by Peyton Banks
“Yo’! Come on. Get off her. I think she’s had enough,” a deep voice called out to her. An arm grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back. Another set of hands grabbed at the girl bleeding all over the pavement, pulling her away.
“Let me go. I’m gonna punch her in the face some more for talking shit about me,” she yelled in a feral tone. Once Lavinia got like this, it took a minute for her to calm down. All she could focus on was causing pain to the other person. It was the only thing that mattered.
A voice sounded in her ear. “I think you’ve punched her enough.” Turning her around, he continued holding her around the waist. “Come on Max, let’s go,” he called out to the other guy dumping the girl at the feet of her friends. “Firecracker over here is fighting me like she’s a damn lion.”
“Let me go,” she growled.
“No.”
Looking up at him, she realized it was one of the dudes she saw earlier. The sheer beauty of his face almost made her gasp. She’d never been struck dumb by anyone before. Until today.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m Nico. Who are you?” he asked just as his friend caught up to them.
“Lavinia. Everyone calls me Vini.”
The other boy looked over at her, “Hey. I’m Max. Um, I think you hurt that girl pretty bad.”
He didn’t seem upset about it. There was a smile on his face as he kept looking back at the group of girls walking slowly behind them. She almost wished one of the girls tried their luck with her.
“You can let me down now.”
“Are you sure? You’re not gonna go flying back there to that girl?” Nico asked with a nod.
“No, I’m not going after her.”
He stopped, placing her feet on the ground. Staring down at her, he smiled. “I ain’t never seen a chick fight like that before.”
“Me neither,” Max echoed. “You fight like a guy. Who taught you to fight like that?”
“My dad,” she said, slowly turning towards the girls. They’d stopped when Nico released her. Turning around fully to glare at the group behind them, she didn’t move toward them. Just stood there. Speaking loudly, she made sure they could hear her. “I already got one of you. If you say anything else to me, or about me, I’ll get the rest of you.”
“Damn, Vini. You’re not playing around,” Nico murmured.
Max just stood there smiling at her while nodding his head.
Nico looked at Max, “I don’t ever want to be on her bad side.”
“Hell, I’m gonna adopt her. She’s gonna be my new little sister,” Max responded.
Turning to the guys, she placed her hand on her hip. “I’m not mean. I just don’t like it when people talk shit. And I don’t want my parents to know I’m fighting because they’ll probably be pissed off that I made her bleed. My daddy won’t care, but my momma will be disappointed.”
She sighed. A little voice in her head whispered to her that she should be more contrite about messing up that girl’s face. She wasn’t. Maybe this was what that counselor meant about her having a “personality disorder.”
He’d told her parents she lacked empathy, was prone to anger issues, and would need a strong support system as she grew up. Well, screw him too. All he did was take her parents money.
Looking at the two boys standing their smirking at her, she smirked back. Why weren’t they running away from her? Why weren’t they scared that she’d turn on them? “Are you guys gonna leave now?” Her stomach churned as she thought about them walking away. She wanted friends who weren’t afraid of her.
“Nah, we’re not leaving. We’ll walk you home, just in case.” The one called Nico responded. “Lead the way.”
As they walked, she kept glancing at each of them. They included her in their conversation, joking around with her as they strolled along the street. It felt nice to just hangout. She could get used to this.
Nico caught her gaze, winking at her. Her stomach got a funny feeling when he did that. Moments later, when Max did the same, that feeling wasn’t there, but it still brought a smile to her face. Glancing back at Nico, she knew there was something special about him.
3
Lavinia
Nico gave a shaky exhale, causing her to rise from her seat. Touching her hand to his forehead, she sighed in relief when she didn’t feel any heat coming from his body. At least he no longer had a fever. That was a good thing.
As she continued staring at his handsome face, her hand lingered on his skin. Memories of the two of them together filled her mind. Her dark limbs entangled with his light ones as they made love throughout the night filled her body with latent need. Nico was her one and only. The first man she’d ever been with, and the only man she’d been with since.
Stupid? Maybe.
In the end, it didn’t matter what he was to her. He’d shown her exactly what he thought of her love, her loyalty. She’d never betray him, even when he didn’t deserve it. Six months ago, he’d left her. Walked out the front door, throwing her love for him back in her face without any remorse.
Maybe he was right. She did deserve better. But to her, Nico was the best there was. Even with his bad attitude and inability to express his feelings, she knew he protected her. Even though their relationship was shattered, if she needed him, he’d drop everything and come to her. She knew this. Yet, knowing this didn’t make the pain of his betrayal go away.
“Vini,” Nico’s voice called out to her.
“Hey, I’m here.”
“Water,” he whispered, his voice raspy and thick.
She grabbed the cup, placing the straw to his lips for a couple of sips. “Better?” At his nod, she placed the cup back on the nightstand.
“Damn, this hurts like a son of a bitch,” he grimaced.
“Just give yourself another day or so, it’ll feel better,” she said softly. Lavinia didn’t realize she’d been rubbing her hand along his hair, caressing him as he spoke.
“Thank you.” His blue eyes captured hers, holding her captive.
