Page 83 of Brandishing Betrayals

Maya

Itfeltlikeaweight had been lifted off my shoulders since I admitted the truth to Marcos, Jason, and Nico. The pressure was gone and in its place was a bit of hope. I was still scared, nothing had been resolved with Hillcrest, but now my guys knew everything and would protect me.

Marcos had already stationed guys outside of my mom’s house and told me I wasn’t to deviate from my regular schedule until things with Hillcrest were taken care of. Which was fine by me, because I had become a creature of habit and rarely deviated from my schedule during the week.

Things with my guys were still unresolved. I hadn’t seen them since Friday when the truth came out in the garage. Since then, I spent a quiet weekend at home relaxing, while Luke played video games with friends—we had even skipped his game on Saturday morning to sleep in. I wasn’t letting Luke leave the house and roam the neighborhood like I sometimes did, but he could at least hang out at home with friends while things got figured out.

Monday, I called into work, or rather I texted my boss and went back to sleep. I needed another day before I had to be an adult again. Luke would sleep in unless I woke him, so I wasn’t worried about him as I drifted off to sleep.

I woke to the bed dipping as someone slid into bed beside me. “Luke?” I asked groggily.

“Nuh uh, Little Dreamer.” Nico’s voice was smooth in my ear as he slid one arm under my pillow and the other arm draped over my waist and pulled me into him.

I mumbled sleepily and rolled into his very naked chest. He was so warm and his skin was so smooth as I ran my hand over his ribs. “What are you doing here?”

“Saw you didn’t go to work; thought I’d check on you.” He pulled my leg over his and wedge his thigh between mine.

“Luke’s here,” I mumbled, my brain trying to catch up.

“Nah, I dropped him at camp. He was only a little bit late. Thought you would enjoy the day without responsibility. Don’t worry, we’ve got guys at the school.”

My heart fluttered in my chest. He was so thoughtful all the time. “Thank you.” I nuzzled into his neck.

He held me tighter, one hand splayed across my back, while the other was tucked under my pillow. I was dressed in my usual PJs that consisted of a t-shirt and undies. My pants were on the floor where I took them off before bed, and within easy reach to grab in the morning to put back on before I left the room.

“I missed this so much,” he murmured. Kissing my forehead, he let out a heavy sigh and seemed to melt into the mattress.

I murmured in agreement, my hand absently rubbing over his smooth back. He had stripped down to his boxers and his skin was so soft.

“I realized this morning that we didn’t have to hide anymore.”

I stiffened and my eyes opened, as if realizing the same thing. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you are mine, Maya Henderson. You never stopped being mine, and I am claiming you again.” His voice was deep growl in my ear that sent shivers down my spine.

A whimpered moan escaped my lips.

Abruptly, he flipped me and pressed my body into the mattress. “You like that idea, don’t you, Little Dreamer?”

“I want that more than anything, Nico. I’m so sorr—”

He cut off my apology with a fierce kiss that stole my breath from my lungs. “No more apologies, not to me.” He shook his head, his blond hair framing his face as he stared down at me with those sparkling blue eyes.

I was panting and breathless. “But we can’t just go back to the way we were.”

“I’m not saying that, Maya. I’m saying, I understand why you did what you did, and you don’t have to apologize to me for that anymore. As for anything else, I’m— Fuck, I guess I’m asking for permission to be able to hold you and kiss you again anytime I want, to be able to fuck you again. I don’t want walls between us anymore.”

He looked so vulnerable as he hovered over me, his dark blue eyes darting between mine, waiting patiently.

I smiled softly and reached up and cupped the side of his face, caressing his cheek with my thumb. “I’d like that, but we need some boundaries. I can’t go back to what we were, the twenty-four-seven dynamic. There’s too much there that we need to discuss and unpack, and with Luke around—I just can’t.”

“I get it, Maya. I do. We have a lot to discuss and work out. But I missed you for so damn long, all I want is to be able to hold you and love you again.”

I smiled easily and pulled him down to kiss his lips softly. “I want that too. Let’s take things slow, though, keep things relativelyvanilla.” I smirked at him. “But I’m not opposed to touching and showing affection, and I’m ok with more behind closed doors.”

A wide grin split his face, and he leaned down and captured my lips in a passionate kiss.

He moved languidly, despite the passionate kiss. He slowly slid my panties down my legs and then pulled off his own boxers. Hovering over me, he guided the broad head of his thick cock through my slick folds, before he notched himself at my entrance. “So beautiful,” he murmured against my lips.

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