There was an undercurrent of tension leading up to Andrew Vincent’s visit to the Knox home. It was practically unheard of for this type of thing to happen and every one was on high alert putting security measures in place to ensure the visit went smoothly.

My nerves were shot and I paced the entry way, checking my watch every couple of minutes.

“Stop Kira,” Angel finally said, bringing me out of my thoughts at to the present.

“I hate having to wait,” I mumbled.

“You have nothing to be nervous about,” he said taking my hand into his as I released a pent-up breath.

“Well I think he is crazy, giving his twenty one year old daughter an empire she has no idea how to run. It feels like a recipe for disaster.” I gave the short and sweet to how I felt on the matter.

He touched my face. “He has no choice. You are his heir Kira. I know how this feels, I took over from my father at the same age because I had to. And I figured it out. You will too.”

He held so much confidence in me and it made me feel a little better.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” I breathed. Remnants of the previous day still hung in my mind, reminding me to treasure the things that mattered. Angel mattered.

To think I had come so close to nearly losing him, still stole the breath from my lungs and I had to make a conscious effort to remind myself that he was safe, here with me now.

His hand caressed my cheek and I closed my eyes to savor the his touch, light across my skin.

I could feel him move closer and his breath fanned my lips. I wanted him to kiss me so badly I put my arms around his neck and pulled him to me, our lips touching.

His arms wrapped around my waist bringing our bodies as close together as possible. His mouth coaxed mine open and I touched his tongue tentatively with mine. I groaned as he deepened the kiss and I wanted more.

Then I broke the kiss, knowing that if I didn’t I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from dragging him into the nearest room to have him.

Our breathing was heavy.

“I want you so much,” I murmured, still feeling the impression of his mouth on mine.

“You have no idea how much I want to take you upstairs and show you how much I want you again.”

My heart filled with emotion nearly burst from my chest.

I had never felt so happy to love and be loved. It was truly uplifting and I felt like I could conquer anything as long as I had him.

I wanted to touch him but knew that it would override any logical thought. I was trying to control every urge to throw caution to the wind and ignore the fact that my real father was about to show up any minute now for a very important meeting I couldn’t miss.

His dark gaze held mine and I swallowed. Memories of him taking me to knew heights made it so much harder to fight the battle between what I wanted and what I had to do.

“I hope this meeting goes quickly,” I murmured, very aware of his gaze and how it slid over me. It made me very aware of every female curve I had, and it felt empowering to know that I could make him want me as much as I wanted him.

Our chemistry was off the charts but it was the emotion behind it that amplified it for me. It wasn’t just sex, a physical act between two people. It was a joining of hearts.

We hadn’t really finished our conversation before we had been ambushed and there was still so much unspoken between us but it would have to wait.

Then Angel got the call that my father had arrived. He gave the instruction to let him in.

I gripped his hand as we stood side by side waiting by the door. “Are you sure about this?”

Crime bosses didn’t meet on the other’s turf so this was a first but this was definitely unusual circumstances. My presence as Angel’s wife, and the daughter of Andrew Vincent made me the link between the two families. So much responsibility, all I could do was hope I didn’t buckle under the pressure of it all.

The black limousine pulled up in front of the house and my father got out, unfolding his frame.

“Kira,” he greeted.

“Andrew,” I greeted. I didn’t feel conformable calling him father, I wasn’t sure it was something I would ever feel I could do. The man who had raised me hadn’t been much of a father to me either. Maybe given the little time I still had with Andrew might be enough for me to feel differently.

“Angel,” his voice was stiffer when his attention turned to my husband.

They shook hands and Andrew followed us into the house with one bodyguard. James was in the study when we arrived, his gaze fixed on the bodyguard who entered the room with Andrew.

Andrew sat down and I sat across from me. Angel took the seat beside me.

James and the bodyguard remained standing, having the most intense stare down I had ever witnessed.

I moved my attention to Andrew.

“You two got married.” He started the meeting with the direct statement, his focus on the rings on my hand.

“We did,” Angel answered, covering my hand with his in a protective way. Linking us, under the disapproval evident in Andrew’s features.

“As my only heir and daughter I want to give you the big wedding, no expense will be spared,” his voice was stern.

“That’s not necessary,” I assured him. “We don’t need big declarations of love.”

“As my daughter it will be expected. I don’t have much longer but I at least want to be able to walk you down the aisle. If you wont do it for yourself, then do it for me.”

