Page 16 of Ruthless Love

He smiles at me. "You're welcome."

I unlock the door and head in. Today, it feels different walking inside, as if what was my safe space yesterday isn't as safe now. I close it behind me so that I can take inventory of what it looks like in here. If it's demolished, I'll have to close for the day, and it'll break my heart. I've never had to close before, unless it was a regular non-working day. Deciding I need something on my stomach before I face whatever this is, I have a seat at the register and put the sack on the counter. Reaching in, I pull out the biscuit and open the wrapper. It's still hot, and there's a container of the homemade strawberry jelly they're famous for. Fixing the breakfast the way I like it, I sink my teeth into the food, and moan as the flavors explode on my tongue.

When I feel a gaze on me, I turn to the left, and that's when I see Cain. He's standing at the doorway, his dark eyes absolutely glowing with arousal. "Enjoying it?"

"Yes, thank you for bringing it."

He saunters over to the counter, his hips rolling. When he gets over, he leans onto the counter, his forearms a feast for my eyes. A tattoo covers the bottom of his right forearm, depicting a forest and mountains. It's where he feels the most comfortable, and where we'd spend most of our time in the summer and winter. The night he got it, I fucked his brains out because it was so hot. He bends in closer to me. "You're welcome, but I didn't count on getting hard watching you eat a biscuit today."

My cheeks warm. Where in the world has this man been hiding the entire time we've been together? This is what I wanted from him, but I could never seem to get him to understand. I open my mouth, then close it.

"Speechless?"

I nod, making a noise in the back of my throat.

"Good." He reaches forward, cupping my chin in the palm of his hand. "You've had me speechless for a good part of our relationship and marriage. It's time you feel what I've beenfeeling for a very long time. Let me know when it's okay to open. Alex and I will make sure your window is taken care of."

I nod, throat dry, and wonder how in the fuck I'm going to survive this man who seems to be dead set on surprising the hell outta me.

TWELVE

CAIN

Turning from the counter,I head out back into the street. The chemistry between the two of us is off the charts. I try to remember if we had this all along, or if we lost it somewhere along the way. If I look closer at who we were before she asked for the separation, I can admit we never had it. The passion was something I wanted, and apparently she did too, but I didn't know how to give it to her. If truth be told, I didn't know how to express to her that it's what I wanted.

"What does it look like inside?" Alex asks, watching as I walk over to where he's standing.

"I'm not sure. She's eating her breakfast, and I don't want to make her face it before she's ready."

"I think that's a good decision. Do y'all have any idea who's doing this shit? This is like the fifth break in down here, in the last three weeks."

He's asking as a friend, but it's hard to separate that from someone who lives in the community and wants to know answers. "We have a few ideas, but they've been pretty smooth so far. Basically, what they're wanting is easy pickings. If it requires them to do a little more work than they're prepared to, they leave it alone." I hook my thumb back to where Marissasits in Enchanted Chapters. "She's the wife of a law enforcement officer. She knows better. I'm surprised they came for her, but they didn't get anything."

"Have they gotten stuff from other businesses?" He asks, throwing me a pair of gloves.

I put them on as I answer. "Yeah, there are a couple that don't do a deposit every day, believe it or not. They got a decent amount of money, and I think that's all they wanted. So far they haven't hurt anyone, and they haven't done a crazy amount of damage. This is actually one of the first times they've done damage anywhere. So far, they've found places that have easy ways of getting in. I'm surprised they did this to her." I put on my gloves and reach into the bed of the truck, grasping one end while Alex grabs the other.

"Yeah," he grunts. "Wonder why. It seems it would be counterintuitive. It was harder to get into the shop, and then they didn't get anything. Seems like a hell of a chance to take."

"Didn't get anything that we know of. Marissa still hasn't checked out everything yet. I'm hoping she does by the time we get this up."

I'm tired as hell, and my thighs are burning. Parts of my body are aching that never have. It's amazing what having wild sex can do for your muscles. What I do know is I want to feel this all the damn time, and it's a shame I haven't felt it previously. Alex and I go to work getting the damaged part of the building closed off. When we're done, I reach into my wallet and pull out our agreed-upon amount. "When the insurance money comes through, think you could install? They'll let us choose who we want to replace it. Do you need the work?"

"Yeah, I could definitely use the money. It might take me a couple days longer than it would someone else, but I'd really appreciate it."

I thrust my hand toward him. "You got it. I'll do anything I can to help." He's a good guy. His in-laws are assholes, and I can't believe they're not willing to help him out. It's not as if they don't have a metric shit ton of money.

"Thanks, Cain. I'm gonna head out. Just let me know when you need the help."

Mentally, I prepare myself to walk into Enchanted Chapters. Not only because I'm worried about what these thieves have done, but I'm unsure how Marissa and I are going to be around one another now. Before, there was annoyance and resentment. Now? All I want to do is settle between her thighs and make up for all the time we fucked around. Carefully, I open the door, listening for soft cries, or the angry cursing of someone who wants to kick some ass. When I hear nothing, I step further inside and look around.

I don't see her, and that's slightly unnerving. My instincts kick up a notch. "Ris? Where are you?"

"In the small town romance aisle."

Her voice is small, and now I'm worried they did something to upset her. Gazing up at the words over every section, I find the one she said. My chest constricts when I see her sitting on the floor, holding what looks like ripped up papers in her hands. There are silent tears trailing down her cheeks. "Ris, are you okay?"

She sniffs, looking up at me. "No, this really hurts my feelings."

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