Page 72 of Revenge & Truth

“You are fucking amazing, you know that, right?” I whispered against her lips. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Oh, you know, breaking a few hundred laws helping out my father, snooping in his records, and then stalking me for years until you grew the balls to meet me face-to-face,” Astin sassed. “Guess you really are lucky. Not many people would think that sort of thing was sexy and sweet, but I do.”

“Thank fuck for that,” I mumbled, diving back in for another kiss.

twenty-five

With the job done, I texted both Ryker and Jace so they could move on to the second part of our plan.

Hound took us through the city, doubling back and taking all the random side streets we could. He wanted to be absolutely sure we wouldn’t be traced back to the judge’s house if someone called about a suspicious van parked in the alley. If they looked through the traffic cameras, they wouldn’t see any trace of us except in the heart of the city, well away from the judge.

Once satisfied, we drove into the private airport hangar, where the car and our clothes were waiting for us. The space was void of people, leaving us in peace to strip down and be dressed to the nines, ready for the gala mere minutes later. Someone had been thoughtful enough to ensure a full-length mirror was leaning against one of the hangar walls. Shaking out my hair, I took the golden barrette and clipped back one side of my hair.

The dress I chose fell to my feet and pooled slightly. It had a high neck and trumpet sleeves that fell to the floor in a dramatic cascade of fabric from my elbows. Down the front was a cutout from my clavicle to just past where my bra band would sit if I were wearing one. Thanks to the invention of boob tape, I could keep my girls in check and keep the dress nice and streamlined. Thanks to my men, I had to redo my lipstick. Otherwise, the rest of my makeup fared fine through the excitement.

Hound stepped up behind me in an all-black tux with a teal jacket that had black accents. Everything about him was eye-catching since he wasn’t the type of person you’d expect to ever wear a tux at all. His shaggy hair looked more intentional but still had a rolled-out-of-bed look. Thankfully, he only had to deal with half a head of hair since he kept one whole side shaved down to the skin. I noticed he added a few rings to his hands and switched out his gauges to ones with flashy diamonds, making it clear he was a man who could afford to be at this gala.

“Who knew the backyard mutt could turn into a show dog,” I commented as I continued to drink in his appearance through the mirror.

When he met my gaze, I realized he wasn’t wearing any contacts. Instantly, I spun around and grabbed his face, looking deep into his eyes, etching this moment into my mind forever. Where my eyes were a deep emerald color, his were that of fresh spring grass. It gave him a hint of innocence I knew no longer existed. Everything about his natural gaze had me transfixed, like he was finally letting me see a part of himself that few got to experience.

“Um… Luna,” Hound started, but I didn’t allow him to finish as I stole the words out of his mouth with a kiss.

His large hands enveloped my back as he pressed me against his body. I wanted to climb this man like a fucking tree and gaze into his eyes as he fucked me silly. Apparently, my body agreed with me, and the next thing I knew, I was hitching a leg up and around his hip. One of his hands gripped my thigh to hold me in place as he rolled his hips, rubbing his hard cock against my pussy. A moan exploded out of me as the rush from the job still coursed through my veins, making everything feel more sensitive.

Breaking the kiss, Hound rested his forehead against mine, his breath coming out in hot pants against my skin. “Moonflower, I want nothing more than to fuck you right here and now, but we need to get to the gala before it’s too late. As one of your lieutenants, I have to remind you of your duty but know that as one of your boyfriends, I’m fucking pissed about it.”

“No, you’re right. We need to settle this once and for all,” I agreed. “Mark my words, though, tonight you’re mine, and I plan on getting very little sleep.”

Hound gritted his teeth and practically snarled as he gripped me tighter against him. “You can’t say things like that and expect me to be able to control myself, Luna.”

“I don’t want you to control yourself,” I whispered in his ear. “Let’s see how long you can hold out before you snap and take me right where I stand, regardless of who else is around.”

“Fuck, I knew there was a reason I couldn’t get you out of my mind the moment I saw your picture. You and I, Moonflower, we’re soulmates if there ever was such a thing. Never will there be a more perfect woman than the one I have in my arms right now,” Hound murmured, his voice gruff with emotion and need. “Now get your sexy-as-fuck body in the damn car so we can get this over with.”

Laughing at the tortured expression on his face, I gave him one more quick kiss and took a step back. The feel of his gaze on me, as I gathered up the fabric of my skirt had my skin tingling in the most delightful way.

That man was a ticking time bomb, and I couldn’t wait for it to go off.

The gala was hosted at the observatory since the theme was The Night of Hope. I’d never been to the museum, and when we pulled up, I could understand why they picked it. It was built out of white sandstone with a main copper dome and two telescope turrets on either side. Lights placed in the ground around the building made it look as though it was glowing, a beacon for whatever was in space to find it easily.

Hound pulled up at the red carpet that lined the stairs to enter the museum, and two men came jogging over. One opened the door for me, and the other took the keys from Hound as I was assisted out of the car. With a smile of thanks, I stepped forward, endeavoring how best to deal with the extra fabric of this dress. Grace kept telling me it was the latest trend in fashion, but how was a person supposed to walk? In the end, I grabbed a fistful of the material and held it up, freeing my feet to navigate the stairs.

“Luna, may I offer you my arm?” Hound asked, all formal with a ridiculous bow.

“You may,” I agreed as I entwined my arm through his and leaned against him so his arm rubbed along the side of my breast.

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, his jaw muscle twitching as he tried to hold it together. “This is a dangerous game, Moonflower.”

“That’s the only kind of game you and I know how to play,” I countered.

His response to that was a grunt before kissing the side of my head. When we approached the door, Hound pulled out our invitation from his jacket pocket.

The woman quickly typed in my name and frowned. “I’m sorry, there are already people here who’ve checked in under that name.”

“That’s correct. I was running a tad late with work, so I told them I’d meet them here. There should be a note from Mr. De Santis that I have a plus six instead of a plus one. It’s not fair to only take one of my lovers when all six want to go,” I explained.

She blinked a few times. “Six? You have six lovers?”