JaxonI drove quickly through the familiar streets, no doubt confusing my men in the cars following behind me. But no one called to clarify. No one bothered to check in or question my directions. It was one of the perks of being the boss. I pulled up to the house and walked inside. I wanted to head straight up the stairs to Sara, but when I touched the handrail I remembered the blood. I went to the hall bathroom and rinsed the remaining blood off my hands. I took off my jacket and threw it in the basket in the corner. My shirt seemed clean enough, if I rolled up the sleeves. I splashed water on my face as well, running my fingers through my hair. I still didn't want Sara to see too much of this side of me. She had already seen too much. I was surprised she still wanted me around at all. I signed. I wasn't going to improve much more. I walked up the stairs and nodded to Eli. I put my hand approvingly on his shoulder. "Thank you. Take a break but stay close." He nodded a
SaraI felt better having showered and cleaned up, even more so since it was the first shower I'd really been able to take on my own. Jaxon was already at work, and I stood alone in the bathroom, brushing my hair out. Certain movements and angles still stung a bit, but most of the visible marks on my body had gone. No one would know what happened to me just by looking at me. I smiled. The doctor had officially cleared me to move and resume my life, provided I was still taking it easy and not overworking myself. But after almost two months confined to a bed, moving and overworking myself sounded like a dream.I got dressed slowly and headed downstairs. I was thinking about breakfast, but it was getting too late to even consider it brunch. The chef was cleaning up the kitchen and restocking the refrigerator. He turned only slightly as he heard me come in. "Good morning, Ms. Sara. Would you like something to eat? I left the fresh pot of coffee on for you." His words were kind, b
JaxonIt was hard to concentrate on anything for too long. Thoughts of the previous night with Sara consumed me. I replayed the memory of her saying she loved me over and over in my mind. It still felt like a dream. I tried to force myself to look at the quarterly documents. I could feel the smug smile still strong on my face. The numbers on the report were abysmal, all things considered. I knew most of it had to do with the drama around Sara, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I knew things would go back up soon, especially with Sara as our new writer. Her words replayed in my mind.I barely registered the phone ringing. I picked it up without taking my eyes off the computer. "Devereux," I answered in a surprisingly cheerful tone. It was hard to believe that was my voice. My smug expression grew wider as I thought about Sara again and that I never had to give her up. "Jaxon, it's Walt." "Walt! How are things in the law enforcement business?" I really was in a good
SaraI felt a strange sense of peace, something I hadn't ever experienced before. For the first time in my life, I wasn't worried. I had the career of my dreams, and I was doing so well at it. I was surprised when Jaxon's mom congratulated me personally on my success. I was with Jaxon–for real. I no longer owed anything or was bound by some selling of me like property. I was just with him, and I wanted him. No one was coming after me. After the funeral, it felt like everything in my old life had died with my father. I knew Jaxon wouldn't give up being the king of the underworld, but that didn't bother me. Nothing in that world could touch me anymore. No one would dare threaten the queen. I sat in the private jet feeling elated and shocked by my reality. I had never taken a true vacation in my life. I had never been beyond the boards of the state I was born in. Now, I sat comfortably with just Jaxon, taking a dream vacation across the Pacific. I had just wanted to go to Hawai
JaxonI never wanted to get married again. I had been through so many fucking terrible experiences, but the last few years leading up to my painful divorce had taken the cake. Yet somehow with Sara all of that washed away. Nothing else mattered except tying myself to her in every way possible. Marriage no longer seemed like a daunting nightmare; instead, it was an extravagant dream come true. I was never one to believe in the universe or grand signs, but I felt like something or someone out there was giving me a second chance with Sara. When she screamed out ‘yes’ as her answer to my proposal, I felt my heart was so full and light it might sprout and fly me away. My smile spread so wide it hurt my face. My muscles were sore for days from the constant grin from ear to ear. Dinner had been a blur. I swept her away to our room and spent the rest of the night inside her and in her arms—trying to be as close to her as possible. Our wedding was beyond perfect, like closing a ch
SarahEvery morning I wake up and it takes a minute to remember where I am. From there it takes even longer to remind myself that it’s real, that I didn’t imagine getting the life of my dreams and it wasn’t some cruel joke someone tried to play. Jaxon is always next to me, the sun is shining still in some tropical land, and the giant DIAMOND rock is still sparkling and weighing down my left hand. I stared at it for a moment, watching the light reflect off the clear rock. I felt its weight and let it be a firm reminder of my current situation. I tried to let my eyes adjust and wiped away the remaining sleep.I sat up in the bed and looked at the mess of egg-white sheets around us. The sun was peering in, lighting up Jaxon’s face with specks of gold flakes and thin red streaks through his hair. Thoughts and feelings of the night before came rushing back and flushed my skin. I smiled at him sleeping peacefully. I had never had so much uninterrupted time being peaceful and not looki
JaxonSara had been right: being home felt different. It was clear things had changed. I loved starting mornings with Sara, driving to work with her and knowing she was around if needed. But at the same time everything was the same, it felt like we hadn’t gone away at all. I still received my regular amount of paperwork and meetings. I still had to present information to the board regularly, and unfortunately I still had the same number of shady calls and texts that I needed to answer. As much as I was starting to hate it, answering that world became almost more important. Something was off and I could feel the ground under my throne starting to crumble. It was a drizzly Thursday—which made me miss the heat of the islands—when that black other-world phone rang. I saw the number and recoiled. “What do you want, Cynthia?” I growled. I didn’t mean to be so instantly hostile with her, but talking to her was the last thing I wanted. Sara said we were starting fresh and I didn’t n
Sarah Jaxon hardly looked up from his computer, much less touched the salad in front of him. I had long since ignored the work in front of me and now causally popped grapes into my mouth as I watched him. I had been staring at him silently for the better part of an hour, and he hadn't acknowledged me once. I couldn’t decide if I was more pissed or concerned. “What is wrong with you?” I finally spit out. Jaxon glanced up at me like a deer in headlights. It seemed to take him a second to find my face glaring back at him. He looked stunned as if he hadn’t expected me to be there. “What are you talking about?” “For the last few days you’ve been acting… weird. You seem like you get more uncomfortable whenever I’m here.” I wanted to keep explaining and tell him how hurt and angry I was that he was being a neglectful jerk, but I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Sarah, nothing is going on. I’m just busy at work. You’re reading too much into things, my love,” he repli