Magnus slowly starts nodding. “I think I know how to complete this job. Yes… I think I know just who I can loop into this and help us here. We’ll get Dennis, that’s for sure. He won’t be safe so long as he keeps making these threats.”
“Do you think he’s done enough for jailtime?” I ask.
“That’s hard to tell,” Magnus says. “Once we get proof of his actions, it’s a slam-dunk case. But until then, he’s a monster free to do whatever he wants.”
I nod grimly. “This is why we can work together and stop him from ever doing anyone harm again.”
Magnus softens just enough to reach for my hand. I take it. I feel myself melt under his touch. “Once you’re safe and he’s out of the way, will you go home? Or will you stay?”
“This is my home now,” I murmur. I look Magnus in the eyes. “I’ll take care of business back where I came from, but this is my home, this is my job, and I’m not giving up my new life for any reason.”
“Good girl,” Magnus closes his eyes, exhaling in relief.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Everything I’ve been through has brought me to this moment. Of me facing Dennis, ready for this to be the final time. My heart is beating too damn fast when I look at the man who’s abused me for years.
His grin of victory drops just a slight bit when he sees Magnus come out from the shadows, a few steps behind me.
“Calling for backup isn’t going to help. What’s a spoiled rich boy gonna do, baby? You think I’m here to negotiate?”
That had been the basic premise, at least. After a day of Magnus taunting the deputy and trying his patience with calls and messages, I began my plan: I told him I was ready to give up.
“You think you’re not gonna give up, huh, Shell?” Dennis says. “You fucking idiot of a bitch. You should have packed your bags and done met me alone. Now you’re going to have to watch me stomp this rich boy’s face into the floor before I take you away with me.”
“It’s not going to be that easy,” Magnus counters. He’s wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt, loose enough to make it seem like he’s not as absurdly muscular as he actually is. Dennis is no slouch himself, but I’m not sure I’m confident enough in Magnus’ fighting ability that he can easily disarm and defeat Dennis.
Back home I’ve been brought on enough ride-alongs with my abusive ex that I know what he’s capable of doing. He’s pinned down and handcuffed bigger guys than Magnus. He’s one of those sick cops who gets off on fighting people.
So when the flash of violence returns to his eyes, I know he’s ready to escalate this.
“Is that what you want, you piece of shit?” he growls at Magnus. “You want to fight? This isn’t going to be some fucking staged boxing match you get to watch from the VIP seats, motherfucker. This is going to be real. You’re in for a real treat, baby.”
I step away. If I could, I’d pounce on Dennis and beat the shit out of him too, but Magnus has his plan in motion.
The billionaire steps within Dennis’ range, evading with a twist of his torso away just as Dennis tries a first punch.
“Fucking coward,” Dennis laughs. “Spoiled rich boy’s gonna get his ass handed to him.”
Magnus is the absolute image of concentration here, focusing entirely on watching Dennis’ moves. I’ve been having my doubts about the billionaire’s ability to hold off the dirty brawler Dennis is, even when Magnus recited a list of trainers and martial arts he’s practiced in… so now he really needs to show up.
Dennis fights dirty. Dennis is a corrupt deputy who spends every day at work getting into fights, just because he enjoys it. Dennis is an abusive asshole who’ll beat guys up all night and then come home drunk to beat me up too.
I reflexively bring a hand to my cheek, the memory of him hitting me giving me a flash of panic.
Magnus shoves Dennis back just as the deputy tried to tackle him. There’s something a little too civilized about the way Magnus fights. It doesn’t give me any confidence…
And worse, Dennis is starting to notice, too, adapting quickly. Magnus is keeping his attacks very safe: he’s using his palms, he’s shoving instead of punching, he’s watching Dennis’ legs and blocking his kicks instead of making his own.
Meanwhile, the dirty cop is all about his dirty tricks. He connects with Magnus’ jaw thanks to a quick feint and swing of his elbow.
