Page 167 of Villainous Rise

“I can’t. Even though it’s probably insured, they’ll put the burden of the cost on me to replace it.” I looked out at the dark beach, dreading the search. “I have money but covering an eight-carat diamond ring isn’t exactly in the budget right now.”

Cipher squeezed my hand. “You are not digging through the dirt for another man’s collar. I refuse to let you pay the Alliance a single dime.”

“Cipher, I have to find it.”

“I’ll handle the cost.” His thumb dragged across my bare ring finger. “I’ll buy them ten of those ugly rings if it means this hand stays bare when you’re with me.”

“They’ll ask questions,” I murmured, the fight draining out of me.

“Let them ask.” He pulled me flush against his chest. “The ring stays buried.”

“Okay.” I let out a shaky breath, knowing that he wouldn’t take anything else for an answer.

Cipher’s eyes darkened with satisfaction and he took my hand again, leading me further down the shoreline.

I studied his profile against the night sky. The fog had lifted enough to reveal a scattering of stars, their cold light illuminating the sharp angles of his face. His jaw was set, eyes fixed on some distant point ahead of us.

He looked like he could belong up there among those stars. Beautiful, cold, and dark. A celestial body with its own gravitational pull, dragging everything into his orbit whether they wanted it or not.

Including me.

I leaned my head against his arm as we walked. My body ached pleasantly, muscles remembering the shape of him.

“Take me home,” I sighed, suddenly exhausted. The emotional rollercoaster of the evening, from fake fiancée to Cipher’s midair fucking, had left me drained.

“Home home or with me home?” Cipher asked.

I smiled, tilting my head to look up at him. “Wherever it was you were going to take me after the beach.” I paused, remembering his earlier promise. “To excise Valor from me.”

His eyes darkened at my words, pupils expanding until only a thin ring of color remained. “You sure about that, Sparks?”

“Very.”

Without another word, Cipher scooped me into his arms. My body molded against his chest, sand-crusted dress and all.

The ground fell away beneath us, my stomach dropping with the sudden ascent. The wind whipped my already-tangled hair into a frenzy as we shot upward, the beach shrinking below. I pressed my face into Cipher’s neck, breathing in the scent of him as we sliced through the night sky toward whatever delicious punishment he had planned.

CHAPTER 29

CIPHER

Steam filled the bathroom, curling around us like the fog we’d left behind. Annie stood at the marble counter, working a brush through her damp hair, a white towel wrapped around her body.

I leaned against the doorframe, watching her through the dissipating steam. She caught my gaze in the mirror, her blue eyes meeting mine before darting away. Even now, after everything, she still blushed when I looked at her like this, not bothering to hide my hunger for her.

That blush fascinated me. The way it spread across her cheeks and down her neck when our eyes met. The same woman who had taken everything I gave her in bed, who had matched my darkness with her own, still responded to a simple look with that delicious flush of color.

I crossed the bathroom, pressing myself against her back. I took hold of her waist and nuzzled her neck.

“You smell like my soap,” I murmured against her skin before nipping gently at the spot.

Annie tilted her head, giving me better access. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into me, the brush forgotten in her hand.

“Is that a problem?” she asked, voice already going breathless.

“No.”

My hand slid up to her throat, thumb tracing her pulse point. Her heartbeat quickened under my touch.