I hugged him back because I didn’t know what the hell else to do. “Hi, Atticus.”
Then he hugged Kim. “Hey, Kim.”
“Hey, Atticus,” she returned easily.
Addressing my brother, he shook his hand. “Westland.”
“Sire,” Keith acknowledged.
Cassius and the beauty joined us, and Atticus slid his arm around her waist. “Devi, Keith, this is Pryce Switzer, my girlfriend.” He looked at her sweetly. “Pryce, this is Devi, Cass’ girlfriend, and her brother, Keith. You already know Kim.”
Pryce shook Keith’s hand, but she leaned in to hug me. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
I returned the hug. “You, too,” I said honestly, and suddenly, I felt silly for having felt so anxious over this dinner.
As Pryce and Kim got to talking, another knock sounded at the door, and while Cassius went to go answer it, Keith drew me into his arms again, and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I had no idea what Cassius had told him, but whatever it was, it had done something to my brother.
With the arrival of Xavier, came more introductions. And where Pryce was a statuesque blonde with big brown eyes and a lovely face, Xavier’s girlfriend was a curvy brunette with light brown eyes and skin the color of dark mocha. Both women walked with the confidence of a queen, but something told me Xavier’s girlfriend, Rochelle, had the chops to rule the king.
“Just so you guys know,” Cassius began, “I wanted to box up dinner and set it outside for you guys, but Devi insisted that might be rude.”
Atticus laughed. “Just for that, I’m going to insist on after-dinner coffee, and maybe even a game of charades.”
“Oooooh, how about Pictionary?” Rochelle chimed in.
“How about both?” Kim joined in just to be a dick.
I couldn’t help myself. I started laughing, and now I really felt stupid for feeling so anxious about officially meeting the people closest to Cassius. I supposed the same way Kim trusted my feelings for Cassius, his people were trusting his feelings for me.
“I’ll kick you guys all out right now,” Cassius threatened, and I just laughed harder.
With the ice broken, I suggested, “How about we all sit down to eat, and it’s women versus men?”
“I like the way you think, girl,” Pryce exclaimed, and everyone reacted just like you’d expect.
“You women are going down,” Xavier predicted.
“No mercy,” Keith battle cried.
I glanced over at Cassius, and he just winked at me.
One wink.
That was all it took to remind me that everything was going to be okay.
Epilogue
Cassius – (Six Months Later)~
The doors automatically locking behind us always sent a shiver down my spine. But then, who in their right mind enjoyed the feeling of being locked away? Who in their right mind wanted to be confined in movement or choices? It was probably one of the reasons BDSM never appealed to me. I had no desire to be tied up, and I had no desire to tie someone else up. Restraints never appealed to me. While a lot of couples viewed handcuffs as a bedroom prop, in my world, handcuffs represented something way different. And it sure the fuck wasn’t pleasure.
Looking around, I didn’t care how green the landscape may be, or how fresh the exterior paint was, being confined in one place was being confined in one place, and no amount of lush surroundings could make me forget that.
“He looks good, don’t you think?”
Our hands intertwined, I lifted Devi’s hand to my lips, and kissed the back of it. “He does.”
She leaned into me as we made our way down the walkway. “Is it bad that I felt relieve that he wants to stay here for six more months?”
“No, baby,” I told her. “I actually think it’s the first honest thing he’s ever done for himself or anyone else.”
Two weeks after Devi had moved in with me, Keith had checked himself into rehab. With me footing the bill, we’d chosen one of the best in the state, and Devi and I made the trip to see him once a month. The first three months had been no visitors, but as soon as he’d been cleared, we had come up to see him.
At first, both Devi and Keith had argued against me paying for it, but I had insisted. I had even played the safety card and had guilt tripped them both into accepting my help. They’d been so used to doing things on their own, I’d known not to take their stubbornness personally. I had even told Keith he could pay me back if he felt that strongly about it, but I’d told them to table the logistics until he was done with the program and had a plan.