Unless you knew that he was terminal, you wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at him. It made me wonder how much he would deteriorate in the coming months and how much time I would have before he passed.

“Fine,” I replied. I could grant a dying man his wish. It was the least I could do.

I could get held up in all the reason to be angry with him and blame him in part for my mother’s untimely death. But after what happened the day before I realized that life was short and I didn’t want to hold onto the animosity that would darken my heart.

I wanted to embrace life all the good aspects of it and allow them to light my way through the dark ones.

“I have hired a wedding planner who will contact you and start with the arrangements.”

He had taken for granted I would agree.

“I don’t have a lot of time left Kira and I’m not going to waste any of it.”

I nodded, trying to understand where he was coming from.

We then proceeded to the topic of the meeting. The handing over of an empire and my inheritance. I would have liked my brother to have attended but he had some loose ends to tie up and would get up to scratch when he got back.

The amount of money and responsibility was so much it was obscene.

When the meeting ended I was wiped. Andrew left and the tension filled atmosphere eased. Angel saw my father out while I stayed in the study with James.

“You okay?” James asked, breaking the heavy silence I sat in.

“No. I’m not okay.” My voice was heavy.

Not only did have to learn the ropes, so to speak but I also had a huge wedding to organize in less than a month. It felt impossible.

James squeezed my shoulder. “You’ll figure things out and you have people who will help you while you find your feet.”

I nodded, not feeling that same confidence.

“You are a very powerful woman now. You don’t have to play by anybody’s rules but your own. That should be empowering. Remember that.”

I had never looked at it like that. I smiled when my gaze lifted to meet his. “Thanks.”

He nodded and lifted his hand from my shoulder before leaving me alone when he closed the door quietly behind him.

I stood and wondered over to the window to look over the grounds of the estate. I took in a deep breath and released it, repeating the same sequence over and over until I started to feel like I had a handle on things.

James was right, I had the power to live the life I wanted to within the confines of the criminal world. I didn’t have to do things the way my father did, and it was the first time I saw my succession and inheritance as a blessing and not curse.

I inhaled a deep breath and let myself just enjoy the moment of being alive, with the love of man I loved and a future that I had dreams and hopes for.

I was so deep in my head that only when Angel’s hands settled on my waist pulling me against him did I notice I wasn’t alone anymore. He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned my head back against him.

“See it wasn’t that bad,” he murmured. It had gone better than I had expected.

“It wasn’t,” I agreed, remembering James’ advice.

I turned in his arms to kiss him. It was hot and heavy, my breath labored by the time it ended.

“I love you,” I murmured to him, needing him to know how much he meant to me. There was nothing like nearly losing someone to heighten the emotion.

He kissed me again.

“You love me?” I asked.

He seemed reluctant to say the words, I wasn’t unsure if it was bugging me or not. Maybe I was just feeling a bit more needy than usual.

“If you want me to say those three little words I will. But you mean more to me than just that. Like I told you before I’ve lived my whole life being taught that loving someone is a weakness and to be avoided at all costs.” He let out an emotional breath and I watched fascinated as an array of emotion played across his features.

“You are my weakness Kira. The only one I have.”

“What about the other woman?” I asked, unable to stop myself from feeling jealous about the woman who had shared his life.

“Like I told you before Kira, I’d been taught sex to be a physical release with no emotion. You were the first girl I fell in love with and the first woman I made love to.”

His eyes held mine and I held my breath. His words were heartfelt and sincere.

It was hard to think back at how much I had doubted that he had felt anything but responsibility for me. Watching him now I could see his love in the way he talked about me, how he looked at me and how he touched me.

It wasn’t in three words people uttered insincerely all the time.

“There were times you were so hard on me I really believed you hated me.”

He shook his head. “Never. I had to be hard on you to make you take the threat of the Vincents more seriously. I was trying everything to keep you safe and you were doing everything to screw it up.”

“If I had known, maybe we could have avoided some of my mistakes.” Like stripping to get his attention and going without a bodyguard. And running away when I had believed he had married me for revenge.

“Let’s not linger in the past because I don’t want to waste a moment of our future.”

“Well you’re finally getting the big wedding you wanted,” I said to him.

He shrugged. “You being my wife is all that matters. I only wanted the big wedding to make a statement like your father is trying to make. It’s to ensure that every knows the importance of our union and what it means for our families. It will be bringing the two biggest crime families together Kira. It’s big news.”

