Page 48 of Midnight Legacy

I felt her take in a huge breath that came out as a sigh. “Some days I think you’re going to wake up and realise who you married and that terrifies me.”

“What? I’m going to wake up and realise that I married the woman I love. Pretty sure I already know that, or I wouldn’t have done it.”

She shoved against my chest, her cheeks flushing with heat. “You’re being a dick.”

“Seriously, baby.” I trailed the tip of my finger down the side of her face until her attention was fully on me. “Don’t ever say anything like that in front of me again. I chose you. I will always choose you no matter what.”

The guys in her past had done a serious number on Cassandra. I wished that I could track each one down and kick their ass for what they’d done to her confidence. Only a really crappy person would make someone else feel bad to improve their own self-esteem.

A tear escaped her eye and trickled down her cheek. She never liked to confront her emotions, normally joking or changing the topic. This time I hadn’t let her do that.

My lips met hers because I knew she needed reassurance, her body moving to mine instinctively the moment our lips connected. I gave her all my emotions in that kiss, telling her without words how I felt. Her tongue found mine, her hands grasping the front of my T-shirt.

We only broke apart when that fucking bird chirped again. Cursing, I fished her phone from my pocket and handed it to her. Cassandra typed in her password and swiped it open, passing it to me when she read what was on the screen.

Another fucking dick pic. What was wrong with that guy? I swear when I got my hands on him, he’d understand the meaning of the word no.

“Asshole,” I muttered as I put the car in gear and took off.

“I know it wasn’t very big, but it was definitely a dick.”

My lips spread into a smile and I laughed. Trust her to make me laugh when I wanted to rip someone’s head off. Both heads if I was being honest.

“What am I going to do with you?” I asked in amusement.

“That’s easy. Buy me shoes and give me orgasms.”

“I think I can do that.”

She winked at me. “I know you can, that’s why I married you.”

Even when surrounded by darkness, she brought light. With so many wolves at our door, my little lamb constantly seemed to be in danger. I needed to find a way to keep her safe.

***

Chapter Thirteen

Cassandra

I sat on the sofa, pretending to read my Kindle while listening to Xavier and Jordan snap at people on their phones. Ash arrived about five minutes ago, and sat sipping a bottle of beer. He’d been drinking heavily since Michael’s death.

“You doing okay?” I asked. Out of his friends, I never knew how to treat Ash as he always seemed unapproachable. Jordan had taken on the role as annoying family member whose mission in life was to embarrass you. Since he and Xavier were as close as brothers, it made sense.

Ash stared at me for several seconds until I didn’t expect a reply. “I never liked Michael. He was my brother and I looked after him, but he was a pain in the ass and a horrible human being. Now that he’s dead, I blame myself for not protecting him.”

“We’re all programmed to protect our younger siblings. When Kimberley died, I think that affected me more than Mum and Dad at the start. She’d always been there since we grew up together. Even when there’s nothing we can do to change their death, a part of us thinks it should have been us to die so they could live.”

He took another sip. “I never thought of it that way.”

“You can’t alter the past, Ash, so don’t let it affect your future.”

He sighed and studied the label on his bottle. “Mum has decided after thirty something years of marriage that she wants a divorce. Dad is furious and spitting fire and brimstone. He wants me to have a word with her.”

“You can’t fix someone else’s relationship.”

Ash nodded and leaned back in the chair to face the ceiling. “I guess not.” He reverted back into his shell of silence. He was in all the social media posts and tabloid articles with the other two men, but always seemed unapproachable. To the outside world, Ash was a playboy who didn’t give a fuck about anyone. I was beginning to see that he felt too much and blamed himself for the actions of others. He was a tortured soul in turmoil.

“I don’t give a fuck,” Xavier snapped. “Make it happen, because if I do it myself, you won’t like the results.”

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