, would you be open to receiving something worth more than that?”

Jericho quirked a brow. “I’m listening,” he said.

“My house,” Bruce said.

“What house?” Annie asked, furrowing her brows. “You don’t have a house.”

“Mom and Dad’s house,” Bruce explained quickly. “It’s in Eastvale, just outside the city. Three bedrooms, two and a half baths. Easily worth two-fifty, three if we fixed it up a bit.” His eyes were wide. “What do you say?”

Chapter 2

There was no way this was happening. There was no way this was real.

“You can’t do that,” Annie pointed out, but even her own voice was weak as she snatched the contract her brother – her stupid, hard-headed, prideful brother – had signed so she could read it for herself. However, she knew they were screwed. She knew Jericho had the money to cover his rear; everything was probably locked in place.

She didn’t have a home anymore. All because her brother was an idiot.

Jericho cocked his head at her, his pale green eyes boring into her with an intensity she hadn’t expected. She swallowed, unsure of how to react to his penetrating stare.

“Yes,” he said slowly. Annie wanted to avoid locking eyes with him. She wanted to avoid engaging with him in any way, but he had this ability to make her feel like she was the only person in the room when he stared at her. Like she was a sun among stars. It made her feel odd things in her bones – hesitant, cautious, but also… curious. And they had only known each other for perhaps twenty minutes. “Yes, I can. Feel free to read the contract for yourself. I’d be happy to wait.”

Annie clenched her jaw, causing it to pop. She cast a sideways glance at her brother, wanting him to know just how furiously pissed she was, if he didn’t know already.

“Is there any way for us to get it back?” she asked with a tight voice. She was looking at Bruce but she knew he wouldn’t be the one answering.

“Not as far as I’m concerned,” Jericho said. His silky voice slid down Annie’s spine. She suppressed a shudder and forced herself to look into his eyes without reacting.

“And why would you want a three-bedroom house just outside the city?” Annie asked. She saw Jericho’s two bulky bodyguards glance at each other, almost as though they didn’t expect anyone to question Jericho. Jericho did whatever he wanted; the fact that he was being questioned in the first place was unexpected and they weren’t sure how to handle it. Maybe she should learn to keep her mouth shut around Jericho. “You have a penthouse at Greene Building and a mansion in the suburbs. You don’t need my house.”

“True,” he replied. The corners of his lips were tilted up, but he wasn’t smiling. Except in his eyes. The pale green seemed to be sparkling with amusement. “I don’t need it. But when do I ever buy things I need? I want your house because your brother borrowed money from me and has yet to repay me. Instead of making him work for free, I figured I would give him the opportunity to give me something of equal value in return for my generosity.”

“It isn’t generous if you expect something in return,” Annie snarled.

“Annie,” Bruce snapped. He had never been a strict older brother, letting their parents be parents. In fact, he never raised his voice when it came to Annie. But when he did, when he snapped, she listened.

“Don’t snap at your sister,” he instructed Bruce, though he kept his eyes firmly on Annie. “She’s just concerned what’s going to happen to her. I didn’t realize you had someone living in your home when you offered it to me as compensation.”

He tilted his head at an odd angle, reminding Annie of a cat. “You have told me about her, however. I just didn’t realize…” He let his voice trail off.

There was something odd about his stare, something in those pale green eyes that was hard to discern. It was an answer to a question she hadn’t thought of, and it didn’t seem like he particularly cared one way or the other that he stared so openly at her. Not even in front of her brother.

Then again, why would he? Jericho had all the power in this relationship. He could do whatever he wanted without consequence. Annie bit the inside of her bottom lip. She wished she had the courage to say something. She wished she could be one of those girls she watched in movies and read about in books who was sassy without a care in the world and defied any challengers or annoyances with a single glare. At five foot three, slender, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, she didn’t see herself as intimidating in the slightest. The best she could do was meet his gaze with a steady one of her own, showing him that she wasn’t afraid of him even if her heart was racing. She didn’t have it in her to have a flippant attitude, especially since she wasn’t quite certain how it would affect what was going on right now.

“Well, we find ourselves in a conundrum, don’t we?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest in one fluid movement. His head was still tilted awkward but his eyes remained piercing, rooting her to her spot. “I suppose, legally, I could give you a thirty-day notice to get out.”

“I’m not leaving my parents’ place,” she told him, her eyes burning. That was one thing she refused to do. It was all she had left of them. It was their legacy. She had always thought she would settle down and raise kids in the same neighborhood as them. Now, she wanted to settle down and raise kids in the house she grew up in. She refused to let someone like Jericho take that away from her.

Instead of being angered by her outburst, Jericho gave her an amused grin, causing his eyes to sparkle. “No,” he agreed, his silky voice low but audible. “I didn’t think you would. Well, how do you suggest we resolve this?”

“I think you should just give me my house back and my brother can pay you a monthly stipend of his check until you’re paid back completely,” Annie said.

Jericho threw his head back and laughed. Annie wasn’t sure how a sound like laughter could be deemed as attractive. She didn’t know if it was the texture of the laugh, the silkiness of it, the fact that it was guttural and real, or the fact that it was contagious. A couple of his security guards in the back of the room began to smirk at one another, their arms still crossed over their chests.

“You really mean that, don’t you?” he asked, once Jericho had calmed down.

“Uh, yeah,” Annie said tentatively, nodding her head.

“The problem is, Ms. Brennan, your brother didn’t want to pay me back with his check,” he said. “I suggested that, but he insisted he lived paycheck to paycheck and couldn’t afford to do that. He suggested the house instead and I agreed.”

Annie cut a look at her brother. She had never hated anyone before, and she loved her brother with all of her heart, but in that moment, as she looked at him, she felt hatred burning through her blood stream.

“He did not,” Jericho continued, “tell me that the house had a particular inhabitant in it.”

“Oh, no?” Annie asked sarcastically, not thinking about what she was saying at the moment. Her anger had gotten the better of her and she couldn’t help but go off, even though it probably wasn’t the smartest thing for her to do. “I thought he told you all about me.”

Jericho’s lips curled up into a small smile. “You’re feisty, aren’t you?” Clearly, his question was rhetorical so she didn’t bother to answer. He took a couple of step towards her until he was directly in front of her and he leaned towards her so their faces were merely inches apart. Her heart sped up in her chest. This was what it felt like to look death in the eye and still have the ability to breathe. “Bruce has talked about you a lot. You’re his favorite person on the planet. Did you know that?”

“I’m the only family he has left,” Annie pointed out. Her voice wasn’t as strong as she wanted it to be but she prided herself on the fact that she was able to hold his gaze. Although, she didn’t think it was completely her doing. It was difficult for her to look away, like he had her under some kind of lock and key. She wondered if this was part of his power, this easy captivation of anyone he chose.

“I heard about your parents’ untimely demise,” Jericho said slowly. “DUI, right? No one was caught, am I correct? Hit and run?” Annie clenched her jaw. She didn’t like talking about her parents’ death. It was still a raw feeling and her voice could not be controlled. Her eyes would fill up with water and her face would get splotchy. And there was no way she wanted to appear that way in front of Jericho. There was no way she wanted him to know that about her. “I could do some research and find out what happened to them. Find out who committed the travesty. Make them pay.” He pushed his brows up, letting the unspoken question linger between them.

Annie’s throat went dry. He was asking if she wanted him to kill the person for her – or, at least, make them pay. She wasn’t going to lie. The thought had crossed her mind – how she would feel if she had ever met this mysterious person. Would they care that they killed a couple who had been married thirty years, with two grown children, and a house in the suburbs? Would they regret their actions or justify them? Would they turn everything around and make it about them – try and become the victim of the situation.

But to kill? To make them pay?

Annie wanted them to pay in court, to pay them back for the astronomic medical bill and the funeral expenses that Annie was still paying off, even a year later. Bruce couldn’t really afford it, considering he really did live paycheck to paycheck.

"I would rather put my faith in the police and our criminal justice system," Annie said. "They'll get what's coming to them. Eventually."

Jericho's pale green eyes seemed amused at her response. "Do you believe in some cosmic sense of justice through karma rather than taking fate into your own hands and extracting your own revenge yourself?" he asked. He wasn't critical of her belief, per se, but curious as to her logic.

"I believe in the law and our judicial system," she said. "I believe in right and wrong and punishment fitting the crime and that everything will get their return. The person who killed my parents deserves to be in prison for the rest of their life."

"Agreed," Jericho said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Except the problem with the law and our judicial system is that it’s corrupt. It always has been and it always will be. Certainly you understand that, don't you? How can you put your fate into something created by man?"

"So you're saying humanity, by its very definition, is flawed and therefore not worthy of putting your faith in?" Annie asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Absolutely not," Jericho said. "What I'm saying is you should have more faith in yourself than anything else. And if you put your mind to it, you could extract your revenge to whatever you deem as appropriate - not twelve strangers who don't know the whole story, who might be agreeing with whatever just to go home."

Annie clenched her jaw but did not look away. "I'm not here to argue about the flaws in our judicial system," she told him.

"Neither am I," he told her. "I'm just advising you to refrain from trusting a system that is inherently racist and unjust in order to attain the closure you desire." He raised a brow.

"What are you?" she asked slowly. "Some kind of vigilante?"

"I'm a man who knows what he wants and takes it," he explained. "I make my own fate. I don't require assistance from others."

Without meaning to, Annie's eyes shifted to his bodyguards before sliding back over to him. Jericho laughed, a surprising sound that resembled bells. Music. Was this guy flawed in anyway?

"I like you Annie Brennan," he said once his laughter stopped. "You're clever. I suppose you make a good point. I don't rely completely on myself to get things done. I hire people to do it for me."

"That doesn't mean they're loyal," Annie pointed out.

"You are correct," Jericho said with a nod, "but I don't expect their loyalty to be just given to me. Who am I to them except another rich white man making them promises I probably won't keep? See, the difference between me and them is that I pay for their loyalty. I offer them a competitive wage and an excellent benefits package so deciding they don't want to work for me would be illogical."

"So you know they're working for you for practical reasons and that they aren't tied to you in any way," Annie said slowly, "and you're okay with that?"

Jericho nodded once. "I prefer it that way," he said. "I have beautiful women throwing themselves at me every day. Do you think it's because they want to be with me or because they want to be with my money? At least with my employees, I'm paying them to do a job. I can expect them to do a job. It's business. There are no emotional ties complicating the situation." He tilted his head at an awkward angle as he continued to regard her. "I guess you could say I prefer to keep business and pleasure separate."

She arched a brow at him, like she didn't quite believe him.

"You've never dated your employees?" Annie asked doubtfully. "And when I say date, I hope you know that word encompasses all sorts of raunchy activity like having sex or oral or, you know."

"Annie!" Bruce exclaimed. Annie could tell her brother was embarrassed by her comments due to the way his entire face was turning red but, quite frankly, she didn't particularly care.

"I don't know," Jericho said with a slow, easy smile. The kind that haunted your dreams at night. "Please. Elaborate."

"That's my sister, dude," Bruce told Jericho. He cut his eyes over to Bruce and Bruce straightened but he didn't apologize. Annie felt herself relax next to him. It was nice to know that her brother had her back, even if Bruce had called Jericho dude.

"Of course," Jericho said. "I apologize."

"I don't care about how you run your business," Annie said, jumping in at the silence. "I don’t care about business and pleasure and your role in your employees' lives. I care about my house. I care about my parents' legacy. Bruce doesn't have the right to give up something that ours."

"But the house isn't ours," Bruce said in a quiet, hesitant voice. "It's mine."

Annie shot her gaze over to her brother's profile. His shoulders were slumped forward, his eyes cast down as though he was ashamed of this admittance. He should be; it was a lie.

"What are you talking about?" Annie said, her voice dangerously low. She curled her fingers into tight fists, her fingernails making crescent moons in her skin.

"The house wasn't ours, Annie," Bruce repeated. "The deed just lists me as owner, not you."

"But the will-"

"We read the will that way because we didn't want you to be upset," Bruce said. "It was my idea. I ordered Lisa to read it that way."

"As an attorney, she's legally obligated to read it truthfully," Annie told him.

"Annie, you received your own copy of the will," Bruce pointed out, his voice gentle. "You can go through it yourself and see. Mom and Dad put it under my name because they didn't want to burden you with the taxes. You had just graduated from college when they made the will and they had big expectations for me." He clenched his jaw. "It's mine, Annie. The house is mine to do what I want with it."

Annie felt tears start to accumulate in her eyes and she bit the inside of her bottom lip to hold back from actually crying. She would not cry here, not in front of Jericho or these three nameless bodyguards in this strange place.

Her parents hadn't put her name on the deed? They hadn't bestowed the house - at least half of it - to her? How could they trust Bruce with this? He hadn't even gone to college! He hadn't committed to sitting in front of a whiteboard in a classroom for four years to better his life. He couldn't be bothered to do anything, to be responsible for anything but himself. He didn't have a steady girlfriend, he still worked part-time. And yet because he was older than she was by a year, seven months and thirteen days, her parents decided to give the house to him? It made no sense.

She blinked away her tears. Her heart pounded with disappointment in her parents. Why would they do this? Because of their death, they had taken on a holy reputation where they could do no wrong in her eyes. And now, this decision almost tainted their reputation. Which was blasphemous, even to think. But it still didn't make sense why they would allow Bruce to retain the house.

"Are you saying that you currently occupy the house in question?" Jericho asked, pressing the back of his fingers against his lips, as though he were deep in thought about something important.

"Yes," she told him, flashing a hazel glare at him. Her voice cracked and she hated herself for it. He already knew this. Why ask her again? "I live there."

He turned his attention back to Bruce. "Why would you offer your sister's only place of residence as collateral?" he asked.

"I thought she could stay with me," he said with a one-shoulder shrug. "We used to be super close when we lived with each other. Then I got a job with you in the city and I wanted to be closer to that. But then me and Annie lost touch and..." He let his voice trail off. "I was hoping that if she moved in with me, we could get close again."

It was silent. Jericho was looking at Annie to see how she would respond. Annie was looking at Bruce, gap-mouthed.

"Incredible," she finally said.

Even Bruce looked surprised by her swearing. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"You heard me," Annie said. "That is such trash. Do you actually believe that? Do you actually believe your lies?"

"Annie-"

"If you really wanted to be around me like you say you do, you could have moved back home," she pointed out. "I work in the city, too. The thing is, you wanted your own space. You know how much I hate the city. There's no way I would move to the city. And you know that. Stop pretending like you didn't know that."

Jericho tilted his head to the side once again. "You don't like the city?" he asked, his curiosity clearly tainting his tone.

Annie had almost forgotten he was there. He peered at her with those pale green eyes, piqued with interest in what she had to say. Annie felt herself shift uncomfortably underneath his penetrating gaze. It was as though he could see straight through her, see the blood coursing through her system, her heart skip out of time underneath the gaze, to the muscles and the guts and the organs. It was like he was looking for one of her weaknesses, and she was certain he would find something, considering she had plenty of those.

At first, she didn't want to respond. She didn't want to talk to Jericho, let alone be here with him. There was something about the way he asked simple questions, something that made her suspicious there was something more than just a typical inquiry. He was cataloging responses, checking to see if her answer benefitted him in any way, and, if it did, how he could exploit it. Why did he want to know about her anyway? She meant nothing to him; she was a no one, just some accountant who happened to be related to someone who worked for him.

However, Annie could tell from the way he was currently staring at her, she knew he would wait for however long it took to get that answer out of her. And right now, all she wanted was to go home and pretend this never happened, that Bruce didn't owe Jericho a trash ton of money and that it didn't affect her one way or the other.

"No," she finally responded. "I don't like the city."

"She doesn't like it when there are too many people," Bruce put in, deciding that Annie's answer was insufficient for Jericho and he needed to add to it. Annie shot her brother a look, which he pointedly ignored. "Prefers the solitude. The quiet. I have no idea how she does it. We have a house on the edge of the woods, and it used to creep me the heck out that if something happened to me and I screamed, nobody would hear."

Jericho gently pressed his brows together, hearing Bruce's response but the look on his face indicated he didn't particularly care. He turned his attention back to Annie.

"I don't like people much, either," he told her. "Sometimes, they talk so much, it feels like they're looking for any kind of excuse to hear themselves speak."

Annie shot Bruce a look as if to say He’s talking about you. She didn't respond to Jericho's attempt at conversation, however. She wasn't sure why she needed to talk to him in the first place.

"I have a house in the woods as well," Jericho kept going.

Annie rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Goodness, Annie," Bruce said from the corner of his mouth.

"What do you want from me, Bruce?" she asked. "Honestly. What am I even doing here? Why does this involve me? And Jericho is talking about his mansion in the woods like the Seattle Times doesn't write about it once a week." She threw Jericho a snotty glance. "We get it. You're rich. Congratulations. For someone who doesn't like the city, don't you have a penthouse in one of the wealthiest buildings in Seattle?"

"For business," he said. His eyes sparkled with amusement at her outburst.

"For business?" Annie asked doubtfully. "Really? So you only stay in that penthouse because you have business dealings? Come on. You're all about honesty, right? Then be honest. You like having a ritzy place in Seattle you can just retire to, bring your dates to. You live alone. You don't have a family. Why do you need a penthouse? It's because you like the status that comes with owning a penthouse."

Instead of being angry or upset with Annie's outburst, Jericho continued to look amused. It was as though she was some kind of sassy sprite, not quite real, eye-catching and mystical. She had no idea why he wasn't upset. It almost scared her more than seeing him offended by what she said. Why did he look at her that way? Why wasn't he upset? Was he crazy? Or did he have an infinite amount of patience?

"Perhaps," he said. "But let's switch positions for a second, if we may." He shifted in his seat, straightening his spine. "You are me. A successful businessman who prefers the solitude but who has obligations in the city, more professional than personal. You have lots of money. Would you purchase a twelve-month lease at a cost-effective apartment complex where people will know where you live, security isn't as great, and the chance of someone selling you out is greater than anything? Would you live somewhere where someone could walk through your home without a reason as long as they post a notice? Would you live somewhere where they could kick you out at any given moment, where the paparazzi had better access to you, where your neighbors would probably hate you because there's no way those same paparazzi could be regulated at all?" He perked his brow.

"Why live in the city at all?" Annie pointed out. "You have a mansion in the woods? Why not live there?"

"It's big and lonely," Jericho said.

"Like your penthouse?" Annie said.

Jericho's mouth quirked up. "Touché, Ms. Brennan," he said.

"So it sounds like to me, if you want to be happy, just sell your big, lonely houses and buy your own house in the woods that's smaller and not as big or as lonely," Annie said, leaning back in her chair.

"But I don't need to," Jericho said slowly. "I have a house in the woods." He smiled. "I have yours."

Annie clenched her teeth together to keep herself from saying something stupid. "Not my home," she told him. "Get another home."

"I don't think so," Jericho said, shaking his head. "Your brother has proven not to be the most reliable person to lend money to. At least with the deed of the house, I've gotten my investment back in something I've wanted in a long time."

“A smaller house in the woods?” Annie asked sarcastically.

Jericho grinned and turned his attention to Bruce. “You never told me your sister was so feisty,” he said.

“Yeah,” Bruce muttered, reaching up to cup the back of his head with his hand. “We’re trying to work on it. I apologize for her behavior.”

Jericho waved his apology away. “Nonsense,” he said. “I find her honesty refreshing.”

“You know,” Annie growled. “I’m sitting right here.”

Jericho’s grin widened. “You’re right,” he admitted. “How rude of me. To answer your question, despite the fact that it was clearly rhetorical, yes, I’ve always wanted a nice house in the woods. The perfect place to raise a family.”

Annie refrained from snorting again. She did not want to make a big deal over something that should not be a big deal. If he wanted to raise a family in the woods, who was she to critique that? It made no difference to her what he did just as long as he didn’t plan to do it in her home. She didn’t care what that deed said. It was her house. She was the one paying the mortgage, not Bruce. She was the one paying the taxes on the house, not Bruce. How could he make such an important decision without even including her?

It literally made no sense.

“Look,” Annie said, her tone desperate now that she knew there was really nothing she could do. That her house was literally slipping through her fingers and there was nothing she could do to stop it. “I’ve been paying the mortgage. Would you consider giving me the opportunity to pay you back and allowing me the opportunity to get the deed back?”

Jericho was surprised by her question.

“You’re the responsible member from your family, aren’t you?” he asked. There was something that flickered along with the amusement in his eyes. It resembled something like… respect. Her insides churned, as though they were pleased someone as powerful as Jericho would respect her and she immediately hated herself for it. Who cared if Jericho respected her? He was no one to her, just some big name and her brother’s boss.

But, a voice pointed out. That respect could very well come in handy. It might help you get the house back.

“Bruce isn’t completely hopeless,” Annie said slowly, because it was the truth. And despite everything, he was still her brother. “But I’m a lot more organized and on top of things, yes.”

Jericho nodded as though this wasn’t a surprise to him. “I know you have a job at some firm as an accountant,” he said. “I could really use someone like you on my team. I pay a competitive rate, you would get great benefits, and you’d be entitled to overtime rather than a salary.”

Annie looked at him like he was crazy. “You don’t even know me,” she pointed out.

He shrugged his shoulders elegantly. “So?” he asked. “You think that’s going to stop me? I can get to know you, Ms. Brennan. I’m getting to know you right now.”

“You should do it, Annie,” Bruce said in a whisper, keeping his eyes on his boss while speaking to her. “He really does pay a competitive salary, the benefits are great-“

“I’m not going to work for him,” she said. “I’m not.” Her eyes flashed over to his. “Is there anything I can do to get my house back? I can pay you rent. I can pay off the mortgage? Anything?”

“Not unless your brother can come up with fifty grand right now,” Jericho told her.

Annie wanted to scream. She wanted to slap the smug smirk from Jericho’s face and she wanted to slap her brother for being so stupid. There was nothing she could do. Her house had been stolen by some kind of beautiful monster.

“Where am I going to live?” she asked, looking at Jericho.

“You can come move in with me,” Bruce reminded her, gently patting her on the back.

She snapped at him. “Don’t touch me.” Her eyes looked at Jericho. “I am not moving to the city,” she told him. “If you hate it here as much as I do, you understand.”

“I never told you that you had to leave the house,” Jericho told her, his tone serious.

“Wait,” Annie said, furrowing her brow. “What?”

Jericho nodded. “You don’t have to leave,” he said. “I’m not kicking you out. You can stay there for as long as you want.”

“Okay,” Annie said slowly. “How much do I owe you in rent?”

Jericho wrinkled his brow, making him look pensive and even more beautiful than he was. She clenched her teeth together in order to focus on what was important, and it certainly wasn’t his high cheekbones or his pale green eyes or the perfection that encapsulated his face.

“Rent?” he asked, furrowing his brows even more. “Who said anything about paying rent? You wouldn’t owe me anything.”

Annie clenched her teeth together. This seemed too good to be true. She couldn’t fathom living in her home with a new owner and pay nothing in rent.

“What would you want in return?” she asked slowly, knowing there was some sort of catch. There had to be. This was Jericho they were talking about. The criminal. Head of organized crime. Was he trying to trick her? Did he want something from her? She wasn’t sure what she could give him that he would want. She wasn’t supposed to be involved in the first place.

“Nothing,” he said, almost offended that she asked in the first place.

What did he expect? Nothing was for free. Not even love.

Annie didn’t want to press her luck. Instead, she clenched her jaw to keep the words from leaving her mouth and sighed through her nose. “Can we leave now?” she asked.

“Once the deed has transferred over to me, you are free to go,” Jericho said.

“I’ll go sit in the car, then,” Annie muttered.

Jericho stood and held out his hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Brennan,” he said.

She didn’t know what to say in return. It wasn’t a pleasure meeting him, but she didn’t want to be rude. Not when he was offering her the opportunity to live in her home for free. Instead of responding at all, she nodded her head and shook his hand.

Then, without looking back, she left for the car, hoping Bruce would hurry up.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Annie cracked her eyes open. She needed last night to be a dream. She needed to have this house in her name, where Jericho couldn’t touch it. She closed her eyes, letting a low groan out of her mouth before rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. It was still overcast outside, so dark the sun had no chance of peeking through. She liked to sleep in Saturdays and Sundays but her mind had woken up early thanks to the stress she was currently under, considering Jericho could kick her out at any moment. She refused to give up the last thing she had of her parents so easily to some corrupt businessman.

Deciding it was too early to think about Jericho without coffee, she forced herself out of bed. Her feet hit the floor and she stood, stretching as she did so.

However, there was something off, something she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Without thinking, she reached for her big overcoat and slid it on, heading down the stairs with the question in her mind. And then it hit her. It wasn’t cold.

The house Annie lived in had its own heater but Annie refrained from using it as often as possible because the energy bill would skyrocket if she did so. Though she did make a decent salary, she didn’t want to spend when she didn’t have to. This meant that when she woke up, she woke up to bitter mornings and always wore her overcoat when she made her coffee and ate her breakfast. It wasn’t until she took a hot shower did she finally get the opportunity to finally relax.

It was rare when Annie would use the heater and she knew she didn’t turn it on last night. Of course, she had been so pissed, she didn’t even eat dinner so she might have flipped it on in silent rebellion to everyone and everything. The heat did help her sleep better, considering she wasn’t layered with clothing, wrapped under three blankets, and shivering to keep warm. She had considered moving to warmer places like California but she would miss the rain too much. Plus, Bruce was here, and even though he was the last person she wanted to see right now, he was still her only brother. Her only family.

When she walked through the living room to get to the kitchen, she nearly had a heart attack. There, sitting at the small dining table tucked into the corner of the dining room, was Jericho himself, dressed in business casual clothing – dark jeans with one ankle resting on the other knee, a blue t-shirt hugging his broad shoulders and tight torso, a pair of Vans on his feet, and his blond-brown hair left messy (a word she never thought she would associate with him) – reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee next to his left hand.

He picked his eyes up from the paper and she stopped moving. She didn’t even step through the entranceway to the dining room. She was rooted to her spot because of that stare. It was almost as though she was some teenage girl sneaking out at night and she had just gotten caught. Except Jericho was only ten years older than she was, if that, and was the last person she thought of when the word family came to mind.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. At first, she felt guilty for sounding so blunt up until the point where she remembered he was in her home without warning, sitting at her kitchen table, like he owned the place. And maybe, technically, he did but he wasn’t allowed in her home. There had to be some rule that prevented the owner to show up and disturb the tenant.

“In case you forgot,” he drawled slowly, the silky tone wrapping around her body like ribbon, “I happen to own this residence now.”

Annie pressed her lips together, giving herself a moment to respond. “I know,” she finally said. “I know. It’s just…” She didn’t like being nice if she didn’t have to, especially with someone who clearly thought they were entitled to just take what he wanted without really asking first. “If the gossip magazines are to be believed, you own a penthouse in Seattle and a mansion in the suburbs. Why are you in some three-bedroom, single-family home?”

His lips spread out into a smile. Annie thought it was similar to the way a predator might regard its prey just before it was about to pounce. “If the gossip rags are to be believed, I would have three children by four different women, a gay relationship with one of my security guards, and a different woman on my arm every week. Only one of those things is true.”

Annie rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. The last thing she wanted to talk about with this man was his reputation with the women.

“However, I do have my penthouse and I do have my suburb home,” he said with a nod. “I just decided that I’d prefer the quaintness Eastvale offered, rather than the elaborate scheme, the gated community, that makes up New Haven. My bodyguards hang around the house. I prefer to be alone.”

“Is that such a good idea?” Annie asked before she could stop herself, perking her brow. Her heart raced. She shouldn’t have said that. She shouldn’t have alluded to his criminal dealings – his alleged criminal activity. What if she wasn’t supposed to know things? What if he does something to her from opening her mouth? What if-?

“And why would you ask that?” he asked. He still had that sparkle that had occupied his eyes whenever he was around her. She wasn’t sure if he always had it. Most pictures depicted him as serious and brooding. Even when he was with beautiful women on his arm, he never smiled. It made him look intimidating, even though he wasn’t particularly tall. She wondered if he was manipulating her now or if he was letting his guard down with her for some unknown reason.

Did it even matter?

“I just figured,” Annie said, trying to find some logical explanation for her flippant comment that wouldn’t sound judgmental. “You’re an important person, I suppose, and-“

“Being alone with you would put me at risk for something?” he asked, slowly raising his right brow and keeping his eyes in hers. The corner of his lips quirked up into a smirk and he shrugged his shoulders. She had no idea how it was possible, but he made the gesture look graceful, elegant. “I suppose you could be right. I think I’ll take my chances.” He folded the newspaper and tossed it on the surface of the table. “Would you like breakfast? I make a mean scrambled eggs and sausage.”

“You’re going to cook for me?” she asked doubtfully. Annie still lingered by the entranceway of the dining room, hesitating. She was hungry but she wasn’t sure if she was actually comfortable sitting across the table from Jericho like this living arrangement was perfectly normal.

“I am capable of cooking,” he told her, standing up in one fluid motion. “You know, just because I own nightclubs doesn’t mean I don’t get my hands dirty when I need to. I can’t expect my employees to do something I refuse to do. That wouldn’t be fair. As a leader, I am expected to set the example and I take that very seriously.”

Annie’s breathing got shallow. Even though his words appeared normal and understandable, there was something more to them. Something deeper and lying in the spaces between.

“So.” He stood next to her cabinets and perked his brow. “Scrambled eggs and sausage?”

“We don’t –“ She had to clear her throat. “We don’t have sausage.”

Why had she said we? It was just her now. Bruce lived in some nasty apartment in the city, close to his job. Her parents were gone. It was just her.

“Yes, we do,” he said with a small smirk. “Once I took possession of the house, I had my employee fill the fridge. You will never have an empty fridge again, Ms. Brennan.”

“I can cook my own breakfast,” she told him. “Listen, are you going to, like, be here, now?” She placed her hands on her hips, trying to figure out a nice way to ask if she should expect him here now. “I just…”

“Have you ever lived with a stranger?” Jericho asked with a grin. He turned to open the fridge and pulled out eggs and sausage.

“Of course not,” Annie said.

“Ever brought one home?” he asked with a grin. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.” He reached up to grab a mixing bowl and then bent down to grab a pan. How did he know the layout of her kitchen already? And it wasn’t as though he had switched things up to his liking, he had simply learned her layout and possibly added to it because she definitely didn’t recognize the stainless steel pan he had out. “Do you prefer your eggs with butter or oil? I know oil is probably healthier but there’s just something about butter… Why do the bad things always taste the best?”

Annie pressed her lips together. Another statement that probably meant three other things than what it sounded like.

Since she didn't know how to answer; she decided not to.

