Nix. (Den of Mercenaries Book 3)(64)

“I’ve been waiting ages, Luna,” Uilleam said as he rolled over onto his back, making her eyes widen as she got an unobstructed view of everything he hid beneath expensive suits.

Focusing her attention on the assortment of silk pillows on the other side of the room, she kept it there. “In case you didn’t realize, it’s pouring down outside. You’re lucky I got here when I did.”

Uilleam laughed. “Fair enough. Where—is there a reason you’re refusing to look at me?” He asked, seeming to only realize now that she wasn’t facing him.

“Are you kidding?” Luna asked, feeling the flush in her cheeks as she visualized the rippling contours of his abdomen. “You’re naked.”

He scoffed, as though her reasoning was absurd. “I once held a meeting between two warring families on a private beach on the coast of France. Neither was willing to work with the other because they were both notorious for killing their enemies during sit-downs.”

Luna’s mouth twitched. “So you decided to have it at a nude beach?”

She could hear him moving around, the rustle of clothing before he was suddenly at her side wearing only a pair of slim-fitting pants.

“It was the only way I could guarantee that each party respected the arrangement I had set up.” His smile was rueful as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Unless, of course, they decided to get a little creative.”

“Clever,” she had to admit.

Uilleam touched her hand, lifting it to get a better look at the ring that now adorned her finger. Even in the low light of the room, the diamond sparkled.

“A shame I wasn’t invited to the wedding,” he said looking from the ring to her. “I’m sure you looked beautiful.”

Luna smiled at the compliment. If there was something to be said about Uilleam, he had always been kind to her—blunt sometimes to the point of rudeness, but always kind.

“It was a surprise to me too,” Luna found herself saying. “There wasn’t really any time to invite anyone.”

“Trust me. This may have been a surprise for you, but my brother is a planner—this would have been in the works for months. It really is a shame,” he said softly, letting her hand drop.

Luna lost her smile. “That we got married?”

Uilleam looked at her, really looked at her which made her a little nervous as to what his answer would be. “No, a shame that you have a job to do.”

Right. Of course. That was why she was here. “What is the job, exactly?”

“I’ll fill you in on all the details later, or Skorpion can.” He glanced at the Rolex on his wrist. “He should have been here by now.”

“He’s in town?”

She hadn’t known Uilleam had called on Skorpion too, not that he would have told her otherwise—the Kingmaker’s moves were known only to him—but Skorpion would have.

Of everyone at the Den, Skorpion was the one she was closest to—like the older brother she had never had.

Though, to be fair, most of the mercenaries that called the Den home were like brothers, though she didn’t see them nearly as much.

“I can’t imagine we would both fit on that bike of yours,” he said with a smirk, going over to retrieve his shirt and shrugged it on. “Tell me, how on earth did you convince my brother to allow you to drive that thing? I can’t imagine he hadn’t tried to talk you out of it.”

Kit had, in fact—and he may have gotten his way had she not shown him how thankful she could be if he gave her what she wanted.

The next morning, the white Ducati had been waiting for her in the driveway.

Leaving his inquiry unanswered, Luna asked, “What are you doing back so early anyway? I thought you were in Shanghai this week?”

A look of annoyance crossed his features. “I see my uncle has yet to curb his habit of telling you my business.”

“He doesn’t tell me everything,” she reassured, “only what may concern your brother so I know what to expect.”

Because when the two of them fought, it could get ugly, especially if it had anything to do with their businesses overlapping.

Luna still didn’t understand the intricate details and boundaries that allowed the pair of them to work together—or separately, as it were—but she did understand that there were precautions in place to ensure that neither stepped on the other’s toes.

Though sometimes it felt like that was all they ever did.

“Ladies.”

Luna turned at the slow drawl coming from the man that had to duck his way into the room, a slow grin curling his lips as he removed his hat.

He hardly glanced in Uilleam’s direction, though he did give a wink to Luna, before he was giving the two women on the floor his full undivided attention, and infamous charm.

Skorpion was a big man, over six feet tall with the body mass of a professional football player. It also didn’t help that he looked rather terrifying, but underneath the gruff exterior was a teddy bear that cared more about surfing than anything else.

When he wasn’t under contract, he could usually be found hunting the best waves—the man spent nearly as much time surfing as he did working—and staying off the grid.

“Now that everyone is here,” Uilleam said as he grabbed his suit jacket off the back of a chair. “Let’s discuss.”