My boss steps back, rubbing his cheek as he watches Dennis.
“Come on, you’re trying some weird honorable fighter shit on me,” Dennis taunts Magnus. “I knew you were all talk. Tried to get me to fight, huh? But look how much of a pussy you are now.”
Magnus throws a punch in Dennis’ direction, but my abusive ex easily dodges it. He saw that coming a mile away.
I watch their feet. Magnus is swift and quick, making sure never to let himself lose his footing. Dennis doesn’t care about that. He’s nimble enough to adapt to each move, and he’s letting his arrogance and aggression take advantage… but it doesn’t look like he’s going to make a mistake soon.
“Just leave us alone,” I tell Dennis. I’m not about to fight him, but I can make him slip up. “Leave us alone and stop being such a fucking awful man.”
“I’m an awful man?” Dennis pretends to flinch. “Aw, that’s not it, though — I’m a great guy. I’m a great guy who’s about to win my girlfriend back. We’re gonna go home and we’re gonna get married.”
Magnus sees an opening and does a quick one-two punch against Dennis’ lower ribcage. There’s a hard “oof,” coming from Dennis, but he adapts to the attacks, lifting his fists in front of him.
“Wanna dance, motherfucker?” Dennis taunts Magnus again. “Come on, you’ve been so fucking quiet. Real fucking pussy, that’s what you are. You must think you’re in love, huh? I can tell you this… this bitch isn’t worth it.”
“Then why do you keep trying?” Magnus says, his right leg extending as he sweeps Dennis, forcing the deputy down to the floor.
Magnus hesitates for half a second rather than kicking Dennis when he’s down, and because he does that, Dennis gets back on his feet and jumps back, returning to a fighting stance.
“Shaleigh belongs to me,” Dennis spits to the floor. “You’re gonna remember the day you tried to fuck with me, man. You’re gonna get so fucking wrecked.”
I can tell that Dennis isn’t afraid of anything. Anyone with any common sense at all knows that this is a mistake. Magnus might be, according to him, a “spoiled rich boy”… but we all know people with money have all sorts of resources behind them. Dennis is being naive if he thinks his fists are somehow able to equalize things.
And it’s not even like he’s winning. When Dennis gets back in range, Magnus manages another blow to his chin. It rattles him. I can see his eyes flash with surprise as his rage-filled state makes him lose his edge.
Come on, Magnus, I pray hard. Part of watching this is primal — two men fighting for me. Given the circumstances it’s hard to feel flattered by this, but there’s a sense of destiny here. If Magnus wins, he’ll prove that he was right the whole time. There’s a special bond between us, and we can’t step away from that.
But just as easily as Magnus gets the upper hand, Dennis goes in for a flurry of blows that knocks the billionaire back. Dennis checks him on the neck, with a punch so hard to his throat that if Magnus hadn’t jerked his head back, the blow could have killed him.
“Dennis, stop this!” I shout at him. “You’re not going to win!”
“I’m not afraid to fucking kill this chump,” Dennis says. “But I know Mr Billionaire here is too fucking precious to show that sort of edge. You’re just a fucking pussy, aren’t you?”
Magnus waits for the right moment and then executes a perfect karate kick that knocks the wind right out of Dennis. He falls back so hard he slams into the passenger seat of his car.
And that’s when it happens — it flashes in front of me like a movie, as I watch Dennis open the door and reach for a gun. Magnus le
aps out of the way just as big spotlights turn on, pointing right at the dirty cop.
Those commandos Magnus talked about? They’re all there, holding riot shields and big machine guns. They look like the goddamn army.
“You’re under arrest!” One of them says. He’s actually dressed in uniform, unlike the others.
Dennis immediately drops his gun. “What the fuck? You piece of shit, this is how you settle it? Running to your paid goons?”
“Paid goons?” Magnus raises an eyebrow as he gets in close, kicking the gun away. I watch his fist clench. “No. Real police.”
