And despite the cold, despite the fear still thundering in my veins… treacherous heat pools low in my belly. Because he showed up when it mattered. Not Roman or the security men he pays big bucks.
My husband protected me like he swore he would.
And no doubt he’s going to make me answer for it.
10
KINGSTON
When I saw that bastard grab Livvie, a flood of red blanketed my vision. I didn’t think, I didn’t breathe. I just aimed and fired.
She betrayed me by sneaking out of our fucking home and meeting with that asshole Roman. That cuts deep, and even though we’re bound by a sham marriage, it doesn’t stop me from hugging her close when I see the panic etched into her expression.
The freshly washed scent of her hair fills my lungs, blunting the anger that was coursing through me only seconds earlier. She trembles, her breaths raspy and shallow as we stand together in the alleyway, the cold air slapping my exposed skin.
“That motherfucker,” I growl. “He lured you out here to expose you, making you vulnerable to your enemies.Ourenemies. What the hell were you thinking by coming here to meet him?”
“Stop being so paranoid,” she spews, struggling in my grip. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The fuck I don’t. And I know exactly what I saw. My wife with another man.”
“Oh, so that’s what’s got your dick in a twist. You’re pissed off because I made you look like a jackass, right? Guess what? It would take a whole hell of a lot less for me to make you look like that,sweetie.”
My blood bubbles with rage once again as I wrestle Livvie to the truck waiting by the curb. It didn’t take too long for the bitch alter ego to kick back into high gear.
“Are you seriously going to tell me you don’t see what he just pulled?” I dig my fingers into her hip to keep her close. “He put you right in the fucking enemy’s hands.”
“No, he didn’t. He wouldn’t.” Her head tilts upward, eyes flashing, lips curled into a grimace.
“Why, because he’s daddy’s special security guy?” I sneer. “Bull-fucking-shit. Wake up, Livvie. He’s a goddamn threat. Why can’t you see that? He led them right to you and you almost took a bullet between the fucking eyes. Which is ironic because you already couldn’t see the shit that was right in front of you.”
“He just wanted to make sure I was okay,” she says, frustration lacing her words. “The past couple of days have been a little scary, what with all the fucking bullets flying around in our airspace. Stop making up these crazy theories in your head. It’s not helping us.”
I get another whiff of her fresh clean scent, white musk and jasmine, and it does something to me. I pull in a deep breath, letting it fog up my brain. For a second, I block out Roman’s hungrygaze when he was with her.
I’ll gouge his fucking eyes out the next chance I get. Now, the vision of her tight body, soaped up and naked in the bathroom, hits harder than vengeance.
I pull her tighter against me, my mind swimming with all the things I want to do to that sexy as fuck, soapy wet wife of mine. Sans the fucking viper tongue.
Wait, scratch that. I need that tongue. I just want the voice to be muted permanently.
“Take your hands off me, I’m not a child. I can walk on my own,” she hisses right before stumbling over a crack in the sidewalk. She winces, stopping short to hug her knees. “Ah, fuck, that burns.”
There are so many words fighting on the tip of my tongue to hit the air, but I hold them back until we’re inside the truck. My lips pull into a tight line. Her leggings are torn, her knees scraped and bleeding. And despite the fiery drop-dead look still blazing in her eyes, there’s a hint of unease glimmering in the depths.
And a part of me wonders if deep down, she suspects that Roman isn’t as reliable as she keeps insisting he is. She’d never give me the satisfaction of agreeing because she’s just that obstinate, but I’d bet my left nut she’s questioning shit.
I jerk my head left and right, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling. We’ve been out here for too long, and whoever took those shots might try to do it again and literally kill two birds with one stone.
Livvie grunts in pain and blows on her torn-up knees as she straightens.
But too much time has passed and the threat is still out there. So I scoop her into my arms and carry her the rest ofthe way to the waiting truck, not willing to take unnecessary chances.
With a thrashing heart, I yank open the back door and place her on the back seat. Her glare back at me could melt metal but I stare her down, not giving a damn about how angry she is.
Inside, the thick partition is up, separating us from the driver. Regardless, anger knots in my throat, choking back all the things I want to say. I try to convince myself it’s because she put herself in harm’s way and forced my hand into a battle for the family as a result.
Truth is, she ran back to that asshat for some reason and didn’t tell me. The way he looked at her surpassed professional courtesy. His motives of being just a friendly princess protector is bullshit.