“I can’t thank you enough for getting him into this place, Cassius,” she said. “You saved his life.”
I stopped and pulled her to a halt. Taking her face in my hands, I said, “Devi, I saved my life. I did this to save my life. You were always going to be at risk if Keith couldn’t get his shit under control.” I shook my head. “And I couldn’t allow that. It would have driven me insane.”
Devi leaned up and pressed her lips to mine in a soft, loving kiss. “Even so, you’re saving my brother at the same time, and I will always be grateful to you for that.”
I wrapped my arms around her and nuzzled her neck. “Grateful enough to throw your birth control pills away?”
Devi laughed. “Cass, we just got married.”
While I had asked Devi to marry me after only two weeks of living with me, she hadn’t agreed until just last month. With Keith in rehab, and Alvin’s murder still so fresh, Devi had claimed her right to some time to wrap her mind around her new life.
But last month, when she finally agreed to marry me, we had called the rehab center and had asked them if we could get married here, so her brother could give her away. They had denied our request because a ‘festive’ occasion might prove too tempting for some of their patience, but they had given Keith a day pass. So, we’d gotten married in the quiet, little town of Wilshire, at their city park. As soon as I had kissed my bride, we had returned Keith to the rehab center, and had gone on our way.
I pulled back to look down at her and shrugged. “What can I say? I want a bunch of little girls with eyes like their mother.”
She shot me a look. “I’ll have you know, I was teased when I was little for having one green eye and one blue one.”
“But our girls will know how to kick ass, so problem solved.” Devi laughed, but she couldn’t know how serious I really was.
“Fine,” she relented. “But the first time one of them comes home, crying, because someone made fun of their crazy eyes, you’re dealing with it.”
“My pleasure.”
And it would be. It really would be.
The End.
Acknowledgments
◆◆◆
The first acknowledgment will always be my husband. There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude for having this man in my life. There is a little bit of him in every hero I dream up, and I can’t thank God enough for bringing him into my life. Thirty years, and still going strong!
Second, there’s my family; my daughter, my son, my grandchildren, my sister, and my mother. Family is everything, and I have one of the best. They are truly the best cheerleaders I could ever ask for, and I never forget just how truly blessed I am to have them in my life.
And, of course, there’s Kamala. This woman is not only my beta and idea guinea pig, but she’s also one of my closest friends. She’s been with me from the beginning of this journey, and we’re going to ride this thing to the end. Kam’s the encouragement that sparked it all, folks.
And, finally, I’d like to thank everyone who’s purchased, read, reviewed, shared, and supported me and my writing. Thank you so much for helping make this dream a reality and a happy, fun one at that! I cannot say thank you enough.
About the Author
◆◆◆
M.E. Clayton works full-time and writes as a hobby. She is an avid reader and, with much self-doubt, but more positive feedback and encouragement from her friends and family, she t
ook a chance at writing, and the Seven Deadly Sins Series was born. Writing is a hobby she is now very passionate about. When she’s not working, writing, or reading, she is spending time with her family or friends. If you care to learn more, you can read about her by visiting the following:
Smashwords Interview at:
https://www.smashwords.com/interview/MonClayton
Bookbub Author Page at:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/m-e-clayton
Goodreads Author Page at:
https://www.goodreads.com/MEClayton
Other Books
◆◆◆
The Seven Deadly Sins Series
The Enemy Duet
The Buchanan Brothers Series
The How To: Modern-Day Woman’s Guide Series
The Enemy Series
The Holy Trinity Series
The Blackstone Prep Academy Duet
The Eastwood Series
The Problem Series
The Pieces Series
Standalone
Unintentional
Purgatory, Inc.
My Big, Huge Mistake
An Unexpected Life
The Heavier the Chains…
Real Shadows
You Again
Merry Christmas To Me
Dealing with the Devil Page 11
