Page 70 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

He was a cop after all. She was well aware that they tended to be bossy but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

She was her own boss.

And that had nothing to do with her business. She was in charge of her own destiny, despite what anyone else might think.

Apparently, Nox thought otherwise when he grabbed her wrist and plowed down the hallway.

“Do you even know where you’re going?” she asked, trying to keep up. She was afraid if she stumbled, he’d keep going, dragging her in the process.

The man had apparently made up his mind.

For now.

Again, will he suddenly change it once reality hit him?

“I have no doubt you’ll tell me if I’m headed in the wrong direction.”

That was true.

“How big is this fucking house?”

“Pretty damn big.” Even though it was two-stories, her bedroom suite was on the first floor in the rear of the house.

She loved her bedroom. It was her sanctuary, at least when her boys weren’t invading it.

French doors with plantation shutters led to an oasis-like backyard consisting of a large covered patio, an outdoor kitchen and large kidney-shaped pool with a basketball net and slide for the kids.

She had purposely bought a house with a pool. Due to financial circumstances while growing up, her father never had the opportunity to take swimming lessons. She didn’t want that for her boys, so she enrolled them in classes as soon as they were old enough.

After she bought the house, Magnum also learned to swim in that same pool. Even though his stubborn ass refused to take classes, between Liyah, MJ and Cait teaching him, he was now pretty decent at it. He wouldn’t be competing for any gold medals, but he wouldn’t drown, either. Her father and his wife also made sure Liyah’s younger siblings, Asia and Caleb, were proficient at swimming.

They came over to use the pool often during the summer months.

Her little slice of heaven also included a massive bathroom with a large shower with multiple heads, a deep, jetted soaking tub and an extensive walk-in closet.

Her closet was bigger than her childhood bedroom. Every inch of it was full of designer clothes, shoes and accessories, including her impressive amount of purses.

Despite shaking his head at her self-indulgence, Magnum was proud she was as successful as she was. He had grown up poor and since Liyah’s parents were only teenagers when they had her and her brother, they didn’t have shit, either.

Everything she had, she worked hard to earn it. Her success hadn’t been easy, but it was so damn satisfying.

She used what she received from Mark’s life insurance policy as the seed money to start her real estate agency, but it wasn’t until she began hiring a team was when she started making real money.

Over the years, her business continued to grow. She hoped to one day pass it on to her sons, but she wouldn’t push them in that direction. It was there if they wanted it, but if their heart wasn’t into it, she’d rather they not get into a career they’d eventually hate.

She loved the industry that helped people find their dream home. Nox was currently using his long damn legs to stride through hers.

Suddenly, he stopped dead. “Upstairs?”

“No, keep going.”

He did.

“Make a left,” she directed.

He did that, too, then charged into her room and immediately stopped again. “Damn.”

One side of her mouth pulled up. “Are you going to release me?”

---