Ben stood for a while behind the empty bar trying to gather himself. This argument was bad. They’ve had one of those so called up and down relationships from the beginning. Their craving and passion for each other always won out in the end. This time… this time he was afraid that wasn’t enough. How could it have gotten so out of hand?
A heavy sigh fell from his chest as he looked around the room. This old saloon had been a wedding gift from her. Closing his eyes for a moment he could still hear her laughter as they played together, making love on this very spot on the bar.
He pulled a bottle of whiskey from the shelf below and poured the amber liquid into the glass. He held it up to the light, lifted it to his lips and emptied it in one swallow.
The liquid burned its way to his stomach. He looked down at his wedding ring gleaming in the light. Eternal love, that’s what it was supposed to represent. She hardly wore her ring anymore.
Maybe she felt it was more a shackle than a sentiment. He loved her so deeply. His ring starting to show signs of wear was a symbol of not just what he felt for her. It was a promise that neither of them ever had to be alone again.
His hand clinched around the half empty bottle his mind turned back to the day just before they met. He had gone to one of his warehouses for delivery of a weapons shipment.
He’d been an arms dealer then. Ben constantly walked outside the limits of the law, with a feral pride. He knew something was off about that deal.
Arriving at the warehouse he felt the prickly sensation at the back of his neck that told him it was going to go bad. All though the talks he felt… something. Before he could address it the buyers decided to play games and the deal went south, fast.
Luckily he was faster. He never felt more alive than he did with a gun in his hand. A breath later only his men were standing, still, the sensation didn’t go away. He glanced up at the catwalks. Even sent one of his men to investigate.
Nothing was found, not a box out of place.
That night he’d gone to the hotel lounge to relax. Then she sat beside him, eyes so blue he could get lost for hours. He tried to seduce her but thinking back she was the seducer.
Confident, sexy, unafraid of whatever he might ask of her. He took a few more long draws from the bottle remembering how she touched him. He had no idea who she was, only that he wanted her.
Ben lifted the bottle to his lips again and retreated to the small apartment on the second floor. He set the bottle down to pull off his coat and boots. When he reached for it again he saw the scar on his palm. Their first real argument.
She had told him the truth, that prickle on the back of his neck a year ago in the warehouse had been her. She was there, hidden amongst the crates rifle aimed at his head.
She had been watching him for months. Following him, waiting for the right moment to do the job she’d been hired for. The moment came and went. Her finger never squeezed that trigger.
He’d grown so angry at this revelation his grip tightened on the glass in his hand until it shattered. It had cut deep, bits embedding in his flesh. Rage of betrayal filled him but at the moment he’d stepped forward to grab her, he knew he would forgive her.
They were cut from the same cloth. Maybe that’s why they argued and made each other so frustrated.
He’d asked her why? She’s never been able to tell him why she didn’t kill him that day.
He had to forgive her, his craving for her ran too deep. The next morning he gave her a puppy and asked her to stay with him. To be his wife, though he couldn’t quite say those words.
So much has changed since then. So much pain has passed their way. Maybe things would be better if she had. She would be happier with out him to cause her so much heartache.
He chuckled as he took a deep draw from the whiskey bottle. One would think that an outlaw running guns would make a good husband to an assassin.
Reclined on the sofa he could still feel her kiss. Passionate, hungry, almost feral with need that matched his own. It had taken a year for them to realize they really felt something for each other. She found his heart, something he didn’t think existed. But why… why didn’t she kill him in the warehouse.
He wondered if she still thought about it. Finishing the job. He was sure he’d given her enough reason to.
None of their problems mattered in the end. Ben loved her. He was so affected by her when she was away from him he couldn’t eat or sleep until she was back by his side. He would sacrifice anything to make her happy again. Once last kiss, then she could pull the trigger.
There was a prickling at the back of his neck as he heard the door open behind him. Her hand rested on his shoulder. The matching band to his own resting on her third finger. He grinned softly as his hand covered hers. “Kiss me, then you can kill me.”
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