Page 76 of Serena
“I’m almost done, baby.” I continue to the next line. “You’re doing so well, Mi Reina.’ Once I’m done, I lick the blood from the wound. Everything about her tastes delicious. I take in my work and stand up. She wraps her legs around my waist, tugging me toward her. This is everything. She is everything. I slowly enter her. Fuck, always so tight and so willing. "Every time you look in the mirror, you won't see a reminder of your past. You’ll see a reminder of your future.” I look at theIthat I engraved into her skin. Over theXthat was carved into her. Looking down at what she let me do to her makes me feral. I rub circles on her clit and pinch it. I place both her legs on my shoulders, deepening my angle. Fuck, I could never tire of this, and I know she feels thesame way. I feel her tighten around me, and I continue to rub her clit.
“Come inside me, please. I need to feel your cock throb inside me,” she begs. That’s all it takes. I give her what she asks for.
I carry her to the shower and clean us up. I tend to her wounds and bruises. I put her in bed, knowing that she’ll wake up with her legs around me or her head on my chest. That’s what happens. I give her space when she falls asleep, so as not to trigger her nightmares, but throughout the night, she makes her way to me.
Right now, I’m holding her while she’s still awake. Her fingers caress my chest and trace my tattoos. “The first time I saw you was at Elias and Theo's wedding last summer.”
She sits up. “I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“I didn’t plan to attend. I was living overseas, and my life revolved around work. It was during the time when the whole Mila situation happened, so I was back home. I decided to take a break from all the chaos. My parents are friends with the Lobos, so I accompanied them.” I look at her. Those beautiful brown eyes. “I was standing to the side, avoiding other guests. Only a few people knew I was back in town, and I wanted to keep it that way. I was about to leave when I heard a vibrant laugh coming from the dance floor. You were dancing with Elias Sr. After the music ended, some guy approached you, and you sent him on his way. I looked around and noticed the way others were captivated by you. When others weren’t looking, you always seemed lost in your thoughts. You were so different from those few you let in. Two sides of a coin, like me.” I take her hands in mine. “I was going to approach you, but your friends took you away.”
I need to tell her the rest. “Serena.” She crashes her lips to mine before I can say another word. That’s all it takes to silence my thoughts. I take her in my arms and spend the rest of the night making love to her.
My phone vibrates on my nightstand. I look down to find Serena lying on my chest. As predicted, she made her way to me sometime after we fell asleep. She is out cold.
I look at the caller ID and see that it’s Miles, so I answer immediately, hoping it has nothing to do with my sister. “Someone better be on their deathbed for me to be getting a call at this time. With my woman in my arms!”
“Ian.” His tone puts me on alert. “There is something you need to see. I’m sending it right over.”
She doesn’t wake up as I slip out of bed, no doubt exhausted. I sit in my office and pull up the file Miles just sent.
“What am I looking at?”
“Top right of the screen. Guy in all black. Now top left. Same guy.”
“He’s casing the building. Serena’s apartment building.” I look at the time stamp. This was an hour ago.
“There’s more.” I open the second file. This is from the security camera right outside Serena's apartment door. It has a direct view of who comes and goes. Whoever this is knows what they’re doing. They angle themselves so none of their features are visible. They’re pacing the hallway and stop in front of her apartment door, twist the handle, and tug on it. Fuck. I look at the time stamps. This was taken twenty minutes ago. He doesn’t try to break in, just rattles the door. A scare tactic.
“Update on Byran Carson?”
“He left rehab a couple of weeks ago. Last known location was his parents. I can send someone to check it out.”
“Do it. Now.”
I know where Jacob is, so I don’t have to worry about him. Derek technically works for me, so I keep an eye on him. There’s no way in hell she’s going back to the apartment. Fuck, if I show her this, it’s going to have her spiraling. I can’t go back to sleep. Instead, I sit and watch her; she looks so peaceful. The last time she had a nightmare was on the nights following my mother’s fall. I hate myself for what I’m about to do.
I’m making breakfast when she walks into the kitchen. My large mug of coffee is waiting for her. At her apartment, it’s the same thing; I make the coffee, and she drinks all of it. She winces as she sits on the barstool. I should feel bad, but I don’t. I know she can take it.
“Serena, move in with me.”
“Ian, it's too early for this again. I need to get ready for work.”
No, she doesn't. I notified the office that Serena Nerva would be working from home for the remainder of the month. She can work remotely.
“Serena, I want this with you every morning. Move in with me. We can live here or get a new place.”
“I don’t know if I'm ready for something so big.” She gets up. “I have to get ready for work.”
“No, you don’t. I notified the office that you’ll be working from home.”
“Why the hell would you do that?” Fuck, I didn’t want to do this now, or ever.
“Mi Reina.” I hesitate. “There is something I need to show you.” My face may convey what my words won’t because she doesn’t argue.
I lead her to the office and play her the recordings. “There’s more.” I pull up footage from a couple of hours earlier. It’s from outside the café where she bumped into Derek. The same person is standing across the street looking in.
I spin the chair to face her. Her bottom lip is wobbling, but there are no tears. She’s shaking her head back and forth. “Why is this happening again?”
