"I wouldn't use those adjectives to describe you."

"What?" Devlin dropped the phone he just used on the bedside table and scooted over towards her.

"Giant, macho, scary? I remember they were the exact opposite when I first met you."

Devlin drew her closer and laughed into her neck. They were in their honeymoon suite still in Homer. It was something Cody had set up for them, and for something so off-the-cuff, it had been a nice turnout.

They had started kissing right from the moment their feet touched the floor of the suite – Devlin hadn't even waited for the porter to leave, the poor man had had to leave in a hurry, his face, ears, and neck pink in embarrassment. They had made love numerous times; in fact, it had been sex and food for the fourteen hours they had spent in their suite. They were, after all, married.

It was two at the midnight and after yet another sizzling lovemaking, Devlin had excused himself to make a call and had wandered into the bathroom while doing so. Pamela had no idea why she remembered the priest they had seen just before leaving.

"Really? So what adjectives did you use to describe me when you first met me?" He asked.

"Handsome, good enough to eat but menacing."

"Menacing? Of all the things to say."

"Ominous, then."

Devlin laughed. "I was only putting up a front. First impression and all that."

"Hmm, let's face it, you were a brute. But a beautiful one, no doubt."

"Thank you. You turned a nice dime." He said and they laughed.

"What about you? What adjectives did I get?"

He rubbed his beardless chin as if in thought. "Spoilt, for sure."

"Incredible." She said sarcastically.

"Cute, whinny, and tiny,"

Pamela whacked him on his chest and he yelped. "What are you talking about? Tiny?"

"Well, I met you when you were about five years old."

She was surprised. She didn't know that. She told him just that.

He nodded at her and told her all about how Rob had taken him and Peter in and had trained them to take over the business.

Pamela's eyes widened in shock. "I find that hard to conceive. My dad was running a hard drug business?"

"He needed the money, I guess." Devlin shrugged like it was no big deal.

"That does not justify what he did." She said, still unable to come to terms with the shocking revelation.

"Look, babe, not every business is as shiny as we see. The company turned a loss and as a result, he needed quick money to support the legal business to be able to give you something to fall back on when you were grown enough. The business gave him just that. I guess where he went wrong was keeping the business after he was afloat. "

She was taciturn for a few seconds, chewing on what he said. "Did my mom know about this?"

He nodded. "She asked him to shut it down, and I'm guessing he was about to when he found me."

Pamela stood and paced the room. "He dumped an empire of drugs on a kid. I guess my dad was not such an angel as I thought he was." It took a lot for her to say that. She was in-between mad and disappointed at her dad.

Devlin stood, brought her back to the bed, and took her hand in his, rubbing it tenderly. "No one is," he said gently. "In truth, I'm glad he gave me this business - It's not about the money or the power it brought me, but because it led me to you. I mean, if your dad had wanted to help me in any other way, he probably would have sent me to another foster home or something and I would never have met you again. What's more, I never would have been there, and much less ready when your mom called to tell me that you had been threatened by Bull. Sometimes, everything happens for a reason."

Pamela shook her head sideways, still not convinced that her father's way of helping a kid had been to introduce him to the world of drugs, but she tried to understand. It's not like he was around to defend himself, besides, he was human; she needed to cut him some slack. She was just grateful Devlin was not an addict, and how he'd pulled that off was amazing.

She let out a big heavy sigh and shut her eyes briefly. "Let's talk about something else, how come you're Russian?"

Devlin stood, naked as a jaybird, and went to the wet bar to get a drink. She could not help but watch his muscular and perfectly lean buttocks, and how beautiful and unadulterated it was - darn, she had a lot to get used to. He brought a bottle of champagne and two chilled glasses and filled them with the drink. Pamela accepted hers mirthfully; she needed the bubbly drink in her life right now.

"What was the question?" he asked as he sat down, one hand holding his glass, the other holding her.

"I said how are you Russian? I thought you were an orphan. Is it that you have a family that -"

"That's not important." Devlin cut her off coldly, his eyes emitting warmth equal to that of a three-dimensional work of ice, but only for a fleeting moment. He smirked at her and took her glass, placing it on a bedside table along with his. "What I mean is, sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Besides, I don't want to waste time talking about unnecessary things when we have a lot we could be doing, don't you agree?"

Pamela, startled by his shift in attitude, dodged his descending lips and stood from the bed, putting on her bathrobe. She folded her hands and her eyes shot daggers.

"Devlin," she warned.

"What is it now?" Devlin asked, peeved and impatient.

"You're pushing me away and I don't like it! I am your wife and I think I have every right to know all about you, especially about your family that -"

"Fine Pamela!" Devlin exploded. "You are darn tooting. I am Russian. A Russian Mafia. You should have known what you were getting yourself into before you married me."

On one hand, she was shocked into silence. On the other, she was hurt to hear those words and wanted to scream. She should've known what she was getting herself into? She scoffed. Of course, she should have.

"Baby I'm -" he started to apologize.

"I am going to take a bath." She interrupted through gritted teeth and thin lips.

