His Revenge (Smoke & Mirrors Duet #1)

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

LEO

“My lack of emotional expression does not extend to my dick. He has a mind of his own. He needs to own her as much as I do.”

E ntering the club at a breakneck speed, I don’t even see the rest of the girls. The only one I want to find is on the dance floor letting loose for the first time in public. Searching the crowd for my bride, I look at the picture that Rome sent me of her at dinner. When my eyes find her smile in the darkness the rest of the nightclub fades away and all I can see is her swaying her hips. The pure joy that is on her face has my heart skipping a beat until another man worms his way closer to my Butterfly. She isn’t even paying attention to him and I notice my bartenders did their job by handing her the red bracelet. She is mine, and no guy in cheap cologne and fake jewelry is going to touch her without permission. More importantly, no slimy man is going to ignore our wristband system with the woman I am going to marry. She may not see her true value but I do and so does every man in here.

My patience is a frayed rope about to give way when the monster in me sees him place his hand on her hip. Red shades my vision as my jaw grinds in an attempt to keep the monster at bay, but he wins. Before I even have time to think, my feet move swiftly toward her. When I reach her the first thing I see is the golden flecks in her brown eyes consumed by fear. Her fear causes a momentary falter. She is afraid of me. Why? Why would she fear me when I have never so much as raised my voice with her in the house? When I promised her that no one would ever hurt her again?

Her fear slows me down and causes me to adjust my tactics. I meant what I said about her never being hurt again and if this asshole thinks that his disrespect is going to go unchecked, he is wrong. I can defend her without physically touching her. She has had enough fear in her life, it's time to prove to her that no matter how angry I get it will never let it bleed onto her. She is my world now and if Rome wasn't watching over Claire I would be taking both of them home tonight to ensure their safety. Everyone deserves to blow off steam safely and this asshole is violating our most important rules. My Butterfly is not meant to be caged but that doesn't mean I will allow any other person to touch her, especially if they did not get her expressed consent. I grab his hand carefully to avoid touching her, as I would never touch her with angry hands. Smiling, I force his wrist down at an unnatural angel and pull him away from her.

“She is mine,” is all I get out over the sound of the loud music before I torque and break his wrist. He goes to scream when I shove my handkerchief in his mouth. Signaling to the bouncers, I have him removed and outstretch my hand for her. The need to touch her, to calm her, is flooding my system but that is not permission to touch her. I will never intentionally add to her fear. She flinches on instinct before she realizes that I am not forcing myself on her. My rage simmers deep in my chest. Between the flinch and the terror on her face I know someone has hurt her, but who specifically, and will she let me avenge her? As my thoughts spiral, I feel her hand find mine and everything around us stills. She is terrified but she is still choosing to come with me. The look in her eyes is more than words can bear. She is choosing me and I will not only get my revenge, but I will help her get hers.

Pulling out my phone, I let Rome know that my Butterfly is with me safe and headed home. Leading her down the hallway toward the back exit, she is the only thing on my mind. The fear tonight that I was going to find her with someone else has me carrying her out of the club and to my car. Setting her down outside the passenger door I cage her in on the door and breathe. She is safe and that’s all that matters. I have her and she is unharmed.

“Are you okay Butterfly?” I ask while taking in every inch of skin, looking for any irritation. I do not miss the slight inflammation under her eyes. I know that time has passed, but she must have cried today. Did me leaving make her cry? It has been less than 24 hours since I left our bed. When did my bed become ours? It was probably the second she touched it. Just like me, all it took was one touch of her magic to be claimed.

“I’m okay, Leo, I didn’t expect you to come home or to my rescue. I didn’t have time to react to that creep in there before you had already handled it for me,” She answers me as she touches my chest. The initiated contact is actively calming the beast inside me but does not change that I do not have permission to touch her. Her touching me is not permission for me to touch her unless she says so.

“You are my queen and no one touches you without your permission ever again,” I respond, fully understanding that even if she told me tomorrow that she never wanted me to lay a finger on her again, I would respect that even if it shattered the last of my humanity. I never pictured sharing my future with anyone before she walked into my life, not just to marry me, but to be the other half of my team. She takes a step forward and tilts her head up to meet my gaze.

