Surrender To Me

Bianca put down the knife, wiped her hands, and rounded the counter. “There’s my beautiful girl,” she cooed to her daughter.

“She’s gotten big,” Bane commented, staring down at the swaddled bundle.

“You would know that if you visited more often,” Bianca volleyed back, and I got the distinct impression this was an old argument.

“You know how busy I am.”

She stroked the baby’s head. “I know.”

Bane looked up and locked eyes with me. There was such warmth in them. “This is the other female love of my life,” he said. “Valentine.”

Wiping my hands, I walked toward him and peeked inside the blankets. The baby girl blinked up at me with dark blue eyes, eyes that were very aware of her surroundings. She had a shock of dark hair and the most perfect nose and cupid mouth.

“She’s beautiful,” I murmured.

“Yeah, she is,” Bane rumbled in reply, and I looked up to find him staring at me. Flushing, I walked back to my salad-tossing station.

“How old is she?”

“Four months,” Bianca replied.

“And where does she get her dark hair from, your side or her daddy’s?”

“James has blond hair, too, as does all his family, so I think she’ll probably have the same hair as

Bane.”

Bane smiled at that.

“Why don’t you two go and sit down? I can take it from here.” “Are you sure?” I asked.

“Absolutely.” She made a shooing gesture with her hands. I followed Bane to a set of four armchairs grouped around a glass table. Bane sat in one with Valentine still cradled in his arms while I sat opposite him. As soon as he was comfortable, though, Valentine began to fuss.

“I have to feed her,” Bianca said, coming over and taking her daughter. Gesturing to her kitchen,

she said, “Just leave that. We’ve still got time.”

She left us together, and Bane patted his knee. Hauling myself out of my chair, I lowered myself onto his knee.

“What are you smiling at?” he asked, rubbing his thumb over my bottom lip. “You.”

“Why?”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“You keep surprising me.”

“Don’t tell me you had me pegged as a drug dealer and peddler of pussy only. I have many layers.”

I played with the hair at the base of his skull. “I’m starting to see that.”

The playfulness bled from his eyes, scorching lust filling its space. “Fuck, Wren, this is fucking torture.”

“I know,” I whispered.

He groaned as he repositioned himself. “I can’t handle not knowing. It’s fucking driving me crazy. You’re driving me to distraction, to the point where I can’t even think straight anymore.” He caressed my cheek, the side of my neck, the swoop of my collarbones. My heart rate increased two-fold at his reverent touch, at his desperate words.

“Please tell me you’ll have an answer by the end of the night.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

Frowning, he dropped his hand to my waist. “Yes, you’ll have an answer or yes, you’ll be mine?” Be his.

Fuck, that sounded amazing…

… except he hadn’t mentioned the deal.

It seemed like it was as far from his mind as it was from mine.

“I don’t know if I could walk away after two weeks, though,” I whispered, touching his stubbled jaw. “What if you’re done with me after two weeks? What if you don’t want me anymore?”

The muscles under my fingers bulged as he worked his jaw. “You’re what I want, Wren. Yes, it started as just a way to fuck you, but now that I’ve had you, now that I know more about you, I don’t care about the deal. Hawk’s debt is wiped as far as I’m concerned as long as I can have you in my bed for however long you’ll stay.”

I wanted to give him exactly what he needed because I wanted it to. Leaning in, I fused my mouth with his, showing how much I liked that idea. With a groan, he skimmed his hand down over my breasts, my stomach, and my thighs until he inched his hand under the hem of my dress. I moaned into his mouth when his expert fingers whispered against my panties, stroking my clit through them. Bane rubbed the seam against my sensitive flesh, making me wetter, making me hotter.

The sound of a door opening and closing gained my attention, though, and I pulled away. He didn’t let me get too far, curling his hand around the top of my spine. He held me close to him, his mouth curled into a satisfied smile.

“Someone’s coming,” I whispered hoarsely.

“It’s my brother-in-law.” He kissed me again.

“What if he catches us?”

He shrugged. “What if he does? Public sex is a fucking turn-on.”

“Bane, Bianca said you were coming over for dinner,” a man said behind us. I glanced up and caught sight of a fair-haired man in a blue button-down shirt and tan khaki pants. He smiled at me. “She also told me you were bringing a friend, although it’s clear you’re more than friends.”

I wriggled free of Bane’s lap, shooting him a withering glare when he got one last feel of my soaked panties. “Hello, I’m Wren Montana,” I said, walking around the couches to hold out my hand to him.

“James Ward,” he replied with an easy smile. His gaze ran over my face. “I can see why Bane would want to keep you to himself.”

“James,” Bane warned, but his brother-in-law only smiled.

“I was just yanking his chain. Bane never brings women here. You’re the first, Wren.

Congratulations.”

I swallowed that information a little roughly. “Well, I’m glad I am.”

“Where are my girls?”

Bane replied, “Upstairs. Feeding time.”

“Ah.” Shooting another smile at me, he said, “I’d best go see my queen, then. See you guys in a few. Oh, and Bane, grab a beer for me, will you?” Then, with a wink, he was gone.

Bane grumbled as he stood and moved to the fridge. “Would you like something to drink?”

“A beer would be fine.” I followed him into the blonde wood kitchen, marveling at the scale-shaped pearly tiles on the backsplash. “Nice, huh?”

“It’s gorgeous.” What I wanted to know was what his sister did to afford a house like this. Unless they came from old money?