"You can come in the kitchen, you know," he said slowly, glancing up at her as he proceeded to crack eggs into the mixing bowl. "I'm not going to bite you. And you never answered my question."

"I'm just confused as to what's happening here," she replied. "Do you live here now? Are you evicting me? Because let me tell you right now that I have no intention of leaving so easily."

Jericho's eyes sparkled with amusement. They were nearly as green as grass. "I didn't think you would," he told her. "To answer your questions, though, no, I am not evicting you. You've lived here your whole life and it wouldn't be fair to expect you to pack up now simply because your parents decided that the oldest sibling was the more responsible one and put his name on the deed of the house. I want you to stay. As for me living here, I would actually prefer it. I like the quiet and the solitude. My business is in the city but that's no place to raise a family."

"You want to raise a family," Annie said slowly, not quite believing him.

"Of course," he said, dropping his eyes down to the bowl. He grabbed a mixer with his right hand and proceeded to mix the eggs together. "Don't you?" He gestured at the table. "Sit and I'll explain." He cocked his head to the side. "Please?"

Annie rubbed her lips together. She tried to look away but was unable to. Instead, she slowly made her way into the kitchen and slid into a seat where she could keep an eye on him at all times. She didn't trust him here. She wanted to call the police and report him for trespassing but since her idiot brother decided to give him their house, she really couldn't do anything about it.

"I would like to leave a child my legacy," he continued, his eyes dropping to his bowl as he resumed his mixing. "Perhaps two, if I'm lucky. But first, I want to find the right type of woman to have children with."

Annie all but rolled her eyes. "Take your pick," she told him, staring at the newspaper and not him. Even so, she could feel his stare on her. "I'm sure if you mentioned your desire to settle down and start a family, the women would line up at your clubs just for the opportunity."

He smiled. "Perhaps," he said. "But the desire to procreate doesn't automatically translate into being a good parent or a good wife."

"Let me guess," Annie said. "You want to pop out as many kids as possible and have your wife stay home with them while you go out and make the money."

"Actually, I would want my wife to do whatever she wanted," he told her without a hint of irony in his tone. "I want her to put our family first, of course, just like I would. But it's important to me to show my children that you can do whatever you want. You can stay home as a boy and go to work as a girl and vice versa. To be honest, I would love to retire once I had kids and stay home. I have investments that would garner me more money so I would still have that but my main focus would be my family."

Annie looked at him like he wasn't quite real. And maybe he wasn't. He was currently pouring egg batter into a buttered pan, wearing a t-shirt and dark jeans. This was not the Jericho the public knew. Heck, she barely even knew him and yet he was in a rather vulnerable position. He was cooking in casual attire, his hair spiked and messy. He wasn't completely put together and it made him look... younger.

"Is that a problem for you?" he asked, throwing a look over his shoulder at her before resuming his cooking.

"You can do whatever you want," she told him. "It makes no difference to me."

The two fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence. As the eggs fried, he poured them both two glasses of orange juice and set them down on the table. Annie reached for hers, murmuring a gentle thanks before taking a long sip. She didn't have to leave for work for another hour and she liked the solitudes her mornings used to give her.

When he finished cooking, he placed a plate in front of her. The eggs and sausage looked cooked to perfection and even though she wanted to refuse it, her stomach rumbled in response, giving her away.

Traitor, she thought to herself.

She picked up the silverware and started eating. She didn't care. Her hunger had gotten the better of her and she had no choice but to give into the temptation. How could she not, when he sprinkled cheddar on the eggs? Cheese was probably her favorite thing and he used it to win her over. She didn't like that it was working. She didn't like that something like cheese could make her weak.

It was delicious. She didn't like to swear that much; she didn't see the point, really, but dang, the food was amazing and the addition of juice just added to it perfectly.

They ate in silence and when she finished, she placed her fork on the plate and downed the rest of her juice.

"Thank you," she said in a quiet voice.

"You're welcome," he told her.

She shouldn't want to make conversation. She shouldn't care about him at all but there was something inside of her that wanted to know.

"Did your mom teach you how to cook?" she murmured. She slowly picked her eyes up the surface of the table in order to lock eyes with him. His eyes were already looking at her, which was no surprise. He seemed surprised she asked about him and that made her feel only slightly guilty. What did he expect, honestly? He was living in her home. Her entire world was turned upside down because of him.

Well, him and Bruce.

"Would it be snobby of me if I told you my maid taught me?" Jericho asked with a smile. "Helena was a Polish woman who knew how to cook everything and who put up with my parents and their ridiculous demands. She was the closest thing I had to a mother-figure since my mom buried herself so deeply in her work and my father ran his business. She told me I might not always be so blessed and it’s skill, rather than money, that will guarantee my success. She was right." He paused to take a bite of his food. Once he swallowed it, he continued. "Helena taught me how to cook. She taught me that cleanliness was next to godliness but that everything had its proper place, as in organization mattered. She said that it was important to be kind to others, especially those less fortunate. And the secret to being a good boss was having respect for my employees." He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. "When people ask me how I came to be so successful, I tell them it wasn't my father or my upbringing and it definitely wasn't my wealth. Helena shaped my business mentality. I would have no idea where I'd be without her guidance."

"You're an only child?" Annie asked, perking her brow.

Jericho nodded once. "There wasn't a lot of love between my parents," he said. "They produced their male heir, so to speak, and after that, there was no need to force physical contact if they didn't have to. My father got that from a string of mistresses, my mother got that from a bottle of pills and the pool boy. The minute I could get away from them, I did. I went to college and then got my Masters at Cambridge because I couldn't stomach the thought of going home. I only returned after I found out my father was sick. And my mother died a short time after he did. I was never really close to them and they were never really close to me. For the longest time, Helena was my only friend." His voice sounded far away, his eyes not staring at Annie, but off into the distance. "How sad is that?"

"It sounds lonely," she murmured without thinking. Immediately, she looked up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You're right. It was lonely. Even at school, people hated me because of who my father was or loved me because of my legacy. No one really knew who I was. No one really cared about me. So I embraced the solitude." He shrugged. "It's why I don't like the city. If I'm going to be alone, I'd rather be alone. Not surrounded by a group of people only there to fly a kite."

Annie nodded but didn't say anything. There was too much there, too much that wanted to settle under her skin but she couldn't let it. She was starting to feel sympathy for Jericho, for the man behind the mogul, and that was the last thing she wanted to feel. He was a criminal, she had to remind herself, a criminal that partook in acts of violence without hesitation. Yet, as he stared at her across the dining table, he looked like nothing more than a man. A beautiful one with a tragic past but a man nonetheless.

"What about you?" he asked, scrunching his brow slightly, making him look adorably pensive.

No. Adorable was the last word that should come up when discussing Jericho. And yet... somehow, it fit. There was no other word that accurately described him so she decided to go with it. Because she didn't really have a choice not to.

"What about me?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"You look nice," he said, his eyes dropping to her attire but not in a solicitous way. Almost immediately, he picked them back up and held onto hers. "Your brother said you're an accountant in the city?"

She wore a white pencil skirt that clung to her body and a flattering lace black sleeveless shirt that scooped just below her collarbone. Her hair was pulled into a high, tight ponytail so no stray strands were allowed to frame her face. Her makeup was light and she wore black high heels.

A flare of anger sparked up at the reminder that Bruce had a big mouth but she tried not to let it show. It wasn't Jericho's fault that Bruce told him anything. Jericho might not have helped the situation but Bruce was a grown man who could make his own choices. As far as she knew, Jericho hadn't forced the situation.

"I am," she said.

He paused, crossing his arms over his chest and peering at her. "You don't like talking about yourself very much, do you?" he asked.

Annie shrugged. "I don't see the point," she said. "I'm not very interesting."

"I beg to differ," Jericho said. "The fact that you aren't like other women who won't shut up about themselves makes you more intriguing. It makes me want to ask you more about yourself."

Annie didn't know what to say. She wished she hadn't finished her food as fast as she did so she could pick at it or shove some in her mouth so she would have a reason not to answer. Instead, she stared at him like an idiot.

"You're guarded," he stated. "I suppose I can understand. I'm a stranger living in your home."

"So you are living with me," she said. "And you admit that it's my home."

"I wouldn't presume to make you leave," he told her. "I like it here. The mansion is too big, it’s overwhelming. This is quaint and comforting. So yeah, I'm living here. If that's okay with you."

"It really doesn't matter what I want," Annie pointed out. "I could tell you to leave but you won't. This is your place thanks to my idiot brother. What I say, my opinion, doesn't matter."

"That isn't true," Jericho told her, his eyes a grass-green color, the kind that was both intense and serious, as though he wanted her to understand that what she was saying was the truth. "Your opinion does matter. I like to hear what your thoughts are on everything, really."

"And why is that?" Annie asked, raising a skeptical brow. She leaned back in her chair, waiting for his response. "You and I are strangers. We don't know anything about each other."

"That's exactly my point," he said. "I would love to hear what you have to say, even if you and I won't agree. Which we won't about a lot of things. But that's what makes things interesting, right? Respectful discord." He smiled at her. "You aren't like anyone I've ever met before. It's why I'd like to know more about you."

"Okay," Annie said. "I don't understand you. I don't understand your decision-making process at all. I don't understand your choices. So it doesn't matter what I say because you'll make your choices and I won't understand them and I don't want to be exhausted by trying to understand your logic."

"I think you're just writing me off," he said, "and that isn't fair."

"Fair?" Annie asked, furrowing her brows. "You want to talk about fair? How about Bruce not giving you any consideration when he offers up a home his sister still lives in? It's the only home I've ever known. Even when I went to college, I still lived at home so it would be more cost effective for me and my parents. And now that's taken away from me because my brother thinks he's some kind of entrepreneur and invests forty-six grand in some kind of cabin in the woods he thinks is going to retire him. On some kind of whim, he decides to borrow money because you go around asking your employees how they're doing and how they can help."

"I'm sorry?" he guessed, perking his brow. As though she was looking for some kind of answer from him when the truth of the matter was she would prefer it if he didn't talk at all.

"That isn't fair," she continued. "And instead of just letting me live here like some kind of tenant and letting me buy my parents' home, you decide you want to move in and be here."

"I won't be here all the time," he told her. "I'm not charging you rent. I took over the mortgage when your brother transferred the deed to me, which I will pay off today, when I go into the city. You will retain the same rights you've always had - your privacy. I will take responsibility for all the bills relating to the house including the energy bill, the cable and internet bill, the water bill, the trash bill. All you have to worry about is your cell phone bill, though if it would appease you, I would pay for that as well."

“You already told me this last night,” Annie pointed out.

“I know,” he said. “I just want to reiterate it because I think it’s important.” He rubbed his lips together. “What time do you leave for work?”

Annie glanced at her cell phone. “I’ll probably go up and brush my teeth in a few minutes,” she told him.

He nodded. “Did this help you at all?” he asked, gesturing to the empty plates of food. “I know my presence here isn’t exactly something you would want. I get that. But I’m trying to help in any way I can.”

“You want to help?” Annie asked doubtfully. She stood up and took her plate and cup so she could put it in the sink. She would do the dishes when she got home. “Then let me be. Let me live in my house alone.”

Jericho clenched his teeth together. She didn’t want to admit it but he looked like he was genuinely sorry. And, she had to admit, he hadn’t asked for the house, Bruce had offered it to him. The problem was, it was worth way more than fifty grand, which made Bruce look like an even more inexperienced jerk. But maybe it didn’t matter because interest mattered. And Jericho could do whatever he wanted. No one could fight him on it.

“Maybe there’s some sort of compromise that we can work out that would benefit both of us,” he said slowly, standing as well. “I’m open to hearing your thoughts but you should know I have no intention of leaving, even though I can see that’s what you really want. And I’m sorry for that. But maybe we can talk about it later.”

Annie clenched her teeth together. She wanted to argue. She wanted to tell him besides leaving, there was nothing he could do that would benefit the both of them. There was no compromise she could think of that would work for her besides him leaving and giving her ownership of the house. She didn’t even care if he required her to pay him back. She would do it, just as long as she had this house.

“I’m not entirely opposed to that,” he said slowly. “It would be selfish of me to keep something you want, something that belonged to you in everything but name. But I would require a week or two to consider it. And even then, I can’t guarantee that I’d agree. But I’m open to it.”

Annie nodded once, a short jab of her chin. That was the best she could hope for, if she was being honest. There was nothing more she could do or say, so she proceeded to head out the kitchen entranceway. At the last minute, however, she stopped.

“Thank you for breakfast,” she murmured. Without waiting for him to respond, she exited the room, ready to brush her teeth and get to work.

--

Her small accounting firm was a twenty-minute drive into the city. There were only four other people who worked there, so the environment was intimate and small. Annie actually preferred it this way. Unlike most small businesses, this firm was run by a singular owner rather than a family, so no one was actually related. On top of that, everyone kept a respectful distance. Things were professional, rather than personal. There was no gossip, no drama. All in all, it might not be the highest paying position she was offered and the benefits weren’t the best, but it was a nice place to work.

She parked her car in an Employees-Only section of the parking structure located behind the building her firm was located in, which was on the second-to-last floor of the structure. This forced Annie to walk in her heels to the elevator, taking the elevator down all the way to the first floor, walk into her building, take the building’s elevator up to the second floor, and walk down a long, twisty hallway until she got to suite H. Typically, she didn’t mind it. The events from the past twenty-four hours, however, caused most tasks to sour quickly.

When she saw down at her small cubicle, she leaned her head against the chair, staring up at the ceiling and wondering how she ended up where she was in this moment. It wasn’t all her, of course. If she had known the deed didn’t have her name on it, she would have demanded Bruce put her on there as half-owner. She didn’t like to be responsible for things that weren’t actually hers. More than that, she was furious that Bruce had let her believe the house was partially hers, something she shared with her brother. She still didn’t understand why her parents wouldn’t put her name on the deed, just to protect her. Especially since Bruce wasn’t reliable – and they knew that!

She needed coffee. Now.

After grabbing a cup of Kona with a large amount of cream and sugar, she was finally able to log in and start working.

Her phone chirped at just after eleven.

Her brows furrowed together. No one really texted her during the day. Her friends all had demanding jobs, just like hers was.

Who could be texting me now? she wondered.

She unlocked the screen and it went to her texts.

Bruce, she thought. What could he want?

Hey, I know you’re mad. But will you meet me at The Red Door next week? I need your help with something.

No apology. No acknowledgment of fault. Nothing.

She nearly threw her phone at the wall.

Chapter 4

This was the last place Annie wanted to be. The Red Door was a nightclub with a strict dress code – dresses for females, business casual for men – which meant no jeans. Annie didn’t care. If her brother wanted her to meet him here last minute about something important, she was not about to go out of her way in order to dress up.

One thing Annie had to respect about Jericho is he always invested in parking. Even though she had to validate her parking ticket or pay some obscene fine, at least she didn’t have to worry about parking. She parked relatively close to the two-story nightclub and pulled her trench coat over her plaid shirt and jeans, grabbed her umbrella, and proceeded to head to the club entrance attached to the structure.

There was already a long line, even at nine thirty. Annie didn’t care. She wasn’t about to wait. She walked up to the bouncer, ignoring the occupants of said line groaning and other derogatory sounds.

“My brother, Bruce Brennan, wanted to meet with me about something?” she asked, tossing her head to the side. She tried to make her voice come out polite but it was getting harder and harder to do so.

“You have to wait in line, just like everyone else,” the bouncer told her, his arms crossed over his chest, causing big bulges of muscle to pop up.

Goodness, they’re bigger than my boobs, Annie thought to herself.

Despite their complete size difference, Annie narrowed her eyes. “There is no way I’m waiting to go into a club just to meet my brother who’s an employee,” she told him. “Considering it’s going to rain any second, can’t I just go in to meet him?”

“You ain’t even dressed correctly,” he said, nodding his bald head to Annie’s jeans and high tops. “You can’t come in.”

Annie clenched her jaw and reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. Bruce. Couldn’t he have given these bouncers a head’s up that she was coming to meet with him? She really didn’t want to meet out in the rain, even though she had her umbrella in her other hand and her jacket was waterproof. She just didn’t like when her shoes got wet and her hair constantly frizzed when exposed to moisture. She clicked on his contact, deciding she would have to take care of this herself.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll call him and he’ll bring me in himself.”

“You ain’t coming in,” the bouncer responded. “I don’t care who brings you in.”

“I don’t think you mean that,” a voice said behind Annie.

She whipped around and nearly ran smack into Jericho’s broad chest. His penetrating gaze was fixed on the bouncer and while there was no tension in his face, that gaze was angry, an emerald green. The bouncer tensed, meeting his boss’s eye without flinching but looking reprimanded even though Jericho hadn’t even raised his voice.

Jericho perked his brow. “Do you?” he pushed, waiting for a response.

“No, sir,” the man said, his voice less aggressive and more quiet.

“Good.” He turned to look at Annie and gave her a smile. “Ms. Brennan. So good to see you. I would never question your presence here, but is there anything I can assist you with? Besides entrance, of course.”

“Um, no,” she said slowly. She glanced over at the bouncer and felt her stomach start to churn with guilt. “He was just doing his job. He-“

“Are you defending his treatment of you?” Jericho asked. There was no judgment in his tone, just curiosity.

“He was just doing his job,” she repeated. “I didn’t even know I could go in or, I mean, I don’t know the rules and what’s acceptable and what’s not.”

Jericho smiled that heart-racing smile, tilting his head to the side at such an angle, it reminded her of a cat. “Are you nervous, Ms. Brennan?” he asked with that smile.

Annie wasn’t sure how to respond. If she said no, he would know she was lying and perhaps continue to not take her seriously. Which could be an advantage. On the other, if she said yes, she would be verbalizing her fear of him and he could use that to his advantage. It was clear no matter what that she was nervous; what she needed to decide if it was worth actually admitting it. What would that mean to him? How would he treat her? She didn’t particularly care one way or the other but she did care about how it would affect her standing with the house. She had a meeting with her friend next week regarding the legality of it all, but for now, she thought the best thing she could do was bite her tongue and be nice.

“You babble when you’re nervous, don’t you?” he asked, raising his brow. “It’s adorable.”

Adorable. She never expected that word to come out of his mouth. She hadn’t thought it was in his vocabulary. But somehow, the word fit their situation so she didn’t come up with a rebuttal.

“What do you have to be nervous about?” he continued, grabbing his left arm with his right arm and furrowing his brow. It was as though his focus was completely on her. He didn’t notice all of his patrons in a long line. He didn’t notice the grey clouds, threatening to spill rain at any moment. His only consideration was her.

“Look,” she said. “I came down here to meet with my brother. I don’t know why he wanted me to meet him but he did. So that’s what I was doing.”

“Until Boll told you that you couldn’t come in, correct?”

Annie opened her mouth to defend the bouncer again but stopped. She already said what she needed to say and didn’t want to sound like a broken record.

Jericho nodded his head once, as though her silence was answer enough. She turned back to look at both bouncers and that amused sparkle that was always in his eye whenever she saw him had vanished.

“She can come here no matter what she’s wearing,” he told them. His voice was still silky but it was much more curt and no-nonsense. “She can come before opening or after. You let her in. You do not charge her. If there’s a problem, you call me immediately. Do you understand?” Both bouncers nodded. Jericho turned his head so he looked at Annie once more. There it was again, that sparkle. “Let me walk you in and show you around. Then, I’ll take you to your brother. How does that sound?”

That was an odd question to ask her. It didn’t matter what she wanted. He had already made that decision himself.

“Thank you,” she said in a voice just above a whisper.

He smiled and nodded. “Come on, then,” he said. “Let’s go.”

Annie didn’t have to look to know that people in line had their phones out. Jericho was practically a celebrity here and to see him lecturing his bouncers because of some girl in a trench coat was a curious thing to behold. She had no idea how Jericho was completely fine with all of this, how he was able to ignore the chaos that surrounded him. It was probably what made him such an excellent businessman, his ability to stay cool amidst everything else.

She had no choice but to follow him, so she did. She walked through the open door and stopped at the coat check. Jericho slid off his own jacket and then offered to take Annie’s. Suddenly, she was embarrassed to have shown up in a plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. Jericho himself was in a white collared shirt and beige slacks, and that was probably his casual attire. However, Jericho probably wasn’t going to leave without checking her coat and umbrella so she untied her belt and unbuttoned the coat.

“Plaid,” he said with a small smile as she slid the coat off and handed it to him. “How fitting.”

She wanted to ask him what that was supposed to mean but she didn’t think it was actually an insult. Instead, she took the ticket the pretty girl handed her, and Annie couldn’t help but notice the curious look on her face as she looked between Annie and Jericho. Annie couldn’t blame the girl; Annie probably wasn’t the type of woman Jericho brought here, although she wasn’t sure if Jericho brought any of his dates to his own nightclubs. That would be kind of lame, wouldn’t it? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t know the proper protocol when it came to dating billionaire businessmen.

Not that she was dating Jericho at all. She was just living with him. For now.

He led her through the entranceway, past the coat check. There was a photo booth set up just before emerging into the actual club for people who wanted to commemorate their evening. There were even props to the side, neatly organized based on what type of celebration people were here for.

Everything was a metallic black, making the club look sleek and modern rather than cheesy and thematic. The music was already thumping, so it was a good thing Jericho wasn’t actually speaking. The dance floor was bigger than a lot of nightclub’s and it was next to a long bar manned with at least six different bartenders, including her brother. Because the club hadn’t officially opened yet, the employees weren’t on the floor. The lights were on so Annie could clearly make out the VIP lounge tucked in the corner of the club, placed where they could see everything. There was also a second floor reserved for private celebrations and housed Jericho’s office and the employee break room. There were rumors that said Jericho handled his side business – his organized criminal enterprise – upstairs simply because no one was allowed on that second floor unless invited specifically by Jericho.

He walked her through the dance floor and to the stairs, where a bouncer stood already.

“Stan,” Jericho greeted with a nod. “This is Annie Brennan, Bruce’s younger sister. She is allowed up here whenever she’d like; she doesn’t need me to be with her. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” he said with a nod. He smiled at Annie and stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Brennan.”

Annie felt her lips twitch up with a small smile as she regarded the big bouncer. He didn’t look all that intimidating with the genuine smile on his face. She placed her hand in his.

“Nice to meet you, Stan,” she told him.

Annie proceeded to follow Jericho up the black staircase. She placed her hand on the rail and was thankful she decided to wear her converse shoes, even if she stood out like a sore thumb. At least she didn’t have to worry about slipping and falling on her rear.

Once they were up the stairs, Annie tried to take in everything she could. There were cushy chairs and roped off areas. A smaller dance floor was used up here, probably for private shows and high rollers. There was even a special bar in the back. If there was a private party, they would be catered to explicitly by the club while also having a view of what was going on below.

He led her through the floor and to the back. There was a large room with double doors, currently closed. Probably the break room, Annie assumed, considering there was a subtle sign with black letters on white background that stated EMPLOYEES ONLY. Instead of leading her there, however, he took her down a dark, secluded hallway and pulled out a ring of keys after stopping in front of a red door. He opened up the door and led her inside.

It was an office. Probably his. It looked normal, surprisingly, with dark furniture including a desk, a laptop, and a couple of chairs, and a couch against the wall for lounging around.

"I'll let your brother know you're here," he told her smoothly. "Can I get you something to drink? I can have the kitchen prepare you some food, if you'd like."

"The kitchen?" she asked, furrowing her brows at him. "I didn't realize nightclubs had kitchens."

"Not all of them do," he agreed, "but all of mine do. We don't serve food to our typical patrons but if they request a private VIP treatment, then they get a meal out of it. Would you like something?"

It boggled Annie's mind that he was offering to get her something. Didn't he have employees for that? Why was he doing this himself?

"You seem troubled," he remarked.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. She felt her cheeks turn pink but she kept her gaze focused on him despite the discomfort it caused her. "You cook me breakfast and let me live in the house without paying rent. You pay off the mortgage and you're paying all the bills. Why are you doing this?"

His smile turned slick. "No good deed, hmm?" he asked, pushing his brows up.

She shook her head. "That's not what I'm trying to do," she told him. "I just didn't expect..." She let her voice trail off, unsure how to finish that sentence without coming across as offensive. "I just didn't expect someone like you to be so..." She was struggling and he knew it. Instead of jumping in and saying something about how he understood, he let her work it out for herself. "You're willing to do trivial things like get me food. I didn't expect that from someone with your power and wealth."

"Can I take that as a compliment?" Jericho asked.

Annie shrugged shyly. “Take it however you’d like,” she murmured.

He smiled. “What would you like?” he asked. “Anything you want, my chef will make you. Oysters, lobsters, sirloin. Whatever you wish, I will make it come true.”

Annie rolled her eyes, a teasing smile on her face. “Stop,” she instructed. “I’m fine with some eggs benedict and breakfast potatoes.”

He shot his brow up in surprise. “Breakfast for dinner,” he murmured. “My kind of girl.” Before Annie could register his comment, he headed to the door to his office. “I’ll put this order in for you and let your brother know you’re here. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Annie shook her head. “I’m fine, thank you,” she mumbled. She had no idea why she felt so shy suddenly. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t expected him to be so… nice. Genuinely nice. It made her insides buzz with warmth and she eased into one of the cushy chairs in Jericho’s office, feeling herself flush.

Her mind started to go over the facts as she knew them: Jericho was insanely attractive. Somehow, she managed to refrain from acting like a complete idiot in front of him, which was a miracle unto itself, probably because she didn’t trust him. Which brought her to fact number two: she was starting to trust him, which was a dangerous thing. It was an unspoken fact that he did some shady business dealings, including taking advantage of the corruptible law enforcement at the Seattle PD. He was known for violent offenses – drug and gun trafficking – but never against women or children. And he was right when he said he was a fair employer and gave back to local community charities. He was dangerous but sweet and Annie had no idea how to handle that.

What did you expect, Annie? she thought to herself. No one is black and white.

Perhaps not, but Jericho was somehow simultaneously on both ends of the spectrum. Were these feelings for him – feelings was a strong word; attraction seemed to work better – appropriate? Could she actually rationalize feelings?

Now she was thinking too much on it.

She just hated that this was what she had to think about. She actually didn’t feel bad about being attracted to Jericho. Every woman and some of the men in Seattle were attracted to him. Heck, she had been attracted to him before she even knew him. But there were underlying feelings that accompanied that attraction, things like – she liked the way he smelled, she felt special when he cooked things, and she appreciated the fact that he took care of everything. Things like that. Things that had the potential to make her fall for him.

How could it have only been a week? How had her feelings completely turned around?

Probably because you know him better now, a voice in her mind pointed out. Not how the media portrays him but who he actually is.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Before she could respond, the door opened and in walked Bruce, a sheepish look on his face.

“Why didn’t you text me when you were here, Annie?” he asked. “I totally would have come to get you.”

Annie opened her mouth to respond but she shut it. She wasn’t in the mood to get defensive with her brother or start a fight with him. They hadn’t ended things on good terms since they last saw each other. In fact, they hadn’t spoken since Bruce’s meeting with Jericho. Then, randomly, Bruce decided to text her, asking to come down to the club so they could talk. She had no idea why he required her presence at the club, why they couldn’t go out to dinner where it was just the two of them, but she refrained from asking any questions. Truth be told, she wanted to resolve this as quickly as possible. She wasn’t that mad at Bruce anymore – not that much, anyway.

“I’m here,” she said. “What did you want?”

“No, hi Bruce, how have you been, I haven’t talked to you in forever,” he drawled. His eyes were wary, unsure of how much he could push her but his lips were curled into a smile and she couldn’t help but appreciate what he was trying to do for them.

“You never picked up the phone, either,” Annie pointed out. “You could have done it too.”

“Oh, Annie, every time I dialed your number, I couldn’t bring myself to actually make the call,” he admitted. “Same with the text. You have no idea how badly I feel about the whole thing.”

Annie clenched her jaw to keep from immediately responding. He felt bad? No kidding, he should feel bad. He literally gave away her home. He gave away their parents’ legacy because instead of working hard for his money, going out of his way to save for it, he borrowed money from a criminal and didn’t pay it back for a year. She was surprised Bruce was still able walk and that Jericho hadn’t resorted to violence – which he could have. And he would have gotten away with it, too, considering he got away with pretty much everything. At least, that was what rumors said and rumors weren’t always to be believed.

“You have no idea how many times I texted you something,” Bruce continued. Annie wasn’t sure if he hadn’t seen her facial response or if she just didn’t care. Regardless, he felt the need to fill the space between them with words, as though to give the appearance that everything was still okay between them when just the opposite was true. “Even a word, like Hi or Hey or How are you? I just assumed you wouldn’t have responded.”

“You probably would have been right,” Annie mumbled. “To be honest, I have no idea how I feel about the whole thing, Bruce. Some stranger, some strange man, is living with me and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Is he hurting you, Annie?” Bruce asked. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was genuinely concerned or if he was trying to make a point that maybe the situation she was currently in sucked but at least he was a gentleman about it. Like that made it better.

“Well, no,” she said, and Bruce jumped in.

“Okay, good,” he said. “See? Nothing to worry about. Jericho is a good guy, Annie.”

“Just stop.” She rolled her eyes. “Just because he’s nice does not mean he’s good, Bruce.”

"He's been nice to you, hasn't he?" Bruce asked, pointing out, pushing up eyebrow as if to say, See? He isn’t as bad as you think he is.

"You are not going to win this argument, Bruce," Annie told him, shooting him a serious glare. "Yeah, things could be way worse. He could have thrown me out. He could have hurt me to get to you since, I don't know, you borrowed fifty grand and it took you a year to pay him back."

He winced. "Maybe I messed up," Bruce admitted. "I can admit when I'm wrong, okay? But this worked out way better than I thought. I'm no longer in his debt and you still have a roof over your head." He caught sight of Annie's look and threw his hands up. "Gosh, that was just a joke." He perked his brow. "Too soon?"

"It will always be too soon," she told him, her voice droll. She paused and took a deep breath, trying to get ahold of herself. She had agreed to meet Bruce here, which meant she was open to at least hearing him out. She could do that, couldn't she? Yes, she was still mad and that wasn't going to be taken away from her, but she could see what he had to say. She did want to move on, after all. "What did you call me here for, anyway?"

Bruce smiled sheepishly. "Can't a big brother just want to see his little sister, especially after everything that happened between them?" he asked.