I had never thought of it like that. I had believed it more to be the request of a dying father to his daughter and not a gangster to his heir and successor.

“Before it didn’t feel right, doing the whole thing. The dress, cake and guests. But this time it will be different.”

“How so?”

“Before you were only doing it to protect me and now we are going to do it because we love each other.”

“I’ve always loved you,” he said. “Even when I fought against it, even when I knew the risks, even when I didn’t want to.”

“Same. I’ve loved you for a long time.” I sighed, knowing that I had also tried to fight it like he had.

If it was meant to be then there was no ignoring or suppressing it.

I realized I hadn’t just fallen for him in the last few weeks, it had happened when we were younger. I couldn’t remember the exact moment but when he had stood with me at my mother’s funeral, that’s when I believe I started to see him differently to the annoying boy who had always teased me and made my life difficult.

He had been there when I had needed someone, he had filled the role of family when no one else had been around and he had protected me like family.

“We were both in love with each at our first wedding,” he said.

I hadn’t looked at it that way but he was right. Unknowingly we had both said vows we had meant for each other.

“You were very thoughtful. Picking the spot for the ceremony by the pond where we grew up and remembering my favorite flowers.”

“I never forget anything about you Kira. You were always in my thoughts.”

It was pulling back the curtain and see the real Angel behind the facade of a tough guy who ran a criminal empire.

“I was so upset when you sent me away. I hated it.” It had been another intense time of feeling alone.

“I had to do it for your safety. And I couldn’t handle the thought of something happening to you.”

“I get that. But at the time I didn’t know.” I sighed. “No more secrets Angel. No more keeping things from me to protect me. I have to know that I can depend on you to tell me the truth, even when it isn’t good, even if it’s going to hurt. That’s what I need.”

“You have my word, Kira. No secrets. Before it was important to keep some things from you to ensure law enforcement didn’t have anything on you. But things are different now. We are equals and because of who you are I can’t protect you from some things anymore. It’s important for you to know and understand the risk that you’ll be exposed to daily. But you will have me and James to help you.”

I realized I hadn’t told him what Kaiden had talked to be about before Andrew’s visit.

“And Kaiden,” I added.

He was surprised, like I had been.

“He has quit the FBI to be my second in charge.”

“That is unexpected. I really thought he was passionate about being on the right side of the law.”

“Me too. But he believes helping me find my feet is more important. I think the FBI allowed him to run from his demons for a while but until he faces them they aren’t going away.”

Angel nodded. “He knows the ins and outs. He will be a good fit.”

“And I know I have his loyalty. I don’t think I could trust anyone else other than you and James and you already how your own thing to handle.”

“We’ll figure this out together. The best way forward.”

I touched his cheek. “After yesterday I believe we can get through anything as long as we are together.”

Nothing like cheating death and feeling invincible to make me feel like I could accomplish anything.

He nodded. “Yesterday was something I hope we never have to go through again.”

“I get it. If you hadn’t talked those guys around we would all be dead.”

“It’s only because I know how to handle power hungry men. I’ve been around them my whole life. All I had to do was give them a moment of doubt and drive it home. The rest was easy.”

I didn’t know how I felt about the fact that Andrew had taken care of the men who had attacked us. On one hand I felt it was what they deserved and there was a part of me that felt some sort of weird empathy which I couldn’t explain. I don’t know why I had even an inkling of that emotion for people who had wanted to end my life.

It made me question whether I had the stomach for what was expected of me but I didn’t want to wallow in doubt when I had moments when I felt low. I wanted to keep positive and feel like I had the power to live the life that I wanted, making my own rules. Living life on my own terms, not dominated by another person but as an equal, side by side.

“I owe you my life Angel.”

“And the only thing I want to do is share your life Kira. We are still young but I want children with you. I want to spend every sunrise and sunset with you. And I want to grow old with you. I will be there to protect you, honor and love you.”

“Who knew there was a romantic under all that testosterone,” I teased, loving this side of him. The one I had only seen glimpses of before.

“Only for you Kira,” he whispered softly.

He kissed me and wrapped his arms around me lifting me off my feet.

“I think we need a bedroom,” I murmured against his lips with a wicked smile, knowing exactly what I wanted from him right then and there. I kissed him deeply, like it was our last moment on earth.

We didn’t make it out the study.