Savage Hearts (Queens & Monsters #3)(108)

“You’re trouble, little bird, you know that?”

“Yeah, but you like trouble.”

His eyes soften. He kisses me like I’m the most precious thing in the world, then says gruffly, “Actually, I love trouble. I love it more than anything.”

That settles it. My next tattoo is going to be the word “Trouble.”

I’ll let him choose where on my body I should get it.

I say innocently, “You know what I love more than anything?”

“No, what?”

“This gorilla I met. Once you get past the scary exterior and all the grunting, he’s really sweet.”

His smile is as brilliant as the love shining in his eyes. “I’ve heard that about gorillas.”

He kisses me again, this time more deeply, his tongue delving into my mouth and his hand wrapped lightly around my throat.

I put my hand over his and make him squeeze tighter.

He chuckles against my lips and whispers something in Russian that sounds filthy. Then he says in English, “You’re going to have my baby. You’re going to be my wife. You’ll be the center of my universe and the queen who stands by my side.”

His voice drops. “But first, I’m gonna fuck you again and show you who your king is.”

He flips me onto my belly, drags me up onto my knees, and spanks my ass five times.

I bury my face in the covers, laughing.

Yes, Daddy’s home.

Oh, yes, he is.





Epilogue





Spider





Two weeks later



* * *



It’s just the two of us in Declan’s office, sitting on opposite sides of his desk with whiskeys in our hands.

It’s the night of his first day back from his honeymoon in Greece. He’s tan and relaxed, leaning back in his chair in a white dress shirt and black slacks, looking like what he is.

A man who has everything he’s ever wanted.

If I looked in a mirror, what I’d see would be the opposite of that.

He doesn’t bother with small talk. Neither of us has ever been good at it. He simply opens with, “I’m promoting you to second-in-command.”

When he sees my shocked expression, he says, “Did you think I’d fire you?”

“For ruining your wedding? Aye.”

“Don’t be dramatic. You didn’t ruin anything. All you did was put on a wee show.”

“Is that your wife’s attitude, too?”

His expression sours. “It would be grand if anyone around here would pretend it’s my opinion that matters for once.”

I glance down at the glass in my hand. I’m gripping it so tightly, my knuckles are white.

I haven’t been able to get the night of the wedding out of my mind. It plays on a loop inside my head, taunting me.

That bloody Russian bastard. I should’ve shot him in the bathroom when I had the chance.

Now he’s family. Fucking family.

What a nightmare.

Through clenched teeth, I say, “They’ve gone back to Russia?”

He hesitates. “Aye. And you’d be well advised to forget all about it.”

An impossibility, but I bite my tongue.

“Spider. Look at me.”

I glance up.

He says, “You’re a good man. Loyal and brave. The situation is less than ideal, but it’s what we’ve got to deal with.”

“How can you be so calm about this? He wanted to kill you!”

“Aye. Can’t really blame him though, can I? If he killed my brother, I’d want to kill him, too.”

I say bitterly, “How very magnanimous.”

“Get your head back on business, mate. I need you focused. We’ve got a bloody shit show to deal with. Between Kage and the Italians alone, I’ll lose my ever-loving mind.”

“What’s going on with Kage? Considering he attended your wedding, I assumed you two had made an accord.”

He rises and walks to the window, folding his arms over his chest and staring out into the evening sky. “I owe him a marker. He called it in.”

I frown in confusion. “He called in a marker for an invitation to your wedding?”

Declan’s laugh is dark. “No, that was simply politics.”

I make a sound of understanding. “Your wife and his.”

“Aye.”

“So what does he want for the marker?”

“For me to kill one of his men.”

Brutal, but it doesn’t surprise me. The Russians are animals. They’d eat their own young if they were hungry enough. “For?”

“Disloyalty.”

“Why doesn’t he kill the lad himself?”

“Because it’s a man I promised my wife I would never harm.” He turns and gazes at me. “Which makes it excellent sport for Kage.”

When I say, “Stavros,” Declan nods.

“Oy. If Sloane finds out…”

“I’ll lose my balls. I have to admit, the son of a bitch knows how to play dirty.”

“What will you do?”

He turns to the window again. A faint smile lifts the corners of his mouth. “What I always do when the only two options are shite. Create a third.”