Honestly, yes, he could. And typically, Annie would never think to question that. But Bruce had forced them into opposite directions and now, her trust in him had been knocked down, bruised and battered. It was still there, but it would take some time. She needed some time to herself to regenerate, to really be able to forgive him. She wasn't sure if she was there just yet, truth be told. Each time she thought about Bruce and what he did, her teeth would clench on their own so tightly together her jaw would pop. She never understood where the phrase 'so mad her blood was boiling' until that night at The Red Door. She had no idea how she made it through the night without going off on Bruce but she was so mad once everything was said and done, she couldn't even formulate any words. The car ride was silent, to say the least. Annie wasn't even hungry after that.

"Bruce," she snapped. "Don't make me ask you twice. I know you called me here for a reason. What do you want?"

"I need you to ask Jericho for another five grand," he said seriously.

Annie's mouth dropped open. He wasn't being serious, was he? No, from the way his eyes were looking directly in hers, from the strained look of his mouth, the clenched jaw. He was serious, but more than that, he was desperate.

"What the heck, Bruce?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and clenching her own set of teeth together. "You are not seriously asking Jericho for more money, are you?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "No, of course not. You are. Or, you will be, I hope." He gave her a sheepish smile.

Annie blinked. This could not be for real. No way was her brother asking her to ask Jericho for even more money on his behalf.

"Huh, no," she said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Why would you assume I would do that? You finally paid him off, using my house, and now you want more? What could you possibly want more for?"

"I want to install a fireplace," he told her. "I just finished the central heating and air conditioning. It's the last thing I need and then I can put the place on the market and turn a kick booty profit. Come on, Annie. Please. Please do this for me."

"If I do this for you," she said slowly, making sure to lock eyes with him so he would know just how serious she was, "I don't want to hear from you for a very long time, Bruce. I am done with your trash. I want you to stay away from me. I want you to stay out of my life. Do you get that? Is that clear?"

"Annie," Bruce said but Annie cut him off.

"No, Bruce, I'm serious," Annie told him. "Is this favor really worth it? I'm all you have and you're all I have. Is five grand really worth losing me over?"

"Annie, this is my dream," he said, his eyes wide and pleading. "I'll finally be able to have something to call mine. I'll be able to manage a property, making consistent income, and be in charge of something. I've been working so hard for this."

"No you haven't," Annie said. "You took a loan and invested in it, sure, but you didn't have any type of way to pay Jericho back so you gave him the house as collateral. Now, you can't even ask him for an investment yourself. I have to do it."

"Annie, if you could see the cabin, you would understand," Bruce said. "Please don't make me pick between my sister and my dream."

"So you still want me to ask?" Annie asked, her tone, a warning.

At least Bruce had the foresight to look guilty. At least he took his time to really consider her offer. And, when he gave her an answer she didn’t expect – and yet, somehow, knew was coming – she understood what it was like to have a broken heart. It wasn’t when a boyfriend or a husband betrayed her, although that hurt in its own right. But when someone you loved and depended upon, someone in her family that always took care of her and was always there for her, did the betraying. That was the definition of a broken heart.

“Yes,” he said with a nod. “I still want you to ask.”

She hated him in that moment. If she didn’t have the self-restraint she had, she would have leaped out and clawed his eyes out. How could she not, when owning a piece of property he could manage was more important than being with his sister.

Perhaps he didn’t take her threat seriously. He probably thought she was all talk, no action. The thought made her even more furious than before and she couldn’t even be in the same room with him anymore.

“Fine,” she snarled, throwing her arms over her chest. “Go get him. Tell him I’d like to speak to him. But Bruce, I swear to heaven, I will not forgive you for this. There’s nothing you’d be able to do to make up for what you’re doing. Do you understand?”

Bruce didn’t get a chance to respond before a knock interrupted them. Bruce furrowed his brow, surprised by the interruption, but went to open the door anyway.

There was Jericho, standing with a silver tray of Eggs Benedict and cranberry juice with ice. He barely regarded Bruce except with a courteous nod of his head before bringing the tray in the room and setting it on his desk. Annie immediately inched closer to the tray, the strong scent of potatoes teasing her senses.

“He brought you breakfast?” Bruce asked in a low voice. The tone was clear: what was going on between the two of you?

Despite the fact that the answer was clearly nothing, Annie didn’t think it was any of his business. She was certain Jericho also heard the question – judging by his tone, it was more like an accusation than anything else. Instead of responding, however, he decided to take his seat across from Annie so that the desk was between them and smiled at her.

“I guess I’ll leave you to it, then,” Bruce muttered.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jericho said, standing up. “Did you finish your business?”

“Yeah, we did, sir,” Bruce said. “Thanks for letting us use your office.”

Jericho turned to Annie and gave her a questioning look. She sighed through her nose, not quite sure how to respond, not quite sure if she should respond.

Deciding it would be best just to be blunt, she said, “He wants more money.” She shook her head. “He texted me the next day, asking for this favor. I bet you anything he was going to ask you for more money before paying you anything.” She groaned, rolling her eyes. “I-“ She hesitated. She was going to apologize. She never thought she was going to apologize to someone like Jericho before but she couldn’t help it. Not when her brother was a jerk. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to do it. Unless you want to. I guess he wants to install a fireplace and it’s the last thing he needs to do to complete the cabin. I feel bad for even asking so don’t feel as though you actually need to do it.”

His smile grew wider with each word she said.

“How much more does he need?” Jericho asked, no trace of annoyance in his tone. He was asking the question just to ask.

Annie blinked, surprised that he seemed to be open to hearing what she had to say. “Um,” she said, reaching up to cup the back of her head. “Five grand.”

“Five grand?” he asked, placing an index finger on the tip of his chin. “Hmm.” He cocked his head to the side. “Did he tell you how he would pay me back? And when?”

Annie shook her head, a slight wince to her facial features. Of course he didn’t. Why would he tell her something as helpful as that? Probably because he didn’t plan to pay Jericho back anytime soon. Maybe he thought he was owed some money anyway, since the value of the house was worth way more than fifty grand. But if that were the case, he should have asked for that before signing away the deed.

Why was her brother such an idiot? Why was she still helping him?

“Hmm,” he repeated.

“You don’t…”

He gave her a smile. “Eat your breakfast, Ms. Brennan,” he told her. “You are the last person that be stressing over this.”

Annie nodded and took a bite of the potato. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Oh, my goodness. That was delicious.

“You seem stressed,” he said, his eyes going over her face. “What can I do to ease your troubles?”

“It’s not your responsibility,” she told him with a bite of food still in her mouth. “I honestly wish Bruce would just get his trash together and figure it out on his own.”

“I’ll cut him a check,” Jericho finally said. “I’ll give it to him tonight.”

Annie was so surprised, she held off on plopping another bite of potato in her mouth. “You – why?” she asked.

“Because I know what it’s like to have an impossible dream,” he said. “I’d like to ask you a favor, though. If I give him this check, I’d like you to accompany me to a Gala this weekend. I’ll pay for a new dress, everything. It’s for a domestic abuse charity I really like. It would be just a few hours of your time. What do you say? Please?”

It was the please that was her undoing. He would cut Bruce another check for a few hours of her time. She could do that.

“Okay,” she agreed in a meek voice before turning back to her breakfast.

Chapter 5

Scratch that previous statement, Annie thought to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. This is the last place I want to be. On Jericho’s arm at some charity function. She wasn’t entirely displeased with how she looked, however. In fact, the more she stared, the more she realized that she was quite pretty. The gown he had gifted her somehow fit her exquisitely. She wasn’t quite sure how he knew her size but he didn’t seem like the type of person to rifle through her clothes. However, she could imagine someone else doing it on his behalf.

Not that that mattered anyway.

The gown was a silver, strapless dress that gave her small breasts actual cleavage. It was an A-line gown that bunched between her breasts and swept all the way down to the floor like she was some Greek goddess. The material clung to her waist, to her hips, until the skirt flared out just so and trailed behind her in a small train. On her feet were a matching pair of strappy high heels. She was like a small little rain cloud.

Her hair was pulled into a sleek bun at the base of her head, leaving her center part in line. Two long strands of hair framed her face and curled just underneath her chin. She wore minimal jewelry, her simple silver ring on her right pinky and chandelier earrings that matched the color of the dress and caused her neck to look even longer than it typically was. Her eyes were smoky, her eyelashes long, but her lips were a subtle pink, and she wore no blush. She felt vulnerable, exposed, and she was certain the minute she stepped outside, her skin would erupt with goosebumps. But if this was what it took to get a share of her house, she would do it.

When she walked down the wooden stairs, Annie was able to catch sight of Jericho before he saw her. He looked beautiful in a haunting sort of way. He was wearing a black and white tuxedo, probably custom made to fit his frame perfectly. He was fiddling with his cufflinks which revealed how vulnerable he could be, and something inside of her wanted to help him. Which made no sense since she had promised herself she intended to loathe Jericho until her last breath for taking advantage of her brother’s stupidity and forcing her into this less than desirable predicament.

At that moment, she stepped on the third stair from the bottom. It squeaked loudly, causing Jericho to snap his head up, temporarily forgetting his struggle with the cufflink. He openly stared at her, his eyebrows pushed high into his hairline, his mouth making a slight ‘o’ of surprise, emphasizing his sharp cheekbones. He had no qualms with staring at her like she was something he couldn’t quite look away from.

“Goodness,” he muttered slowly, more to him than to her.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she felt her cheeks turn pink under his stare but not from the flattery. She didn’t know how to react to someone being so forward with his desire for her.

“You cannot possibly be real,” he continued when she met his eyes and stood next to him.

Annie giggled despite herself. She immediately regretted the action but couldn’t take it back. Nor could she force the stupid grin off of her face if she tried.

His grin transformed into a full-fledged smile. “I think that’s the first time I’ve made you blush because of a compliment,” he pointed out. “Or heard you giggle. It’s a beautiful sound. You should do it more often.”

Without warning, he reached out and curled one strand of blonde hair behind her ear, leaving her look unbalanced. He let his fingers trail over her ear and across her jawline and rested on the point of her chin. Her entire body sprouted out with goosebumps even though her home was permeated with heat thanks to Jericho’s relaxed attitude about the energy bill, and she knew it had to do with his touch. He had soft fingers, the kind that never had to work in their entire life. Surprisingly enough, Annie wasn’t resentful of this fact. It wasn’t his fault he had been born into money.

“You know,” he said. His sparkle disappeared from his eyes as his gaze dropped to her collarbone and darkened. It turned to a dull green as he continued to stare and there was something in that gaze that caused Annie to shudder. She swallowed, her throat completely dry. “We could be late. I could take you back to your room and worship your body. We might not even make it out of bed for the next seventy-two hours.”

Annie felt her pink complexion turn red. “You haven’t even taken me out on a date yet,” she mumbled without realizing what she had said.

His brows pushed up in surprise and he smiled. “Would you like me to?” he asked, tilting his head at that awkward angle.

“I-“ Annie clenched her teeth together before looking away. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”

“You are… exquisite,” he told her. He brought up his finger from her chin so it rested on her bottom lip. “I could just… eat you up.”

Annie felt little shocks of electricity sent to her pelvis and her inner walls were starting to get wet. She clenched her teeth together to keep from making any telling noises that would reveal that she very possibly desired the man in front of her.

“You know,” he said, finally dropping his head and taking a step back from her, giving her space where she could finally breathe again. “You are unlike any girl I’ve ever met before.”

“Maybe because I’m a woman,” she said before she could stop herself.

His smile turned into an amused smirk. “Maybe,” he agreed with a nod. “Are you ready to go?”

Annie nodded once. “Yes,” she agreed.

He offered her his arm. “Then let’s go,” he commanded gently.

She looked at it, not quite sure what to do except take his arm like they were from the fifties and were going on their first date.

She took his arm and slid her arm through it. It was surprisingly sturdy and she squeezed his arm just to give herself something to cling to. He opened the front door to their house - her house, she had to remind herself - and the bitter cold air hit her like a wall of bricks. She immediately tensed up and buried her face into his arm unintentionally. Perhaps it would have been a romantic gesture if they had been a couple but she had been doing it to attempt to garner any kind of warmth since her dress was thin and she didn't have a jacket that matched.

"The car's waiting and heated," Jericho assured her as he walked her out. He turned and locked the door even though one of his security guards was stationed inside just to keep an eye on the house.

Annie picked her eyes up and looked out across the driveway. There, waiting for them, was a sleek black Mercedes town car, the driver leaning against the side of the car with the back door open. The car was running; grey exhaust painted the black canvas. She let Jericho lead her to the car and it took everything in her not to sprint to the car. The minute she was tucked safely inside, leaning against the beige leather seats and strapping herself in with a seatbelt, she finally relaxed. It really was heated and she was grateful for it.

"You buckled in?" Jericho asked, quirking an amused brow. He wasn't asking to be sure, he was asking because it seemed odd that she would wear a seatbelt in the first place.

Annie shrugged her shoulders, smoothing out the wrinkles in the skirt of her dress and looking out the window. The leather pressed into her skin, smooth and soft.  Her shoulders were relaxed and her muscles eased down.

"Safety first," she quipped with a small smile.

His eyes narrowed in on her lips and lingered. Her cheeks turned pink at the stare and she hoped he would write it off as her being cold to warm so suddenly. However, she had a feeling that he might know that his stare was doing things to her body, causing her to react in such a way, and she didn't like it. She didn't like that it was happening at all and she didn't like that he knew it. The silence in the car was surprisingly comfortable and her eyes looked out. It was supposed to pour at any second. The grey clouds looked so dark and full, that any little thing might cause them to burst.

"It looks like rain," he pointed out, staring out his window. It was like he could read her mind. Maybe he could.

The ride was smooth until they hit the city, then traffic began to pile up. Annie glanced over at Jericho, who didn't seem perturbed the tardiness the two had incurred. Then again, if this was something he was throwing, he could show up at any moment and it would be okay. She shook her head slightly; she couldn't imagine having that sort of power, truth be told.

Annie placed her hand on the leather seat between her and Jericho. If she didn’t remove it from her lap, she was certain her beautiful gown would be wrinkled and ruined before they even arrived at the gala. Her other hand she firmly placed under her thigh to refrain from even tempting her to fiddle with the soft material.

“What’s this gala about, exactly?” Annie asked, turning to look at him. She was still caught dumbfounded by how beautiful he was, his big pale green eyes and those sharp cheekbones doing things to the inside of her body she forced herself to ignore. “You never really told me what to expect.”

“Oh,” he said. “A domestic abuse charity I’ve been donating to for the past few years. It came to my attention because one of my employees told me about the ordeal his sister was going through and how this shelter saved her life. I looked into it and they really are one of the best places for women. It amazes me that no one really knows about it except those who need the help – and that’s the way they want it. You can’t have an abuser finding out where the shelter is, right? So I assist with funding, helping with the housing, that sort of thing.”

“And you got involved because of an employee?” Annie murmured, somewhat surprised.

Jericho nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Every few months, I like to check in to see what’s going on in their lives, make sure everything is okay, and if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“But only as long as they pay you back,” she said, letting the unanswered question linger.

“I wouldn’t be a good businessman if I just gave everything away,” he told her, the corner of his lips curling up into a gentle smirk. “But I am open to payment. Perhaps they can provide me with something of value I want that isn’t exactly monetary.”

Annie cut him a look. “Do you think that’s fair?” she asked. “Aren’t you kind of preying on your employees, offering them a deal they really can’t refuse and then taking something in return?”

“It’s a give and take,” Jericho said, shifting in his seat so he could give her his full attention. “I ask how they’re doing. I’ve conditioned them to trust me. I earn that trust. I offer them a solution to their problem. They offer me something in return.”

“I think you take advantage of them,” she told him. As per usual, she wasn’t able to look away from those eyes even if she wanted to. “You find those who need help and you use your position of power in order to get what you want. It’s a way for you to remind people just how wealthy and powerful you are.”

“You think so?” he asked with a smirk.

Annie shrugged. At that moment, something jolted her system. When she looked down, she saw that his pinky finger began to trace patterns against the back of her hand.

She knew she should pull away. She knew she didn’t have to have him touch her in such a simplistically intimate way but… But the feeling was nice. And she liked it. She didn’t want to pull away. So she pretended she couldn’t feel it even though her entire body was on edge in the best way due to his touch on her body. She hadn’t thought he could still affect her in this way, even after a week. She thought she would be able to come down from her high of living with Seattle’s most eligible bachelor and possible organized crime leader, but it would seem that that was not the case. Not when her body reacted this way to a mere caress.

They rode the short distance in comfortable silence. By the time they reached the Seattle Divine, a ritzy luxury hotel, there was a long line of town cars spilling out of the valet portion, waiting to turn in their cars and head inside. From where Annie was, she could make out velvet red ropes, creating a boundary on either side of the valet drop-off where media had their cameras and recorders, ready to capture a picture of whatever celebrity stepped out. Annie suddenly started feeling nervous.

“What’s wrong?” Jericho asked, his eyes genuinely filled with concern. His thumb went up and down on the inside of her wrist, trying to console her.

“I don’t think I’m comfortable with the pictures,” she said. “You do realize people are going to start writing about us, right? Are you okay with that? Is it really smart for your image?”

Jericho looked amused with her concern, but not where he was writing her off. Instead, he let her finish her ramble, patiently watching her and continuously caressing the inside of her wrist.

“If you don’t want to take pictures, we don’t have to take pictures,” he told her once she finished. “If they write about us, that’s fine. I don’t particularly care one way or the other. However, I can understand that you might be concerned, especially considering I’ve dealt with this nearly my whole life while you haven’t. And, your final question makes no sense to me because you are the most beautiful woman I have ever encountered and the thought that being in the same vicinity as you could potentially hurt my public image is mind-boggling.”

Annie shook his head. “You’re crazy,” she murmured.

The corner of his lips turned up. “And what makes you say that?” he asked.

“What comes out of your mouth doesn’t seem real,” she told him honestly.

“Do you like it?” he asked, his tone curious.

Annie shrugged. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to make of it,” she told him, catching his eye. “I suppose I’ve been conditioned to where if someone is nice to me, it must mean they want something.”

Jericho tilted his head to the side, seeming pensive more than anything. “I suppose I do as well,” he said. “I just like being around you.”

Annie felt herself blush and she looked away but she didn’t pull her hand away from him. She was silent the rest of the way in line, as was he, and by the time they reached the front, Jericho turned back to her. “I’m going to step out,” he told her, “and I’ll tell the media not to take any pictures.”

“No,” Annie said. “It’s okay. I…” She picked her eyes up off the clean carpet and gave him a smile. “I don’t mind.”

He smiled brilliantly at this, which was enough for Annie’s heart to flutter.

When the door on Jericho’s side opened up, Jericho stepped outside. Annie had to squint; the cameras were already flashing, and when they saw him turn to look inside, they started getting excited at the prospect that Jericho was actually with someone. Which made no sense to Annie. They were going to be sorely disappointed, considering she was just some accountant. Not a movie star or a supermodel. She could sing a bit, but only in the car with the windows rolled up and she was alone.

Yet there was something in the way he looked at her, like she was the sun and the stars and the moon all wrapped into one. It made her feel confident in who she was and special. It made her feel desired and adored. And, though she didn’t exactly like Jericho, she did like the feeling he gave her. And perhaps that meant something.

When he reached for her hand, she gave it to him. Before the paparazzi could even see her, they were shouting questions at them: who was she? How old was she? Were they lovers? Were they dating? Were they together? Jericho smiled a big smile without responding as he eased Annie out of the car.

“Don’t answer if you don’t feel comfortable,” he whispered to her. “Just put a smile on your face and they’ll be more concerned about taking pictures than anything else.”

“Sit still, look pretty,” Annie murmured as she stood. Her body pressed into Jericho’s due to the fact that he didn’t step back to give her a comfortable amount of space. If he just stepped forward, he would be kissing her.

This seemed to please the photographers because they snapped their pictures furiously.

“Never,” Jericho whispered, serious. “You say whatever you want. You are not just a pretty face, Ms. Brennan. You are more than that.”

“Annie,” Annie said after swallowing. “You can call me Annie.”

His eyes sparkled at that but he made no comment. He didn’t need to. She knew he appreciated it. He kept her hand in his, and she let him. He led her to where the small red carpet began. It was no Hollywood premiere, but it was enough to make her feel like some sort of celebrity.

“They’re going to take pictures of us now,” Jericho said, leaning in and whispering in her ears. To the outside world, it seemed as though the two were sharing an intimate moment, but really, he was calling out to her practical side, which she appreciated. “We’ll pose for a moment or two, and then head inside.”

To be honest, the pictures weren't as bad as they could have been. She stood next to Jericho, who still held onto her hand and she gripped it like a vice. She put a small smile on her face and cocked her head but she had no idea what angle was best and how to hold herself the right way to make sure the photographers captured her best side. All she knew was that she had to roll her shoulders back so it didn't look like she was slouching, which required more confidence than she currently felt.

More questions were shot at Jericho about who she was. It should have bothered Annie a lot more because they completely disregarded her as unimportant and inconsequential. However, she was more than happy to field those questions to Jericho and let him handle them in the way he deemed was best. Annie had no idea what to say and considering she didn't even know what they were besides roommates, she opted to keep her mouth shut.

She hoped the cameras didn't make her out to be a frigid jerk.

After a long moment, Jericho gently tugged on her hand, indicating that they would be heading inside now. He never led her, however. Instead, he made sure that they walked side by side, equals rather than him taking over and leading her where he wanted to go. She was not an afterthought.

More cameras flashed and she blinked, not used to the overabundance of pictures. She was certain they caught her making faces and scrunching her eyes. He would definitely regret bringing her here, after the first pictures were released.

When they walked inside, Jericho was greeted politely by hotel staff. Annie's eyes were drawn to the gorgeous decorations that littered the ten-floor hotel. White lights danced across each banister and the lights were dimmed low. It was just after Christmas so wreaths and holly still hung on the banisters.

"Are you ready?" Jericho asked in a low voice.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied honestly.

He smiled in return, squeezing her hand and running his thumb across her knuckles.

--

The night was more fun than Annie ever expected it to be. Jericho was a lovely date, much better than she expected him to be. He was sweet and attentive and was always asking if she needed anything or if she was okay. More than that, it was easy to discern that he actually meant it. Like, he wasn't the sort of guy that would ask unless he cared. He always found a way to keep one hand on her body, whether he was holding her hand or placing one hand on her back or squeezing her shoulder. It surprised her how much at ease she felt with him to the point where she didn't even flinch anymore when he touched her. She was used to it and she was okay with it, which meant her guard was dropping around him and that scared her more than anything.

Because Jericho was a guy she could fall in love with and she barely knew him. She didn't understand this whatsoever. All of her previous boyfriends had been friends first. There was a comfort there. But Jericho was definitely not her friend but she had never been attracted to anyone before the way she was to Jericho.

A few hours into the night, Jericho led her up to the third floor where there was an empty conference room.

"I have a meeting with potential buyers," he told her, his palm cupping her cheek, his thumb resting just below her ear. "Would you mind waiting just outside? I shouldn't take more than a few minutes to finalize everything."

Annie nodded. "I can just wait downstairs," she told him. "I don't want to intrude."

"The last thing you're doing is intruding," he told her. "No, I want you here, close to me. I'll check on you in five minutes if things take longer than normal."

"I'm not a child, Jericho," she told him.

"I know you're not," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. "And I'm not questioning your abilities to take care of yourself. But it's important to me that you're close by because I'm a selfish man and it would make me feel better if I knew you were around. It's important that nothing happens to you."

She tilted her head to the side, looking at him with careful eyes. "What could possibly happen to me?" she asked. "We're in a public place. People know I came with you."

For the briefest of seconds, Jericho's eyes flashed darkly. Then, the color returned to its typical pale green color. "I am a very powerful man," he murmured. "And I say that without the arrogance that statement typically comes with. As such, people would try to hurt me no matter what. And they know it would hurt me if they got to you. I don't trust anyone here except you. I'm asking you to please stick around just in case. Can you do this for me?"

Annie nodded her head. "Okay," she said.

He smiled at her. "Okay," he agreed.

Before she realized what was happening, he leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. He let his lips linger on her forehead and she felt a shudder slide down her spine. There was something in his touch, in his kiss, that made her think there was more to him and more to his affection than a sweet, genuine guy. There was a dark side to him, one that manifested in his business and possibly in physical affection.

When he finally took a step back, Annie felt her cheeks turn pink. He smiled and kissed her cheek one last time, almost as though he was saying thank you for her understanding, and disappeared in the conference room. Two bodyguards shut the door behind him, leaving Annie alone.

She pressed her lips together and glanced around the empty banister. A part of her wanted to press her ear up against the door to listen in on their conversation, to learn about this side of him she didn't know, but she found it in herself to refrain.

It definitely wouldn’t look good if she was caught. Perhaps he would find it amusing or let her get away with something like that, but if his potential buyer did? She was supposed to be representing him and she had a feeling they wouldn’t appreciate their secret conversation being listened to by someone as innocuous as Jericho’s date, especially considering he tended to change dates every week or so.

Instead, she decided to slowly walk down the long hallway of rooms, looking at the pieces of art that hung on the wall rather than look over a banister to see the lobby of the hotel from so high. She wasn’t exactly afraid of heights but that didn’t mean she wanted to look down. The artwork was typical for a hotel – the majority of them were pretty stock paintings that probably came with the frame. They all had hues of white or red, keeping with the theme of the hotel.

“Hey, pretty thing,” a voice said. She nearly jumped and turned, only to find a somewhat familiar man looking at her with hungry eyes and a feral grin. “What’s your name?”

Annie pressed her lips together, unsure how she should respond. She knew she had seen this man downstairs. Since he was up here the same time Jericho was, there was a good chance he belonged with the potential buyer, which meant he had seen her with Jericho. A shiver slid down her spine. It was different from Jericho shivers because those were full-body and left her heart pounding with anticipation, with the hope of something more, something deeper. But this one, this one made her entire body seize up. It was a warning, a warning that said this was the last person to be alone with. She needed to head back to the conference room. Maybe Jericho’s meeting was over anyway. Maybe he was looking for her.

As such, she decided not to respond at all. Instead, she slowly started heading back in the direction of the conference room. It seemed only paces away when she left but now it felt like there was an entire football field between her and her point of destination, with a linebacker coming from the right to prevent her even more from getting to him.

“Ah, come on, sweets,” he said with a smile. “Don’t be like that. I just want to talk.”

There was something inside of her that told her he did not just want to talk but she didn’t say anything. No point in prolonging the situation when all she wanted to do was return to the conference room and bang on the wall, regardless of whether the meeting was over or not.

“I’m not up for talking at the minute,” Annie said before she could stop herself. She probably shouldn’t have responded at all, she knew that, but the words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. She turned the corner only to nearly run into the broad chest of the stranger trying to get a conversation out of her.

“She speaks,” he joked, his thin lips curling into a small smirk.

“She does,” she muttered, taking a step back, and then a second. “I’m sorry, I’m meeting Jericho. Excuse me.”

“No you ain’t,” he said, not moving one inch and giving her a look that said he knew exactly what she was trying to do and didn’t buy it. “He’s still in a meeting and if he’s disturbed at all, you’re going to be in big trouble,” he said. “See, he’s meeting with my boss, pretty thing. And my boss ain’t the type to entertain the beauties. He don’t even have a date to this thing. Wanna know why? Because he’s not about distractions. He keeps his head focused. Not me, though. When he’s in the meeting, I can go meet pretty things like you.”

Annie forced a smile, her hands wrapped tightly behind her back. “I’m sure those pretty things are just waiting to meet you,” she said. She knew fighting would get her nowhere. She hoped being nice, even if it was obviously forced, would get her away from this.

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But why meet those pretty things when I have one right in front of me?”

It was the smile that made her snap. It was slow and lecherous, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes but slid down her spine like a slug. She bolted, running down a secluded hallway meant just for employees. There were no rooms around. Maybe if she could get to the staircase, she could get down and get lost in the crowd. Or at least the women’s restroom.

She heard him laugh behind her. “I do love the chase,” he said to himself, and then she heard footsteps rushing to catch up to her.

Incredible. She wasn’t going to make it. She knew it the minute she realized he was chasing her. The guy was tall and built. She wasn’t sure if he was quick but his long legs would probably catch up to her within a few strides.

The door to the stairway. If she could just get to that…

He lunged for her, knocking her down. They landed on her hipbone and she cried out. He laughed as she struggled underneath him.

“No need to fight anymore,” he told her.

“Don’t you know who I came here with?” she asked in a strained voice. “Jericho is going to be so pissed.”

“You think I give a hoot about Jericho?” he asked. “You think Jericho is going to stop me? By the time he finds you, we’ll be long gone. Oh, don’t worry, pretty thing. I ain’t gonna kill you, but I will take your body out for a drive.”

“No,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m telling you no. Get off of me.”

She struggled underneath him, grunting and groaning. “Ain’t no one gonna hear you,” he said. “Struggle all you want. It makes it more fun.”

And then, he stopped. Annie had no idea what had happened but the man’s face was suddenly ashen. Blood was everywhere.

“Annie!”

And there was Jericho, holding a gun with a silencer attached to it. His pale green eyes were dark, a cold look that haunted his features. He was furious. He ran over to her, pushing the man off of her body so he rolled over, lifeless.

Jericho had killed him, shot him straight through the temple of his head.

“Come on,” he said, helping her up. “Let’s get you home and cleaned up.”

Chapter 6

The water was hot, the dress was ruined. Then again, the dress had been ruined the minute Jericho had killed the man who had tried to - Annie shuddered. She didn't know what he wanted to do with her. All she knew was that he had been on top of her and Jericho hadn't tried to fight him off of her. He had shot him from the side of the head, ensuring that Annie wouldn't be harmed, no questions asked. He rushed over to her so when the man collapsed on top of her, he was able to move him off of her with ease.

She was in shock. He said as much and she knew from her brief education in psychology and how her body reacted to stress. She had thought she would have been able to process a lot better than she currently was; she thought she would be able to understand the logistics of what happened and why it happened. But even now, in her home, she still found it hard to breathe.

Jericho eased her into the bath he had drawn for her fully clothed.

"The dress," she managed to get out, even though that statement by itself wasn't logical either, considering the blood nullified ruining the dress even more.

"I'll buy you another one," he told her. His eyes were a fierce sort of green. They weren't hard or mean; they were intense and offered a guarantee that nothing would ever happen to her while she was with him. She had no idea why she believed the promise but she did. "I'll buy you three more if that would make you feel better."

Annie pressed her lips together and nodded in acknowledgment. As she eased into the large tub, she noticed the transparent liquid start to turn pink. She turned her attention to Jericho, who was sliding off his shoes and pulling off his socks. When he finished, he crawled in with her, fully clothed minus his shoes and socks. Her brows shot up but she couldn't vocalize her concerns for his clothes. They didn't have blood splatter on him the way she did; he could have salvaged his clothes if he wanted to. He looked at her, telling her not to worry, that he didn't care one way or the other about his clothes.