“You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t think you’d let me in. Thought you’d turn me away.”
She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at his words. “Never. I don’t think I could ever do that to you,” she whispered. And she wouldn’t. He was the other half of her soul. The person who completed her. If it were up to her, she’d never let him go.
But it was no longer up to her, and she was a fucking fool for wishing for things out of her control. Apparently, her momma did raise a damn fool. What kind of woman was she? This man betrayed her. Left her. Never once coming back to her to explain or apologize. Yet, here she sat, pining over the love they once had.
He stared at her face for a silent moment. “What day is it?”
Lavinia glanced away from him, her eyes going to the small, diamond and ruby encrusted jewelry box.
“Tell me you haven’t forgotten already,” his rough voice made her nipples pebble.
She could never forget. It was the day she thought all her dreams had come true. It was now a day that haunted her dreams. Made her cry out in the night at the unfairness of it all. Vini couldn’t forget this day if she tried. That he was pressing her on this made her angry. He knew what the fuck today was. Closing her eyes for a second, she wondered if he were doing this to hurt her. To make her wish for the thing he’d ripped away from her.
Biting her lip, she turned back to him. “The one day that makes me love you and hate you in equal measure.” Sitting back in her chair, she placed her hands in her lap. “It’s the day my dream turned into a nightmare.”
Shaking his head to the side, “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Come on now, Baby. Is that any way to speak to your husband?”
“It is when my husband chooses another woman over his wife,” she snapped. As she said the words, her heart broke just a little more. In all the years she’d known Nico, been in love with him, he’d never seemed to look at another woman. Had never allowed any
one else to come between them.
But things had changed. He wasn’t the same man she’d grown up with. The man in front of her wasn’t the same person who stood in front of God and everyone to pledge his love to her. Vowed to never betray her. Gave his commitment to love her until the day he died. No, that man didn’t exist anymore. Because Nico had betrayed her to her face, and forced her to live with that humiliation.
How she could still love him, she’d never understand. Something inside her was broken. It had to be, because if anyone else had betrayed her this way, she would have gutted them with the knife gifted to her by Nico on her last birthday.
Sighing, Nico closed his eyes. “No, Angel. I’d never betray you. I’d kick my own ass, then Max would try his damndest to kick my ass again. No one else can take your place, Vini. One day, you’ll actually believe me.”
As he drifted off again, she sat in the chair watching him. No matter how many times he said it, there was no way she could trust his words. She’d seen the proof with her own eyes. She knew he needed the sleep to heal but she wanted to shake him awake. Ask him to explain what he meant.
Deep down, she felt bad about getting riled up and snapping at him. This wasn’t like her at all. Hell, from the time they took her under their wings, they’d taught her to control her rage, and how to channel her anger into energy and focus it all on getting the job done. Their techniques had worked for so long. She’d managed to become the person she’d always wanted. Her father was proud of the woman she’d grown up to become.
But when life throws a curve, sometimes it can hit like a neutron bomb. Blowing up your entire world in a matter of seconds. It can change you from the person you thought you were, into someone you never thought you’d see again. Anger. Rage. Sadness.
Seeing Nico lying in their bed, in their home, was too much for her. On one hand, she wanted to climb in the bed and hold him tight, soothing away all his aches and pains with her loving touch. On the other hand, anger simmered under the surface. Her hands ached to punch, fight, hurt, bleed as they fought out the aggression.
She itched to call Max to demand he give her an assignment. Give her someone who needed to learn a lesson. The swirl of emotions felt good to her. It was as if the old Lavinia was rising to the surface to take over.
Knowing Max, he’d deny her outright. As her designated big brother, he took his role seriously. No matter how much she pushed and prodded, he never willingly put her in danger without three alternate escape plans. And he never allowed her to get her hands dirty when her need to inflict pain on others was climbing to the surface. Neither he nor Nico worked that way. They were protectors for those they loved. Maybe that’s what drew her to them all those years ago, and what kept her by their side through everything.
Glancing down at Nico, she wondered why she hadn’t filed for divorce yet. It had been six months with no word from him about coming home, or fixing what was broken between them. Why was she still waiting for him? Loving him?
Rubbing her hands along her legs, she gave a derisive laugh. Now she was really losing her shit. She’d been sitting here for fifteen minutes watching her estranged husband sleep. All the while, going down memory lane looking for the reason they couldn’t make it. Thinking of excuses to explain what had taken him away from her for so long.
Where was he sleeping at night? Who was he sleeping with? Did he even miss her? Did he care that she was lonely in this big house without him? Or that she cried herself to sleep at night at the thought of his never coming home again?
Did he even care?
He didn’t need this from her right now, and she needed to stop torturing herself. Lifting from his side, she walked toward the door. It was time to leave this room before she did something she’d regret. It was best that she not be around him right now, because his closeness tempted her in ways she needed to ignore.
“Happy Anniversary, Lavinia. You’ll always be my Angel,” his whispered words carried across the room. “I love you, Baby.”
Her stomach clenched, and tears immediately filled her eyes. Fists clenched in anger, she wanted to hurt something. Hurt someone. Looking at her husband lying in his weakened state, she lowered her head.
