Page 32 of Awakening the Beast
A black matte Lamborghini, identical to the one I crashed that night, is parked in the driveway. Jasper stands beside it, dressed in a sharp black suit, a big smile plastered on his face. I hear Wren’s footsteps approaching from behind, and her arms snake around my waist. I glance down at her hands as she presses her body firmly against mine.
“Do you like it, Daddy?”
The moment the word slips out of her mouth, I pause, the Lambo completely forgotten. I turn quickly in her arms, my eyebrow lifted, and she looks at me with a playful smile, obviously knowing the effect that word has on me.
Her small palms glide up the front of my pristine suit, tracing the fabric as her eyes follow her hands. “I bought it just for you,” she says, “with some of the profits I made while you were gone.”
I feel my brows shoot up in surprise and as her words sink in, I slip my hands around her waist, drawing her in even closer, unable to hide the appreciation I feel.
“You can now go back to business just as you used to,” she adds, with a hint of mischief.
A small smile tugs at my lips, but truthfully, I’m fucking speechless. I’ve never been the kind of man to have or want gifts given to me, especially something as extreme as this, but it’s not just the car—it’s what it symbolizes. It’s who she is as a woman that blows me away every fucking time.
As she tiptoes up to wrap her arms around me, pulling me close, my hands instinctively find their place on her peachy ass, squeezing gently as I lean down, our faces just inches apart.
“I’ve put everything back in your name, Arlo,” she whispers. “It’s all yours again. The business, the money, this house.”
My brows pinch together as I shake my head, confusion and disbelief churning inside me. “And why the fuck would you do that?”
“Because it’s yours, baby, not mine. I didn’t expect it when I received it, and I don’t expect it now that you’re back. It’s all your hard work, and everything should and needs to be in your name.” she says, her words full of sincerity, her big brown eyes scanning mine.
I rest my forehead against hers, trying to process her words. How could someone be so selfless, so fucking giving? She makes me feel something that no one else ever has. She leans in, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek, her lips soft and plump.
“Have a great day, and I’ll see you later, hubs,” she whispers into my ear, the nickname making my dark heart clench.
As she starts to pull away, something inside me snaps. I can’t let her go, not yet. I grab her waist and pull her back into me, tilting her head up and crushing my lips against hers. The kiss is fierce, eager, our mouths ravaging each other. I force her to bow backward from the savagery of my tongue and when we finally break apart, my breath is ragged, and I can feel the heat of arousal pooling low in my gut, my dick now hard and aching.
She smiles as she steps away from me, and I have to discreetly adjust myself to avoid my fucking brother seeing, which makes her giggle. She turns and heads for the door, her tight jeans highlighting every sway of her curvy hips. I watch her ass bounce with each step until she closes the door behind her.
“Fucking slut is way overdue a wrecking,” I mutter under my breath, the frustration to fuck her brains out now overwhelming.
With a heavy sigh, I turn to face Jasper, who’s still waiting. I stride toward him, lifting my chin in acknowledgement. When we’re close, we shake hands firmly, and he gives me a pat on the back.
“Welcome back, brother,” he says with a grin.
On the way to my first Elite meeting since I’ve been back, Jasper and I are stuck in a gridlock that feels like it’s never going to end. The frustration starts to claw at me, so I slip my hand into my inside pocket, pull out a pack of cigarettes, and bite one out.
“Didn’t you give that shit up while you were away?” Jasper asks, glancing at me with that knowing smirk.
I raise an eyebrow, take a deep drag, and exhale the smoke slowly.
“Mind your fucking business.”
He chuckles and I lean back in my seat, draping one hand lazily over the top of the steering wheel, trying to let the nicotine do its job.
“So, how are you feeling about getting back to work?”
I take another drag, letting the smoke fill my lungs before answering him.
“How I used to feel—I don’t give a shit. It’s fucking normal to me.”
I catch him nodding out of the corner of my eye, the weight of what’s coming hanging unspoken between us. After a moment, I decide to cut through the bullshit.
“How did Wren do with the Elites while I was gone?”
He turns to me, a wide smile spreading across his face. “Truthfully?”
I pull my head back slightly in confusion.