"I need you to tell me what you're feeling," he said in a clear, calm voice. Already, Annie could feel herself relax but whether that was because of Jericho or if it was because of the hot water, she couldn't be sure. "I need you to focus on me and let me know how I can help you."

Annie blinked. He was right.

"My heart is beating fast," she told him, placing her hand over her chest, as though to remind herself how her body was reacting. "It has been since he was-" She couldn't finish the sentence and Jericho clenched his jaw so tightly that it popped. He didn't seem angry with her or because of her inability to speak but at the thought that something like this had happened to her in the first place. "I'm shivering even though I'm not cold."

Jericho nodded. "Of course," he told her. "All perfectly normal responses."

Annie nodded along with him.

“I’m going to reach out and hold your hand,” he told her. He was talking to her as though she was a child, but she knew it wasn’t out of disrespect. If anything, he wanted to be certain she was comfortable with him touching her in the first place. “Is that all right with you?”

Annie hesitated. Not because he made her uncomfortable but because he was being so… perfect. She could feel her guard start to come down because of him, because of how he was treating her. It was hard to look at him like a man who had just killed someone, even though that was exactly what he had done. To save her.

She nodded, however. He didn’t look offended when she took a moment to think. He simply waited for her approval, a serious look on his face. Once he got the okay, he reached out and took her hand from where it was – crossed over her chest and cupping her opposite forearm – and entwined his fingers with hers. It sent a jolt through her body, bringing her back down to earth.

“May I have your other hand?” Jericho asked, offering her his to take.

Annie reached out and gave it to him. He did the same thing with her fingers, lacing them through his. The water started to fill the porcelain bathtub – a nice investment her parents put into their house and probably her favorite thing about the house – and Jericho only let go of one hand to fiddle with the faucet before holding her again.

“Tell me about yourself,” he said, his voice low and calm.

“What.” Annie blinked. “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me your favorite color,” he said with a smile.

Annie tilted her head at the simplicity of the sentence but she answered it nonetheless. “Purple,” she said slowly. “Because purple always represented royalty and ever since I was little, I wanted to be a princess.”

“You would make an excellent princess,” he said. “Your birthday?”

“October twenty-second,” she replied.

“What type of guy do you find yourself attracted to?” he asked.

Her eyes shot into his. This was a dangerous question and he knew it.

“Why do you want to know that?” she asked quietly.

“Because I want to get to know you better,” he returned. “Talking about serious topics help divert attention away from serious topics. The question, while serious, is also selfish. I want to know if I’m your type.”

“I don’t have a type,” she murmured. “I just… can we talk about what happened?”

“Absolutely.” He seemed surprised by her question, pushing his brow high. “I wasn’t sure if that was a topic you wanted to broach.”

“You shot a man,” she stated, still surprised by this fact. “I saw a man die. He died… on top of me.”

“Yes.” Jericho nodded once.

“How were you able to do that without thinking twice about it?” she asked. This was what she couldn’t seem to get over.

She could see the scene replay over and over in her head. She knew she would dream about it for the next several months. How could Jericho take a life without thinking twice about it? Even though the man was hurting her, Jericho made it seem like killing was easy. Perhaps he hadn’t intended it for it to come across this way, but it did and she couldn’t seem to understand how.

“I saw him on top of you,” he replied seriously. “I saw you were in distress. He knew you came with me. I made sure to make it no secret that I was with you. That, alone, should warn people off, but sometimes, the fact that they can’t have something makes them want it more. Maybe he had an issue with me and was using you to get to me. Maybe he saw something lovely and wouldn’t take no for an answer. His reasoning means nothing to me. The fact that he was on top of you without your consent was enough for me to kill him.”

“But-“

“There is no but,” he told her. He was short with her but not to be mean. More like to insist that he was being serious. “You are someone I care about. I would kill for those I care about. Especially you.” He reached out and traced the curves of her face with his fingerprint. The touch was so soft, like a butterfly’s wing, and yet she still felt as though he had somehow tattooed his fingerprint to her skin.

“And besides,” he continued, sitting back against his side of the tub. “People need to learn that they cannot mess with me or my loved ones.”

Her eyes shot to his. “You love me?” she asked.

“Are you surprised?” he returned.

“You don’t even know me,” she said after sputtering.

“I don’t have to know you to love you,” he told her. “The minute I laid eyes on you, I was yours. In that moment, I knew you had me. Your big hazel eyes, your long, blonde hair. You look so innocent.” He touched her face again. Annie felt herself lean into the touch whether she wanted to or not. It just felt… right. “I knew I had to be around you. I wanted to know more about you.”

Her eyes dropped to the water, now a darker pink. She noticed that the knots in her back had all but vanished. She felt more refreshed, more relaxed. When she looked up, she saw the transparent material of his collared shirt cling to his body, revealing his peachy flesh through it. Goodness, he was beautiful, with broad shoulders and a toned torso. She swallowed and forced herself to look away.

“There’s blood everywhere,” she told him. “I just want it to go away.”

He nodded, not saying anything. Instead, he took her hand and placed it on his shoulder. From there, he turned to the nearby sink and grabbed a loofa and soap. Once the soap was lathered into the loofa, he took her hand back in his and slowly began to scrub her skin gently.

The water got more and more pink while her skin was free from blood. In fact, though he was gentle when he scrubbed, her skin felt raw. But that was what she wanted. She wanted to be clean. Once she was done with the bath, she planned to stand up and shower.

When he was finished washing one arm, he dropped the loofa into the tub and brought it up to his lips. She watched in awe as his lips pressed against the inside of her wrist, just where her pulse was beating frantically against her skin. It sent a jolt, straight to her heart. Her brow wrinkled as it pushed up; she watched him move his lips upward so they could press against her palm. Another jolt sent straight to her pelvis.

This was dangerous.

Especially considering the way he was looking at her. That pale green turned into forest green as he watched her watch him. She swallowed but it did nothing to moisten her throat. She was doomed.

When he brought the pad of her thumb between his lips and sucked just enough to put pressure on her skin, she let out a small gasp, her eyes going wide. This was too much. How was this too much when he barely even touched her? Why did she feel so exposed when they were both fully clothed? His brow pushed up at her reaction, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he tested his luck even more. Rather than release her thumb from his mouth, he flickered his tongue against her pad. Her eyes widened. She still did not pull away.

He moved onto her index finger and did the same thing. He kissed it, sucked it, and flicked his tongue against the pad. And then, he put it in his mouth. His lips puckered against her skin, protecting her from his teeth, but his tongue danced around her finger, like it was cleansing her. And maybe it was.

She didn’t realize she had been leaning forward until some of the bath water sloshed out of the tub. The sudden noise didn’t stop her, though. It just brought greater attention to her movement but that didn’t stop her. It was as though she needed to see what he was doing at a closer angle because she couldn’t quite believe what she was feeling.

And then, he looked up and made a decision. She could read it in his eyes before he did it, but in that moment, she knew he was going to kiss her.

Jericho dropped her hand so it fell back into the water but he reached out to grip the back of Annie's head with long fingers. He tilted her head back and placed a soft but intimate kiss on her lips. This wasn't a friendly kiss, nor was it gentlemanly. It was both sweet and seductive simultaneously and it didn't end right away.

Annie's eyes rolled back and she opened her mouth just slightly on her own accord. He didn't force anything; she simply reacted to his kiss and allowed her body to take her. She reached her hand up to clutch his face and the slight stubble on his face was rough against her skin like sand paper.

He pulled away from her for just a moment.

"You kissed me back," he murmured, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb. He seemed awed by this, almost as though he didn't quite believe it had happened.

To be honest, she didn't believe it happened. She didn't believe she had kissed him back. She dropped her hand from his face and curled damp hair behind her hair, nodding her head.

"I did," she agreed, picking her eyes up to look him in the eye. "I kissed you back."

"I'm going to kiss you again," he told her, his eyes dropping to her lips. She had no idea why, but the look in his eyes seemed to highlight his sharp cheekbones and it was hard for her to think of something more beautiful than Jericho fully wet looking at her with both lust and adoration in those gorgeous green eyes.

"Okay," she replied because she couldn't find any other words to say except an affirmative response and she didn't move when he leaned forward and captured her lips with his own.

This kiss was less gentle and more passionate. It was one that was staking a claim, marking territory, and taking possession. His tongue slid into her mouth like it belonged there, like he owned the place, and from the way she opened up her mouth to receive him, he probably did. She couldn't really think about the fact that those hands that had pulled the trigger, ending someone's life, were now caressing her shoulder, holding the back of her head. She didn't understand why she wasn't afraid of him, why she would allow him to touch her in this way, to kiss her in this way. And she realized that he had killed for her and she never knew she was worth killing for to anyone outside her immediate family. He was protecting her: she had seen his cold eyes, his tight mouth, but when he looked at her, that was gone. Vanished into the night like the stars and moon when the sun pierced the sky.

And that made her want him more than she really did. Because he was willing to do that for her, barely knowing her at all, and yet seeing her as this special being, this angelic entity worth risking everything for, and she didn't understand, couldn't understand, but maybe she didn't need to. Maybe that was okay. And maybe it made her fall a little bit in love with him.

His tongue danced inside her mouth to music only he could hear. Her eyes were shut but she could still see with her hands, with her skin, with her smell, with her ears. Jericho was surprisingly quiet during a kiss. Besides the sticky sounds of tongue dueling with tongue, he kept his noise to himself, which both disappointed her and challenged her. She liked knowing that what she did was pleasing to him, that he was feeling similar to what he was making her feel. Which meant that if he was this quiet when she really did something worth gasping or grunting or morning for, he would make some kind of noise indicating as such.

Which meant she needed to do something to get him to that point.

She nearly blinked, wondering why she cared in the first place, why she needed to hear him moan because of something she did. Just before this evening, she had successfully kept him at a distance, despite his ability to be... nice. Sweet. Two character traits she hadn't expected from him. Sensual, yes. Seductive and dangerous and intimidating, all yes. But sweet? Genuine? She had no idea. Even now, she still didn't think this was real. She didn't think that he genuinely cared about her.

He literally killed someone for you, a voice in her head pointed out. If that doesn't scream affection of some sort, I don't know what does.

How could she argue with that?

When they broke apart for air, Annie didn't waste any time. She moved closer to him so she could place her lips on his neck. His eyes closed and he tilted his head, giving her better access to the column of his throat. She inched closer to him so she all but sat in his lap. Her tongue swirled against his skin and she tasted the odd sensation of blood. Immediately, she pulled away and realized Jericho still had flecks of blood from the shooting. Her eyes widened, locking with Jericho. He stared back, his eyes hooded and dark, like he knew exactly why she stopped.

And then, she leaned forward and proceeded to continue to trail her tongue up and down his throat, licking up the stray blood and Jericho's sweat and feeling her body shudder with her own actions.

"Goodness," he muttered in a husky tone.

He placed his hand on the back of her head and gripped it, not tight enough to hurt her but just tight enough to catch her attention and pull her away from his neck.

"You need to stop," he told her. "Because once we cross that line, I won't be able to." He traced her bottom lip with his thumb once more, his gaze intense as he regarded her lips with more than mild interest. Just his stare gave her goosebumps. "I'm a nice guy. I'm sweet and charming and a gentleman. But something happens to me when I make love. I'm not gentle or nice. I take and take and I promise I will bring you to your knees and make you scream my name. But it will hurt. You will be mine in every way and I will no longer be able to control myself around you."

"I don't want you to," she told him in a soft voice.

He clenched his jaw and nodded his head. “I want our first time in a bed,” he told her. “We’ll probably be more adventurous once we get to know each other better, but, for now, I want to experience you in a bed. Like normal lovers. But, I want to make it clear, I’m not typical. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. “We’ll be doing it more than once?”

He seemed puzzled by her question. “Of course we will,” he told her. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“It’s no secret that you go through dates,” Annie said, using a nice way to phrase lover. She had no idea what he did with them when they weren’t out in public and, quite frankly, it wasn’t any of her business. However, it was no secret, Jericho wasn’t the type to settle down, and just because he killed a man for her didn’t mean he was ready to commit to her. “I just, I’m not asking for you to be my boyfriend but I’d like to know what to expect from you.”

“Don’t compare yourself to anyone who came before,” he told her seriously, his eyes capturing hers in a way that indicated he didn’t plan to release them anytime soon. “They mean nothing now, they did not mean anything then. You… I have felt nothing until I met you. I would like to have you as mine on a consistent basis because I am drawn to you the way a moth is drawn to a flame. I will not give you up. So, to answer your question, I want you. All of you. In every way. For as long as you’ll let me have you. There will be more times. Many more times. Sometimes, in the same day. And whenever you want. But only with you.”

Annie swallowed and nodded her head. Jericho stood up abruptly and stepped out of the bathtub, completely soaked. He didn’t seem to care that the bath water, which was now lukewarm rather than hot, sloshed over the side of the porcelain bathtub and soaked the wooden floor beneath his feet.

Her eyes widened as she took the sight of him in – the transparent white collared shirt that clung to those broad shoulders and muscled arms, the black slacks that clung to his legs like a second skin, his tousled golden brown hair.

He was impossibly beautiful.

Once he was out, he turned to her and offered her his hand. She stood up, the dress was completely ruined, completely transparent. Somehow, Jericho‘s eyes were on her face rather than on her body. He seemed completely satisfied with this, as if her face was enough to stare at, and she felt as though she was placing her entire heart in his hand.

He swept her up in his arms and proceeded to lead her to the bedroom he slept in rather than hers. She wasn’t cold, not with the heater constantly thrumming with warmth. She wasn’t sure if he opted to take her to the master bedroom because it was bigger or if it was out of respect for her, not sure she wanted him to even step in her room yet, despite the progress they were making in their relationship.

The minute they were at the foot of his bed, he placed his lips on hers for a long, slow kiss. She opened her mouth to him, clutching his shoulders and feeling the muscles twitch underneath her touch. Because the material of his shirt was wet, there wasn’t much blocking from really feeling him.

“You taste delicious,” he told her when he pulled apart, his lips still caressing hers because he hadn’t quite pulled apart from her.

He set her down slowly in front of him so her front pressed into his. He reached behind her and undid the zipper in the back. Somehow, he didn’t even need to look to see what he was doing. Instead, his hooded gaze was focused on her.

Annie’s heart was in her throat, each beat like a pebble against water, rippling through her body. When he reached the end of her zipper, he slid his hands between the material of her clothing and slid it down so the dress toppled to the ground, leaving her in nothing but a thong. His lips descended on her, everywhere. They swept down her neck, across her collarbone, before slowly following the trail between her breasts. He kept his hands gingerly on her waist, his grip just enough to put pressure on her.

When his lips captured her nipple, she threw her head back and groaned. This sound seemed to spur him even further and his lips tightened against the nipple, as did his grip just in case it got to be too much and she pushed him away. She could feel it harden under his lips and her arms weakly grabbed onto him so her knees wouldn’t completely give out. He suckled on her breast and her toes curled from underneath her.

Goodness, she thought to herself. Her grip on him tightened to the point where her nails sunk into his skin. He hissed but didn’t completely release her nipple from his grasp.

“Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-“

“No,” he said, his words vibrating against her breast and giving her goosebumps. “Don’t apologize. I like it.” His eyes were dark and serious. “I like when pleasure comes from pain, how something that should make your body feel repulsed or tense because you expect nothing but pain when, really, it causes an underlying sense of pleasure to come through, enhancing your pleasure even more.” His hands ran up the curve of her behind, a soft, delicate touch that seemed careful up until he slapped it.

She gasped.

“Did that feel good?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Annie swallowed. She wanted to lie, wanted to get angry at how demeaning the spank was, but, in actuality, it felt… good.

He sat down on the bed and bent her over his lap.

“Let’s try that again,” he told her. “Goodness, your rear is the best thing I’ve seen all day.”

Annie nodded her head and swallowed, maintaining her grip on him.

He took his palm and smoothed it over her behind, like he was sculpting something from clay. At the last possible second, he slapped her hard. She gasped but she felt it send more shockwaves straight to her core. A small groan flew out of her mouth before she could contain it.

"There you go," he said once more before spanking her once again. "You like the pain just as much as I do, don't you." Another spank before he rubbed the red mark gently. "I want to forget you, Annie. Let me forget you."

"Please," Annie breathed out. "Idiot me."

She didn't need to look at him to know he was grinning.

"Lie down," he instructed.

Annie stood up on shaky legs. Jericho helped keep her balance. She crawled onto the bed and rolled onto her back. She watched as he unbuttoned his shirt and slowly peeled it off his body. The soaked shirt hit the floor with a slap. Annie's eyes dropped to his toned torso, his abdomen glistening with remnants of bloody bath water. She wanted to put her hands on him, to feel him and his body. She wanted to leave a trail of sloppy kisses and bite marks down his chest so he would know she was there. Mark her territory, as it were.

His eyes never left hers as he slowly undid his belt and let it clatter to the floor. From there, he slid his pants down his legs and then his tight maroon boxer briefs. She could see his hardness, erecting and straining against the thin cotton material before he sprung it free. It was thick and long, probably the biggest she ever had, and there was a flicker of fear in her eyes at how it was going to feel, stretching her until she snapped. And yet, she wanted that. She wanted to feel the pain because he always ended with pleasure and she trusted that he would do so again.

When he was completely naked, he crawled over her. Annie felt trapped underneath his solid body. She could feel his hardness pressing against the inside of her thigh. A few drops of pre-cum stained her skin. It was as though he was about to burst and needed an outlet. His penetrating green eyes never left hers.

"I'm going to forget you now," he told her, his voice raw and edgy.

She nodded, suddenly incapable of speaking. She wanted him inside of her, wanted to really feel him. There was a voice in the back of her head that reminded her about protection, that she should make him put a condom on, but she barely heard it and couldn't quite bring herself to care.

He pushed into her slowly. It seemed as though he didn't want to hurt her. She stretched around his thick clock. It helped that she was wet. It didn't hurt as badly. Once he was all the way inside, he paused, allowing her the time to get accustomed to his size. She groaned, some pain mixed with some pleasure. But she felt full and complete.

"Goodness, you're tight," he muttered through clenched teeth.

He leaned down and kissed her hard. He wasn't whispering sweet nothings, didn't ask if she was okay. If anything, he trusted that she would tell him how she felt. So he waited patiently, knowing she would let him know when he could start moving.

"You have no idea how badly I want to forget you right now," he told her.

Annie let out a groan. She was surprised by how turned on she was due to him talking this way to her. She was never one for talking during sex. To be honest, she preferred the noises that came from her partner - heavy breathing, groaning, grunting. Even the faces he made in the throes of passion where he had no control over his facial features was preferential to dirty talk because the majority of her lovers never understood how to do it right. They tried too hard to come up with something sexy but it came out wooden and forced. Instead, Annie opted to kiss them each time they tried to talk, and that tended to work well for everyone involved since she had a feeling they didn't want to talk at all in the first place.

Jericho, however, was different, which shouldn't have surprised Annie but it did. When he spoke, her entire body erupted in goosebumps and she could feel her thighs get slick with moisture. She had no idea why but it seemed as though Jericho didn't have to try. He said whatever he was feeling, whatever he was thinking, and the deep husk of his voice set her entire being on fire.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, getting him deeper access to her core, and he growled at the feeling. She loved hearing him, loved knowing she was the reason for all of his noises and all of his sounds and it wasn't long before she started to feel that familiar sensation tickle her pelvis. To be honest, she couldn't believe it, especially considering she hadn't touched herself, hadn't helped herself like she had to with everybody else. She didn't know if it was his size or how he made her feel, how attracted to him she was in every way, but something worked. Something inside of her wanted to erupt and didn't require her help.

His breathing turned ragged, like he was some kind of wild animal. She loved it. It was like music, like a church choir on Sunday morning singing about the grace of God. She could tell he was close and she wanted him to explode inside of her because dangit she was about to do the same.

She moaned, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

"No," he snapped. "I want you to watch me when you come. Don't close your eyes. Don't look away."

How could Annie do anything but listen? It was hard, just like him, but when she felt herself finally step off that plateau, she locked eyes with him. And it was like he knew because he gasped and suddenly, they were coming together. She felt complete, airless, like she would have been floating away had he not been on top of her. It was everything and it was perfect and it was...

It was like she could breathe again. Like she had been blind and now she could see. And she planned to keep her eyes open from now on.

Chapter 7

The next day, Annie woke up, somehow exhausted and very, very sore. Jericho was nowhere to be found but Annie wasn't disappointed. She had a feeling he was downstairs or somewhere close by. She took a moment to stretch and enjoy the feeling of the warm air that cradled her. She could sit up without a piece of clothing on her body in the middle of January in Seattle and she was warm. She didn't have to worry about the energy bill, not with Jericho paying for it. Annie didn't even want to think about what the cost was to run the heat full-time, and perhaps she should say something about it, but she was enjoying it too much to say something just yet.

She pulled on an oversized shirt and a pair of boy shorts. She walked to the restroom and brushed her teeth and her hair, hoping it looked somewhat managed, before she headed out to walk down the stairs. Just as she predicted, she found Jericho in the kitchen cooking what appeared to be an omelet in nothing but boxer briefs. He wasn't even wearing socks, which was something she was happy to see. She stood in the entrance frame, simply watching him move around her house like he owned the place - which he did, she realized. Despite being under six feet, he was packed with lean muscle that wasn't overdone. She watched the muscles in his back move with every gesture. His arms reminded her of valleys, smooth and hilly. Everything about him reeked of strength and power and he wasn't even trying. Even his hair, usually always perfectly in place, was messy and fell into his face, making him look even younger, even boyish.

He was perfect, flawless, a work of art she was lucky to be around.

At that moment, he glanced over his broad shoulder, and when he saw her, he gave her that million-dollar smile.

"You're awake," he said.

"I'm awake," she said with a small smile.

"Perfect timing." He gestured to the dining table and set down a plate. "I've made my famous Denver omelets for us and a fruit parfait for us to share."

Annie slowly walked into the dining room and took the seat he held out for her. He poured her a glass of orange juice and took a seat across from her, offering her a soft smile. There must have been something in her face that would cause him to pause because he furrowed his brow.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"I just," she said, dropping her gaze down to the perfectly bronzed omelet. "So much happened last night." She picked her head up and locked eyes with his. "You killed a man last night. How has that not messed with you?"

He furrowed his brow slightly. “What makes you think it hasn’t?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “Each life I take takes its toll on me. But I am also self-aware enough to know that I did so for a very good reason.”

“Each life?” Annie asked. “You mean, you’ve killed more than once?” She had no idea why she asked the question. She knew he had. It was one of the controversies that surrounded Jericho, how bodies showed up and how no one got charged. Heck, no one was even arrested except low-life criminals like hookers and drug dealers. They took the fall for Jericho’s people and he seemed okay with it, just as long as he stayed out of jail.

“Only those who deserve to die,” he told her. He was so casual about it, they could have been talking about the weather.

“Why do you get to decide that?” she asked. The space between her eyebrows was starting to throb thanks to the large wrinkle being forced over it.

“Because I do.” His voice was curt, something he had never used with her before. He flinched, as though he realized in that moment he had snapped at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to talk to you in that way. You don’t really know what I do for business.”

They walked back to the bedroom once they finished and crawled back into bed together. Annie needed this, the relaxation.

“I’m not an idiot,” she said, interrupting him. She rolled to her stomach and was playing with the fabric of the pillow. Her eyes weren’t quite ready to look in his just yet. They were focused more on her fingers, on the soft material underneath her fingerprints. “I know you run a legitimate corporation buying and selling steel. I know you make a lot of stuff. But I’m also aware of the fact that you dabble in the criminal.”

The corners of his lips curved up. “I like that,” he murmured. From the corner of her eye, she watched as he smoothed back some of his messy hair, to no avail. She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling; it wasn’t in her to admit that he looked absolutely adorable as he spoke about being a criminal. And not just a criminal, but a murderer. “Dabble in the criminal. I’ve always appreciated how honest you have been with me, even from our first meeting. The least I can do is give you that same respect in return.”

“I would appreciate that,” Annie murmured, finally picking her eyes up to look at him. “I know that you do stuff. Maybe I wanted to be in denial about the fact that you’re not a good person.”

His brow furrowed. “Don’t say that,” he said. “Maybe I don’t make choices you agree with, but I don’t think it’s fair for you to judge my character based on that. Not everyone is good and not everyone is bad.”

“Jericho,” Annie said. “You’ve killed people.”

“For good reason,” he returned. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long but I would hope that you would trust in the fact that I wouldn’t kill if I didn’t have a good reason to do so.”

Annie opened her mouth to respond. Then, she shut it and gave herself a moment to think. “I don’t know what to say,” Annie replied. “I …” She looked at him. “I don’t know how to feel about it. About you. I know you’re the wrong sort of guy to fall for. You’re dangerous. But I can’t stop myself from feeling what I feel. I don’t want to be one of those girls who justifies any bad behavior – any criminal action. I’m a smart girl and I’m the first to roll my eyes when a girl says love is enough. But I can’t deny that I feel something for you.”

He pressed his brows together. “What are you saying, Annie?” he asked her.

She shivered at the sound of her name against his lips. She liked the way he said Ms. Brennan, but there was something special about the way he said Annie that made her feel both empowered and possessed.

“I am attracted to you,” she admitted. She kept her eyes in focus with his to ensure he knew she was being serious. Also, she wanted him to know that she wasn’t ashamed of these feelings, even if they weren’t what she originally wanted. In fact, she hadn’t thought feelings for Jericho had been possible in the first place. “Really, really attracted to you. More than I’ve been attracted to anything or anyone. Logically, I know this attraction is dangerous. I know it’s risky and not the smartest thing I’ve done. You’re a criminal, you’re known for having a revolving door of model girlfriends.”

He frowned. “They meant nothing,” he repeated.

“I know that,” she told him. “I’m not trying to insinuate that you owe me an explanation. It’s just, it’s hard for me to know what to expect from you. From this.” She gestured between the two of them. “And before you say anything, I know, I know, I need to just go with the flow but I analyze numbers for a living so you have to cut me some slack if I analyze this.” She buried her face in the pillow, her cheeks burning bright. “Ugh. Sorry. I talk too much.”

“I find it absolutely adorable,” he told her with a gentle smile. “And, just so you know, I wasn’t going to tell you to go with the flow. I wouldn’t want you to go with the flow. I want you to make plans with me and look far into the future where people tell us we’re moving way to fast. I want to talk to you about marriage and children and settling down and traveling the world.”

Annie shook her head. “You’re crazy,” she whispered.

“I am,” he agreed. “About you.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” she said, though her cheeks were still warm from the blush on her face. “Are we boyfriend-girlfriend? Exclusive? I want to know because…” She let her voice trail off. Truth be told, there was no real reason why Annie needed this solved now. There was a good chance she was looking for a reason to show her that this wasn’t going to work. That being intimate with Jericho had caused something inside of her to shift. It was like her heart beat differently now, when she was around him, and she wasn’t sure what that meant or if she even wanted that.

She was scared. And she was looking for a reason to run. Or force Jericho to push her away. It was a coward’s way to end things, but she didn’t feel as though she had any other choice.

This was too much. She was feeling too much and she didn’t know how to go back to the way it was before.

This was wrong. She knew that. But even that thought didn’t stop her from feeling things.

Rubbish. She never should have let herself get swept away by him. She should have avoided him at all costs.

“You’re freaking out,” he stated, his eyes reading her like she was a book. There was no judgment in his tone, just curiosity – him and his curiosity. She nearly rolled her eyes.

“Yeah,” she agreed with a nod. “I am.”

He smiled. “That’s understandable.” He leaned over her. “I’m going to kiss you, Annie. I’m going to please you, not to distract you from your fear but to show you there’s no reason for you to be afraid.”

He didn’t wait for her acquiesce before he placed his lips on hers and closed his eyes. For a moment, she was still underneath him. She took the opportunity to look at him, how lost he looked as he kissed her, but how he somehow found exactly what he was looking for in her. His golden brown hair was adorably messy and she noticed with a blush she had left a couple of small hickies on his neck. She hadn’t meant to get so carried away from last night but her passion seemed to have gotten the better of her. Then, she allowed herself to get swept away in his kiss, closing her own eyes and reaching up to grip his hair with her hands. She knew they should still talk; they still needed to figure out what this was between them, but, for now, she would allow him to show her how much he adored her and her body.

His lips left hers and he trailed his lips down her throat. She gasped at how sensitive her skin was, at least when he touched it with his lips. It was as though her body knew now what to expect from Jericho, and, as such, every nerve thrummed with anticipation, which made her even more susceptible to his touch. She was completely under his control; he had power over her entirely, and she didn’t seem to care all that much anymore. Even her initial reaction to run away vanished when he began to kiss her.

His hand reached up to grab her breast, but instead of squeezing and groping it, he used the pad of his index finger to caress the point of her nipple. She moaned, arching her back in order to try and get more pressure on her breast. He added a second finger caressing her breast and her mouth dropped open. Once her nipple was hard, he moved to the other, giving it the same amount of attention as he had on the other.

Both peaks were hard. She especially loved the feeling when he sucked them between his lips. It caused her pelvis to throb with desire and she could feel the lips between her legs moisten under his attention.

And then, he pulled away and flicked her nipple with his middle finger. She grunted, surprised by the sharp pain that came from it. His mouth immediately captured the assaulted nipple in his mouth as a way to appease it, much like kissing a child’s boo boo to make the pain go away. She moaned.

How could he elicit such competing feelings inside of her?

His lips trailed even further down, surrounding her belly button, across the V the inside of her thighs made before they found her lips between her thighs. When he pressed them against her, she gasped, sucking in a tight breath. His tongue flicked out against her nub and she couldn't help but toss her head back against the pillow and spread her legs further apart so he had better access. He placed his hands on either side of her thighs, spreading her lips so he had a clear shot at her clitoris. He lapped at her like a dog lapping up water on a hot day.

And then he slid one finger inside her slick opening and she let out a shaky moan.

"Goodness, you're so wet," he said, taking a moment to pause and catch his breath. "Is that for me?"

"You get me this way," she told him, already breathless.

Instinctively, she squeezed her muscles around his finger and he gasped before slowly pulling it out. He muttered something under his breath before sticking two digits inside of her.

"You're so tight," he said before placing his mouth back on her mound and wagging his tongue against her clit.