“That’s enough, Magnus,” the lead cop comes, holding handcuffs. “We’ve got it.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Dennis yells.
“None of your fucking business,” the cop replies. “Just think of me as someone with actual jurisdiction here. Nice illegal firearm, by the way. That’s not the only charge we’re getting you on tonight — so keep your fucking mouth shut. Right to remain silent, you know the drill.”
“Thanks, Tom,” Magnus says, stepping away to rejoin me.
The Boyd Industries security team stands down just as Tom hurries Dennis away in cuffs. The loudmouth abuser has finally shut up, and instead of taunting me or Magnus any further, he just stares… not with anger, but with shock.
He really didn’t see it turning out this way.
Magnus nods to his guys. “Thanks for the backup.”
“Any day, chief,” one of them replies with a thick accent. That guy is not someone you want to mess with, I can instantly tell.
“Oh my God, is it over?” I immediately say as I reach for Magnus, grabbing his hands. He can feel just how sweaty my palms are, but he doesn’t mind. He lifts my hands up to his mouth and he kisses them.
“It’s over, Shaleigh, I promise you. Dennis is never going to hurt you again. We can move on, now.”
I close my eyes as he begins to hold me. “I want that so much. I want to move on.”
“We’re at our strongest when we’re together,” Magnus adds. “I never want you to feel anything but completely safe, my darling. You’re everything to me… and I’m so sorry for making you feel so conflicted recently. We’ll get past this. Together.”
“Together,” I nod, no words left in me. He’s right. He’s always been right.
When we kiss, it feels like the most natural thing again. It doesn’t feel like we’re reconnecting after a torrid breakup. It feels like I’m finally free of the baggage that’s stopped me from realizing what’s in front of me… a man who’ll stop at nothing to make sure I’m comfortable and safe and respected.
Dennis is out of the picture, and I haven’t even come to terms yet with what that means. Yes, it means I can go clear my name back home… but I was right earlier when I told Magnus that this is my life now.
“You’re my life now,” I correct my inner voice, and I watch the billionaire smile.
“I love you, Shaleigh,” he says, with a firmness that is absolutely concrete.
“God, I love you, I love you for saying that, I love you, Magnus. Thank you so much. You… you always know how to get me feeling alright again,” I whisper. “I love you, Magnus. I love being with you.”
“Be with me, then,” Magnus says. “We have a lifetime ahead of us… and together, we’re always going to be stronger than some deadbeat, evil deputy. You’re safe now.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Why are you smiling?” Magnus asks me, raising an eyebrow. He’s right to wonder why, after the stress of dealing with Dennis and finally getting him out of my life, it seems like something as simple as smiling takes more energy from me than I can seemingly muster.
I join the hunky billionaire as he lounges on a couch, reading a copy of today’s Financial Times. “I just realized I’ve only ever seen you standing up, leaning, or sitting down on chairs. I’ve never seen you relax like this on a couch.”
Magnus laughs. “I’m human too, you know. Sometimes my back hurts. Sometimes I like stretching out.”
“Wanna stretch out with me?” I offer, sitting next to him and kissing his shoulder as I seat myself.
“Delighted to,” he says. We both begin to extend our legs out straight, with our feet gently nudging each other. The feeling of his touch always comforts me most.
I lift my back just a little so Magnus can wrap his arm around my waist. “Ah, my love. Things are getting better, aren’t they?”
“Little by little,” I nod. “That’s what counts.”
“You know, I think I can skip on the business trip after all — let the COO handle this on my behalf. I lost you for just long enough to remind me what really matters to me. And I’m not about to let go of that, not even for a second,” Magnus says.
I lean forward to kiss him with a quick peck of our lips. “You’ve helped me so much. I can’t even begin to thank you.”
“There’s no reason at all you should have to say thank you, Shaleigh, my darling,” he quickly counters. “Anyone would be remiss in not taking the same steps I’ve been taking.”
