Black Thorns: A Dark New Adult Romance (Thorns Duet Book 2)

I stare up in the onyx eyes of Akira fucking Mori.

The man who didn’t only marry my Naomi, but also stayed with her for years.

The man who saw her every day, talked to her every day, touched her every day when I didn’t even know where she was.

Naomi stays limp underneath me as my front covers hers and my cum and her juices drip down her thighs.

Akira snuck up to the porch as I was driving into her and stood there, silent, watching with a slight rise in his brow.

The most logical thing to do would’ve been to stop and hide her from him.

But I didn’t.

He had to see that she only belongs to me.

That she fucking loves me.

That he’ll only ever be a phase in her life. A fucked-up one at that.

She’s mine, neither he nor anyone else will take her away from me again.

After the way she broke down last night, I swore that I’d never leave her to battle the pain alone. I’ll be with her every step of the way.

Until last night, I’d been suffocating with each passing second. I’d been dying and she was the only air I could breathe.

She was taken away for years. Seven. And she spent them by this fucker’s side.

“I’m sorry, should I be clapping right now?” said fucker asks. “Maybe shout a bravo or two.”

“Get the fuck out of here.” I hold on to my calm while wrapping a hand around Naomi’s waist.

“I’m afraid I didn’t come just to leave. As much as I appreciate the voyeuristic shows my wife and I keep giving each other, it’s not the reason I had her followed and came here. We need to go, Naomi.”

“Like fuck she will.”

“We promised to have breakfast with your father, remember?”

Naomi stiffens at the mention of her dad and I stroke my thumb on the wrists that I’m still holding.

“I’m not going,” she whispers.

“Really now? Hitori-san will be upset, and I suppose Mio-chan will have to pay.” He steps closer, then brushes past me to the house. “Come inside whenever you’re ready, Nao.”

Her lips twist when he disappears through the door. “Let me talk to him.”

“I’m going with you.”

She sighs but says nothing as I slide out of her and carry her. Her frail arms wrap around my neck and she buries her head in the nook of my shoulder, releasing a satisfied sound.

I want her to make those sounds for the rest of our lives.

Instead of following the path Akira took, I walk around the house and slip inside through another back entrance.

We go upstairs and I clean her and then myself, making sure the fucker waits until we’re both fully dressed.

I even sit her down in front of a vanity and brush her hair, letting the thick black strands slip through my hands.

Naomi smiles at me through the mirror. “We have to go down, Sebastian.”

“Or we can stay here until he gives up and leaves.”

“Akira? Give up? Those words don’t exist in his perfectionist vocabulary. He’ll just pester us and even come up here.”

“Or I can pummel the fucker’s face against the wall.”

“No. Don’t. He’ll take it personally and make sure you pay ten times worse.” She turns around, forcing me to release her hair as she stands up and strokes my cheek. “Let me do the talking. I’m used to his stupid antics.”

I grunt, but I lead her out of the bedroom.

Akira has made himself at home and has sat down on the sofa as he checks his phone. Naomi stands on tiptoes to see what he’s focused on as a small smirk lifts his mouth.

Upon noticing us, he tucks his phone away and smiles in that fake, political way. “There you are. I thought you went for another round.”

Naomi sits on the chair across from him, but instead of taking the other available chair, I sit on the armrest and wrap an arm around her slender shoulder. Her breathing slows for a bit and she flashes me a small smile.

“We would’ve if you’d left,” I tell Akira.

“So it appears I cockblocked you just like my wife did not so long ago. Now, where was I? Right. Naomi. Have you forgotten our deal?”

“No, but I also don’t want to do this anymore. I won’t be accompanying you at public events either.”

I stroke her shoulder but remain silent. I understand her need to personally do this, so I just support her through it.

Akira leans forward in his seat, intertwining his fingers. “The point of keeping an image is to appear in public together.”

“We won’t need to, because you’ll divorce me.”

“And if I say no?”

“I already made my threat. I won’t repeat it.”

“You don’t want to stand in the way of my plans, Naomi. I can and will crush you both. It wouldn’t feel so great if Weaver here dies of an accident similar to his parents, would it?”

I stiffen. “How the fuck do you know about that?”

“Because I have connections. Don’t make me use them.”

Naomi lifts her chin. “Don’t make me use what I know either.”

“Is this your final decision?”

“Yes.” She doesn’t hesitate.

“I hope you’re ready for the consequences.”

I jerk up, march over to him, and grab him by the collar. “Threaten her again and I will fucking kill you.”

He merely smirks as he shoves me away, then looks at her. “Making an enemy out of me is a grave mistake and you know it, my dear wife.”

“Get the fuck out.” I motion at the door.

He nods at her and leaves, walking as slowly as physically possible.

After the door closes behind him, Naomi slumps in her chair, holding her head in her hands.

I go to her and gather her in my arms. She doesn’t fight as her trembling body snuggles against my chest. “It’s going to be okay, baby.”

“No, it won’t. There’s also Mio. I can’t let her pay the price for my actions.”

“She won’t.”

“You don’t know my father, she most definitely will. I…I have to talk to Akira. He’s the only one who can help.”

“I will not send you back his way.”

“It’s not like that. I just need to use his weakness against him.”

“And what’s that?”

“His interest in Ren. He was looking at his pictures just now.”

My brows furrow. “The same Ren who abducted us?”

“Yeah. He’s one of my father’s men.”

“And Akira is interested in him?”

“More than interested. He’s no longer asexual because of him.”

“Why didn’t you use it before?”

“Because I only just found out about it. They’ve met a few times before this year, but this is the first time Akira has acted on his sexual desires. As far as I know.”

“I still don’t like this.”

“It’ll be fine. I promise. Just give me a few days.”

“One day.”

“Sebastian!”

“One. I can’t stay away from you more than that. Not after I finally have you again.”

She rolls her eyes but drops her head on my chest and absentmindedly strokes my arm. I breathe her in, reveling in the peaceful moment.

It took us so long to get to this point and I’ll do everything in my power to protect our new beginning.

It’s still fragile, but it’s ours. Mine and Naomi’s.

My phone vibrates and I retrieve it, thinking it’s work.

But it’s a text from an unknown number.

This is Akira. I forgot to share something earlier. Fine, I didn’t forget. I just enjoy playing with you. Here’s the thing. Naomi thinks I’m the one who sent her those letters. The ones you used to send through your old Japanese address. See, my family owns that building and I was curious when I learned someone from the United States had rented a PO box with my first name on it and made a request that his letters be sent from that Japanese address back to the States. I thought to myself, there must be a story there. And what a story it was. I read your letters, then put them back into the envelopes and personally handled the shipping. Aren’t I a good cupid? But then I thought it would be a beautiful twist of fate if I was the one to have her. As it happened, her father was seeking my alliance and I found the golden opportunity to use her for my own benefit. Don’t you think it’s a wonderful coincidence that your middle name and my first name are the same, Sebastian Akira Weaver?