From there, he proceeded to harass her with his fingers and suck at her clit. Annie was entirely helpless. She reached for Jericho's hair because she needed to grab onto something and dig her fingers between the golden-brown locks before pulling at the roots. He hissed but she could swear she felt him smile against her. He proceeded to curl his fingers against her wall in a come-hither motion and she let out a cry of ecstasy.

Idiot..

It was a stupid, naive thought but she had never felt anything like it. Jericho didn't miss a beat. He continued to administer pleasure onto her body. He wasn't going to let up until she came over his face and he sucked up her juices like they were some kind of dinner wine.

It wasn't long until Annie started to feel the fluttery sensation in her pelvis that indicated her orgasm was coming soon. Her breathing started to hitch and her grip on Jericho was painful to say the least. He didn't stop.

"Oh, Jericho," she muttered through clenched teeth and closed eyes.

He didn't stop, not even to command her to do something. She splintered over his face, feeling her pelvis twitch and push out any slickness all over him. He refused to stop licking her, to stop finger her, even when she finished climaxing against him. She had to tug on his hair and physically pull him away.

"You taste delicious," he told her, crawling over her before forcing a rough kiss on her mouth.

She tasted herself on his mouth and it was a different sort of taste but not unpleasant. She could feel his cock pressed against her stomach and she felt her tired core twitch, wanting more. She was insatiable.

Once he broke the kiss, he flipped her on her stomach and gripped her hips so her back arched and her butt was high in the sky. He didn't warn her, didn't do anything except thrust his hard cock into her and she let out a cry. It hurt. It hurt really bad but Goodness, there was still that dull pleasure that coated itself in his cock.

He wasted no time to harass her from behind. She was certain her hips would bruise underneath his grip but somehow, it didn't hurt. At least, she was distracted from the pain. The way his cock filled her up caused her to feel such incandescent pleasure from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. Electricity swam through her fingertips. Every piece of her skin, every nerve, every hair, was honed in on him and his body. Every time he hit her core, more electricity shot out. Like he was giving and taking at the same time.

This wasn't about her. She knew that and she wasn't offended by it. If anything, she wanted him to take what he needed from her in order to satisfy his urge. She liked being used, she liked that there was no romance or intimacy between them in this moment. It was just about pleasure. It was just about him coming inside of her.

Annie had always been a fan of sex.  But she always preferred a respectful act of making love - eye contact, no talking, romance and sweetness with a sprinkle of dirty. But Jericho was everything equally all wrapped up into one person. Somehow, he made her crave the raw, loveless sort of sex as much as she craved the intimate, romantic sort of sex. She could have both if she wanted, with him. He would give her whatever she wanted; all she needed to do was ask.

"Touch yourself," he commanded. "I want you to come all over my cock before I do so you better hurry because I'm not stopping." And then he spanked her.

Goodness, indeed. She couldn't believe what this felt like.

Annie loved when he told her what to do, like she meant nothing to him. She wanted more of that disrespect. She wanted more of that nothingness.

She obeyed him. How could she not? Her fingers flew over her clit and all of her weight was on her left hand. She had to angle her back just so, shift her weight slightly. But even so, she wasn't able to hold herself up so her upper body collapsed into the bed and Jericho placed one hand on her back, holding her down while ensuring her rear stayed high in the air.

Her fingers still danced across her clitoris and she couldn’t help but grunt and groan. Not only was she feeling good with Jericho’s thrusting but it was taking a lot out of her to hold herself up and position in just the right way where he wasn’t hurting her and it hit her in just the right spot. Annie couldn’t help the noises that came out of her mouth if she tried.

“Look at yourself,” Jericho said. “Watch me forget you.”

Annie picked her head up and looked at the full-length mirror that served as the sliding closet door to the master bedroom’s walk-in closet. She had never really thought about watching herself get messed before, but once she caught sight of Jericho’s muscled body behind her, moving back and forth at her opening, she found she couldn’t stop. He was bulky, filled with muscle that coiled across his skin. Each time he thrust, his abdomen squeezed and she could see it ripple. Her eyes were drawn to the sheen of sweat on his shoulders and between his abs and she had the sudden urge to lick the sweat off of his body. His hair was messy and she loved the way it fell in his face, loved the way it framed his face.

Just looking at him got her halfway there.

But it was his face, the way he was looking at his cock going in and out of her, that really made a difference. It looked awed, filled with pleasure, and concentrated all at once. His brow was wrinkled, his eyes narrowed and focused, and his mouth hung open like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing, what he was feeling.

And then, she felt herself start to get close. She squeezed her inner muscles, coating him in her wetness, a sign that she was close. He let out a groan and she felt his grip on her tighten. He continued to thrust steady, which she appreciated more than she thought she would. For some reason, whenever she indicated that she was about to climax, the guy she was with would start thrusting faster or harder, and while she did climax, it wouldn’t have been the same if he had just kept steady and made her come the way that got her there in the first place.

But Jericho was experienced. He knew how to make her feel desired and good about herself. He knew how to make her body feel better than they expected it to.

It wasn’t long before she shattered around his cock with a shout. She nearly fell into the bed but somehow, she held steady. She gripped the sheets with her fingers. Her knuckles were white and her hands shook. She didn’t think she could hold on any longer.

And then she heard his breathing get ragged. She knew he was coming, could feel his member start to throb inside of her, twitching and moaning as it released all of him deeply into her walls. She loved when he came inside of her. It made her feel complete, whole. It made her feel branded, like she belonged to him and nobody else.

–-

That morning at work, Annie felt her body still thrum with tingles thanks to her escapades when she awoke. She had never had sex right before work, and she had to shower and change quickly if she wanted to get to work on time, but it was well worth the rush. Her hair was thrown into a messy bun after being dried as quickly as possible with her hair dryer and she threw on the first outfit she saw – a red pencil skirt and a white blouse with nude heels. It was a little daring, if bold, but she didn’t particularly care.

Jericho made a quick breakfast for her while she was in the shower – pancakes with fresh strawberries rather than the Denver omelets due to time, and as she gobbled them down, he murmured, “You know, you could always quit and you would never have to worry about rushing to get to work on time.”

Annie looked up at him with a mouthful of food. She swallowed it down with a glass of milk. “While I appreciate the offer,” she told him, “I actually really do like my job.”

Jericho nodded. “Well, if you ever don’t,” he told her, his pale green eyes serious, “my offer still stands.”

Annie smiled and finished her breakfast. She kissed him quickly on the lips and headed up the stairs to brush her teeth and put on some perfume.

By the time she reached her office, she was just on time. She leaned back in her chair, her food still not quite digested in her stomach, and she rubbed her bloat, trying to make it go away. After a few more minutes, she was ready to start her day.

Just after noon, her phone chirped with a text. It was from her high school friend, Carmen Mendoza.

Call me now, girl!

Annie pressed her lips together, pushing her brow up. What could compel Carmen to text her that? Did people find out about her and Jericho? Was she pissed Annie hadn’t told her about this first? She could understand and she definitely owed her friend an explanation.

Annie leaned toward her desk and dialed Carmen’s number on her office phone. Carmen picked up after one ring.

“Girl, you will never believe what happened,” she opened up with.

At that moment, Annie felt like an idiot. Why would she automatically assume Carmen was texting about her? That was selfish and self-involved. Annie was better than that. She needed to make it up to Carmen, even though Carmen had no idea anything was wrong in the first place.

“Tell me everything,” Annie said enthusiastically.

“I was made partner!” she exclaimed, not able to control the high-pitched voice or the giggles.

“No way,” Annie returned. “That’s amazing! Carmen, I am so happy for you! If anyone deserves being made partner, it’s you.”

“We have to celebrate,” Carmen said.

“Agreed.” An idea popped into Annie’s head. “Let me take care of the plans. I’ll invite the girls. Are you free tomorrow?”

“Girl, you know I am.”

“Okay,” Annie said, ideas already flooding through her head. “Let me make some calls and then get back to you. I’m going to take care of everything.”

“Are you sure, Annie?” Carmen asked, doubt tainting her tone. “Maybe you should get Shonelle’s input.”

Annie bit her bottom lip to keep from saying something she would later regret. She loved Carmen with all her heart but there were times Carmen didn’t take her as seriously as Annie would have preferred. Yes, Carmen was drop-dead gorgeous in a dark, statuesque way while Annie was more girl-next-door and Carmen went to law school and passed the bar and got hired right after graduation at a prestigious law firm while Annie just got a bachelor’s degree, graduated with honors, and got hired at a somewhat reputable accounting firm. Maybe Annie’s life wasn’t as glamorous as Carmen’s but it was still hers and she didn’t necessarily appreciate the dismissal.

Although, if Annie was being honest, she knew it was because Annie wasn’t the party type. She celebrated, certainly, and wouldn’t refuse to go out with the girls, but she wasn’t into getting drunk and partying on a crowded dance floor. So the fact that Annie offered to plan everything meant Carmen thought she was going to do something simple and reserved, like a classy dinner or a wine tasting or something. Annie clenched her teeth. She would show her.

Carmen wanted a party? Annie would find a way to ensure Carmen got the party she wanted. In fact, Annie wanted to make sure it was over the top, to the point where Carmen would never suggest she get help from anyone else again.

“I got this,” Annie told her. “Trust me.”

After she got off the phone with Carmen, she called up the rest of their group and told them tomorrow, they would be out celebrating Carmen’s promotion. She didn’t have the details but she wanted eight o’clock at night on hold for the celebration. They all agreed and each woman asked Annie if she was certain she could handle this and offered to help if she needed it.

By the time she got off the phone with the last invitee, Annie all but slammed the office phone on the hook. She was frustrated with her friends for their lack of faith in her abilities, but more than that, she was frustrated with herself. Why would she continue to carry on like some wallflower? How was she supposed to really let go and live life? She didn’t want male attention like the other girls did but she wanted to feel free, and it was only with Jericho that she felt that way.

The problem was, as much as she loved Jericho, her independence was important to her. And she needed to be able to feel free by herself without being with Jericho. As much as she loved being around him, she knew she wouldn’t always be in his presence.

And, she also knew she didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. It was okay that she didn’t like to drink much or to party. She really didn’t even like to go to clubs, even with her friends. She did like dancing but not in public; she believed that people tended to assume if she was wearing a short dress and shaking her rear, men thought they had a right to touch her or grope her, like she was on some personal display for them. Like she was an object to satisfy whatever hunger they had and not a real person with real thoughts or feelings.

She placed her head in her hands and stared at the black keyboard in front of her. Suddenly, an idea hit her and she picked up the phone. They had only been together a couple of weeks at the most but she knew he would do anything for her.

Annie wanted to wow her friends, and what better way to wow her friends than with the help of Jericho, owner of The Door clubs that permeated Seattle and ranked in thousands of dollars the four nights they were open.

He answered just after the first ring.

“Hey, baby.”

Annie’s heart warmed at the term of endearment, which was odd, because she had never cared about term of endearments before. But the way he said it, and knowing that it came from him, made her feel tingly and special. She felt light, like she could walk on air, and she realized that everything was going to be okay.

“Hey,” she replied.

“What can I do for you?” he asked. “Everything okay? I know you’re at work right now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Annie said, wincing. “Am I bothering you? I know how busy you are. This can wait until tonight.”

“You are never a bother,” he promised her. “Get that out of your head right now. Call me whenever you want. I’ll always answer.” He paused. “But you didn’t answer my question. What can I help you with?”

Annie felt herself shrug even though Jericho couldn’t see her. “It’s nothing important,” she told him. “One of my close friends from college made partner at her law firm and I wanted to take them out to celebrate. The problem is, I’ve never been that much of a club hopper so they don’t take me seriously planning stuff like this.”

“Don’t say anything else,” Jericho said. “I’ll take care of everything. You said you planned everything for tomorrow night?”

“Yes,” Annie replied.

“Bring them to The Red Door at eight,” he replied. “I’ll set up a limo so you can pick everyone up in style. Don’t worry about anything. You and your friends will have the time of your life.”

As Annie hung up the phone, she couldn’t stop smiling. She might not have enjoyed going to clubs, but she was already looking forward to tomorrow night.

Chapter 8

Annie wasn't the type to dress in short, tight dresses. She didn't particularly care about attracting men who wanted to harass her in the bathroom without a condom on and preferred sophisticated, successful men who knew what he wanted out of life and had no problem reaching out and taking it for himself. A man like that typically knew how to take care of a woman in every area of life, not just financially. She had been to her share of nightclubs before; a couple of her friends had gotten married early in life and the bachelorette party consisted of dancing until three o'clock in the morning. She actually likes dancing; it was a good way to express herself without actually connecting.

When her friend Carmen had found out she had made partner, Annie demanded that they celebrate. Carmen had been instructed to invite all her closest friends for a celebration that night. Annie had no idea what they were going to do but she knew she wanted to play something spectacular for her best friend.

She thought about what Jericho offered her. A smile had crept into her face, however, at how persistent he was in taking care of her. She had always taken care of herself, even when her parents were alive. She refused to take their money unless it was a gift, and anything that required paperwork, including her college applications, were done by her. Even in her relationships, she typically made the plans, she paid the bills, she did what was necessary to keep on top of everything. And she had always been okay with this because she liked being in control and knowing what to expect and where she was. However, Jericho's insistence at taking care of her was a welcome surprise and it was easier than she expected to allow herself to give up some of the control to him.

Because she trusted him.

She never thought that she would ever consider Jericho dependable but he was. In the couple of weeks that he had been living here, she hadn't seen one bill. At first, she thought that was a little presumptuous and perhaps a tad controlling. But when he explained that as owner of the home, he was responsible for everything except her cell phone bill, she dropped it. There was no point in fighting him.

And now he was letting her invite an infinite number of friends to get the VIP treatment at one of the hottest nightclubs in Seattle.

When she told her friends, they were ecstatic. Bottle service, the VIP treatment at an exclusive nightclub like The Red Door, plus a limo service so they could drink all they wanted without worrying about driving.

Annie had no idea why Jericho… She couldn’t finish that thought. Of course she knew why. She wasn’t an idiot. He loved her and wanted to show her by having her friends come over to his club and treating them like they were some modern princesses. He wanted to make a good impression because he cared about her which meant he cared about her friends.

It made no sense. But then again, nothing Jericho did really made sense. But she was beginning to realize just how much it meant to her. He always seemed to care about her well-being. He wanted to take care of everything but not because he wanted to take the power, more because he wanted to take care of her. It was difficult for Annie to relinquish that control when she had been forced to handle things the majority of her life. However, Jericho was working his way under her skin, causing her to trust in him more and more, even after their discussion a week ago, about who he really was and what he really did. About the fact that he killed people he deemed needed to be put down.

Annie decided to push the boundaries when it came to her attire for the evening. Even going out with her friends, she was rather conservative. Maybe it was because they were going to Jericho’s club, maybe it was because now that they were official, she felt a responsibility to represent him to the best of her abilities – not because he expected her to, but because she wanted to. Which was unlike her, but then again, she had never been with anyone like Jericho before.

Was everything rushed? Oh, definitely.

But somehow, it felt perfect. They were perfect.

Her dress was skin tight and black. It was a sweetheart cut that had a built-in bra, giving her more cleavage than a typical bra would. The straps were thin and resembled the silky material that accompanied bras. The sides were transparent – black but with a hint of her skin tone, teasing without revealing, and the length stopped abruptly in the middle of her thighs. On her feet was a pair of red pumps. Her makeup was more than she typically wore – smoky with nude lipstick.

She turned to look at the way it clung to her frame from behind and how it was cut in a way where it showed off her legs in a flattering light. Her hair was pulled into a trendy messy bun, leaving her full face free from any stray strands of hair. She looked good but, more importantly, she felt good.

When she walked out of her home, the limo was already waiting. The driver gave her smile.

“Hello, ma’am,” he greeted with a nod. “Are you ready for this evening?”

“I am,” she said. “Thank you.”

He opened the door to the limo and she slid inside, texting her group of friends and letting them know she would be on the way and to be ready.

She picked up her four friends at Carmen’s apartment in the city. They all looked stunning and Annie felt reduced to her role as the smart one out of the group. However, while her friends were much more beautiful than she was, she still felt good about who she was. And tonight, she looked hot. She couldn’t wait for Jericho to see her – something else completely unlike her. She always dressed for herself. Even now, the dress looked good and she liked it. But she would be lying if she said she wasn’t excited for Jericho to watch her move.

They arrived at the club at exactly ten thirty. The girls were giddy with excitement. Annie was the only one somewhat reserved. She wasn’t sure if it was because she had been to The Red Door before and it didn’t feel as exclusive as it used to, or if it was because she had never been into the night scene and this wasn’t a big deal to her. However, even she couldn’t deny that it felt pretty good to skip the line and walk past the bouncers with friendly hellos and no cover charge.

And there he was, by the coat check, almost as if he was waiting for them to make their appearance. He looked beautiful in a dark blue suit with a crimson colored shirt that was probably silk unbuttoned to his collarbone. Every hair was perfectly in place, slicked back from his face. The girls were dressed in different outfits, all highlighting their many favorable characteristics, but somehow, his eyes only sought out her, and when he found her, his entire face lit up like the sun with a smile.

“Hey, Beautiful,” he said, stepping toward Annie and giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek. “These must be your friends. Annie has told me so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all.”

“This is Carmen,” Annie said, placing her hand on Carmen’s shoulder. “She just made partner at her law firm. And she’s the reason for the celebration today.”

Carmen Mendoza had gorgeous flowing dark hair that reached just past her waist. She had a heart-shaped face, a Cupid’s bow for lips, and a beauty mark under the right corner of her lips. Her eyes were big and dark brown, nearly black. She wore a short beige dress that scooped low in both the front and the back, with high heels that pushed her taller than even Annie, who was typically the tallest of the foursome, standing at five foot seven.

Jericho shook her hand, giving her a charming smile. “Congratulations,” he said. “You and I should talk. I’m in need of a new attorney. What law do you specialize in?”

Carmen’s mouth dropped open. If she could get Jericho as a client, she would have proven her worth in twenty-four hours since her promotion. “Uh,” she stuttered, completely taken aback. “Whatever you need.”

Jericho chuckled and glanced over at Annie. “Maybe we’ll set something up next week,” he said. “I apologize for bringing up work. Who is everyone else?”

“This is Helen,” Annie said, placing her hand on a brunette vixen from Australia. She was married to a wealthy entrepreneur who probably streamed through the same social circles as Jericho did. Annie wouldn’t have been surprised if they knew the same people.

“This is Daphne.” She nodded over to the sophisticated redhead, her bangs in her face while the rest of her long tresses were pulled into a messy bun. She had a long-sleeved meche dress that clung to her slender body and barely covered her butt due to how short it was. She was a fashion designer, currently working on a line of sexy but practical clothes for the women of Seattle.

“And this is Shawnelle,” Annie concluded, pointing to the tall, slender beauty with black hair. Her eyes were a warm brown color and she wore a short toga-like dress that completely contrasted with her skin tone but made her look like a goddess. She was a tenured professor at Seattle State.

Jericho repeated every woman’s name, shook her hand, and locked eyes with them. They were all charmed by him, Annie could tell, and she felt a swell of pride tie up her heart as she looked at the effect he had on her friends. She knew they would be charmed by him; it was hard not to be. What Annie hadn’t realized, however, was that she was happy to the point of being giddy because of him. That she appreciated what he was doing for them to make them feel special.

“Who will be waiting on us tonight?” Annie asked.

“I will,” Jericho said with a smile. “Of course.”

Annie’s brow pushed up and she couldn’t contain the beaming smile on her face if she tried. Her heart fluttered the same way it did when she thought she was in love with someone. But that wasn’t possible, was it? To love someone so soon, someone she barely even knew?

Possibly. At the very least, she could be open to it.

Jericho led the group upstairs to the private booths. There was already an iced bottle of champagne that Carmen squeaked about when she saw, claiming it was a two-thousand-dollar bottle. Annie shot Jericho a look and he shrugged nonchalantly. On top of that, each woman received a bouquet of flowers and Carmen received a five-hundred-dollar visa credit card, to spend on new attire for her promotion. Annie couldn't stop smiling. There was surprise after surprise after surprise. As the women slid into the booth that faced their private dance floor - which was already half-full of other VIP members for the evening - Annie pulled Jericho into a quick kiss.

"Thank you," she told him in a soft voice. "You're amazing."

"I’d do anything for you," he told her. "You know that."

As Annie slid into the booth, Jericho began to pass out the menus. "Ladies, these are our specials," he said. "However, if you're in the mood for something else, we will make whatever it is you want, regardless of if it's on the menu or not. Completely on the house, of course. I'll give you some time and then I'll come back to take your order. Is there anything else I can do for you before I leave?"

"A dance?" Carmen asked with her signature pout.

Annie cut Carmen a glare. Why was she flirting with her boyfriend? Yes, Jericho was amazing and handsome and rich but Annie was with him, no one else.

"Actually," Jericho said, his eyes a darker shade of green as he regarded Annie and only Annie, "I belong to Annie. She's the only person I dance with, if I dance at all."

Once he was gone, the group of women squeaked and started complimenting Annie on what a catch Jericho was and how lucky she was to have him. Even Carmen sounded sincere when she spoke about what a classy guy he was and how she never expected how out of his way he went to make the group feel special.

"I hope it lasts a while, Annie," she said, reaching across the table to squeeze Annie's forearm. "I can't think of anyone else who deserves this."

Annie clenched jaw from saying something. Why wouldn't it last? Yes, Jericho did have a reputation of dating multiple women a month - sometimes within the same week. However, she knew for a fact Jericho didn't go out of his way for his date's friends the way he was doing for them. There was no way he spent the kind of money on some girl he wasn't going to be with for a while. Even Carmen didn't think it was going to last at all. A while was different from simply saying she hoped it lasted at all.

Jericho came back a few minutes later and took everyone's order. He popped open the champagne and poured each woman a glass.

"All right," he said. "I have a meeting but if there's anything you need, just wave your hand. My office is just over there and I have a pretty good view of you from there."

Everyone thanked him and Annie took a long gulp of the bubbly Amber champagne. Jericho hadn't mentioned a meeting. Not that Annie cared. Technically, he was still working so it wasn't all that off base for him to meet with someone. Plus, she was here with her friends, not with Jericho.

She was going to have fun with her friends, no matter what happened tonight.

--

Jericho slipped into his office after leaving Annie and her group of friends at their booth.  He had a small smile on his face as he walked to his desk and pressed the speaker button before typing in a phone number he already had memorized.

“Yes, sir?” Bennet, his second-in-command, answered after the first ring.

“I hear we have an interested buyer?” he asked, sliding in his chair and leaning back into the cushy black leather.  His eyes somehow found Annie through the blinds.  He had placed her at that exact table for a reason, after all.  He wanted to keep an eye on her, make sure she was enjoying herself.  “Is he here?”

“Yeah, waiting outside in the rain.  Stares too long at pretty girls, though.  Not sure if he’s the type of guy we want buying from us.”

Jericho paused, really taking Bennet’s comments in.  Anyone else in his position might have snapped at him for talking out of turn.  Jericho, on the other hand, trusted Bennet’s insights.  The guy had a knack for reading people like nobody’s business.  His instincts were typically on point and Jericho had been saved from lots of grief by following them.

“Understood,” he said.  “Send him up.  Let Stan know he’s coming.  I think you might be right but I want to get a feel for the guy myself.”

“Of course.”

Jericho hung up the phone and turned his attention back to Annie.  He would have to check on their food in a few minutes, which was fine since he wanted his potential buyer to sweat just a little bit.

He slipped out of his office and went to the kitchen.  The cooks knew that the food order was for Annie and her friends so he expected the food to be done in a timely manner without compromising the taste of it.  He made sure to let everyone know, after the last debacle with his bouncer, that Annie was the priority over everything else.  Whatever she wanted, wherever she wanted to go, she was allowed without any charge or inhibitions.

As he expected, the food was ready.  He, along with two members of his small wait staff team, took the plates of food and headed out of the kitchen and to Annie’s booth.  The only plate of food he carried was Annie’s.  She was the only person he cared about.  The others he wanted to like and he was sure he would but his only concern was Annie.  As such, he set her plate down first, keeping his eyes just on her. She beamed at him, this gorgeous smile that completely took over her face and shined like the sun.

Goodness, she was beautiful.

He still had no idea how he managed to get her.

Once the food was dispersed, he turned to head back to his office but stopped.  From the corner of his eye, he saw Bennet with the potential buyer.  Jericho had no idea what his name was and didn’t think it would matter knowing it in the long run.

The man was completely average. Typical skinny white guy who had a swagger that he hadn’t earned and didn’t deserve. He thought the world owed him everything, that he didn’t have to work for anything and it should just be handed to him because he was awesome and shouldn’t have to break a sweat. He was either raised with wealthy parents or with bitter parents who were jealous of those with more. This type of personality had been long engrained into him so there was no helping it. Jericho just needed to figure out if he was actually worth doing business with.

Jericho stopped what he was doing and leaned against the door to his office, his eyes narrowed. The way this guy walked by the table of girls would tell him all he needed to know. He had a good view of Annie and a good view of the guy. If he was staring at her, Jericho would know.

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to blame the guy. Annie was gorgeous and that was an understatement, especially in her black dress with her messy updo. He had noticed the stares she received when they walked in. Part of him was proud. The other was protective. He didn’t mind if men looked at her but he minded how they looked at her. Some did double-takes, not fully expecting her to be so beautiful. He could understand that. It was hard to just glance at Annie when someone who looked like her deserved a long, studious stare. However, if they lingered too long, if their eyes darkened, if their lips turned up and the gaze turned hungry, that was when he had a problem.

Jericho’s eyes narrowed as he watched Bennet lead the buyer past the table. As he expected, the buyer glanced at the group of girls from the corner of his eye. He thought his instincts were wrong when the buyer nearly walked past them without commenting, without doing anything.

And then, the buyer stopped. He didn’t call Bennet back, didn’t tell Bennet to wait up for him. He was focused on the group of girls and was proceeding to walk back to the table without indicating a thing to Bennet.

Jericho clenched his jaw and waited. He wanted to see how this would play out.

The buyer spoke to the group. They stopped talking, nodding their heads at one another and whispering. Not in the way women did when they thought a man was attractive. More in the way where they were annoyed and didn’t want this stranger hitting on them and interrupting their night.

The only one not speaking was Annie. She regarded him with a guarded look and a gently furrowed brow, which seemed to indicate that he was only speaking to her. She seemed confused and annoyed but held it back with a passive look on her face. Which was admirable.

She had no idea that Jericho was watching and she still looked like she wanted nothing to do with the man in front of her.

Jericho was never one to judge other men in terms of attraction. The guy wasn’t particularly ugly, he had to admit, and there was those type of girls who watched shows or listened to country music who found this sort of guy sexually appealing. To be quite honest, he had no idea what Annie preferred, if she had a type, if guys like these were sexy to her, and that thought of not knowing bugged him more than he was willing to admit. So he continued watching through the blinds of his office, his eyes narrowed, looking for any tell that might implicate that she thought he was cute.

Which was silly. This was just silly. He felt like he was spying on her, which he wasn’t – he was just making sure she was okay – but he was glued to his window, watching like some sick, jerk. He had never been the jealous type before. Many of the women that had come before Annie would try and flirt with other men to make him jealous, to get a reaction out of him, but it never worked because he didn’t care. Because Annie was different.

He was a jealous, possessive wild animal when it came to Annie. He didn’t care what she wore or what she didn’t. And he was okay with men looking at her. But if they lingered, if they tried anything, he was not above killing. Or, at least, hurting very, very badly in order to teach a very important lesson.

With amazement, Jericho watched as his buyer leaned on the table and continued to smile at Annie. Annie’s brow was now pressed further down, her lines drawn into a downward, tight direction. Bennet came back and gripped his arm, tugging him away from Annie. Despite the fact that Bennet was dragging him away, his eyes fixated on Annie still.

Jericho pulled his eyes away from Annie and started to prepare himself for this meeting. However, all he could think of was Annie and how the guy couldn’t stop looking at Annie and how he couldn’t stop talking to Annie and how this was very upsetting to him.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Jericho would recognize Bennet’s knock anywhere.

“Come in,” he called, hoping that the edge in his tone he detected wasn’t as prevalent as he thought it might be.

The door opened and in walked Bennet, followed by the potential buyer. He had a face Jericho wanted to punch, or maybe that was him projecting his frustration. Either way, he strutted into the office with that swagger he hadn’t earned and a smug smile on his face like he hadn’t just been rejected by the best looking girl in The Red Door.

Jericho stood and extended his hand because that was the polite thing to do. Not because he wanted to touch this vile insect he had absolutely no intention of doing business with.

“Jericho,” the man said with a slimy smile that crawled across his face like a snake slithering in the sand on its belly. “So good to see you. Thanks for having me.”

“Please,” Jericho said, pointedly ensuring that he did not return the sentiment. “Sit. Let’s talk.”

“Let me tell you, sir,” the buyer said as he slid into the chair like he owned the place, as though he was calling this meeting, as though he were in control. Jericho hated men who thought they deserved everything, who thought they were in control. He had learned at an early period in his career never to let that upset him. Instead, he would use their arrogance against them. Arrogance was a sloppy trait, but useful for what he wanted to accomplish. It always bit them in the rear. “The women you have adorning this club is immeasurable, and I’ve been to a lot of nightclubs, let me tell you.”

“What’s your name?” Jericho asked, keeping his eyes focused on the buyer. He could tell the buyer was going to slip up, much sooner than Jericho anticipated. Which was just as well for Jericho. It didn’t matter much to him anyway.

“Would you believe it’s Bob?” the buyer said with that smarmy smile. “My folks weren’t that creative. Named me after my mom’s dad, my grandfather. I inherited his brains, though.”

“Did you?” Jericho muttered more to himself than to the room.

The buyer – Bob – didn’t pick up on it. Jericho didn’t think he would.

“Anyway, so, yeah, the girls here are gorgeous,” he said. He glanced around, even though the office was small enough to see that besides Jericho, only Bennet was occupying the room. “Do you know if they, uh, well, take care of a guy who’s willing to pay – if you know what I mean?”

Jericho almost shuddered. “Well,” he said slowly, trying to control his temper. “The girls here do not work for me. They have their own free will. Who am I to judge if they indulge in a little pleasure for profit?” He forced a smile, showing his bared teeth like an animal issuing a warning. “Did you have anyone in mind?”

“Oh, boy,” the buyer said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his hands together. “Quite honestly, I’m open to any of ‘em. They’re all gorgeous. But see, the thing is, I’ve always been a fan of blondes. Had the biggest crush on Heather Locklear when I was a kid. She was the first woman I beat off to, and that’s an important monument in my life. There’s a woman sitting at a table surrounded by beautiful women but Goodness, for the life of me, I couldn’t stop staring at her. Blonde hair, pretty nice belly. Ain’t the biggest I’ve seen, but they’re perky and natural. But God, that face. Incredible, that face. I want to jizz in that face, you know what I mean? I’d pay her a grand to do that.”

