: Part 1 – Chapter 12

SHE’D GOTTEN OUT OF the jeep after a short bumpy ride and made her way down the stone path covered with trellises in an arch, the scent of flowers and foliage strong as she walked through the space, enjoying the swish of her dress against her thighs, the sound of water rushing somewhere close by. As she’d reached the end of the path, the view became clearer, and she’d frozen.

When they’d told her he lived on the edge of the jungle, she’d expected a cottage in a clearing, maybe a large house. What she’d not expected was the architectural monstrosity that stood before her. Zephyr leaned her head back, her jaw-dropping at the marvel of something like this actually existing just twenty minutes away from the city, much less being lived in.

“Welcome home.” Hector smiled as he received them, carrying one of her boxes inside the… compound. That’s what they’d referred to it as.

It was a beast, like the man who stood beside her. He’d made this?

“Holy shit,” she breathed as she took everything in, and there was a lot to take in.

Three tiers of construction were done in levels on the hill. The first and lowest level had over twelve little cottages with slanting roofs that had eroded with time to a light sandstone shade. She could see a few women, men, and even two kids around the level. On the other end was a gray single-story building, outside which she saw two guards lingering. The second level had larger but fewer cottages of the same build, more spaced out and evenly spread. But it was the last and highest level that had a gasp leaving her lips.

A large mansion sat atop the highest point of the hill, wood and stone and glass that she was dying to see up close. Stone stairs from the bottom led to the top, a black metal railing running parallel to it on the sides, connecting all the levels with each other.

Having just visited the Maroni property, she’d not thought anything could have been more extra than that. She’d been wrong.

Standing there, seeing the empire he had created for himself, a wave of emotion burned her eyes.

‘I’ll get out of this shithole one day. You’ll see.’

He had. He fucking had. He’d done it. It hit her then that he truly had lifted himself out of his circumstances, left behind the boy on the streets, and become the ruler of the city, with his own compound.

Her heart full, she wiped away an errant tear, aware of his gaze on her.

She looked to the side, locking their eyes together, something so acute sitting heavily on her chest as she watched him watch her, suffocating the words in her throat.

His large hand came to her chin, tilting her face up as he trailed the line of her tears with a golden eye, his thumb touching the wetness.

“This is not a reaction my home has ever had,” he spoke softly, the puzzlement on his face clear.

Zephyr sniffled once. “I live to surprise.”

He wiped her tear with the pad of his thumb, letting it linger on her cheek where her dimple appeared. “I don’t like these.”

Poor man, he’d have to learn. She was a crier.

She wiped her face with her palms and took a deep breath to steady herself. He left her chin and led the way to the stairs; Hector took the lead with one of her boxes in his muscular arms, Victor taking the Jeep away to park somewhere, she assumed.

The sun shone brightly on the entire hill, coating her skin with a sheen of sweat even though it was almost spring. The heat would be brutal in the summer.

“We have over two hundred guys in security in total,” Hector began giving her a tour as they climbed the stairs. “A few fighters too, and most of them stay in the city. Our main training happens in the industrial district. All the cottages on Level One are for the in-house staff. There’s a housekeeper and her family, her husband who’s the chief of security, and her kids. You’ll meet them all later.”

Zephyr took it all in, completely in awe. “And the other staff?”

“There are the guards, of course,” Hector informed her. “Five guys who maintain the grounds and keep the jungle from taking over. A cook, other helpers around the place, and so on. They all live on Level One. That—” he pointed to the gray building on the side “—is for them to relax, enjoy time together. More like a communal building. Boss doesn’t really intrude on their time, so it’s chill there.”

The wind got stronger as they got higher, whipping up her dress, and she covered it with her hands on the back of her thighs, not wanting to flash anyone who climbed behind her. Zephyr watched Alpha ahead of her, his ass solid and very biteable in those jeans. The urge to grab it suddenly gave her an idea.

“Hubby,” she called him sweetly, watched his back still as he turned to give her a questioning, slightly exasperated look. “Do you mind walking behind me?”

The unscarred side of his face frowned, matching the scarred side, but he sighed, moving to the side so she could precede him. Zephyr gave him her sweetest smile, making sure the dimple popped, and moved her hands from her ass, letting the wind do the rest of the work.

She heard his little inhale as he got an eyeful of her backside, one of her best assets, and smiled to herself, glad she’d worn the sexy red thong, as uncomfortable as it was. She added an extra sway to her hips, knowing from his vantage he’d be looking up her dress, seeing her ass cheeks being split by a line of red lace that was wedged in her crack, but he didn’t have to know that.

Oh, she was enjoying this.

“What about these middle cottages?” she asked, continuing the conversation with Hector while making sure to sway her ass as she climbed to torment her stubborn husband further.

“They’re for the sentinels.”

“Sentinels?” Her eyebrows hit her hairline at the word.

