Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“What was with the flash drive that King put into the guy’s mouth?”
“Ronan’s unique form of delivering justice,” Con said. “He and his guys can’t exactly stick around to wait for the cops, so they put all the dirt they have on a flash drive and leave it behind where the cops won’t miss it. Even if the perp swallows it, it will show up eventually.”
I smiled at that and felt absolutely no guilt whatsoever. As far as I was concerned, the fuckers deserved far worse.
“So that’s it?” I asked.
“That’s it,” Con said. I could hear the nervousness in his voice.
I shook my head as I stood up. Not surprisingly, Con tensed up even more. I closed the distance between us, but instead of saying anything, I straddled Con’s lap and slanted my mouth over his.
He whimpered in response, then his arms went around me like two steel bands.
“Any questions?” I asked when I managed to tear my mouth free of his.
Con’s mouth pulled into a smile before he shook his head. We kissed for several beats until he suddenly stood, taking me with him. I wrapped my legs around his hips so I wouldn’t hit the ground but I didn’t really need to worry about it since Con’s hold on me was absolute.
“I can walk,” I managed to say between drugging kisses.
“Mmm-hmm.”
We’d just made it to the elevator when it suddenly opened. I tried to scramble out of Con’s hold when I recognized King, but he was slow to set me on my feet. I could only assume the other men watching us with amusement were his brothers.
“Morning,” King said cheekily.
“Are we interrupting something?” another man asked.
“No—” I blurted.
“Yes—” Con said at the same time.
“Hi, I’m Luca,” the man responded and extended his hand.
To my surprise, Con pulled me back before I could shake the man’s hand. “Where are the kids?” he asked his brother in irritation.
“They’re up at the pool with Lex, Gideon, and Remy,” Luca said as he leaned against the door of the elevator. His grin matched King’s and I quickly realized they were going to take the opportunity to have some fun with their brother.
“I’m Vaughn,” the third man said. “And this is Aleks,” he added as he drew the young man at his side even closer to him.
“Hi,” I said.
“Don’t you guys have somewhere to be?” Con asked. His fingers were wrapped around mine. I managed to keep my smile to myself at the sound of frustration in his voice.
“No,” Luca said.
“Don’t think so,” Vaughn chimed in.
“I’m good,” King added as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.
“Out,” Con snapped. His brothers laughed and guffawed, then took their time filing out of the elevator. He practically dragged me into it and then his mouth was back on mine as he jammed his finger down on the button to send the elevator to the next floor.
A hand shot out to stop the doors from closing. It was Vaughn’s. “Hey, Micah, say, do you like grits? Because I make a pretty mean bowl of shrimp and grits.”
“I, uh, what?”
“Say no,” Con ordered even as he shoved Vaughn’s arm out of the way of the doors. All of the men laughed as the elevator closed and it finally began its ascent.
“What was that about—?”
Con’s kiss shut me up. When he released me, he said, “The answer to that question is always no, do you hear me?”
I laughed because I could tell he was more annoyed than angry. There was definitely a story there. But as the elevator came to a stop and Con grabbed my hand in his, I realized there would be plenty of time for that and the many other stories I wanted Con to tell me about his life. For now, I was exactly where I wanted to be.
Where I’d been meant to be from the moment Con had come back into my life.
Where I’d be for the rest of my days if I had any say in the matter.
And I’d make sure I always had a say in that particular matter.
Epilogue
Con
TWO MONTHS LATER
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Micah murmured as I pulled the car to a stop just outside the gates of the cemetery. “I mean, I know I said I should do it since we’re here packing up the apartment—”
“Hey,” I said and waited until he looked at me. “We do this when you’re ready, not when it’s convenient.”
Micah nodded and reached his hand out. I automatically took it and just held it in mine. I rubbed my thumb over his as he looked back and forth between his lap and the hill where the headstones were located.
“I couldn’t even afford to bury him,” he whispered. He dashed at his eyes. “The city said if I didn’t claim his body, he’d be buried on their dime. No funeral, no headstone. Just a pine box and a number,” he murmured, his voice breaking a bit.