Page 152 of Redeeming the Villain

When I ease out of her, our mixed cum trickles down her legs, dripping onto the floor. I lower her feet back to the ground, and she wobbles on her feet for a second, giggling.

Her cheeks burn darker as she grabs a tissue from the counter along the wall and wipes the floor up. It’s funny that she’s embarrassed by that, but she has no problem begging me for my dick.

She wiggles her panties and leggings up and walks back over to the door. “I should probably use the restroom.”

Shaking my head, I slap her ass hard, palming it firmly. “Uh-uh, baby. I want my cum dripping down your legs when we walk out of the arena.”

Arousal pulses in her stare, and she wets her lips. “Your place or mine?”

An image flashes in my mind, one I’ve never really seen, only imagined.

A place of our own.

I would say that it’s crazy and too soon, but for fuck’s sake, I’m clearly not sane when it comes to her.

Brushing my thumb along her bottom lip, I lean down and kiss her tenderly. “Wherever you want to go, Bug, I’ll follow.”

The lights on the stage burn into me as my fingers dance across the keys and my body rocks along with the song I composed for my showcase piece, titled “The Dream.”

It’s haunting and dark, but gradually, lighter and more melodic notes trickle into the score. The dynamic starts to shift and change as the brighter music begins to take over, pushing the darkness into the shadows. The audience listens intently, completely silent as I pour myself into my performance.

This is the first time I’ve ever played in front of a crowd, free to show my talent and love for the piano, and it’s so incredibly freeing.

As I get lost in the dance of the keys, my mind drifts away.

So much has changed in the last couple of months. Malik’s uncle was arrested for accepting a bribe, conspiracy to cover up a murder, among a rap sheet that was pages long.

I’ve seen the peace settle into Malik’s soul recently—that fight or flight he was constantly in before finally fading away.

He doesn’t have to live on edge anymore or fear any manipulation from his uncle and my dad. He can just be himself however he chooses.

There’s still one thing holding us back from closing that chapter for good. His uncle still won’t reveal where Micah’s urn is, but I refuse to let him hold that over him. I might have made a few calls and hired a couple of people to track them down. And today, I’ll finally get to cash in on the results.

In the aftermath of my dad’s arrest, my family was plastered all over the news, torn to shreds for his corruption. But my aunts stayed strong through all of it, not blinking an eye at the swarm of reporters that somehow always found us.

My dad won’t ever see the light of day again, not after he’s found guilty for all of his crimes. Micah was the tip of the iceberg of his secrets.

Bribery, embezzlement, fraud, and murder are just the beginning of what he’s facing. I haven’t visited him, and I’m not sure that I ever will. It’s complicated … obviously.

Even with the ruins he left us in, he also left behind hundreds of properties, businesses, and investments. My aunts had chosen to leave that world when they took me in, but they didn’t hesitate to step right in to take everything over. They divided the assets, splitting the responsibility between the three of them. Anyone on the outside would assume they were always proud and strong businesswomen.

My aunts are still living in Avandale, in the same home they’ve always had. They’re still the same people they were before the money started flowing into their accounts instead of my dad’s. If anything, they’ve doubled down on their kindness and humbleness.

Generous doesn’t begin to cover it. They are going above and beyond in any capacity they can fill.

Without asking—because they know he’d say no—my aunts paid for Malik’s tuition in full. They also set up an account in Malik’s name for whenever he needs it.

He swears he’ll never touch it, but I think I’ll wear him down eventually. I know he doesn’t want it because it’s coming from a Briarwood and he doesn’t exactly have a great history with our money … but it’s different now. It’s clean.

Sometimes, it’s okay to take a gift, especially when there’s no negativity or guilt tied to it.

My aunts also gave Darius and Alicia a nice chunk of money for their support of their future son-in-law.

We’re not engaged … yet. But I swear I’m going to marry that man the second he asks. I would ask him, but knowing his possessive ass, I’m sure he’d say no just so he could do it himself.

Besides, I’m not in a huge rush. I know we’ll be together in the end. I just want to have his last name on my license and not just his jersey.

But I guess having my name on his knuckles for the time being will do.

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