“Hey,” Bennet snapped, pushing off the wall from behind Bob and crossing his arms over his chest.

Jericho lifted his hand to keep Bennet at bay.

“It’s okay, Bennet,” Jericho said, keeping his eyes fixed on the buyer. There was a smile on his face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was a warning, but he highly doubted the buyer would recognize that if it punched him in the face. He was so self-absorbed, he was talking out of his rear about a woman Jericho was intimate with, the woman – whether she knew it or not – he planned to marry.

So Jericho would let him talk, let him run his mouth, because there would be a moment when he said something stupid, and Jericho could pull out the gun he had in his top tight drawer and shoot him in the head. No one would hear it except Bennet due to how loud the music was. No one would see it because the minute the buyer stepped in his office, Jericho had drawn the blinds. Jericho couldn’t explain it but he knew he would kill this man tonight. He accepted it. He was just curious as to what would compel him to actually do it.

They hadn’t even started talking business yet.

“Did I say somethin’ wrong?” the buyer asked, a smug smirk on his face at the thought that he might have offended Jericho’s sensitivity. “Did I offend you? What, I didn’t think you had a sister. I know you have a crusade against those women who got beat up by their boyfriends or husbands. But, see, I wanted to tell you about that. Maybe they did something to deserve it, you know? You don’t know. Maybe they ran their mouth when they need to be kept in line. Anyway, we aren’t talking about them, are we? We’re talking about the blonde girl in the black dress with the heck-me lips that I want to have around my cock.” He furrowed his brow. “She your sister or something?”

“She’s something to me,” Jericho said slowly. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. Instead, he took his time, indulged his patience. It would come up soon. He was certain of it.

“So you’ve had a couple of go’s with her?” the buyer asked. “Why am I not surprised. You idiot only the pretty ones, right? Hey, can I ask you a favor? If I take one thousand off my asking price, would you introduce us, maybe put a good word in for me. Seriously, my cock throbbed when I saw her and I need to harass her just to get it out of my system.”

Without warning, Jericho opened up the top right drawer, pulled out his gun which already had the silencer attached, and shot the guy square in the forehead. From the corner of his eye, Jericho noticed that Bennet didn’t even wince.

“That idiot had it coming,” Bennet said. He looked at Jericho, slight concern in his tawny gaze. “You okay, boss?”

Jericho stared at the body in front of him with a sneer. “Get this idiot out of my club,” he told Bennet. “I don’t want a single trace of him left here. Bury his body where no one will find him. Not that anyone would miss him anyway.”

“You got it,” Bennet said.

Jericho leaned back in his chair, relief sweeping through his body. He wouldn’t have to worry about Bob the Buyer again. And, unbeknownst to Annie, neither would she.

Chapter 9

It wasn’t long before the gossip magazines picked up on the fact that Jericho was now dating the same woman longer than a week. They ran the pictures from their time at the Gala from their first week together, and as Annie peered over one at the kitchen table the next morning, she couldn’t help but run a critical eye over the shot of them on the cover. She looked stiff and awkward, but Jericho still looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. She had no idea how she had won him over; it wasn’t as though she had been trying to. She had hoped to hate him for the rest of her life but she found that that plan completely backfired.

Instead, she had fallen in love with him.

“I like that shot of us,” he said from behind her, surprising her at his ability to sneak up on her without a sound.

“You’re looking at me like I’m something otherworldly,” Annie murmured, pushing the paper aside and taking the offered mug of coffee from his hands without even looking up. How was it that they hadn’t been together for a month and somehow they had fallen into a comfortable routine while also still maintaining the passion they had for each other. That was the dream, wasn’t it? To be comfortable and lustful simultaneously?

“Because you are,” he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. He slid at his usual seat across from her, wearing a sleeveless muscle shirt that clung to his long torso and revealed his broad shoulders and muscled arms. He wore sweatpants that clung to his ankles and, as usual, bare feet. Jericho didn’t wear socks unless he absolutely had to. He brought his own mug to his lips and took a long sip of coffee, black.

“Are you okay with this?” she asked skeptically, perking her brows. “I just, I know you’re a private guy and the fact that you seem serious with me means they have a lot more stuff to talk about.”

“First off,” Jericho said, keeping his eyes on her even though his hand was on his newspaper. “I am serious about you. I would marry you tomorrow if I thought you’d say yes.”

“Excuse me?” she asked, flabbergasted. “You would marry me?”

“Of course,” he said.

“But… why?” This made no sense to her. “You barely know me.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I know enough,” he said. “You’re an educated accountant with lawyer friends and you graduated with honors from the University of Seattle. Your parents are dead and you have an older brother who’s good at his job but somewhat misguided. Your greatest fear is being alone and you bite the inside of your bottom lip when you’re worried. Unlike most people, you get quiet when you’re nervous and you make decisions based on your rationalizations rather than your emotions, which is practical. Except when it comes to this house.” He bit his lip as a smile broke out on his face. “This house is incredibly dear to you. It was my only bargaining chip to persuade you to open up to me. I know your favorite position is underneath me, when I have all of the control and you especially love when I hurt you just a little bit. Maybe leave a mark on you, spank you.” His eyes darkened just talking about it and Annie felt the inside of her thighs start to moisten. “And I know for a fact you would look absolutely sexy with my child growing in your stomach.”

Annie clenched her jaw. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, but she had a feeling Jericho could read her thoughts, her body language.

“You looked absolutely amazing last night,” he said, his voice dropping an octave and causing a shiver to tingle throughout her body. “If I didn’t have to kill that man for touching you, I would have messed you in my office.”

“You killed that guy?” Annie asked, surprised. It was strange to find her insides completely used to a statement like this. There was no resistance in it, not even a swirl of guilt. She was frustrated, but for a completely different reason. “Were you careless?”

“Do you even have to ask?” he asked. “No one is allowed to touch you, Annie. Everyone needs to realize the consequences of their actions.”

“You’re not going to blame me for my outfit?” she asked, quirking a curious brow.

“Why would I blame you for your outfit?” he asked, as though the question itself was ridiculous. “You looked stunning last night. You look stunning always but last night… Goodness. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you. And neither could anyone else.” He reached out and curled an errant strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear. He clenched his jaw, anger lighting the pale green. “I’m not sure who you dated before but I want to make it clear to me that you are allowed to wear whatever you want when you go out with me or your friends or by yourself. If any man touches because he doesn’t understand that you don’t want to him to touch you, that is on him and not you. Do you understand?”

Annie bit her bottom lip and nodded. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to that lip and he couldn’t help but stare at it.

“We should,” she said slowly, just as he reached out to touch her bottom lip. It was like he was obsessed with it. And maybe he was. That wasn’t a big deal, was it? Why would it be? But she needed to focus on the task at hand, even if his touch was distracting. And tempting. “We should talk.”

Instead of making a snarky comment about how those words said in tandem could never mean anything good, he picked his eyes up so they would lock with hers.

“Probably a good idea,” he agreed. His voice still had that husk to it. Her body was still covered in goosebumps.

“What are we?” she asked, deciding to be direct rather than dance around it. She didn’t think they were simply friends. There was more to their relationship, a dark attraction that wasn’t exactly typical, that rested between them. And she wanted to figure out what they were to the best of her abilities so they could get on the same page.

She knew they had discussed this the other day as well. Briefly, before he distracted her with pleasure and perfect words. She had been asking, at the time, because she was scared. Now, she wasn’t scared anymore. Now, she was confident in herself and in Jericho and what it meant to be with him. Still, she wanted to label it because, like the majority of society, labeling something came with a set of expectations.

“That depends,” he told her. “Are you going to marry me?”

She laughed. “Now?” she asked. “Um, are you being serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be serious?” he asked softly, tilting his head to the side at that awkward angle. “Marriage is not to be taken lightly. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t mean it.”

Annie thought about it. Did she want to marry Jericho? She had never thought about it. She liked being his, she liked the fact that she was the only one who belonged to him. Marriage would solidify that bond. It wouldn’t – shouldn’t – change anything. It would just make things legal between them.

“I’m sure you want to put together a prenup before we get married,” she said slowly. She couldn’t believe she was actually considering his offer. She was crazy. Yeah, she was crazy for him as well. She just wasn’t as comfortable admitting that out loud the way he was.

“Actually, I don’t,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “You can leave me and get my riches. Heck, I’ll throw your house into it as well, if you really want that. I just don’t think you’ll leave me.”

“And why do you think that?” she asked, arching a playful but challenging brow.

He cocked his lips into a smile. “Because,” he told her, his voice low. Just above a whisper. “You’re just as crazy as I am.”

“So, you would marry me, a stranger, with no prenup,” she said slowly. “Why would you do that?”

“I already plan to spend the rest of my life with you anyway,” Jericho said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What’s the difference between a piece of paper and not having that piece of paper.”

“Uh, health benefits, for one,” Annie pointed out. “I could also stay by your side in the hospital. Filing together might ding our taxes since our combined income would be even more, although that might not really matter to you.”

He chuckled. “You are so logical, do you realize that?” he asked. “It’s something I love about you.”

“I like to think I’m practical,” she murmured. “It helps me keep a cool head. I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It calms me down.”

“But those things would benefit you, you know,” Jericho said slowly. “You would never have to worry about anything again. I would put the deed to your house back in your name so if you ever did decide to leave me, you would have somewhere to go. Not that I’m trying to buy your agreement or anything, but…” He shrugged and a light blush caressed his sharp cheekbones.

“Are you blushing?” Annie asked with wide eyes.

“Well, I’m not sure how to react,” he told her. “It’s not like I’ve asked anyone else to marry me before.”

Annie smiled, running her fingers through his hair. “I still don’t understand why you picked me,” she murmured. “I’m not trying to fish for compliments or to throw myself a pity party. But, to be honest, I don’t understand why, out of all the beautiful, intelligent women you’ve been with, why you decided to settle with me.”

He furrowed his brows. “I wouldn’t be settling with you,” he corrected. “I wish I could tell you. I mean, I could list all of your amazing qualities but I don’t think that’s what you want to hear. You want to know why you’re worthy of my hand in marriage when, in reality, I should be the one questioning my worth to you. The love I have for you can’t be measured in character traits, Annie. You’re the complete package and I admire you, respect you, and trust you. Marriage might be an extreme step, and I completely understand your hesitation. I would wait for however long you want to wait until you finally gave me the honor of becoming my wife. But I would tell you the same thing then that I know now: I know you’re the one, Annie.”

Annie smiled and shook her head. It was exactly what she wanted to hear. It was almost too perfect, if she was being honest.

“May I ask you a question?” she asked.

He nodded. “You can ask me anything,” he told her sincerely.

“Before me,” she said and she nearly rolled her eyes at the fact that she was cause for change in him. It sounded too cheesy. “Before me, you hadn’t been reported to be steady with anyone. Why is that?” Immediately, she looked away. “I know it’s none of my business. Your past is your past and I respect that. But I still want to know why you’re jumping from being single to suddenly wanting to get married to me.” She added quickly, “I do believe you love me. I’m not questioning that. And even though it’s a strange concept for me to wrap my head around, I’m open to believing you and I were destiny. Or fate. Or soul mates. Or whatever you want to call it. But why the extreme jump?”

“Don’t you think if I had found someone I wanted to settle down with, I would have?” he asked without malice in his tone. “I’ve always been the type of guy who wants to be with someone. I’ve been alone practically my whole life, Annie. You know this. I’ve told you this. But no one has given me a reason to want to settle down.”

Supermodels are pretty, sure, and they're great to have on my arm as arm candy. But that doesn't mean I want to settle down with them. And I definitely don't want to be with someone who's after my money."

Annie shot him a teasing smile. "And how do you know I'm not after your money?" she asked with a raised brow. "I am, after all, a lowly accountant and I still sometimes live paycheck to paycheck. You would be the solution to my problem."

He smiled, a slow thing that crawled onto his face and looked mischievous, like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

"Because," he told her slowly. "I know you. I remember the night we met. Do you?" He quirked a brow.

"How could I forget?" she asked.

"Right, well, once it was decided that I would get ownership of your parents' house, you told me you would be willing to pay me rent so you could get it in your name," he told her. "No games. No manipulation. You could have batted your eyelashes or flirted with me to try to get your way. Granted, it wouldn't have worked. But you didn't even try. And that was how I knew you didn't give a hoot about my money."

"Hmm," she murmured, more to herself than to Jericho. "I completely forgot about that."

"Of course you would," he told her, his eyes bright. "Because something like that is who you are so it's nothing to remember. But to me, I'm constantly surrounded by people who want money, people who are grown and fully capable of working hard and earning a living, who seem to think the world owes them something."

Annie snorted. "That sounds like Bruce," she muttered, shaking her head.

She hadn't given much thought to her brother in the past couple of weeks, since she last spoke to him. There was a shot to her heart, a dull ache she had been able to ignore for the past couple of weeks thanks to Jericho's ability to distract her from all the bad things without even knowing it. Now, however, she couldn't simply ignore the fact that she missed her brother. Yeah, she told him never to talk to her again, but now that she calmed down, even she realized that she could talk a big game but she got over it quick.

"Bruce isn't that bad, Annie," Jericho said in a gentle voice. "He asks about you since he knows I've been at your place. He's a hard worker and he's shown me all the receipts. He is investing in that property." He paused, hesitating, and then, "Maybe you should call him."

Annie looked at Jericho’s face and she could tell he was being genuine.  He wasn’t trying to meddle.  Still, she felt herself get a tad defensive at his suggestion.  The wound was still fresh, still raw, and it hurt particularly when Jericho was the one with dripping salt.

“I told him not to make me ask you for the money,” she decided to explain.  Her voice was tight but controlled.  Perhaps if he heard her side of things, maybe he would understand where she was coming from.  Heck, he might even agree with her and retract that statement.  “I told him I didn’t want to.  I told him what that would mean.  It felt like he was choosing that cabin over my feelings.  He was putting me in an awkward situation, asking you.  We barely knew each other.”

“Yeah, but he must have known I would have done anything for you,” he said.

“You would have done anything for me?” Annie asked, deadpan.  She cocked her head to the side.  “We barely knew each other.”

He shrugged.  “So?” he asked, cocking his head at that odd angle.  “I knew I loved you the minute I saw you.  Certainly you know that.  I’ve told you that.”

“I do,” she agreed with a nod.  “I do.  It’s just… it’s just hard for me to wrap my head around that.”  She looked into those pale green eyes and he tucked a strand behind her ear.  “And anyway, there’s no way that Bruce would have known that.  When Bruce gets something in his head, all logic goes out the window.  That’s how it’s always been for him.  He wanted me to ask you because he knew there was no way he could pay you back.”

Jericho nodded.  It seemed as though he was taking in her words, letting them sink in, and thinking carefully before he decided to respond.

“I know,” he told her.

“And I told him, I said if he made me do this, I didn’t want anything to do with him,” she told him, her eyes wide and serious.  “I warned him.”

“Maybe he didn’t think-“

“I know,” Annie aid, interrupting him.  “He probably didn’t take me seriously.  But that’s not my problem.  And now, if I want him to take me seriously again, I can’t…”  She let her voice trail off, biting her bottom lip to say anything.

“If you follow through, it won’t matter if he takes you seriously or not,” he pointed out gently.

Annie opened her mouth but stopped.  She wanted to react, she wanted to defend herself, but she allowed his words to sink in and slowly let them spill over her.  Maybe… maybe Jericho was right.  Maybe she should give him a chance.

“Look, he’s your brother,” Jericho continued.  “I understand your frustration with him and I can’t imagine how hurt you were when he still made you ask me for money, knowing he could potentially lose you.  But I also understand having a dream and being stubborn about it. I was the same way and there were tons of friends I lost in the process because they didn’t understand and I wasn’t about to stop my progress to make them feel better about themselves.”

“Yeah,” Annie said, taking what Jericho said into consideration. “But the thing is, he’s never mentioned it before. He has one dream one day but never follows through. That’s the story of Bruce’s life. And it’s frustrating because he puts all that time and effort into it and then once work gets hard, he gives up. It’s really frustrating and it just really upset me that I told him I didn’t want to do that. I told him and-“

“I know,” he said, gently cutting her off. “I know. But try to look at it from his perspective. Don’t you think he knows people don’t have high expectations for him? I’m sure he knows exactly what you’re thinking when he tells you he borrowed fifty grand and never paid me back. That he had to resort giving me your house as a way to pay off his debt. As a man, that really hits her pride, especially knowing what happened to your parents.”

“What does that have anything to do with it?” Annie asked, cocking her head to the side.

“He’s your older brother,” Jericho said as though it was obvious but not intending to make her feel stupid. “You guys don’t have any other family. I’m pretty sure he feels responsible for you. And giving up your house, to him, means letting you down.”

“Well, why even put himself in that situation?” Annie asked. She didn’t mean to sound so defensive but she couldn’t help it. The fact of the matter was that Bruce had made his choice. And it wasn’t her. And that hurt. “Why even put me in that situation when all he needed to do was talk to me about his dream? We could have worked something out. I’m an accountant, for goodness’ sake.”

“Okay, I get where you’re coming from,” Jericho said, and he did sound sincere. “But look at it from his point of view. If he did as you claim you want and came to you, looking for some support about another dream he had, are you telling me you would have taken him seriously? Or would you have written him off again? And I’m not here to judge you, Annie. I have no idea what I would do if I was in your position, to be honest. But you would probably have written him off as one of his schemes, you would have said no, and then he would have been in the same position as he was before. I’m not trying to say he’s right and you’re wrong but I do kind of know where he’s coming from.”

“Personal experience?” she asked, quirking a brow.

“Something like that,” he replied. “Maybe not with family but with friends. I was never taken seriously because people assumed I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, which meant people either fly a kite or they hated me for no apparent reason. My degree says I’m a lot smarter than I really am because the professors knew if I graduated with honors, my father would donate a new building. Suffice to say, the majority of my fellow students hated me, which was understandable.”

“That’s not understandable,” Annie said. “Why is it okay to hate someone just because of their circumstances? I’m sure if anyone had the opportunity to switch lives with you, they would have.”

Jericho shrugged. “That’s okay,” he told her, his tone serious. “Here’s the thing. It helped shaped me into who I am today. I know I’m not perfect at all. I have my flaws. But it’s made me fiercely loyal to those I care about, and I don’t particularly care about a lot of people. I would kill for those I love, whether to protect them or to prevent something from happening. I’m not afraid to do what I need to do in order to ensure you’re safe.” His eyes darkened as he looked at her, a primal look tainting the pale green.

Annie swallowed. She recognized that look. It showed hunger and desire and something darker, something almost inhuman. Somehow, that look caused her pelvis to throb and she squeezed her walls together to keep from giving herself away even though he couldn’t see and probably couldn’t tell.

“This is an important thing about me, Annie,” he told her seriously. “And I need you to know it before we get more serious. I’m not like your other boyfriends. I don’t tend to get serious about the girls I date but I’m definitely serious about you. When I tell you I would kill for you, I mean it. When I tell you I would do anything to ensure your happiness, I mean it. I guess people might say I’m intense. People confuse my intensity with me being controlling and that’s not true. There’s a difference. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Annie nodded because she couldn’t do anything else. She wasn’t able to speak at the moment.

“If you don’t want to be with me anymore, I will let you go,” Jericho told her. “Why would I want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me? It makes no sense for me to waste my time, my energy, and my money on someone who doesn’t want to be with me? You can wear whatever you want and do whatever you want. You can see your friends as often as you want and work for whatever job you choose. My job isn’t to tell you what I think is good for you, it’s bringing out the best that’s already inside you out. I’m here to help you reach your full potential.

“If a guy looks at you or hits on you or asks for your number, I’m not going to get mad at you or even at him,” Jericho continued. “I can’t really blame the guy for trying when you’re so gorgeous. But if a guy doesn’t understand what no means, if he touches you or demeans you or insults you – especially if he has the balls to do so in front of me – I can promise you I will beat the trash out of him if I don’t kill him first. No one disrespects you to me. I will not tolerate that behavior.

If anyone in your past has hurt you or betrayed you or taken something from you, I will make them pay for it. I will make them regret the day they hurt you. You are mine to protect. Does this change the way you feel about me?”

Annie shook her head. “No,” she told him.

Jericho clenched his jaw. “Good,” he told her. “That’s very good news. I suppose now that I have your blessing, I can finally marry you.”

Annie felt herself start to laugh, even though it wasn’t exactly funny. The awkwardness reigned over her body and she just reacted instead of thinking too much about how she was being perceived.

“Why are you laughing?” Jericho asked, raising his brow. His face was serious but not offended. He was just looking at her with a peculiar look on his face, wrinkling his brow and causing her to lose her breath. He was so perfect, so beautiful, it hurt to look at him sometimes. If he told her to walk through fire, she probably would.

Truth be told, she had no idea how she got here, what happened to get her to this point in her life. She remembered the Annie before Jericho and couldn’t believe she had survived so long being so blind. She had been closed-minded, she thought she knew everything about everything, and she had hated Jericho without fully understanding who he was and why he did the things he did. Before she really understood him, she had been merely surviving. Just getting by. She thought she had been happy, but that wasn’t the case at all. Now she understood.

Being with Jericho changed everything, from the way she viewed things to the values she thoughts she held so dear. The justice system she had believed so much in was something skewed and wrong now. Nobody seemed to care about why things were done the way they were done. No one questioned why something was deemed right or acceptable while other things were labeled as wrong.

Jericho was the best man she had the pleasure of knowing. He was kind and honest and sweet. He took care of her and promoted a variety of charities which he donated to on a regular basis. He was one of the best bosses she knew and a lot of that came from her brother, who worked for him. He scheduled meetings with his employees and spoke to them personally about any ideas they had and how they liked their job. More than that, he actually cared about what they had to say. He took them seriously. What other boss did that? None she knew.

“It’s just,” she began, shaking her head. “Marriage, Jericho? Are you sure?”

“I’ve been sure about you the minute I saw you in my club, giving me a dirty look and trying not to look afraid of my bodyguards,” he told her. “I’ve told you this many, many times you know. Why would you be surprised that I would want to marry you?”

“Because marriage is serious,” she told him as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Marriage changes things.”

“It’s not supposed to,” Jericho told her, his tone serious.

Annie shot him a look. “How can you say that?” she asked. “Of course marriage changes things.”

“What I’m saying is that it shouldn’t,” he said. “Hear me out. Everyone thinks that marriage is just a piece of paper, right?”

Annie shrugged. “I guess some do,” she allowed, “but I’m not one of those people. Marriage isn’t just a piece of paper to me. I believe in the system and people take it for granted and trash on it every day. Love isn’t just a feeling, it’s a lifestyle. You can’t just say the words and think they’re true, you have to mean them. You have to show them. Getting married should be done because two people love each other, not because two people have something to prove or are going to have a baby or something else. There should be no other reason to get married than to get married.”

“I completely agree with everything you’re saying,” Jericho pointed out. “I don’t think you’re wrong about any of this.”

“Okay, so we’re on the same page,” Annie said.

Jericho’s lips curled up into an amused smile. “Not quite,” he told her. “If you have a great relationship with someone, marriage isn’t going to make it worse. If you have a nasty relationship, marriage isn’t going to make it better. Can we at least agree on that?”

“Of course,” Annie said, playfully rolling her eyes.

“Good,” Jericho continued. “So marriage isn’t going to change things one way or another. You just admitted it.” He smirked. “You and I, when we get married, our relationship is still going to continue to thrive. One piece of paper isn’t going to change that. Obviously there are plenty of legal reasons why marriage is beneficial to both parties, but quite honestly, I don’t care about stuff like that. I’m going to marry you regardless of all of that.”

“Really?” She raised a brow. “You realize you haven’t even asked me yet, right?”

“I will,” he told her. “I just want you to be prepared, so it isn’t a shock to you.”

Annie laughed. “Isn’t that what a marriage proposal is?” she asked.

“I suppose,” he said. “But not for me. I want you to know that I intend to marry you someday. Probably soon.”

“Soon?”

“Soon,” he told her. “Maybe in a week.”

“A week?”

“A week.”

“And where do you propose we get married?” Annie asked, deciding to humor him. “A courthouse?”

“Absolutely not,” he told her. “There’s a meadow I know, just out of the city. I could put a deposit today. You could go shopping for your dress. We could get a recording crew, a photographer. You could invite everyone you know.”

“Or we could elope,” Annie murmured.

“Elope?” he asked. He sounded surprised that she would even humor him in the first place. “Just you and me?”

“Just you and me,” she agreed.

“You would marry me then?”

Annie stopped to really consider. This whole relationship was still new and it was scary and awesome and wonderful. Marriage was a serious commitment. Would she be taking it seriously if she married a man she only knew for a couple months?

But she didn’t care.

“Yes,” she said with a small smile. “I’ll marry you.”

Chapter 10

To be honest, Annie had never had this much sex in her life. She had done it with her boyfriend in college, and then, after they broke up, rebounded with a guy a couple of times. But nothing after that. Which was perfectly fine. Annie found she could survive without sex, especially since she knew her body better than anyone. But once she got with Jericho, he seemed incapable of not touching her and it wasn’t long before they were in some way, whether it was in the bed, on the couch, against a wall, in the shower. She hadn’t realized how much pleasure she could incur because of one man and she found herself wanting sex more than she had before.

But it was more than just sex with Jericho. There were actual feelings involved, despite her best efforts. He was the perfect gentleman, even though he was a notorious bad boy. She saw with her own eyes just what he was capable of doing if he felt he needed to. He did that within a couple of weeks of knowing her – he killed someone because they were going to hurt her. He hadn’t even warned him, hadn’t even fought him. It was one shot in the head with such accurate precision…

Annie was confident in his feelings as well. He claimed it was love at first sight when he saw her in his office during that fateful meeting that Bruce had all but forced her to come to. One look, and he was done for. He had even dropped hints of marrying her, which was crazy but also extremely romantic and highly illogical. Jericho was a wealthy bachelor – marrying her could risk his business and his wealth and his reputation.

But he seemed intent on taking that risk.

He told her he loved her and didn’t balk when she didn’t say it back. He looked for every reason to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her. It made her feel desired, sexy, and she had never really felt that way about herself before.

And what about her? She had changed drastically in the month since she had known him. She was less judgmental, more open-minded, more forgiving. She started to justify Jericho’s behavior and focus on the amazing qualities he had instead of thinking too much about his negative qualities. He had won her over before she even knew what he had been doing, before she even had a chance. And she wasn’t as upset about it as she could be.

Currently, she was staring at herself in a full-length mirror, ready to walk down the aisle. They had only started dating a month ago. Was she insane? Probably. But at least she knew she was acting completely idiotic. However, just because she recognized it did not prevent her from stopping herself from actually taking the plunge. He had paid for everything, of course: the last-minute venue at a gorgeous meadow just outside the city overlooking the lake, her wedding dress, their honeymoon. He told her to invite whoever she wanted, but she preferred that it would be just the two of them, like a local elopement.

She wore a simple white wedding dress, with thick straps that barely covered all of her shoulders. The neck was scooped and because the sleeves were just over her shoulders, nearly all of her collarbone and a classy hint of cleavage showed. The dress tightened at the waist and flared out at the hips. She had never been a fan of frilly dresses but this one puffed out a bit because, well, every wedding dress should puff. It was her one chance to truly feel like a princess, especially considering she was getting married to the Prince of Seattle. Her hair was down, parted down the middle, with a simple wreath of pink and white flowers over her head. To be honest, she looked like a modern hippie, which she didn’t have a problem with. Her makeup was light – pink lips, mascara, eye shadow, light blush. No eyeliner because she didn’t feel it was needed. Jericho had offered to have a makeup artist and hair stylist come out and do it so she didn’t have to worry about it, but Annie gently refused. She actually wanted to do this herself.

A gentle knock on the door indicated that it was time. She sucked in a breath. Her heart started to race. She turned to the small sink in the small room and grabbed her bouquet of white and pink roses. Her feet weren’t sore. She opted for beaded flats rather than high heels, which seemed to fit the innocence of her look more than the heels would have.

Once she had her bouquet, she opened the door and met the photographer.

“We’re ready in the field,” he told her in a low voice. He was from New York and his accent, while subtle, was still somewhat prevalent. “Jericho and the pastor are waiting. I’m to lead you to the exit and then set up. Jericho instructed me to photograph everything. We’re also filming. Do you have any questions?”

Annie could barely speak, let alone figure out if she had any questions. Instead, she shrugged and plastered a smile on her face. “I’m ready,” she told him. It amazed her that she wasn’t lying. Every bone in her body was ready for this. As crazy as it sounded, as crazy as it was, she was going to marry Jericho and she had absolutely no regrets about it.

The door opened. She took a breath.

In all honesty, the wedding ceremony wasn’t much to remember. She was glad Jericho had it recorded so they would have a copy of it for the rest of their lives. Everything happened so fast and it was hard to really stay in the moment. There were a couple of parts, however, that really stuck out in her mind. The biggest thing was the way he looked when he first saw her. She was glad the photographer snapped a picture of that because she wanted to remember that look for the rest of her life. He looked at her like she was an angel, a goddess, something to be worshiped and adored, something to treasure above anything else.

He looked deliriously handsome in his own tuxedo. Annie had no idea how he managed to find one that fit him so well in such a short amount of time. Then again, there were perks of being Jericho, she supposed. His hair was slicked back. Even his black shoes were shiny and new. Everything about him was in place. He looked flawless. He looked exactly the way she expected him to look.

When she reached him, she realized she hadn’t even thought about the fact that her father wasn’t there to walk her down the aisle. Instead of feeling guilty, she felt elated. That Jericho could distract her enough where she wasn’t saddened by her parents’ loss during her big day. Granted, they would probably question her sanity for getting married so young and with a near-stranger, but eventually, they would come around. She knew they would. Bruce, on the other hand, might be more upset.

Actually, she hadn’t spoken to Bruce since Jericho had cut him a check for five grand that night at the club, when Jericho had brought her pasta and Bruce had picked money over his sister. Even so, she still wished he was here. She still missed him.

This is stupid, she thought. Maybe I should call him. Maybe he should have been the one to walk me down the aisle.

But would he have come at all? Would he be supportive? Or would he just be happy that she was marrying the wealthiest guy in Seattle? She hated that she was so bitter but she couldn’t help it. It was hard to trust Bruce now. She wanted to but… It was hard. He hadn’t even reached out, just to see if she was okay. Surely he knew they were together, her and Jericho. Was he upset about that? Did he support it? Had he asked Jericho for more money now that Jericho and she were together, like he had some kind of right to do something like that in the first place?