I hate him. I love him. I need him in my life. But he’s made me question if I’m worthy of that love. Did he ever love me or was I just convenient?
“Fuck you, Nico. You’ve always been the Demon that took my soul.”
He laughed low as he drifted off to sleep, “That’s my girl.”
4
Nico
Nico stirred from a deep sleep. Squeezing his eyes closed, he tried to hold on to the dream fading away into the mist. Visions filled his mind of his body wrapped around Vini’s, his cock deep inside her warmth, as he claimed her over and over again. It was the best rest he’d had in a long ass time. He winced as his body reminded him why he was laid up in bed. He turned his head to see if Vini was still in the room with him.
Grunting, he slid his legs to the side of the bed, sitting up. Light poured through the window, making him smile. It felt good to be back in their bed. Even if she wasn’t next to him, it was still where he belonged.
“You’re awake,” her voice was clipped.
Fuck. She was still angry with him.
“Looks like it.” Okay, maybe his mood was still shit, so he couldn’t throw stones. “What day is it?”
“Thursday.”
He’d lost over a week laid up with this gunshot wound. He’d never been down this long after something like this. “Too fucking long,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Well, next time you get shot go somewhere else. Maybe to someone who’ll allow you to do whatever the fuck you want.”
Sighing deeply, he shook his head. This woman was going to be the death of him. “Vini, that’s not what I meant.”
“Doesn’t matter. You clearly don’t like how I take care of you anymore. Fine. Whatever.”
Gritting his teeth in frustration, he held back from taking the bait. There was so much that needed to be said but now wasn’t the time. Plus, it pissed him off that the woman he loved more than his own life thought he’d made a fool of her. Cheated on her with another woman just to complete a job. She’d forced him to defend his love to her, only to make him feel like a pariah. “You chose to walk away. Don’t get pissed at me because I accepted your decision,” he ground out, wincing in pain as his stomach clenched.
Yeah, maybe he was still a bit pissed about that. Glancing at her, he saw the anger simmering in her eyes as well. He knew that look. She wanted to respond to his terse words but chose to stay silent. That was interesting. Vini never stayed silent on anything. Half the time he had to force her to be quiet. “Why are you standing there like that? What’s wrong?”
Shaking her head, she pasted a fake smile on her face. The one usually reserved for her patients. He wasn’t a fool.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m about to start breakfast. Do you need help getting in the shower?”
“Nah, I’m good.” The last thing he needed was to continue relying on her. He was hurt, not dead. “I can handle it. Everything still in the same spots?”
“Um, yeah,” she shrugged, “but I placed some towels in there for you. Your stuff is still where you left it.”
Staring into her brown eyes, he felt a pang of happiness that she hadn’t thrown it out. At least he was almost positive no other man had been in here. No, he was sure about it. His Vini would never betray their vows that way. Which made him wonder why she thought he would.
Plus, if another man stepped foot in his home, he’d hunt that motherfucker down and slit his throat. Vini knew this. No matter how upset she was with him, she wouldn’t put someone’s life in danger like that.
“Why didn’t you throw it out? If you thought I was cheating? If you thought I’d actually leave you for another woman, why keep my stuff?” He never seemed to know when to shut the fuck up. Especially when it came to her.
Not sure why he asked the
questions in the first place, her answers became the one thing that would keep him breathing. This woman was his life. Vini, his firecracker, his angel. She was the only one with the ability to tear him down and build him up at the same time. Just her touch could calm the beast inside him. She had no idea the lengths he’d go to in order to keep her safe.
He’d cut out his beating heart before ever betraying her. What had he done over the years to tear down her trust in him? She was his wife. He’d loved her for so long, for her to react the way she did six months ago… he didn’t understand it, and probably never would.
He and Vini…well, their lives had gone in a direction no one expected. From the day he’d met the feisty girl, she’d had his attention. His soul recognized a kindred spirit. Barely contained anger and rage flowed through her veins. When she let it loose, all he could do was move out of the way. Although he never let her get hurt, he knew when she needed the release. When the build-up of emotions coursing through her veins became too much to bear, he’d been the one helping her get what she needed. When she finally let it out, all the anger, need, and hurt pumping through her body—it was a fucking work of art. Hurting people wasn’t something she enjoyed but it was done out of necessity. The only ones safe from her wrath were her parents, Max, and him.
Once her mother passed away, he didn’t think she’d ever come back to him. The darkness had almost overwhelmed her. She was reckless, dangerous, and lacked any regard for her own safety. And when they came together in bed, it was raw, needy, and oh-so fucking hot. His woman had been insatiable.
What else would a man like him do when he found the angel that soothed his demon soul. He married her.
No. What he needed to focus on was how to make things right between them.
His love for her began to unfurl the first day they met. Watching her beat that girl into the ground for disrespecting her family that way. It was the sexiest thing he’d seen in all eighteen years of his life. From that moment, he’d kept her by his side. She belonged to him and only him. These past six months had been his own personal hell. He’d needed his wife, his love, his angel, and she hadn’t been around. It was as if she’d forgotten him and what they meant to each other.