"Oh that's great," He drawled with a lazy grin, getting to his feet. "The bed is such an old hat, I'll be so glad to -"

"Alone." She completed, storming off to the bathroom, shutting the door with a resounding slam. The next instant, the door was yanked open again. "Come in before I change my mind," she said, directing an imperious glower at him.

With a grin, Devlin raced into the bathroom. Inside, Pamela let him hug and kiss her.

"I love you, baby. I'm so sorry for what just happened." his eyes were sad.

"It's okay, I understand." She began, "I don't want us to begin our marriage with a fight, life is too short. And about the secrets you're keeping from me, I'm very sure I'll find them all out in due time; marriage is all about patience so, I'll wait because I have taken a vow to wait for the rest of my life, till death do us part."

He cradled her face in his palms and raised it so she would be looking straight at him. "Not even death can do us part, my love. Nothing will separate us. I'll survive for you, I'll stay alive for you. I will love you forever, you hear me? forever."

"Yes," Pamela said, letting her robe slide down her body. She stepped out of it and led Devlin to the tub, their eyes not breaking contact. "Forever."

~

Pamela awoke very late the next morning to the sight of brilliant sunlight filtering in through the blinds. The day was as bright as Japanese bronze and something told her she didn't have just the sun to thank for that. She was lying on the bed, covered with the blanket but the rest of it formed a heap beside her in the place her husband should be. She looked at her side and without intending to, smiled at the imprint his head had made on the pillow; her mind had inadvertently taken her through the beautiful first night she had spent with her husband.

Speaking of her husband, where was he? She wanted to kiss him good morning just like her parents used to. She wanted to begin the first day of their marriage with kisses and hugs and laughter and love. She wanted such to be a dime a dozen in her marriage.

Was he in the bathroom? She bicycled her feet from under the sheets and stood, scanning the room to find her bathrobe. She found her husband's and she shrugged it on, all the while yawning. Knowing that he loves to move about in his birthday suit, he was probably that way in the bathroom. Maybe he was taking a shit and had been in a hurry to sit on the toilet to let his anal muscles loose to excrete the unwanted remains coming from his large intestine. It wouldn't surprise her if that was the case after all the food he wolfed down yesterday. Pamela giggled into her palm. They were married now so they should not be shy to do things like shitting and farting in each other's presence, now should they?

She walked to the bathroom and twisted the doorknob. She peeked in with a smile on her face but it waned when she looked around the bathroom and saw that he was not there. Had he gone out for a walk? She went back into the room and looked at the wall clock. It was quarter past one. She had slept so late, so maybe he had gone to get them what they would eat, or maybe he went to receive a call or something.

Despite the countless excuses Pamela was giving herself, she couldn't quite assuage the feeling of apprehension and dread that was taking root in her. She moved to where she had kept her purse and searched for her phone but couldn't find it. She was getting agitated and frightened.

Then she remembered that Devlin had planned to invade Bull's hideout; had he gone already?

"Oh God no, please no." Tears burned her eyes and her lower lip trembled. She all but ran to the adjoining sitting room and grabbed the wired telephone. He couldn't have left without saying goodbye! He couldn't... Bull was too dangerous; the last time they had encountered him they had escaped by the skin of their teeth. He was going to kill Devlin, he was. She sank to the floor and sobbed, burying her face in her legs.

She didn't know his number by heart, how would she get to him? Maybe she should call the manager and ask if he'd seen Devlin leave. What if something bad had happened to him? What if Bull had murdered him and had thrown his body into the river to serve as food for sharks? Pamela told herself she was being ridiculous because If that had happened, Cody or Peter would have called, and since they hadn't it meant everything was alright....right? No news is good news, isn't it? But she couldn't sit and do anything. Her husband could be in danger, dear heavens, I can't live without him!

All she had to do right now was pick up the telephone and make a call. But she needed to calm down first because her hands were shaking like a leaf on a windswept day. Breathe, Pamela, she said to herself, easy does it. When she had gained a little composure over the neurons located in her hands that transmits impulses to her brain, she grabbed the landline telephone from its hook, almost disconnecting it from its source. Just as she was about to dial, the door opened and Devlin entered, looking sunkissed and cheery and happy. He drew up when he saw her teary face and disheveled hair.

In an instant, he was beside her, fast as a jack rabbit in front of a prairie fire. "Pamela! What's the matter?"

She sobbed all the more and threw her hands over his neck. "I thought you left me," she cried.

He unhooked her hands and looked into her face, concern and confusion written all over his. "What?"

"I thought you -" She tried to swallow down the sob that was welling up in her like a volcano waiting to erupt and wipe her eyes free of tears. "I thought you - went after Bull." she hiccupped.

He shook his head from side to side his brown eyes intense with rough emotion. "I could never leave you, I promised didn't I?"

She nodded and buried her face in his chest. "Never leave me, please."

He held her tight against his heart and promised her, his throat tightening as unshed tears stung his eyes. "Never, baby." he squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears at bay, then gave up, letting them flow down his face unabashedly. "Never."

~

A/N:

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