Still. She wanted him here. Even if he was upset. Even if he didn’t support her.

The second thing that really got to her was the exchange of rings. There was electricity running between them. When he took her hand in his, sparks flew. She didn’t get the chance to purchase a ring for him herself. Instead, he opened a credit card for her and she purchased a simple black ring, promising to pay him back immediately.

Again, practical. Not exactly romantic.

But that was okay. Every relationship was different and she could appreciate that their relationship was much more off-kilter than ones she was typically used to.

Honestly? That was… okay. She was more okay with it than she thought she would be, but that was the power of Jericho. He had this innate ability to make people fall in love with him. He made her fall in love with him in a couple of weeks. She hadn’t really loved someone – even someone who ticked all her boxes – that quickly ever.

Was she crazy? Or was Jericho different? Was he the one she was meant to be with?

It didn’t matter. She had made her choice.

The wedding was just over a half hour but felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. The pastor recited from Proverbs, a couple of verses from the Bible. Rings were exchanged.

And vows?

They didn’t write vows. They both decided against it. There was nothing more that needed to be said between them. He could read her eyes clearly and she could read his. If they did want to say something, that could be done later, when it was just the two of them.

The pastor asked for any naysayers but nobody spoke. Jericho and Annie wouldn’t have listened either way.

Then, for their first kiss, Jericho cupped the back of her head – it was her favorite feeling, the utter control and desire she felt when he did that made her tingle all over – tilted it back, and placed his mouth on hers. There was no tongue but their mouths were open and the kiss was intimate.

When they broke apart, both smiled.

“I am honored to introduce you all to Mr. and Mrs. Steel,” he said.

Steel, Annie thought. She hadn’t realized his last name was Steel since everyone referred to him as just Jericho. Annie Steel. I like it. It has a nice ring to it.

They took more pictures together and proceeded to kiss some more as well. When that was finished, the limo took them back to their home in the woods. They had an early flight in the morning to Hawaii, where they were going to honeymoon together for two weeks.

But, for now, they would focus on their wedding night.

There was no reception. No gifts awaited them at their home. Somehow, despite the media frenzy Jericho caused, nobody knew just yet that he had actually gotten married. This made Annie happy to no end. Nobody knew her, of course. Once the world did find out, she would be surprised if anyone cared to learn her name. It was more about the fact that Jericho was married than who he was married to. Either way, it felt nice to have him all to herself for now. Their marriage, a secret.

When they got back to their room, there was a familiar beat up pickup truck sitting in the driveway. Annie’s brows shot up to the sky. What was Bruce doing here? He wasn’t in the car, which meant he had to be inside. Even though she occupied the house, Annie never made him give her his key back. She always thought that maybe he would drop by and things would return to normal. As normal as they could be, after everything they had been through.

But she hadn’t been expecting him at all. And as Jericho helped her out of the car, she felt her heart start to race. She was nervous, more nervous than when she got married. Which didn’t make any sense. Why would she care about seeing Bruce again?

Because this time was different, a voice in her head pointed out. She wasn’t just his sister anymore. She was Jericho’s wife.

“You okay?” Jericho asked as he helped her out of the car. He kept his fingers laced with hers even after closing the door.

“It’s Bruce’s car,” she said, nodding her head at the truck.

“Yeah,” Jericho agreed. “I called him.”

“You what?” Annie asked, snapping her head in his direction, eyes wide.

“Listen, it’s none of my business, whatever it is that’s happening between the two of you, but this is our big day,” he said. “I don’t have family – except for you now. But you, you’re lucky enough to have your brother. And I wanted him to be here for you because he can be. And when I told him, he wanted to be at our wedding but he was respectful enough to give us our space. So I invited him to our place for dinner before we enjoy our night together. I’m certain I was rather presumptuous and you can hate me all you want but I know how much you miss him and I just thought-“

Jericho wasn’t able to finish that sentence because Annie had leaped into his arms and thrown her arms around her neck.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

He looked down at her, his eyes searching hers. “I have an idea,” he murmured before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “Come on. I’m sure he’s been waiting a while.”

“What kind of food did you get?” she asked as he put her back on the ground and they made their way to the door.

“I think he said something about Chinese,” Jericho told her. “He insisted on paying for it himself.”

“Chinese,” Annie said with a grin. “My favorite.”

Jericho unlocked the door and headed to the kitchen and dining room. There was Bruce, in an eighties-styled powder-blue tuxedo, his messy brown hair as slicked back as it was ever going to be. He immediately came to a standing position and his eyes rested on Annie.

“Wow,” he said, looking her up and down. “Mom and Dad would have been so proud of you, Annie.”

Annie felt her eyes fill up with unshed tears. “Do you really think so?” she asked. She hated how emotional she was. She wasn’t the type to get emotional over anything, certainly not about being married. But this was different. Her brother was here and staring at him now, she almost regretted the fact that he wasn’t at their wedding.

But that was between you and Jericho, a voice in her head pointed out. You got to keep that moment between the two of you.

Plus, he was here now. Because of Jericho.

Bruce stepped toward her tentatively, unsure if he should approach her or not. She smiled and stepped to him, erasing the distance between them. He threw his arms around her and enveloped her in his warmth. He rested his chin on hers and she could somehow feel him smiling against her. It was only at that moment when the tears started to fall freely to the point where even she couldn’t hold them back. And, quite honestly, she wasn’t ashamed. He was her brother and she missed him dearly. It felt like forever since the last time they spoke together and she was so relieved to hold him in her arms again, feel his closeness. He was all she had. Well, him and now Jericho.

She pulled apart and gave Jericho an awed look.

“Yeah,” Bruce said. “Jericho called me and basically told me that you guys were getting married. Granted, it might be a little rushed but I think to each his own, right? You guys do you. And it’s clear you both really care for one another so if it works, it works. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to be there with you but I also get that you have to do what’s best for you. You guys are married now and that means Brucey comes second, which is fine. As long it’s to a guy who deserves you. And I’m happy to say, Jericho does.”

Annie shot him a look of disbelief. How the heck did Bruce know anything about Jericho? Besides the fact that he worked for the guy, Bruce and Jericho didn’t actually talk, did they?

“Look, maybe I don’t know him the way you do,” Bruce told Annie, immediately recognizing the look on her face. He shot a smile at Jericho. “I’m sorry. We’re talking about you like you’re not here. That’s rude.”

Jericho waved away his concern. “It just makes me happy to see the two of you talking,” he said, and Annie could hear the sincerity in his voice. She thought she fell even more in love with him right there.

“How’s the cabin?” she said, turning to see the Chinese food set out with three plates. Bruce, of course, had chopsticks next to his plate while Annie had a plastic fork. He had tried so often to teach her how to use chopsticks but to no avail. It never worked. Next to Jericho’s plate there was a set of chopsticks and a plastic fork, leaving it up to his new brother-in-law to decide.

“It’s great,” Bruce said, plopping down in his seat. “You should really see it, Annie. You’d love it. Actually, both of you would. You should stay there sometime in the future. Completely free, of course. Maybe you could review me on TripMaster or something.”

“So,” Annie said, reaching across the table and grabbing the carton with kung pao chicken. She poured a generous amount on her plate before grabbing the fried rice and then the chow mein noodles. “You actually got the fireplace installed?”

“Oh, yeah,” he said, running his fingers through his hair and taking some of Annie’s kung pao chicken before she could smack him out of the way with her plastic fork. “It’s perfect, Annie. I’m serious.”

“Perfect doesn’t tell me how it looks,” Annie drawled before she quirked her brow.

“It’s one of those things you have to experience in person,” he told her. “So.” He shifted his eyes between the couple and smirked. “How was the wedding?”

Annie didn’t need an excuse to start talking about the wedding. She grinned and launched into a detailed explanation. Every now and then, Jericho would add a piece of information but was happy just to let Annie take over. She hadn’t even called her friends and told them. They didn’t even know she was married.

After another couple of hours of talking, catching up, and reading canned fortunes from the fortune cookies, Bruce excused himself so he could give the newlyweds the privacy they deserved on their wedding night. Annie pulled Jericho into a tight hug after he shut the door.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “You have no idea what that meant to me.”

“I have an idea,” he murmured with a smile before pulling her into a long, passionate kiss. She truly believed she had kissed his lips a thousand times and somehow, he still sent shockwaves to the tips of her toes and awoke butterflies from cocoons in her stomach. “Let’s really take advantage of the fact that right now, there’s just you and me in the world. We have all the time we want to do whatever it is you want. And right now, I want nothing more than to explore your body with my mouth.”

Annie swallowed but she felt her lips curl up. She threw her arms around his neck and brought him in closer for a deep kiss. His tongue immediately demanded entrance, like this was their first kiss and he was exploring her for the first time. His fingers buried themselves in her hair so he could completely control the positioning of her head. His grip, while gentle, was firm, as though he wanted her to know that he was the one that was in control, not her, and it would be beneficial if she understood and respected this.

He swooped her up in his arms and slowly headed up the stairs. He was familiar with the layout of the house now and didn’t have to look to see where he was going, whether he was getting a midnight snack in the dark or he was walking the stairs. His eyes were on her and not his feet. The stairs were even and he could place his foot on each one without having to worry about under or overstepping.

Annie’s heart thudded against her chest so loud she was certain Jericho could hear it. She wondered what he thought that she still had a nervousness around him, that she still got butterflies and that every hair on her body stood erect whenever he touched her, whether it was with purpose or on accident.

When they got to his room, he gently placed her on the top of the mattress so she was on her stomach. Very slowly, he proceeded to undo each and every button before sliding the sleeves off her shoulders and tugging the gown off of her body. A blue garter wrapped around one thigh, a white matching bra-and-panties set, covered her just barely. She felt so vulnerable that her thighs moistened even more. He could do whatever he wanted to her and she would never know. She would never be able to stop him and didn’t want to.

He sat back down on her right side and undid her bra. Gently, he slid the straps down her shoulders and pushed her back down so he could take hold of the cups and remove them from her breasts. When he did this, he guided her back to the bed and kept her in the same position.

Jericho did the same thing with her underwear.

When she was completely naked, he crawled in next to her and made eye contact with her.

“Sit on my face,” he commanded in a gentle tone.

“What?” she asked.

“Don’t question me,” he said. “Just do it.”

Annie’s breathing hitched in her throat and she took a moment to figure out the best way to do this. She had never sat on somebody’s face before and she wanted to attempt to figure out the mechanics and why someone would want to do that. Facing him, she put both knees on either side of his face and slowly slid down until the back of her thighs hit her calves. There was still some space between her and Jericho’s face so she wasn’t smothering him. Her arms crossed her chest – she wasn’t sure what else to do with them.

“Don’t do that,” he said, reaching up and gently tugging on her arms. “I want to see you.”

Annie let her hands drop to the side. She felt Jericho place his hands on the inside of her thighs and spread her lips so he had better access to her clit.

At that moment, he licked her clit, from her entrance all the way to her front. She squirmed underneath him, her body reacting to how sensitive her body reacted to his ministrations, but his hands tightened on her and prevented her from moving. He gave her a gentle squeeze, indicating that just because she was on top of him did not mean she was in charge.

Stay, he was staying.

So she listened. Because that was what she did.

He started licking her mound back and forth slowly, ensuring that she get used to the sensation of his tongue against her clit. It felt odd, different, but he was patient and continued licking her in a steady, consistent manner until she relaxed on top of him. Her legs spread apart even further as the tension and uncertainty disappeared, and suddenly, she could feel the sensation of him licking her and she began to moan. This compelled him to speed up his licking and she cried out in shock and in pleasure. His grip tightened once more, expecting her to move away, to squirm out from his grasp, but she did not do that. She stayed on top of him, wanting to orgasm against his face.

She started grinding against him, needing to do something. But Jericho squeezed her hips again and she was forced to stay still. Which was disgustingly difficult to do. Her eyes – dark and hooded – caught sight of his body. Bare chest, rigid abdomen, and his cock hard and straining on the inside of his sweatpants. She could not believe that cock belonged to her.

Suddenly, she wanted it in her mouth. She wanted to feel it twitch, she wanted to feel him shudder underneath her, and she wanted to taste his come in her mouth as it spilled into her like a blasted water spout.

When she started feeling fluttery and out of control and helpless, she reached up and gripped her hair with her fingers, gently tugging at the roots. She needed to hold onto something, needed to transfer her grip to something. She was afraid to touch Jericho because she didn’t want to throw him off, didn’t want to distract him in any way. So she tugged at her own hair as her breathing got heavy and she felt her pelvis’s fuse burn short until she boomed.

“Oh goodness, Jericho, I’m going to-“

He didn’t stop.

She couldn’t finish her sentence. She came hard and fast over his face and he didn’t stop, even when she gasped and hitched her breathing and she thought it was too sensitive to her that she was going to scream. Only when she began to come down from this high, only when her body had shuddered its last time, did he finally stop.

“You taste delicious,” he told her.

She didn’t rest for long. Instead of sliding off of him, she reached for the band of his sweatpants and sprung his cock free.

She leaned forward, her knees hitting the bed on either side of his torso, and brought his cock to her mouth. She didn’t even start off by teasing him. She swallowed him as far as she could take him and she felt Jericho twitch underneath her and hiss a tight breath. She smirked as she continued to moisten his cock with her mouth. Now she was the one with the power and all he could do was writhe beneath her.

Once his cock was thoroughly wet with her saliva, she pulled the skin down gently to the base with her right hand and proceeded to jerk his length with her left hand while simultaneously bobbing her head up and down.

“Idiot me,” he breathed out. “Oh, dang it, where did you learn how to do that? Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

Annie kept her mouth shut. She wouldn’t have told him anyway, but she wanted him to know that she was concentrating on her task at hand, and that was her first priority. Not answering nonsensical questions about previous lovers. Just as he was about to shift into the moment where his orgasm started to build, she stopped. Keeping her hands on his cock, she moved her mouth so she could lick his balls easily. He moaned, a sound she had yet to hear from him, and her core twitched at the sound. She wondered if the women who came before played with his balls the way she played with them, and then stopped herself because she didn’t want to think about them because they were insignificant.

After a moment, Annie moved from his balls back to his cock and took him in. He was close, she knew, and she wanted to take full advantage of it. She gently twisted the skin and he cried out. She kept doing it just enough where he hissed and grunted and groaned.

"Annie," he cried out. His hands gripped the curve of her behind. If he hadn't been so focused on what she was doing, she had a feeling he would have spanked her. But he couldn't, not when it felt this good. He was at her complete mercy. His fingers dug into her sides and she knew she would bruise, but she didn't care. How could she care, when she was in complete control of the great Jericho Steel.

"I'm going to-"

He couldn't finish his sentence. She didn't stop as his cock started to twitch in her mouth and he started spilling into her like something sweet and sour and thick. And she kept moving her mouth and her hands until he was finally finished and squeezed her sides to stop.

"Goodness, Annie," he breathed out. "Goodness. How did I get so lucky to have you?"

She felt the same way.

Chapter 11

The honeymoon was in Hawaii. Naturally. Annie had never even been out of Washington so it was a whole new experience for her. She held his hand as he led her through the airport to his private jet. Was it wrong that she didn’t even know he had had a private jet before they went away on their honeymoon together? Possibly. The old Annie would never have entertained the idea of marriage to Jericho – Jericho of all people – much less gone away with him for an entire two weeks, just the two of them.

It was one heck of an experience, however. They decided to go to Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, rather than a typical destination of Maui or Kauai, based on Jericho’s recommendation. The island was quiet and not too busy but with enough activity to keep things interesting. Not that Hawaii could ever not be interesting. If it had been up to her, they would hang out by the pool and read all day. Instead, Jericho had one thing planned each day. From luau’s to parasailing, from Elvis impersonator dinner shows to swimming with dolphins, from helicopter rides that toured the island to hiking volcanic rock, Jericho had it all planned. However, he never overdid it and every day they were either at the pool – the hotel had three pools; one specifically for children, one for everyone with a water slide, and a third for adults only – or at the hotel’s private beach, reading. Jericho didn’t work at all, even though Annie knew he got tons of emails and phone calls every few minutes.

They also had lots of sex. Sex in the morning, sex at night, sex in the afternoon, just before falling asleep for a nap. Sex in the bathtub – which was not as sexy as it sounded – sex in the shower, sex against the desk, sex in the kitchen, sex on the couch, sex on the floor. Sex everywhere. If she wasn’t pregnant by the end of these two weeks, she had infertility problems.

They weren’t wearing protection. Not that they had before. She was still on birth control, however, so at least there was some protection against unwanted pregnancy. She didn’t think she was quite ready for a baby yet. Maybe Jericho would be happy.

No. Scratch that. He would be over the moon. But truthfully, Annie wanted to enjoy the time they had just the two of them for now. It had only been a couple of months, after all. There was plenty of time for a child.

The honeymoon was the best two weeks of her life. Jericho had somehow turned into her best friend and lover. Exactly the way she thought a husband was supposed to be. They could be reading side by side for hours without saying a word to one another and there would be no uncomfortable tension hanging in the air between them. It made her feel more confident in her decision to marry him. Not only was he well-versed in literature, especially nonfiction books relating to finances and business, but he didn’t need to fill the silence simply so he could hear himself speak. She had dated a guy like that in college and he annoyed the garbage out of her.

. When they weren’t eating, they were going on various activities on the island. Jericho had the enthusiasm of a child. His eyes were always grass-green and a boyish smile always tickled his lips even though Annie knew he had experienced all of this before.

“Well, yeah,” he said with a shrug when she pointed it out to him one night at dinner. They were currently eating the freshest sushi she had ever tried and she couldn’t get over how amazing the rolls were. “But I’ve never shared this with someone before. Not even my parents were as enthusiastic for this kind of stuff.”

Annie’s heart warmed at the sentiment and she blushed, looking down at her rolls of such.

Jericho was both fearless and enthusiastic, which made him the perfect travel companion. He was willing to try new things and he always had a positive attitude. Even during their couple’s massage, he was still talkative and romantic. He was… amazing.

Annie knew they would grow comfortable with each other, which meant things wouldn’t be as exciting and they would both calm down a bit, but she hoped that didn’t happen anytime soon. She loved the look currently occupying Jericho’s face – one of complete and utter happiness. In all the pictures and interviews she had seen of Jericho, she had never seen him so deliriously happy. And a lot of that came from her.

It was hard for her to wrap her head around it, but Annie was the reason for this new-found happiness. Besides the fact that he told her this on a constant basis, she felt it, too. At first, she thought this was all trash. That Jericho was too nice, too perfect, too sweet, to even be real. But the truth of the matter was she had been conditioned by society where if a guy was nice, he wanted something. That she wasn’t worthy of having a nice guy. That nice guys didn’t exist.

Except they did.

One was standing in front of her, claiming to love her with every fiber of his being.

Her. Annie.

When they finally had to leave Hawaii, Annie felt her heart sink. She had never had two blissful weeks with a guy before. They hadn’t fought, they hadn’t argued, they had simply had fun. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. Annie always had her phone on her so she could take as many pictures as she could so she would always remember this.

“Maybe once I retire, we could move to Kona,” he suggested as he hefted one of his suitcases in the overhead bin. “We could even buy a little place for your brother, too.”

Annie threw her head back and laughed. “You know,” she told him as she slid into her window seat. Jericho insisted she sit by the window. He preferred the aisle anyway. “I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland.”

“We should go to Europe in the spring,” Jericho murmured. “Can you take off a few weeks?”

Annie shook her head, laughing. She could not believe he was willing to take her to Europe in the spring. Like this was no big deal. Like they could wait last minute, head to the airport, close their eyes, and pick a destination completely at random.

The flight was long but it didn’t feel that way. Annie and Jericho both read their Kindles and Annie was actually able to nap for some of the flight despite how uncomfortable she was on planes. Jericho’s shoulder was sturdy but it felt like a pillow.

Jericho also insisted that they join the mile-high club before they started to descend into the Seattle Airport. He took her to the bathroom, pulled down her black leggings and harassed her in the tight, cramped room against the plastic wall. It was uncomfortable and sweaty, the mirror fogging up before she realized it, but God, it was fun and amazing. The feel of his cock in her at such an odd angle left her panting and wanting more. She was certain she had left marks on his clothed back from how hard she was clawing at him. He didn’t seem to mind, however.

By the time they touched down, Annie was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than the comfort of her bed. Their bed now.

Holy garbage, she was married.

She couldn’t believe that she was actually married. And to Jericho Steel, Seattle’s resident bachelor and wealthiest man in Seattle.

Annie wasn’t quite sure why it hit her now rather than during or even right after her wedding. It hadn’t even hit her on their honeymoon. But as she got into the town car that would drive them back to their place, she caught sight of the princess-cut five-karat diamond ring and her breath caught in her throat. She was married to a wonderful man and they were going to spend their entire life together. People dreamed about things like this their whole life. People killed for this. And somehow, this fell into her lap.

Because of Bruce.

If Bruce hadn’t borrowed money from Jericho, if Jericho hadn’t called an impromptu meeting, if Bruce hadn’t already been taking Annie to dinner, if Bruce hadn’t insisted on meeting with Jericho while Annie was still with him, she never would have met Jericho. Maybe fate really did exist.

“Did you take tomorrow off?” Jericho asked, cocking his head to the side.

Annie nodded through a yawn. “Yeah,” she said with a small smile. “I figured I would just take the day to get back on our time and relax.” She pressed her lips together before asking, “What about you?”

“I have a meeting in the afternoon, but after that, I’m free for the rest of the day,” he told her. “You think that’ll give you enough time to rest up?”

Annie smiled, shaking her head. “Unbelievable,” she said. “You’re not sick of me yet?”

. “That’s a stupid question,” he said with a dry tone and a roll of his eyes. “Be real, Annie. I wouldn’t have married you if I ever thought I’d get sick of you. Why do you think I never settled down with anyone else? The women were pretty, sure, and we had fun. But they couldn’t keep my attention for more than a few days. And you’d be surprised at how awful some of them were.”

Annie clenched her teeth at the mention of his past sexual escapades. She knew about them, sure, and he was entitled to his past. But that didn’t mean she wanted to hear about it. That didn’t mean she wanted to be reminded of it. Her fingers clenched into fists and she tried to think of something to change the subject with, without making it obvious she was upset.

“Are you jealous?” he asked in a low voice.

Annie opened her mouth, ready to defend herself, but stopped. His eyes had gone dark and he was waiting carefully for her reaction.

“Yes,” she told him, her voice quiet, her gaze unflinching.

Without warning, he grabbed the car remote she hadn’t even noticed before and pressed a button. A black divider rose, suddenly giving Annie and Jericho much more privacy than she anticipated they could have. When he finished, he dropped the remote to the floor like it didn’t even matter.

“Why?” he asked, his voice husky.

“Because you’re mine,” she stated. The answer was so simple, so true. “You’re mine. And anyone else who came before me borrowed what was mine. Which I never said they could.”

He clenched his jaw so hard it popped. He continued to look at her with hard eyes, not because he was angry with her response. No. He was hungry.

“Is that so?” he asked, unbuckling his seatbelt so he could scoot closer to her.

She bit her bottom lip – something she knew he liked – and nodded.

He reached out and unbuckled her seatbelt.

“And what about all the men that came before me,” he said slowly, placing his hand on her shoulder and sliding the loose sleeve down so the bare skin touched the cool air. Her eyes went wide and she gasped.

“What about them?” she managed to get out as she watched him lean forward and kiss her shoulder with his lips.

“I should just kill them all,” he murmured against her skin, causing goosebumps to burst out all over her body. “No one who has seen your naked body or felt the inside of your groin should be allowed to live.”

Annie swallowed. This should be scaring her since Jericho was notorious for following through on these promises. But, if she was being honest, his dirty talk made her soak her panties. The thought of him being this possessive made her pelvis throb and she didn’t realize how badly she wanted him until she felt her nipples harden against her bra.

His lips trailed up her neck until they found that sensitive area where her throat met her shoulder, and he sucked on her skin until she knew there would be a mark she would have to cover up with makeup tomorrow morning. Her head tilted away from him, giving him much better access to her throat to do whatever he wanted to her.

“You are mine,” he said through each kiss, his teeth gently gnawing on her skin before his tongue ran across it. “And I want everyone to know it. Take off your shirt.”

Annie glanced sideways. She knew they had privacy in the car and that the driver wouldn’t be able to hear them. But that didn’t mean there were any secret cameras positioned in the back, ready to catch Jericho on tape having sex with some woman they could sell the tape to for a trash-ton of money.

“In the car?” she questioned. Surprising even to her, she wasn’t entirely opposed to having sex with him in the backseat of a car. She didn’t even care that the chances of them being caught increased dramatically considering the fact that there was a driver a couple of feet away from them.

“Yes,” he said with one nod. “Tell me your concern.”

He already knew something was bugging her thanks to her hesitation. At least he didn’t seem upset with her or frustrated at her caution. He simply wanted to hear her out in order to help alleviate the situation.

“Cameras?” It was only one word. That was all she was concerned about.

“None,” he told her. “Do you trust me?”

She nodded once. “With everything,” she told him.

The corners of his lips twitched up. “Take off your shirt,” he repeated.

She did as he told her to without hesitation this time. Her shirt fluttered to the ground so she was left in her bra.

“Goodness, you’re beautiful,” he said, his eyes dropping to her neck, her shoulders, her collarbone, her breasts, her soft stomach, before trailing back up to her face. “Take off your seatbelt.”

She clicked it off and felt a rush of danger. His eyes sparkled with delight at the fact that she listened to him without question. He did the same thing to his own seatbelt and all but lunged for her, wrapping his arm around her throat and bringing her to him so his lips could crash onto her. With his free hand, he reached around her back and undid her bra like he was some kind of expert – which he probably was. The straps slid forward and he tugged the bra off of her, tossing it down where her shirt was.

Without waiting to stare at her naked breasts further, he sucked a nipple into his mouth and she moaned – but cut herself off due to the fact that she remembered there was a driver not two feet away from them.

“Don’t,” he snapped, bringing his head away from her breast so he could look into her eyes. “Don’t even think about not making noise. I want to hear you.”

“But the driver,” she said.

“He can’t hear you,” Jericho assured her. “But I promise you I’m going to make you come so hard, he will.”

Without waiting any longer, Jericho reached for her yoga pants and started sliding them down her legs. When she was left in her thong, he instructed her to remove it from her body so she was completely naked.

“Your juices are getting into the leather,” he told her, his eyes grass-green and bright. “The car is going to smell like your groin for a long time. Each time I get in, I’m going to get so hard just smelling you.” He grabbed her hand and put it on his cock through the material of his jeans. “Feel how hard you get me, Annie. No one gets me like this. Incredible, the minute I stick my cock inside of you, I’m going to explode.”

She let out a helpless whimper, letting her head fall against the leather seat. Jericho ripped his clothes off in record time. Typically, he liked being the one to dominate her body, to be in complete control, but due to the lack of comfortable positioning, Jericho was forced to have Annie sit on his cock and be in control. She started slow, partly to get used to his size, partly to tease him. When she finally acclimated to him, she proceeded to arch her back so when she moved up and down, her cock hit her core in just the right spot. Jericho’s hands immediately clutched her breasts, caressing her nipples as she did so. Granted, this wasn’t the most comfortable position, but she was going to come and there was no room between her and Jericho for her to touch herself against him.

Goodness, she was going to come with no clitoral stimulation for the first time in her life, and the thought itself nearly pushed her over the edge.

Jericho, himself, was moaning and grunting. She had never seen him look so powerless before, and she got off on the fact that she knew she had this sort of power over him in the first place. Her grip on his shoulders tightened to the point where she was certain he was hissing in pain just as much as he was hissing in pleasure. His grip on her hips was also tight and she was almost certain she would bruise because of it.

She didn’t care anymore. She wanted it. She liked when he marked her up, whether it was because he was holding her so tight or if it was because he spanked her on the rear. It was like he marked her as his so no one else would even look at her.

It didn’t take long before she felt the familiar lightness start to build up in her pelvis and as she released her orgasm, she moaned his name. That seemed to do it for Jericho because he lifted her and thrust into her a few more times before grunting and biting her shoulder, releasing himself into her.

She felt her forehead hit his shoulder as they both came down from their high. He slowly kissed her shoulder, her neck. She shuddered one last time, feeling his cock soften inside of her.

At that moment, the car came to a stop, the engine turned off. Luckily, no one came around to the side of the door to open it. No one popped the trunk to gather their luggage. If anything, it was eerily silent.

“We’re here,” Annie murmured against his skin.

He agreed with a nod.

“We should probably get inside,” she continued.

“We can stay in here as long as you want,” Jericho said, his voice still raw and husky. “Barney will wait.”

“Barney?” Annie asked, though she was too exhausted to pick her head up and give him one of her raised eyebrows.

“My driver,” she said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh.” She slid onto the leather and slowly started to pull on her clothes. Her limbs were limp noodles and every time she did something with them, she could feel them start to shake beyond her control.

"Ready for tomorrow?" Jericho asked her as he, too, pulled on his clothes.

"No," Annie said, "but it is what it is."

--

Getting up and going to work was the most difficult thing Annie had to do in her life. But she did it. She slid into her chair, powered up the computer, and slouched in her chair, wondering why she was even here in the first place when she could be sleeping in. It was raining hard and she hated leaving the house when it was raining. Raining should mean getting to stay home and sleeping in and warm covers and fire in the fireplace and books, not traffic and honking and bad drivers.

After an hour, she got back into the groove of work and was reminded it wasn't as bad as she thought it was. A couple of her colleagues stopped by her desk to inquire about her honeymoon and to ask how she was and how being married felt. No one really knew about Jericho and she wanted to keep it that way so she told them nearly everything but his name.

Just after lunch, two strangers knocked on the wall of her cubicle. Annie peered around her computer and raised a brow.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

They definitely did not work here. There were a male and a female, both probably in their thirties. The woman had long red hair pulled back in a ponytail, a large sweater, and jeans. The male was tall and slender, with blond shaved hair and a goatee.

"Ms. Brennan?" the male asked. He had some kind of urban accent and Annie was sure he was teased because he sounded like an Eminem wannabe.

It felt strange to hear her former last name. It had only been a couple of weeks but she was already used to being Mrs. Steel.

"Yes," she said slowly.

"My name is Handen," he continued, pulling up his oversized hoodie to reveal a gold badge clipped to his belt. "This is my partner Powell. Would you mind if we asked you a few questions?"

"Sure." She gestured at the two seats in front of her desk. "Please sit down."

