Paradise Found: Cain (Paradise #2)(89)

My head shook in acknowledgement.

“I’m … I’m scared,” I mumbled, my voice continuing to tremble. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. I didn’t even mean what I said. I don’t want to lose you, yet I keep doing the wrong thing. Don’t let me lose you,” I begged, holding her tighter against me.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she stated.

“I’m scared,” I mouthed to her. The words would choke me if I admitted them one more time.

“I know,” she said in that soothing tone she had. “But I love you,” she whispered, words that both frightened me and thrilled me.

“I don’t know why,” I muttered. She tried to pull back, but my mouth came up to capture hers. It was a slow struggle at first, as I wanted to claim her. She finally gave in to my lead and let my lips take hers. Sucking her lower lip, then nipping so she’d open, my tongue invaded her mouth and we coiled together. I spun us on the bed, so she was beneath me, and she moaned as my length hit her core, despite the clothing barrier.

“I’m sorry,” I said against her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

“Show me,” she smiled slowly. I loved her more than ever as I frantically undressed her.





We found Ava in the room with Kursch the following morning. Her hair was down from its customary knot at her neck, and dark waves fell forward to hide her face. The sheen of it matched my own, if I had any hair to speak of. The beeping of monitors was background noise to the pounding in my heart. An eerie silence wavered through the room. It was clear we’d interrupted something, and I offered to come back later.

“I was just leaving,” Ava said, standing quickly and wiping her cheek.

“Ava,” Kursch spoke with a gravelly tone. She simply nodded and excused herself, not looking up at me as she went. Sofie held my hand while I approached the bed.

“How are you feeling today?” I offered.

“Ornery as f*ck. I want out of here,” he swore.

I smirked, sensing the old Kursch was back and ready to take life by storm, or at least take Ava, if he could catch her.

“We’ve made extra arrangements for you. The apartment above the garage is waiting,” Sofie spoke cheerfully. She patted his arm in comfort and Kursch smiled in spite of himself.

“Have you seen your father?” he asked, his eyebrows pinching, as if the very question was painful.

Shaking my head in response, Kursch tipped his chin once. My father had been arrested for the stabbing. Kursch didn’t want to press charges, as I suspected, but the scandal had already begun. Sofie told me how Malik had been coerced into telling her that I was in danger, and she needed to come to that field to help me. She didn’t believe Malik ever would have followed Atom’s orders, if he didn’t fear that somehow Atom would hurt her for not showing, or me, if I did. I hadn’t made amends with Malik. I wasn’t certain I could, despite the honest confession on his behalf from Sofie. I didn’t need to worry about him yet. There were tons of legal things to handle with my father. Thankfully, seeing him wasn’t mandatory. From this point forward, any issues could be dealt with through lawyers and representatives.

No longer an active member of the fight, I was ready to be on the sidelines and assist others instead. My father’s final evil was a warning to me. I wouldn’t fight my brother. I wouldn’t leave my wife. I wasn’t giving up my life to a man whose love was given only by threats.

To my surprise, Abel was one of the people I found at Eden2, later that day.

“Ava asked me to leave,” Abel offered without my asking. He stood in the middle of the floor staring at the cage. “She said she needed time. She was having difficulty processing that I was her little brother.”

I shivered at the thought. I didn’t care for Ava. A female fight coach didn’t equate with me, although I wasn’t against woman fighting. Admittedly, I’d witnessed a fight or two and found it hot as hell to watch. I’d also tumbled in bed a few times with one or two fight ladies, but ladies they weren’t in the sack. Not to mention, too competitive in bed. I wanted an equal, not an opponent, and wrestling a woman in bed turned out not to be my thing.

“I wondered if I could train here, instead?” Abel asked nervously. He looked down at his feet, and for a moment, it reminded me of when he was a kid. His hair fell forward to hide his face. Uncomfortable in his own skin, he was shy to ask for anything, least of all things that connected us as brothers. Knowing me, I most likely ridiculed him for asking. In that moment, my heart filled with pride.

“I suppose,” I drew out, “but no slack just because you’re my brother,” I snapped. “No fraternizing with the others,” I continued.

“Are you…”

“No drinking. No drugs.”

“Be real…”

“No sex in my gym.”

“Forget it,” he blurted, his face turning red. I let out a laugh.

“What?”

“I’m not making that condition. Hard limit.”

I laughed harder. “How do you know about hard limits?” My eyes narrowed to question him. “Do you know about hard limits?”

“None of your f*cking business,” Abel stammered, and I laughed harder.

“Jesus, the shy ones always have a secret.”