“Well, the restraining orders, the legal assistance, providing the police with as much concrete evidence of Dennis’ wrongdoings, that’s going to go a long way towards helping lock him up,” I nod.
“Lawyer friend texted me last night saying it’s looking likely that he’s going to face at least twenty years in jail. I had been fearing for the worst at first, thinking his long-time career in law enforcement meant he would be protected by his fellow police officers and sheriffs and deputies… but thankfully, it looks like everyone’s abandoning him. There’s even a motion by a couple of attorneys back in your hometown to bring a ton of lawsuits against him for police brutality and other crimes in the past,” Magnus explains.
I kiss him again. Hell, for every bit of positive news I’ve received regarding this whole resolution, I want to kiss him every few seconds. If I had it my way, I’d pull him down and keep him on the couch with me, kissing him and never letting go.
Hell, Phil can walk in and out of the penthouse living room and make all his grossed-out faces watching us getting all lovey-dovey, but I’m not going to stop.
I found my man.
“Ahhh,” I sigh contentedly. “I feel safe. This might sound like something unusual to say, but that’s something that’s always been important to me… a real goal to aspire to. And you’ve done something impossible, Magnus Boyd. You’ve made me feel safe.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” Magnus makes me yelp as his hands cup just under my butt, lifting me with impressive strength to place me on his lap. “See, the thing is… being with you has taught me something very valuable. I’ve never fought for someone, and I’ve never fought to be with someone. The fact that it feels so natural to do so with you tells me we have something special.”
I nod enthusiastically. “Of course we have something special.”
“Still think I’m handsome?” Magnus winks. “Even with this nasty black eye?”
The billionaire has been making all sorts of lighthearted jokes about how he can’t allow himself to leave the penthouse so long as he has his black eye, saying that paparazzi photographers might start going crazy about it. In reality, we’ve been practically confined to bed in our exciting, hot-blooded reconciliation.
We can’t take our hands off each other. I know I personally have become accustomed to being the little spoon to this muscular, magnificent man, whose possessive hands wrap around me in bed. Sleeping with him after sex is a delicious thing to behold.
But it would never compare to the actual act of sex.
Adrenaline makes people do wild things. From the moment we extricated ourselves from the Dennis situation, we’ve been having absolutely amazing sex. He’s made me realize just how incredible the feeling of being held down in bed by him is, and slowly, I’m beginning to reclaim the feeling of surrendering control to a man as dominant as him.
It wasn’t too long ago that I would have flinched from
being handled this way. It truly is a testament to how good a lover Magnus is that when he presses me down by my shoulders and pins me against the mattress, my ass grinding up against his amazing cock, that I feel completely satisfied, never worried about my safety.
Just thinking about it gets me all excited again.
He knows, too, what with the way his eyes narrow as he watches me reflexively cross my legs as we cuddle up to each other on the couch.
“Thinking about something?”
“Oh, you know I was,” I say coyly. “See… how can I help but think about certain sexy things when I’m around a certain sexy man?”
“I’ve never been so passionately in love with someone the way I have with you,” Magnus confesses. Even as sweet as he is, I wasn’t expecting him to say something like that. He stuns me, he really does.
“I love you too, handsome,” I whisper as I begin to straddle him, kissing his mouth happily.
“Wait. I’ve got something for you,” Magnus says, asking me to give him a bit of room.
He’s got something for me? I raise my eyebrows and watch him pull a small box out of his pants pocket. No way. No way!
“Oh my God, Magnus — yes!”
He silences me with a finger to my lips. “I have to ask first. Let’s do this right.”
I inhale sharply, all the butterflies in the world fluttering inside my stomach. He’s such a tease; how can I wait even a second to tell him, yes, yes, of course?
Opening the box, he pulls a tastefully beautiful white gold ring. “Shaleigh, I love you deeply. I fought for you before, and I’ll always fight for you, now until forever. Will you marry me?”
My giddy grin gives no prizes for what my answer is.
Of course I scream yes a hundred times.
Chapter Thirty-Four
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