Dark Destiny (Dark Brothers Book #4) (19 page)

“Ace!” Jonathan squeals. “Playing unfair!”

I grin and turn to Jagger. “I’ll let you get back to work, hot stuff.”

He grips my hips, pulling me close. “Did I say thank you, today?”

I beam and shake my head. “Not today.”

“Well, thank you. You changed my life Willow, you stood with me through the bad shit, you taught me how to live again but most of all you believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. There will never be a day that goes past that I won’t be grateful to you, my beautiful wife.”

I swallow and reach up, cupping his face. “I’d do it all over again for you, Mr. Black.”

“I know you would, that’s why you’re my girl, now and forever.”

“Is this for real this time?” I whisper.

He grips my face. “It was real the day I laid eyes on you, Willow, it’s just along the way it got a little cloudy. Sun’s up now darlin’ and while I can’t promise there’ll be no more clouds, I can promise I’ll always fight for you, I can promise I’ll always have your back, and most of all, I can promise I’ll always love you.”

“Love me forever?” I say, feeling my eyes burning.

“’Till the fuckin’ day I die, darlin’,’ he murmurs, bringing his lips down over mine. “’Till the fuckin’ day I die.”

And that, right there, is enough for me.

It’s all I’ll ever need.

It’s all I’ll ever want.

Heck, does it get much better than that?

THE END

Now, here’s a bonus POV from Ace in preparation for his book, Dark Lust.

ACE

I stare down at the beach, and there she is, sitting by the sand. Her dark hair is whipping in the breeze and I can see by the way her body is shaking, that she’s crying. Sighing, I begin walking down, my boots crunch in the sand as I near closer. When I stop, and my shadow comes into view, she looks up at me, her eyes puffy and red. I kneel, swiping a dark lock of hair from her face. She looks pained, I know she’s still struggling with shit that went down with her and Jagger. I know she wanted the chance to deal with Mick before he was thrown out of the picture and that never happened for her.

“Bambi,” I murmur. “What’s goin’ on?”

I’ve called Maggie ‘Bambi’ from the day we first met. She just reminds me of something as fragile and sweet as Bambi. Not that I’ve actually watched the movie…

“Nothing Ace, I’m ok.”

“Shittin’ me again,” I say, swiping a tear away with my thumb.

“I just…I just…”

“Talk to me lady,” I prompt.

“I don’t know where I’m at anymore. I thought being a doctor was what I wanted, I thought it completed me, but it’s not. I’m lonely, Ace. I don’t have fun. I don’t live. I don’t do anything crazy. I just go to work, live my perfect little life, and go home. I don’t know where I fit in the world anymore.”

“You want fun Bambi? Is that what you want?”

Her light green eyes meet mine. Those are the second prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen, Jenny’s are the first. Her’s are more emerald green, Maggie’s are a lighter, blue green. Thinking of Jenny, has my chest clenching. A break she said. The girl wanted a fuckin’ break ‘coz she didn’t know if I was right for her. I get it, I do, but she fucked me over and she knew I cared about her. She also knew I would fuckin’ wait. Well, that was until Maggie showed up. Now, I’m confused as all hell.

“Yes, that’s all I want. Just to live.”

I stand, offering her my hand. She looks up at me, with a confused but downright gorgeous expression.

“Come on, you want fun, I’ll show you fun.”

“I don’t know, Ace…”

“Get up, or I’ll throw you over my shoulder.”

Her eyes widen, and she stands. I take her hand, spinning back towards the car park. She follows without too much hesitation. When we get up to my motorcycle, she stops.

“Oh no, I can’t get on that.”

I pull the spare helmet off the back, turn, and plant it on her head.

“Ace, really…” she protests.

“Bambi, babe, shut up.”

Her eyes widen as I adjust the helmet on her head. Then I grip mine, pulling it down over my face. I get on the bike, kick the stand up and point to the back. She hesitates again.

“It’s the bike, or I carry you down the street over my shoulder.”

She flushes and climbs on the bike behind me. She’s only a tiny thing, and her arms barely go around my chest. I grip her knee, making sure her legs are in the correct position before starting the bike. She makes a little squealing sound, that does wonderful things to me.

“Hold on,” I warn.

Then I pull out. Maggie’s screams fill my ears as we whizz down the street. I look in the mirror, to see her smiling, big, beautiful, totally heart stopping. I grin, pulling the throttle to get the bike picking up some more speed. We zoom down some side streets until we reach the freeway, then I hit the gas. Her screams become whoops of pure joy, and I can’t help the throaty laugh that escapes my mouth at the sound of her happiness.

I ride for an hour, just taking her around the beaches, just letting her enjoy the town. When we pull up, it’s at an old lighthouse. She climbs off the bike, pulling her helmet off. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips parted, she looks truly content. She walks to the railings and peers over, admiring the view. I get off the bike, walking over to join her. We stand like that for long moments, just staring at the scenery in front of us. That’s when she reaches out and takes my hand. I can’t help the electric bolt that runs through my body.

“Thank you, Ace. You always know how to make me smile.”

“Anytime, Bambi.”

She giggles, so childish, so young, so fuckin’ adorable. “I both love and hate how you call me Bambi.”

I grin at her. “You love it, you know you do.”

She laughs. “Ok, I do.”

“You want happiness, fun, and good times Bambi, you call me. You hear me?”

She looks at me, and her cheeks flush. “I hear you.”

My phone rings then, disrupting the silence. I glance down at the screen to see it’s Jenny. Fuck. I know I’ll answer it, because I always come when she calls, because I care about her and she knows it. The problem now, is the woman standing next to me. I’m in a situation, I know it and I don’t know how to get myself out of it. All I know, is that for the moment…

I’m fucked.