“Does that include you, Death?” She asks, mere centimeters from my mouth. I smile at how close she is pushing today.

“A king is nothing if he doesn’t respect his queen,” I answer without moving. Everything in my body is begging me to pull her close and never let her go. She lifts up onto the balls of her feet bringing her lips to mine, snapping my control in half. Intensifying the kiss, I pull her body to mine and twist us around so my back is to the car. I would never make her feel trapped by me and this way she can pull away if she wants to. My tongue runs across her lips seeking entrance as I lace my fingers in her hair. We find our rhythm before pulling back to breathe.

“Please, let me take you home,” I ask breathily. My heart is beating erratically in my chest and my thoughts spin and spiral around her. That kiss held every feeling we are not speaking and so much more. If I knew what love looked like, I would say that this has to be it. She nods in response, still catching her breath. Her cheeks flush pink and she gives me a dazed happy look which takes what is left of my breath away.

I open the car door for her and make sure that she is buckled in before going to my door. Climbing inside the car, I set my right hand in her lap and start the car. The rest of the drive home is a blur of buildings and traffic signals. All I can feel is the warmth of her hand and the need to have her in my arms. We pull into the driveway in record time and park in the garage. I hop out and meet her at her door, extending my hand. She sets her hand in mine with a smile and we walk through the house to our bedroom pausing at the door. Looking into her eyes, I know how monumental this moment is and I will not fuck it up.

“Do you remember what words to use if you are uncomfortable?” I ask, searching for any hints of unease in her eyes.

“Red if I want things to stop completely and yellow if things need to slow down,” She says with soft confidence. My heart grows with pride that she remembers what her safe word is. Leaning into her slowly I find her lips with mine. The kiss becomes more passionate with each stroke of the tongue. Opening my bedroom door, I walk us back to the bed without losing contact with her. She kicks the door shut behind her, letting out a whimper as the kiss intensifies.

Breaking the kiss just enough to pull off my shirt, I see that she is doing the same. Finding her neck, I pepper kisses from her jaw to her collarbone when her hands find the button of my pants. She bites my lip as she pushes down my pants and boxer briefs. A groan escapes my lips as I reach for her pants, feeling the elastic waistband and push them down with her underwear. Backing onto the bed, I pull her into my lap paying attention to her neck and chest. As I unclasp her bra she moans into my mouth.

“Fuck me,” I utter at a breathy whisper while she slips her bra the rest of the way off. Pulling us farther back onto the bed until I find my back perched on the pillows, I admire the way her body looks over mine.

“I plan to,” She responds with a glint of playfulness behind her eyes. The growl those words summon is more animal than man. She leans back, giving me an incredible view of her body and she caresses herself. My breath hitches and I feel the temperature in the room increase with how hot she looks right now. She lets out a light gasp as her fingers find her clit, teasing herself. This view is something that most men would commit unnamed crimes to see, but I have it here all to myself. Her hands move just before she comes and she positions herself with me at her entrance. One moment she is teasing me, and in a blink I am cut short with her sinking onto me slowly with her hands on my shoulders. My hands find her hips to help move her while I capture her lips again. Her walls are slick but tight and she begins to ride her way toward her orgasm.

“Touch yourself, Butterfly. I need to feel you come undone on top of me,” I instruct with a feral tone. One of her hands leaves my shoulder, caressing it’s way down her body until it touches her clit. The shockwaves sent from her vice grip on me and the shudder of her shoulders let me know she is getting near her release. Gently, I bite down on the apex between her shoulder and neck, feeling the way it heightens her arousal as she moans. My thrusts begin to meet her motion as the rhythm gets choppy and I know we are close to cumming. I won’t last much longer but neither will she. The spasms begin as she shutters and moans, every muscle tightening and pulling me over the edge.

After we catch our breaths, she looks at me and smiles. The warmth in her eyes brings a smile to my face at the vision that will be my wife. I quickly pop into the adjoining bathroom to grab a towel, run it under warm water before wringing it out, and bring it to her. Not wanting to disrupt the peaceful look on her face, I reach down with the towel and clean her off before she crawls into her side of the bed. I follow her under the covers and pull her to my chest.

“You were perfect, Butterfly,” I whisper into her hair as we both drift off.