Page 68 of Sweet Revenge
“Nope. Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”
EPILOGUE
ELISA
My head rested on Daemon’s shoulder, and I gazed at the roaring fire he’d built in the fire pit on our private beach. Beyond that, ocean waves crashed into the sand while a full moon shone down, giving the entire beach an ethereal glow.
I took a deep breath and snuggled against him, our slick bodies melding together slightly as we cooled. Even after a year, Daemon still knew how to bring me to a fever pitch. My body ached slightly from the intensity of our lovemaking, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
And we were making love now, not just fucking. It had been difficult for him, at first, to recognize his true feelings for me, but ever since the day his mother died, our bond had been unbreakable. I hadn’t gone a single day without seeing him, and we spent as much time together as humanly possible. Sure, we had our disagreements like most people do, but at the end of the day, there was no one else in the world I would’ve rather gone through life beside.
The ringing of my cell phone broke the peaceful bliss surrounding us. I groaned a little and reached for it, but Daemon grabbed my wrist lightly and pulled my arm back toward him. “No, baby. We’re on vacation.”
Tugging my arm back, I forced him to release me. “I know, but it might be that client I was telling you about. The one who has proof she’s been framed.” I rolled over, hoping to pick up the call before it went to voicemail.
“No work.” Daemon leaned up on his pillows, his tone more pouty than strict.
I ignored him and picked up my phone. It wasn’t the client I thought it might be, so I decided not to answer it. The number was local to Chicago, so it could’ve been another client, but the only one I had to speak to right away was the woman it appeared the state may have framed for murder. I wasn’t going to let her go another minute without my help—even if it meant our vacation wasn’t quite as cozy as Daemon hoped. She wasn’t supposed to call me for another few days, so we should be all right, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
“Well?” he asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes.
“It’s not her,” I told him. “We’re fine.”
“Can we go back to cuddling then?” he asked.
A laugh slipped from between my lips. “The head of the Petrov family syndicate wants to cuddle? With me?”
He shrugged. “I might be a tough guy, but I’m not too proud to say I enjoy cuddling with my woman.” He reached for me, and I resumed my position with my head on his chest, the sheet draped over both of us. Purple flames glowed brightly against the larger red and orange flickers, and that calm sensation I’d felt before my phone rang settled back into my soul.
“This is it, isn’t it?” Daemon asked me, his tone just above a whisper. “This is what you wanted?”
It took me a moment to recognize what he was talking about, but then it registered. “Oh, yeah. To make love in front of a roaring fire on the beach? That’s what I had been dreaming of when we were in hiding in the cabin, yes.” I didn’t bother to add,And pretty much every night since then.
To me, this place represented freedom. We’d gotten away from our pasts, our hectic lifestyles, the idea that we were constantly being hunted, and we were at liberty to sleep with our sliding glass door open, with a cozy fire on a cool night on the beach with the ocean singing us to sleep. We didn’t have to worry about any of our enemies walking in and killing us out here. All was right with the world—or something like that.
I looked up at Daemon and saw a content look on his face, almost a smile. “What about you? Did you get everything you wanted?”
“Are you kidding?” He shifted, pulling me even closer to him. “I got everything I wanted and then some. Since you came back into my life, we’ve taken out my biggest enemies. Your family is no longer at war with mine. Alex is keeping his promise and staying in Boston. I have complete control of the family without having to worry about my mother or anyone else trying to undermine my authority. We’ve picked up a lot of new business and are making more money than we ever have before. Dezzy’s still groveling, but at least he hasn’t done anything stupid. Yeah, baby, I’m happier than I ever thought imaginable.”
I loved hearing him say that he was happy. There was a time when he didn’t even think it was possible for him to find joy in this life. He thought he’d be a killer with a target on his back until someone finally took him out, that he’d have to scrounge around looking for even a shred of peace while other mob bosses did whatever they could to destroy him. I couldn’t take all the credit for the peace he’d found, but we had done a lot to establish our new life together. Neither one of us ever would’ve been able to free ourselves of the burdens we were born into.
“You know,” I began, dragging a finger down his chest, “I’ve overheard some of the other guys talking recently, saying how you’re a lot happier than you used to be. For them, that translates as not as grumpy. Not as mean.” I arched an eyebrow and gave him a coy smile.
He returned the look. “Does that mean I’m getting too soft? Do I need to start knocking heads together again?”
We both laughed and I shook my head. “Nope. They like you better this way, and there’s no point in being mean for no reason. Sure, if you have to prove you’re worthy of being the boss, that’s one thing, but you’ve already proven yourself to them, so you may as well be happy at work, you know?”
“I guess so.” He sighed and looked up at the exposed wood beams of the bungalow above us. “Sometimes it’s fun to be mean.”
I jabbed him in the ribs. “Not to your own people.”
“All right. I suppose you’re right.” He kissed the top of my head and slowly began to trail his fingers down my back and up again. “What about you? Are you glad you decided to get into this particular field of law?”
With no hesitation, I said, “I am. I like helping people, and now I can do that. Regardless of whether or not a client can afford to pay me, I can be there for them. The people who need it most, who are being oppressed, those are the ones I really love to help.”
When my father died, Alex inherited most of his kingdom, but there was a small amount of money left in the will from long ago that was split between the rest of us. I imagine my father must’ve forgotten to remove me or else I wouldn’t have gotten a penny.
Alex didn’t argue about it, though. My brother truly was doing his best not to poke the bear. Things were going pretty well for him in Boston, so why ruin it by starting a fight with Daemon? With the money, I’d been able to start my own practice, as soon as I’d finally gotten a chance to pass the Bar exam. No more worrying about my father’s associates to give me a job. I could do whatever I wished.