She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Easy money.”
I nodded. “Fine. But if you find any proof of that bastard doing what he was accused of doing, it better see the light of day.”
“It will,” she said firmly. “I assure you.”
“Good.” I glanced between them. “What else?”
“Nothing pressing on my end,” Willy said.
“I’m good,” Red Wally added.
I looked at Rhyan. I could tell she wanted to ask me what my problem was, but she knew better than to do so in present company. I wasn’t in the mood to hash out my feelings or any of that other emotional bullshit she claimed I needed to address directly.
She narrowed her eyes and hesitantly asked, “Is Jinx coming in today?”
“Don’t know. Ask him.”
With that, I turned my attention to my computer. I had shit to do, and it didn’t involve worrying about what Jinx or Laikyn were doing, but if I didn’t get busy, that was the only thing I would be thinking about.
* * *
Jinx
The moment Rule walked through the door, I knew he was in one of his moods.
I’d spent the better part of the day giving him space because if I confronted him about what he saw this morning, he would shrug and tell me he didn’t give a shit. He did. I knew it. He knew it. So, it was better for me to let him stew in his confusion for a little while.
As for Laikyn, she had surprised me this morning when she woke up and curled up against me. Part of me had expected her to come awake with regrets about last night. After all, she was married to Rule, and while this wasn’t a traditional situation we found ourselves in, what we’d done hadn’t exactly been something either of us should be proud of. Not where Rule was concerned, anyway.
Not that I regretted a second. I didn’t. I wouldn’t. Hell, I couldn’t because making love to Laikyn had been the most incredible moment of my entire existence. And that included the first time I was with Rule when I thought life couldn’t get any better than that. With Rule, sex was incredible. It was wild and unencumbered by emotional weight because we both put forth the effort to leave all feelings at the door. It wasn’t merely sex for me, but I pretended for his sake. I didn’t think it was for Rule, either, but he would never admit it.
“Where’s Laikyn?” Rule patted Waldo on the head when he greeted Rule at the back door.
I turned my attention from the television and nodded toward the small building that was now Laikyn’s art studio.
Rule stared into the night briefly before his gaze swung back to me. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?”
I held his stare for two heartbeats, letting him see my sincerity so he wouldn’t think I was being an asshole as I slowly nodded. I’d never enjoyed anything more, but I couldn’t relay that to him. Not without typing up a text message. And since Rule had ignored all the other text messages I’d sent him today, I wasn’t in the mood to waste any effort now.
“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” Rule said, his tone flat, devoid of emotion.
He turned on his heel and went back inside.
Before I realized what I was doing, I was on my feet, following behind him. Before he could get past the kitchen, I grabbed his arm and jerked, spinning him around. I grabbed his jaw and forced him to look at me, wanting to see the turbulence in his gaze. It was there, but it wasn’t the same as I was used to. This was real. Rule was hurting.
“Take care of her, Jinx,” he said softly, grabbing my wrist to pull my hand from his jaw. “She deserves you.”
Rule dropped my hand, but I didn’t let him walk away. I grabbed him again, this time shoving him up against the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room and acted as a support for the ceiling. Rule grunted, the torment in his gaze morphing into fury in a blink. Before he could launch into a tirade, I crushed my mouth to his, gripping the back of his neck so he couldn’t pull away.
His hands were on my hips, but he didn’t shove me. He pulled, bringing me closer as our tongues thrashed and our teeth clashed.
“I don’t want this,” Rule said between attempts to devour me. “I’ve never wanted this.”
I knew he was attempting to talk himself through the problem at hand. Which, if I had to guess, were his feelings for me and Laikyn. I couldn’t explain how it happened, but Laikyn’s presence had changed everything. There was something about her that simply clicked. For me. For Rule. She brought sunshine, burning off the dark clouds that we lived under. She was sassy and funny and not at all afraid to say what was on her mind. It worked for me in ways beauty alone could never do. Yeah, she was smoking hot, but couple that with her witty personality and she was utter perfection. I knew Rule saw it, too.
