“Think?” Annika snorted and rubbed her belly. “I’d bet on it.”
Stella pointed her fork at me. “That’s a bet I wouldn’t take because I’d just lose.”
The footsteps reached the kitchen doorway, and Lucas walked in. His midnight-blue eyes cut immediately to my flushed face.
Annika jumped in, trying to distract him. “Is Matteo almost done with King?”
Lucas didn’t look away from me. “Yeah. They’re finishing up.”
Then softer, meant only for me, he asked, “You okay?”
I swallowed. “I’m fantastic.”
Stella hummed, “Aw.”
Annika murmured, “How sweet.”
Their commentary did not help the color in my cheeks.
Lucas moved toward the table and swept the empty plates into his hands without being asked. Stella and Annika shared a knowing little smile and angled their gazes at me like they were waiting for me to say something.
Annika tilted her head toward Lucas subtly, and my cheeks heated even more. I wasn’t the least bit surprised by him cleaning up after us. Lucas might be commanding in and out of bed, but he went out of his way to take care of me in ways big and small. Making sure I ate. That I slept. Had my things brought here so I was comfortable. Ensuring I was safe.
The certainty of being his priority made my submission feel natural.
After rinsing the dishes and setting them in the sink, he turned toward me. “Come.”
I rose instantly, offering the girls a quick goodbye as I moved to Lucas’s side without a second of hesitation. The quiet approval in his eyes lit something molten in my chest.
He was the only reason I was holding up so well after everything that happened.
I liked how doing what he said made something inside me settle. As though the world made more sense with him steering it. Handing so many of my decisions over to Lucas gave me room to breathe. Let me worry less about what I wanted my future to look like because I was too busy enjoying the present.
And if I were honest with myself, I’d never felt more like me than I did when I was his.
13
KEVLAR
The undercurrent of tension in King’s office was easily felt, but only someone truly attuned to this brotherhood would have picked up on the edge of violence. It was the dark and lethal part of the club. It didn’t rule us, but it was always there. Although I’d seen it fade more and more when my brothers were around their wives and children. But when the danger was directed at their families, that edge turned into something fierce. I’d never fully understood before now. Because I’d never felt anything so strong until I claimed Maren.
Blaze stood near the bar, arms folded, a glass of whiskey in hand, wearing an easy expression. Tomcat had parked himself in one of the oversized armchairs, leg bent, his ankle propped on the other knee. He and Rebel were engaged in a conversation that had them both smirking. Ace was pacing slowly at the back of the room, his brows furrowed as he tapped on his tablet.
Cruze was sprawled on the couch playing with the locking mechanism for a safe like it was a Rubik's Cube. As one of our enforcers, he was the one leading the breach tonight. Before he’d patched with the Hounds, he’d been a ghost—one of the most elusive thieves in the world. His identity was never confirmed,though, and his alias was still whispered with awe in certain circles. Now, he used those skills for the club. Mostly.
Wizard was seated at the head of the conference table, his laptop open and the screen angled toward him. I stood behind him, my arms crossed, spine straight, and my whole focus locked on the screen.
We weren’t planning a takedown. Not yet. This run was about intelligence gathering. Strategy. The kind of precision work that made sure we didn’t get sloppy—or dead.
I pointed at something on Wizard’s computer, and he nodded, then tapped the table once to get everyone’s attention. “All right. We finally pinned it.”
He’d connected his laptop to the flatscreen in the office, so he was able to throw the image up on the screen. It showed a squat, concrete building on the outskirts of Riverstone, half hidden behind chain-link fencing and scrubby trees. At first glance, it looked dull and forgettable.
I took the chair next to Wizard as he went on to explain.
“That is officially listed as a municipal utilities depot. Water pressure regulation, electrical redundancy, and emergency infrastructure storage. That kind of shit.”
Ace snorted quietly. “And unofficially?”