Handen glanced at his partner and they both took a seat.

The pair looked completely opposite - him, tall and gangly, her, full and short. But they had an underlying chemistry between them where they could read their partner with a glance, could communicate with their eyes, and they subconsciously positioned themselves in a way that ensured the other was protected. They didn't dress like typical cops; then again, the little Annie knew about law enforcement dictated that detectives didn't actually have to wear uniforms the way patrol officers did. Either way, their clothes were definitely not business casual and that seemed to work for them.

"How can I help you?" Annie asked, folding her hands on the surface of her desk and politely looking between the two.

Again, the partners glanced at each other.

This time, Powell spoke. Her voice was smooth like a stone and low like a cello. It was soothing but serious.

"We found the body of a Ms. Gisela Gonzales," she said. "Do you happen to know who she is?"

Annie felt her entire body go still. "Well," she said slowly. "If I remember correctly, she's the woman the cops believed was responsible for my parents' deaths."

Powell nodded once. "Yes," she said. "When we found her body and ran her throughout the system, your parents' file came up. It was pretty cut and dry: hit and run DUI. She also caused some property damage and some damage to the city. When we found the car, it was already abandoned. Registration came back to her name but a different address. No one lives there. She just disappeared. We couldn't track her down."

"Luckily for you, somebody else did," Handen said, his dark blue eyes accusing her of something Annie didn't know of.

"Excuse me?" she asked, pushing her brows together. "You think it's lucky for me that the woman who allegedly killed my parents because she decided to get behind a wheel while trash-faced and somehow turns up dead a year later makes me lucky? How do you figure that?"

"My partner speaks before he thinks sometimes,"  Powell said, offering no apology for him. In a way, Annie appreciated that. She would rather have Handen be a jerk than if he faked sympathy. Regardless, she wasn't going to let him talk to her in a certain way, especially about her parents' deaths.

"Gonzales was murdered," Handen continued. He looked somewhat chastened but not enough to actually show he felt bad for what he said. "Someone put their hands on her throat and squeezed the life out of her. You know strangulation is an exceptionally intimate way to kill someone. You literally have to look into their eyes and watch as the life in them disappears. You really have to hate someone to do that. Or be some kind of psychopath."

Annie pressed her brows together and tilted her head. "Are you insinuating I did this to her?" she asked.

Handen stared at Annie for a long moment before slowly leaning back in his chair without breaking eye contact. “No,” he finally said. “No, it wasn’t you. Whoever did this had to be strong because Gonzales fought back. DNA has been scraped away. Whoever did do this to her knew what he was doing.”

“Then why are you here?” Annie asked, furrowing her brow and looking between both detectives. “If you don’t think it was me, why are you telling me this?”

“Don’t you care that your parents’ killer is dead?” Powell asked in her soft voice, her red eyebrows furrowed.

Annie shook her head, flicking her eyes back over to the female detective. “Not really,” she replied. “If I’m being honest, I managed to survive a year without dealing with her. I don’t care either way that she’s dead. And maybe that makes me out to be a jerk and I get that, but she took away my parents because of her selfish decision. I don’t know who killed her or why she’s dead but I know I didn’t do it.”

“Maybe you didn’t do it,” Powell agreed, “but we think you might have an idea of who did it.”

“Why would I know who did it?” Annie asked. “Only me and my brother were told who the police suspected. It’s not like I went to my friends and told them who she was. I expected you guys to do your job and bring my parents justice.”

“Right,” Handen said slowly, placing his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. It almost seemed like he couldn’t sit still. “You and your brother.”

“You think my brother did this?” Annie shot him a look of disbelief. “Bruce is tall, sure, but there’s no way he could take somebody’s life. The guy is a Pacifist.”

“You’re right,” Powell said. “We don’t think it was your brother. But we looked into him. Just in case. He is tall, and while his values don’t include violence, and he certainly has the strength for it. The passion would be there. The motive. But then we came across something interesting.” Her cold blue eyes found Annie’s and she held them without flinching. “Your brother works at The Red Door.”

“So?” Annie asked.

“His boss is Jericho Steel,” Handen said. There was an undertone of aggression in his voice that Annie didn’t quite understand. It wasn’t like it was her fault her brother worked for Jericho. “Crime boss and Seattle’s own billionaire.”

Annie shot Powell a look that basically asked her to help Annie translate Handen’s insinuation. “Okay,” she said slowly.

“Okay?” Handen asked. “Okay?”

“Look,” Annie said, furrowing her brow. “I don’t appreciate the fact that you’re talking to me like I’m a blasted idiot. Just tell me what you’re trying to say and cut the trash.”

Powell pressed her lips together to keep from letting an amused smile slip onto her face. Handen’s facial expression didn’t change except maybe there was a flicker of what looked like respect in his pale blue eyes.

“We think Jericho Steel murdered or had someone murder Gisela Gonzales a couple of months ago,” he finally said.

Annie furrowed her brow and looked at Powell, almost as though she was confirming what Handen said because it was pretty ridiculous.

“You think Jericho Steel,” Annie began slowly, “killed some no name woman who ran down my parents because my brother works for him? You think he would risk that for some bartender?”

She looked between both Powell and Handen. "You know that sounds insane."

"We don't think he did it because your brother works for him," Powell said slowly. She reached behind her where Handen was handing her a familiar looking gossip magazine and placed it on Annie's desk. "This is this month's Seattle Life and Style." She paused, waiting for Annie to take the magazine and take a good look at it.

Annie, while not entirely familiar with what was on the cover, had a feeling where this was going. Her heart rate jumped but she tried to play it off like nothing was going wrong and she had no idea what these two detectives were saying.

"The DV charity event was thrown at this hotel this year, just a month ago, I believe," Powell told her.

"In case you didn't know, DV means domestic violence," Handen said.

It took everything in Annie to hold back on shooting him a dirty look. Powell pressed her lips together, though it was difficult to discern if she was holding back an amused smile or a frustrated scowl.

"It seems you were there with Mr. Steel, perhaps as his special guest?" Powell pushed her eyebrows up when she said special, like it had some kind of dirty connotation behind it.

Annie bristled at the implication, finally dropping her eyes to the photograph they pointed out. She pressed her lips together, her eyes softening as she looked at it. She recognized the soft lavender dress, the way her smile, while small, was genuine and full of adoration simply because Jericho hadn't forced her to do anything, had told her they didn't have to take pictures if she didn't want to, and held her hand through it all.

He was constantly there through it all.

And the way he was looking at her... he really had loved her in that first moment, hadn't he? She swallowed and forced her eyes away from the picture. Annie was certain she had already revealed too much with the lingering stare, but hoped maybe they hadn't noticed.

Fat chance.

"I attended with him, yes," she said. "Why do you ask?"

Handen rolled his eyes. "You can't be an accountant and be this stupid, girlie," he told her, his voice louder than it should be at her office. "He killed Gonzales for you. Or he had someone kill her for you."

Annie cut him a look. "Considering you haven't arrested me yet and are only here to ask me questions," she said in a quiet but sharp voice, "I would appreciate if you didn't shout my business for everyone to hear. I'll look over the fact that you insulted my intelligence just as long as you can respect my place of business." She looked over at Powell. "As I've said, I highly doubt Jericho would go out of his way for me. We went out on a couple of dates. It isn't serious. If there's anything else, feel free to come back but I'd prefer if you left your partner back at the department."

"He doesn't play well with others," she agreed, standing up. Handen followed suit. "Maybe ask him why his right-hand man, Bennet, was found on him via DNA. Thank you for your time, Ms. Brennan."

Hanson gave her a long look before following his partner out of the cubicle.

Annie felt her entire body relax. She needed to head home and talk to Jericho.

Now.

Chapter 12

When Annie burst through the front door, Jericho was at home on the phone. He still looked put together – every hair still slicked back, his posture rigid, with shoulders rolled back. There was a slight worry line between his brows but other than that, there was no indication that he knew the police had found the body Bennet had supposedly disposed of. She thought Bennet was supposed to be his right-hand man. Why would he turn in Jericho? And what could they do about it?

Jericho heard her come in and his eyes flickered over to her in acknowledgment, but other than that, he didn’t react. She closed her mouth, all of her steam disappearing as she closed the door behind her and locked it. Perhaps it was a good thing she was interrupted. She had been ready to go off on him because she was embarrassed that two homicide detectives from Seattle PD had come to her job and questioned her about the murder of the woman who had killed her parents. She hadn’t even known the woman was dead let alone who that woman was. In fact, she hadn’t even thought of that part of their first conversation, where Jericho told her he would rather get revenge than wait for the cops to give her parents the justice they deserved. Until now.

“Well, that’s no good,” Jericho snapped into the phone. She had no idea how he did it but somehow, he could snap without losing his cool, which boggled her mind. “I need to find Bennet and speak to him. Find me Bennet now, alive, and I will give you a hundred grand in cash. Do you understand me?” He paused, listening to the other end. “I don’t care how. Just do it.”

He hung his phone up and tossed it on the couch.

“We have a problem,” he said.

“A big one,” she agreed.

He furrowed his brow, wrinkling his forehead even further. “Why do you think we have one?” he asked.

“Detectives came to my job today, Jericho,” she told him, her eyes flashing emerald with anger. “Do you have any idea why that might be?”

He looked like he wanted to lash out at her. To be honest, she was surprised he hadn’t. “Tell me,” he told her instead.

Annie felt herself calm down knowing he wasn’t taking his problem out on her even if she had done that to him just now.

“They asked about Gabriela Gonzales,” she said, her voice slow and even. “Apparently, she’s the woman who hit my parents and got away with it. They found her body mutilated in the lake. They told me trace residue shows Bennet was with her at some point. Apparently, his hair was still on her body in some way.”

She paused, narrowing her eyes at her husband. “What were you talking about on the phone?”

To be honest, Annie thought he was going to tell her he was talking business and that business was none of hers. She thought he would write her off or get defensive for questioning him. Jericho constantly surprised her.

“The same thing,” he said, reaching up to cup the back of his head with his hand. “One of my contacts in Seattle PD informed me that Bennet came in on his own accord and told two detectives everything in exchange for immunity. If I don’t leave now, I’m going to get charged with a lot of crimes.” He wrinkled his brow. “I probably will never see sunlight again. If I get to live the rest of my life, that is.”

“Because you committed the crimes,” Annie stated. It wasn’t a guess, nor was it a question. It suddenly hit her; she suddenly knew what she always had: Jericho was the best bad guy she had ever known. All those things that had warned her against him when she first met him were all true. “You have cops in your pocket, blood on your hands.” Her eyes dropped to those hands that held her when she was crying, gripped her hips in the throes of passion. Hands that had killed people. Hands that fit perfectly with hers. “You’ll get the death penalty, for sure.”

“Yes.” Jericho nodded once, his eyes remaining fixed on hers. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about this but she didn’t feel as though anything had changed between them.

“Can we stay here or are they after you now?” Annie asked, tilting her head to the side.

Jericho’s pale green eyes flooded with relief. She wasn’t quite sure as to why that was – probably because he didn’t think that she would be too happy with the shift in their life.

“You’re not going to leave me?” he asked, quirking a brow.

“Why would I do that?” Annie asked. “I knew what you were going into this complicated web that makes up our relationship. The one thing we have to our advantage is the fact that we’re married so I don’t have to testify against you. Granted, that means I can’t lie for you but at least they can’t use me against you.”

“They can try,” Jericho pointed out. “They already have. They visited your work to try and gauge how much you knew and how you would react if I was a criminal.”

Annie thought about it for a minute. “They did ask me questions,” she replied. “I just pretended not to have any idea what they were talking about. Which is the truth, for the most part.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side. “Did you kill Gabriela Gonzales?”

“I did.”

Annie’s eyes widened. Not because he actually killed the woman but because he admitted it so freely. “How do you know I’m not wearing a wire?” she asked, annoyed.

He raised a brow and smiled. “Are you?” he asked.

“Of course not,” she told him. “But you don’t know. Maybe the detectives tricked me. Maybe they forced me to wear a wire.”

Jericho gave her a look. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Not you. I didn’t marry a gullible idiot.”

Annie felt her heart warm at the compliment. “So,” she said. “Are they going to come after you?”

Jericho pressed her lips together. “Bennet doesn’t have anything except details of the crimes and what he did when he was the one responsible for the murder,” he explained. “Even my contact says there’s no direct evidence linking me to the crime. The cops can bring me in for questioning, which they’ve done before, but Bennet’s story isn’t enough to throw me away. The only thing that might do me in is Gabriela Gonzales.”

Annie pressed her lips together, her arms tightening across her chest at the name. “Why do you say that?” she asked him.

“Because there’s absolutely no reason why I would kill her unless I was getting revenge for you,” he said. “The evidence is weak. I know enough not to leave evidence behind and I pay my friends well enough to know if I did, they would make it disappear. But the fact that I married you and her dead body has turned up makes this all extremely suspicious.”

“What can we do?” Annie asked.

“Annie, until this blows over, your life with me is not going to be a happy one,” he told her. “This house is going to get ransacked by the cops because, even though there’s not enough evidence to arrest me, the circumstantial evidence will definitely be enough to get a warrant to search all of my homes.”

“Did you put your name on the deed?” Annie asked, raising a brow.

“What?” Jericho asked, confused by her question. “No, but that doesn’t matter. I still stay here. Bennet knows that.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Annie told him. “If it’s still Bruce’s house, they can’t just get a warrant with the same evidence they used to search your place. Maybe they’ll be able to eventually but Bennet doesn’t know if you stay here on a consistent basis or if you returned back to your penthouse. I know you’ve been doing a lot of business in the city before we got married. He might not even mention this place.”

“I don’t know,” Jericho said, placing his finger on the tip of his chin. “Bennet is thorough but he also doesn’t like innocent lives to get caught up in the crosshairs. He probably figured Gonzales was innocent, despite what she did to your parents, and decided this wasn’t what he wanted anymore.” He shook his head. “What a shame. He was my second-hand, my most loyal employee.”

“When did you kill Gonzales?” Annie asked him in a quiet voice. It wasn’t important information but she was curious as to when this happened. And a quiet, morbid part of her also wondered how it happened but she chose not to ask that.

“The night I met you,” he told her. She knew he was telling the truth. “I tracked her down to a one-bedroom apartment. No kids. No spouse. No surprise. She let me in easily. And I choked her after making her admit she killed your parents. I had Bennet dispose of her body.”

"Why did you do you that?" Annie asked, awed and slightly fearful. Not that she thought he would do anything similar to her but that he was capable of such brutality simply because someone had unknowingly hurt her. There was no way for Gonzales to have known about Annie and Bruce. All she was thinking about was herself. Did that make her a bad person? Annie couldn't say and she didn't feel comfortable judging. It did make Gonzales human. Did that mean she deserved to die?

Annie wasn't sure. She didn't think she was allowed to decide that. But staring at Jericho in front of her, it seemed he thought he could decide that. There was no regret, no doubt, about what he did. He was right and he truly believed that. Annie couldn't fault him for that, though. She knew, in his head, he was only thinking about her, about protecting her, about extracting revenge and eliminating someone who had eliminated the two most important people in her life. That was who he was. Did that make him right? No. perhaps not. But could she hold it against him? Did she want to?

"Because she took your family away from you," he told her in a soft voice. "And I loved you from the minute I saw you so I couldn't let that go. Not seeing the way you looked knowing Bruce had given up the house."

Annie clenched her jaw.

"Where do we go from here?" she asked, sliding her eyes back into his.

"Like I said," Jericho said, running his hand through his hair brown hair, "we lay low."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Annie asked. "Do I call my job and say I'm not coming in for the foreseeable future? Do I throw away my cell phone? Do we leave the country? I've never been on the run before, Jericho. I don't know what to expect or how to handle something like this."

Jericho walked over to her and gently squeezed her arms with his hands, trying to reassure her.

"Don't worry," he told her. "I'll take care of it."

Annie's head snapped up and she stepped out of his grasp. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Not just you. We. We. You and me are a team, no matter what."

"I don't want to bring you into this. Annie," he told her. "These are decisions I made that have nothing to do with you. You shouldn't be forced to deal with them just because you married me. That isn't fair to you."

"I married you," Annie told him. "That's it, the end. Your problem is my problem and vice versa. I'm sure you have a plan in case things go wrong, don't you?"

"Well, yes," Jericho agreed with a nod. "The problem is, Bennett knows all my backup plans and probably told the cops everything."

Annie pressed her lips together. "You know," she said. "I still don't understand why Bennett would turn you in in the first place."

"Bennet is a peculiar sort of guy," Jericho said slowly. "Like me. It's why I like him so much, why I trusted him so quickly. I thought the two of us understood each other. Maybe we did." He paused, pressing his lips together, and tilted his head to the side in that awkward way he favored. "He has a riotous sense of justice, one I always related to. When he found out I killed Gonzales, he wasn't happy about it. Instead of turning me in right then, he waited, planned his escape. He built up his case, built up the evidence against me. I gave him everything he needed."

He shook his head. It was the first time Annie had ever seen Jericho's face ashen before. Even before she met him, even before they became acquainted, she had never seen him look startled or rattled or even surprised. Jericho was always confident, always certain of what he wanted and how to attain that. There was arrogance sprinkled in, however. He walked around like nothing bothered him, like nothing could touch him. And that was how he lived. Up until now, it would seem.

"What's the plan, Jericho?" she asked him, her voice firm. "I know you. I know you have some kind of plan of what to do if you were ever in this situation."

"Yeah, yeah I do," Jericho said, nodding his head. "Bennett knows all of them, though. That's the problem. I'm sure if my contact is right, the detectives already have tabs on my property down south. I'm sure they've grounded my jet. There's nothing I can do."

"There had to be something," Annie told him. "There has to be something we can do, somewhere we can go that they don't know about. We just have to think about it."

They were silent for a moment. Annie felt her mind race. This was not a good thing because when her thoughts were rushing around, it was hard to slow down and really focus on the right answer. She pressed her lips together. Bruce was so good at things like this; if he were here, he would know exactly what to do.

Something started tickling her brain, something that had to do with Bruce.

"I might be able to get in contact with some friends," Jericho said but he didn't sound particularly hopeful. "They might be able to bribe some TSA officials to get us out. The problem is, it's getting way to strict to sneak out of the country."

Annie didn't immediately respond. She was trying to figure out where the Bruce thing would lead. Bruce would be able to figure this out, yes. But why? Because Bruce knew how to calm down and focus. His ideas were odd and not what Annie would think was logical but he still made his decision and he still somehow made it through another month. Annie had no idea how investing in a cabin in the middle of the woods would make him money when there was no one around for miles and miles and -

"I have an idea," Annie said, snapping her eyes up to Jericho. "I know what we should do."

Jericho pushed his brow together but didn’t say anything.

“The cabin,” Annie explained. “Bruce’s cabin. No one knows Bruce has it except for us. We can hide out there and no one would even know. Bruce could bring us food and supplies.”

“I’m sure they would watch him,” Jericho said. When he saw Annie reaching for her cell phone, he grabbed her hand to stop her. “Don’t call him. They’ll trace our phones once we disappear and if they see that you’ve made a call to your brother, they’ll suspect him and start looking into him. Actually, they’ll look into Bruce no matter what.”

“Do you think they’ll find out about the cabin?” Annie asked.

Jericho was silent for a moment and Annie knew it was because he was thinking. “I don’t think so,” he replied after a moment. “But we can’t call him and ask. We have to pack up and go to his place and hope that he’s there.”

“Do we have time to pick up supplies?” Annie asked. “I know you can’t be seen at Costco but if I went and used my credit card, that wouldn’t be terribly suspicious, would it?”

“Anywhere you go now is going to be scrutinized,” Jericho told her. “The detectives might not know now that you’re my wife but it will come out, sooner or later. You should go now. Take your car and return here like nothing weird, that you don’t know anything other than what they’ve told you. I’ll get in touch with your brother. His shift is starting soon and I think I have at least one cell phone I can use without it being traced back to either of us. We’ll meet back here in a couple of hours, okay?”

Annie nodded and Jericho gave her a hard kiss on the lips.

“Be careful,” she told him.

“You, too,” he said, and with that, he vanished.

---

An hour and a half later, Annie returned with three hundred dollar’s worth of items from Costco that should last three to four weeks, since she and Jericho would be hiding away, just the two of them. Jericho was nowhere to be found. Annie tried not to let it worry her; he still had a half hour before he was supposed to show up, and the extra time would give her the perfect excuse to load Jericho’s Jeep with all of the food. She would pull her car into the garage so no one would notice it sitting on the street for an indeterminate amount of time and look into where she might be.

It took her another twenty-three minutes to move the supplies from her car to the Jeep. Once she was finished, she pulled her car into the garage.

Her heart was hammering in her head. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her bloodstream and she knew her body was going into survival mode. She needed to calm down. If she didn't, she was going to have a tough time relaxing and having a clear head. Jericho did not need a hyperventilating princess who couldn't help him make a decision or think rationally.

The problem was, Jericho still wasn't here.

Once her car was parked, she headed into the house and tried to keep herself from pacing the length of the front room. As of right now, Handen and Powell only had their suspicions. They didn't have any evidence.

Annie let a slow breath slip out of her mouth. She bounced on the balls of her feet and shook her arms, trying to rid herself of the anxiety that had accumulated during her Costco run. She needed to have faith in Jericho. She needed to believe that wherever he was, he was all right.

"He's probably with Bruce right now," she murmured to herself quietly. "He's probably with Bruce and he's grabbing the keys and getting directions. Everything is going to be okay."

At that moment, the door burst open. When Jericho saw Annie, he swooped her up in his arms and pulled her into a deep kiss.

"When I didn't see your car," he began but let his voice trail off and shook his head.

"I'm okay," she promised him.

He nodded his head once. "I know," he told her. "I know you are." He pressed his brows up. "You ready to go? You can go through the rooms one last time. I don't know when we'll be back."

Annie shook her head and took a step back from him. "I'm okay," she repeated. "This place... this is my past. You're my present and my future. I'll go wherever you go and I'll leave everything else behind."

Jericho was silent for a moment but kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that sent goosebumps all throughout her body. He didn't say anything else. Instead, he took her hand and led her out the door and opened the passenger side of the Jeep for her. Once she was in, he locked the front door and headed to the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" Annie murmured as they pulled out of the small neighborhood and hopped onto the road to get into the city.

"The Red Door," he explained, not taking his eyes off the road ahead of him. "Your brother is expecting us."

Annie nodded. She wouldn't lie and say she wasn't nervous about heading back into the city, closer to the cops, to one of Jericho's prominent businesses.

If the cops were smart - and she hated to admit it, but the majority of them were - they would be parked right out front of Jericho's businesses waiting for him to return, under the assumption that he really was as arrogant as he looked. Worse, they could send in people undercover and he would never know. They would look like ordinary club-going citizens who talked in their purse or cufflinks a lot and didn't like to dance.

Annie placed her hands by her thighs and sat on them as a way to keep from toying with her seatbelt or tugging at her shirt. She needed to calm down but it was difficult to do.

Traffic was just as bad going in as it was going out, so they didn't reach The Red Door until an hour later. Instead of turning into the parking structure or driving up right to the front on the street, Jericho made a right just before the club and pulled into a narrow alleyway.

"This is where the cooks take their cigarette breaks and where we get our food deliveries," Jericho explained in a low voice. "No one knows about it because the general public doesn't even know we have a kitchen. They're not aware we serve food."

Annie's brow pushed up and she leaned forward in her seat, trying to look around in the dark. It was just starting to sprinkle. Hard rain was promised for the night and through the weekend. She wanted to be in the cabin by the time that happened.

Jericho turned off the headlights of the Jeep but kept it running. He wanted to hide in plain sight but be ready to run when the time called for it. At that moment, a figure emerged from the back entrance of the club. Annie hadn't noticed before that the door had been propped open slightly nor did she notice someone waiting for them to pull up.

I would make a terrible lookout, she thought to herself.

Bruce came up to the passenger side window Jericho had rolled down and threw his arms around Annie.

"Goodness, Annie," he murmured in a low whisper. As he hugged his sister, Bruce handed Jericho a small keychain. "Be careful, okay? I'll take care of the house while you're gone."

"You know what's going on?" Annie asked in a soft voice, slightly confused.

"Jericho came to see me," Bruce said. "To make a long story short, yeah, I have an idea of what's going on and I know that you'll be gone for however long you'll be gone for and I don't know when I'll see you again." He glanced over at Jericho and for the first time, Bruce had a serious look on his face rather than ignorant admiration. "I know you're my boss but I'm counting on you to take care of my sister. She's the most important person in my life right now and the only family I have." He pressed his lips together. "If anything happens to her, I will kill you. I don't care who you are."

Annie's mouth dropped open at the fact that Bruce had just threatened Jericho without so much as blinking. Jericho was Bruce's idol. When he first started working for him, Bruce couldn't shut up about him. He had borrowed money from Jericho and didn't flinch when he found out Jericho had corrupted his straight-laced little sister and got her to marry him. He constantly supported Jericho through anything. Loyalty was one of Bruce's strengths and Annie knew Jericho knew how lucky he was that Bruce liked him so much.

Even Jericho seemed surprised by Bruce's outburst but he didn't say anything on the subject. It was like he understood. Marriage was one thing but now, Jericho's past had caught up to his present and it involved Annie's welfare as well. Of course, Annie didn't have to agree to run away with him. She could have turned him in, could have told the cops everything she knew, but she didn't. Did that make her crazy? Probably. But she didn't mind as long as it meant that she got to be with Jericho.

Jericho nodded his head. His eyes were steel - not because he was upset with what Bruce told him but because he was determined to do just that.

"I would do anything for Annie," he told Bruce.

Now, Bruce nodded. Annie could clearly read his eyes that he believed Jericho.

At that moment, Bruce pulled out a key and handed it to Annie. "Here's the key," he said. "I already wrote Jericho instructions on how to get there when he stopped by an hour ago. There's freshly chopped wood outside so you can make a fire. There are electricity and hot water and a fridge and a freezer. If you guys hunt, there are two rifles in the second bedroom, hanging on the wall. They’re meant to be decoration but they work. Ammo is in the desk in the bottom right drawer. You guys can stay there for as long as you need."

"Thank you, Bruce," Annie said, throwing her arms around her brother. "I'm so sorry for all the things I said and did to you. I didn't mean them. You know I didn't mean them."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Bruce says, gently easing Annie's arms off of his neck. "You're talking like you're never going to see me again. I have an idea that maybe you're gone for a month, two, tops. Things are going to blow over. The cops are going to realize they don't have anything on Jericho, you guys will come back, and that will be the end of it."

Annie looked at his brother with a placating smile. "You always were the optimist," she murmured.

"I like to think I'm a realist, thank you very much," he told her with a grin. "You always believed me when I told you everything was going to be all right. Do you think you can do that again? For your big brother whom you aren't going to see for a couple of months?"

Annie rolled her eyes but she felt a gentle smile tug at the corner of her lips. How was it that Bruce could make her smile, even under these circumstances?

"Okay," she told him with a nod.

"Okay," he replied.

He reached in and hugged her once again before stepping out of the car window. He locked eyes with Jericho, his face suddenly solemn, and they exchanged another cryptic nod.

Jericho shifted the car out of park and slowly turned out of the alleyway. He laced his fingers through Annie's and brought her hand up to his lips so he could brush his lips across her knuckles. A shiver slid down her back and she felt her eyes darken.

"You're crazy," he murmured as his eyes shifted over to the road.  "Leaving with me."

"Yes," she agreed with a single nod he did not see. She could feel him smile against her skin.

"Good," he said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

--

The cabin was perfect. Annie was surprised at how nice it was. It was quaint and warm, with double-panes windows, one-bedroom, and a small kitchen. There was no television but there was a nice radio that picked up a bunch of channels where they could listen to the news or put on music. The bathtub was wonderful and Annie and Jericho took care to break that in more than once. Whenever they needed food, Bruce would swing by Costco and pick everything up. No one suspected he had a cabin in the middle of nowhere, literally. It was surprisingly easy to get used to this, a life where only she and Jericho existed, where television wasn't around to show them what was happening in the world because who cared, really.

One day, Annie and Jericho were laying tangled up with each other after a moment of passion when he reached across her to the nightstand and flipped on the radio. He kissed her shoulder before he resumed his position on her shoulder, his arm tossed around her waist, holding her hip possessively.

"...storm coming in for the next few days," the radio deejay announced. "It's a big one. Expect lots of thunder and lightning for at least seventy-two hours. So grab a partner, make a fire, and get close because it's going to be a long weekend."

Annie smiled to herself. He didn't have to tell her twice. She loved the rain, the storms, everything that had to do with the danger and the romance combined.

"In other news, the body of notorious organized crime villain, Brody Bennett washed up on the shore of Union early this morning," he continued. "Not much is known about when Bennett was actually murdered but we're hearing the coroner is dating the murder roughly two months ago - the same time Jericho and his new wife left for a European holiday. Bennett was the only person in recent years who came forward against his former employer, but now that he's gone, it doesn't appear as though the police have much of a case against Jericho Steel."

Annie flipped the radio off, her eyes going wide as she stared at Jericho. She didn't even have to say anything. Instead, he took her in and gave her one nod.

Annie pressed her lips together. She didn't know what to think about the admission. He probably killed Bennett while she was waiting for him to get home the day he left, not because he was going to see her brother.

"Now what?" Annie said, her voice raw.

Jericho smiled. "Now," he said, "we get to go home."

Acknowledgments

This book was harder to write than the first two, I’m not going to lie. I could see Jericho and Annie in my head like a movie but finding the write words to describe their emotions was tougher than it usually was for me. However, I think - I hope - I created a decently dark romance that was both enjoyable and sexy. I suppose you’ll let me know if I didn’t.

Thank you to my family, especially my mom, for your support and your faith in my ability.

Thank you to my readers for your amazing encouragement. I’m astounded each and every time I talk to you! (You guys are dark and deadly, just like me and I love you for it! #badboysarethebest)

Thank you to my beta readers – Cindy F., Karina M., and Amanda W. Honestly, this manuscript was WRECKED when I sent it to you and you polished it up. You are all amazing and I’m so grateful for your input!

Thank you to my kick booty launch team and everyone who wanted an ARC. Your feedback is so helpful and instrumental to my career.

Thank you to Suzanna Lynn of Funky Book Designs for my wonderful beautiful wickedly dark cover! (So seductive!)

Thank you to Josh, Jacob, and Kylee for pushing me to be a better parent and motivating myself to take myself seriously as an author.

Finally, to Frank, as always you’re my reason for everything. Thank you for inspiring me and being every hero I’ve ever written.

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