“That’s what we call ourselves. There are six of us in total. Five guys, one girl. We’re the boss’ main team. But only Victor and I are here right now. The rest are on… assignments.”

That was a very interesting power structure not only in the compound but the organization. Zephyr bit her lip as they crossed the larger cottages, curious about how he had made his fortune, wanting to know the specifics of what he did.

They finally got to the top, and Zephyr just halted at the visual overload. A large wooden deck with bamboo furniture sat on her left, overlooking a vista of endless green that made her realize how close on the precipice of wilderness they were. On her right, a large, curved swimming pool with clear blue water went to the edge of the structure, so anyone standing there could see straight out. The pool wrapped around the side of the mansion and disappeared behind it.

Zephyr looked at the house itself, a stunning design of cement, stone, wood, and glass. Behind the deck, a glass wall spanned the space, currently hidden behind tall beige curtains that hid everything. But lord, the view from the inside on a rainy day must be mesmerizing. Right in front of her and the hill stairs, was a tall, wide wooden door with a hinge slightly towards the center.

The sound of loud, multiple barks broke through her admiration.

Alpha stepped up beside her just as an older lady with weathered skin swung the large door open. Three huge dogs shot forward toward her husband, their tails wagging aggressively as they barked and danced around his legs, yapping away at seeing him home again.

Zephyr had never been around dogs. She liked them, and she loved puppy videos, but actually seeing them, three of them who came up to her waist and had jaws of wicked-looking teeth, had her freezing. Alpha, on the other hand, bent down and gave them each solid rubs behind their ears, on their heads, their bellies, a softness on his face that made her heart melt, his affection for the canines visible and palpable. Okay, men with babies and kittens and dogs, she was a simp for them.

The dogs, satisfied with their master being there, finally turned to her. One of them trotted forward immediately, giving her legs a sniff, his nose velvety and warm. His tongue lolled out and he licked her knee, tickling her slightly, the sensation making her giggle.

“That’s Bear,” Alpha spoke, watching the dog’s behavior toward her.

“Can I pet him?” she asked, not knowing the protocol for this furry introduction.

He gave her a nod, and she extended her hand. Bear gave it a sniff before giving it a lick and moving his head for a scratch. Zephyr pet the soft fur on his head, and he immediately flopped his ears down and raised his head higher for more.

Smiling, she scratched him harder. “Oh, you and I will get along just fine, Mr. Bear, won’t me? You’re a big ball of love, aren’t you?”

His tongue lolled out in answer.

Another dog joined his brother. This one was more tentative in his approach, his coat a deeper brown than Bear’s on the snout. He sniffed her open-toed flats, giving her toes a lick, before trotting to the side of the deck, sniffing at different plants that lined the wooden boundary wall.

“That was Bandit,” Alpha introduced the second one. “Be careful with your socks around him. You’ll never find them again.”

That made her chuckle. She looked at the third dog, the one watching her with somber eyes from Alpha’s side, his ears perked up.

“And who is this distinguished gentleman?” she asked, noticing the scars on his snout.

Alpha gave his head a pat. “This is Baron. He’s not very social. As long as you don’t do something sudden around him, he’ll mostly leave you alone. And this,” he turned to the older woman eyeing her curiously, “is Leah. She’s been my housekeeper for many years. Leah, this is Zephyr.”

Zephyr gave the lady a smile. “I’m his wife. Call me Zee please.”

Leah wasn’t surprised at the wife word, which made her realize she’d probably been already updated about her arrival. “Welcome, Zee. Where are her bags?”

Hector nodded at the house. “Vic and the boys are bringing it up from the back.” He turned to Zephyr, explaining. “There’s an elevator at the back you can use. I’ll get your things settled in.”

“Put them in the adjoining bedroom,” Alpha commanded, still giving Baron a scratch absently as Bear settled his head on her feet.

Zephyr kept her smile on her face, not letting him see that she didn’t want the adjoining room. She wanted to cuddle in his bed.

All in good time, Zee. You’re here now. This is the win of the day.

“Leah,” her husband addressed their housekeeper. “Would you please give Zephyr a tour and help her settle in? I’ll be back for dinner. Please tell Nala to prepare accordingly.”

If Leah found it odd that he was dumping her there and going on his way, she hid it well with a smile that creased her face and put laugh lines at the corner of her eyes. “Of course, Alpha. Come with me.” She took Zephyr’s hand and pulled her toward the door.

Zephyr saw Alpha whistle and the dogs—one lazing, one roaming, one scratching his ear with his paw—snapped to attention.

“Inside,” he commanded, which did something to her insides, and the dogs followed her in.

Damn, he was sexy when he was assertive like that. She wondered if he’d do that in bed, command her to do something, make her do it if she resisted, manhandle her into position if she took too long to follow through.

She fanned her face thinking about it and watched his single eye darken.

She smiled.

He looked even more annoyed.

She would win him over, one tease at a time. For now, she had his home to make her own.