Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(19)

“Me too,” Teresa admitted.

“Me as well,” Bonita chimed in.

Everyone but Gabriella had belonged to del Rio at some point. Mags had gotten too old to be desirable to his customers. Teresa and Maria hadn’t been exotic enough, Carmen had managed to slip away from the compound, and they guessed del Rio didn’t care, because he hadn’t bothered to send his henchmen to drag her back.

And Bonita had gotten so sick, del Rio had assumed she would die, and he’d literally discarded her as if she were a piece of trash. Daniela had found her near one of the dumps, nursed her back to health, and introduced her to Mags.

These women had been a lifeline for Mags. But she hadn’t been completely honest with them, not for a long time. There was a huge secret she was keeping. A secret she didn’t think they’d understand or approve of.

But if they felt more comfortable with Dave sleeping outside their door, guarding it, then she wouldn’t complain about it anymore. Deep down—deep, deep down—Mags was also glad he was there. She still couldn’t believe it, but the fact that he hadn’t stopped trying to find her made her heart skip a beat and hope flare deep within her soul.

Mags nodded at her friends and made a mental note to leave the hut through the secret back exit very early the next morning. It wasn’t one of the days she traveled miles and miles to take care of the very important business she’d tended to every week for the last four and a half years. She just couldn’t be around Dave. He made her wish for things she couldn’t have. She had to remember who she was. She wasn’t his Raven anymore. Her wings had been clipped, and she was now Mags. Ex-whore. Dirt-poor member of the barrio. Leader of her small group of friends.

Lying back down, Mags rested her head on her arm and closed her eyes. Not surprisingly, instead of thoughts of her life in Peru and the abuse she’d suffered, all she could think of was Dave. One particular memory stuck out in her mind, and she let herself get lost in it briefly. It had been their three-year anniversary, and Dave had gone all out, not only cooking a fancy meal for the two of them, but also setting up a surprise.

“Come on, tell me where we’re going,” Raven begged.

“Nope, you’re just going to have to wait,” Dave said with a laugh. They were in his car, and he was holding her hand as he drove.

“I hate waiting,” she said with a pout.

Ten minutes later, they’d pulled into the parking lot of his bar, The Pit.

“Seriously? We’re at the bar?”

He chuckled. “Yup.”

“And here I was thinking I was gonna get to go somewhere cool,” she mock-complained.

Dave came around to her side of the car and took her hand as she climbed out. “You’re such a doubter,” he said with a smile. “When have I ever let you down?”

“Never,” she said without hesitation.

“Exactly. Now come on.”

Raven followed behind her husband and took the time to check out not only his ass, but his broad shoulders and the arms she’d never get sick of looking at. He was so strong, he made her feel feminine and petite every time she was near him. She loved how he could throw her over his shoulder or move her exactly where he wanted her in bed without breaking a sweat.

She also loved some of the more adventurous positions they’d tried because she could trust him to not drop her.

Dave opened the door to the bar and gestured for her to enter ahead of him. Throwing him a flirty smile, she walked inside—and stopped in her tracks at what she saw.

Someone had strung white Christmas lights all over the front part of the bar. As she stood there, dumbstruck at how beautiful and transformed the space was with the fairy lights twinkling, Dave went over to the jukebox and pushed a button. Their wedding song filled the air . . . and all Raven could do was close her eyes and try not to cry.

“Dance with me?” Dave asked.

Raven opened her eyes and saw her husband standing in front of her, holding out his hand. She took it, and he wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her into him until they were plastered together from hip to chest. She laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth.

“It’s not fancy, but I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do more than hold you in my arms. I didn’t want to take you to a show where we’d be surrounded by strangers and I couldn’t kiss you whenever I wanted,” he said softly.

“There hasn’t been much kissing yet,” Raven said with a small smile.

His eyes glinting, Dave leaned down slowly and brushed his lips against hers. Once, then twice.

His beard tickled, but she loved it. “Stop teasing,” Raven complained.

She saw his pupils dilate for just a moment before his head dropped, and he kissed her so passionately, her knees went weak. But of course, Dave didn’t let her fall. He immediately picked her up, without breaking their kiss, and carried her to the back room of the bar, where there were rows upon rows of pool tables. He set her down on the nearest one and proceeded to show her exactly how much he loved her.

Then he took her to his office in the back room and sat in his office chair while she gave him an out-of-this-world blow job. Then he led her back into the bar with the twinkling lights and danced with her for another hour. At one point, he got out the Polaroid camera he kept behind the bar that he used to take pictures of his patrons, and as she laughed hysterically, he took her picture.