“Fuck, that’s slick,” he murmured. “Spread them. I need more.”

  Unable to hold on to my good sense, I opened my legs for him again.

  • four •

  And you’re the goddamn Mafia.

  King

  The biscuit I was about to put into my mouth was slapped out of my hand. My gaze collided with Maeme. She was not in grandmother mode. She was in pissed-off Maeme mode. She didn’t have to say a word. I already knew. She’d heard us. Damn. I had tried to keep it down, but then I’d also been unable to stay out of Rumor’s tight cunt.

  “What are you doing?” she hissed at me.

  “Trying to eat a biscuit,” I replied with a grin I hoped cooled off my heated grandmother.

  She pointed her finger in my face. “That is not want I mean, and you know it.”

  I stepped back and leaned against the edge of the sink. “I’m not gonna be able to stay away from her.” Might as well get that out there now. Nothing she was going to say could stop me.

  “And what happens when she sees the news? Or someone says something to her about your engagement?” Maeme snapped.

  Not what I wanted to dwell on this morning. I’d gotten my peace, buried deep inside Rumor last night. After an entire fucking day of having to set up a fictional relationship with Scotlin, I needed to have Rumor. She’d come to me so willingly, and, damn, it had eased all the shit in my head. Maeme reminding me about what had gone down yesterday wasn’t helping me. I was going to end up back in bed with Rumor.

  “I’ll explain it to her,” I bit out through clenched teeth. “It’s not like it’s real.”

  Maeme threw up her hands. “No one can know that.”

  “Rumor can know,” I argued.

  Although I wasn’t entirely sure I was allowed to tell her. Blaise hadn’t said anything about keeping it from Rumor.

  “The more she knows, the more danger she will be in. You can’t tell her anything. Her safety is supposed to be our only concern. Not your need to fuck her.”

  “Maeme,” I began, but she slapped a hand on my chest, harder than necessary.

  “I want that girl to have happiness. I want her to have the life she’s never had. Don’t get her messed up in this. She isn’t strong enough for our world. We will protect her and make sure she has all she needs. But you?” She dug the tip of her nail into my chest. “You are going to mess around and break her heart.”

  Footsteps upstairs stopped me from what I was going to say. Rumor was awake.

  I had come here last night, needing to wash away the fake kiss I’d had to give Scotlin while we pretended to be out on the town together. Making sure pictures were taken of us at every hot spot in Atlanta. With me touching her. Pretending with her. Having her hands all over me. The engagement had to seem real when it was announced. Once we called it a night, I wanted a shower and to get Scotlin’s perfume off me. After that, I had been like a crazed man, needing a fix. Rumor being my fix.

  “This could take months. You can’t have Rumor behind closed doors and successfully sell your engagement to Scotlin in public. The Derby is in ten days, and you have to go on the arm of Scotlin May. The diamond ring has to be on her hand and flashed around for all to see. Jupiter has already started the planning for the engagement party being held at Barrett and Annette’s in a month.”

  My ears were trained on the footsteps upstairs.

  “I’m telling Rumor. No more lies with her,” I repeated.

  “You can’t,” she argued.

  “Yes, I can.”

  Maeme stalked across the kitchen. “Your father can deal with it.”

  “I won’t lose her,” I said. “Try and understand that I need her.”

  Maeme spun around and glared at me. “You’re being selfish.”

  Was I? It didn’t feel selfish. It felt real. Like the most real thing in my life.

  The footsteps faded, and I pointed to the ceiling to quiet Maeme. Rumor had walked out of her room and was probably headed to the stairs.

  Maeme just shook her head and turned back to the cabinets and jerked one open.

  I turned my gaze to the door, waiting on Rumor to appear. When she did, it was even better than I had anticipated. Her eyes swung to me, and the pink flush on her cheeks was so damn sweet that I wanted to toss her over my shoulder and take her back upstairs. The five-foot-tall woman currently pissed at me was the only reason I didn’t.

  “Morning,” I said as I walked over to her.

  The way she followed me with her eyes nervously but with a glint of pleasure had me forgetting the shit I was currently facing.

  “Good morning,” she replied softly.

  I reached for her hand and wrapped it in mine. “You gotta be hungry. Come eat,” I said, tugging her closer to me. “I’ll fix your plate.”

  “Good Lord, let the woman breathe,” Maeme scolded from behind me.

  I winked at Rumor before sliding a hand to her back and turning to face Maeme. “I was just being a gentleman, Maeme.”

  My grandmother rolled her eyes and set the orange juice on the counter. “You have work to do. I’ll get Rumor fed. You can go.”

  I had a meeting with the others at the Shephard Ranch. Blaise Hughes would be there on a video call. It wasn’t a meeting I wanted to be at, but I was required. Since it was me they were forcing to be fake engaged to Scotlin. All to weed out her father’s mole and to find out who had been leaving the notes on her car, stalking her. It was more than likely the same person, and the sooner he was found, the sooner I could stop pretending with Scotlin.

  “I got twenty minutes,” I replied, not looking in Maeme’s direction.

  “Go,” Rumor told me. “Don’t be late.”

  I wanted to tell her about Scotlin before I left, but with Maeme breathing down my neck, it wasn’t going to be possible. I’d tell her tonight. Back at the cottage, where I wanted her. Not here with my grandmother making it difficult.

  Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to Rumor’s lips. “Be at the cottage this evening. I’ll bring dinner,” I whispered.

  She nodded.

  I’d talk to her then. This was all going to be fine.

  “Glad you could join us,” my father said, giving me a pointed look when I walked into Stellan Shephard’s office.

  “Maeme cooked breakfast,” I replied with a shrug, taking a seat on the sofa beside Wilder and across from Thatcher, who was grinning at me, clearly not buying my excuse.

  “It’s true then?” Wilder asked beside me. “You have caught feelings for a woman? I thought they were talking shit.”

  I glanced at Wilder, willing him to shut the fuck up before looking at Stellan. “You want a recap on last night, or do I wait until the call with Blaise?”

  Change of subject. Hopefully.

  “You left Scotlin last night and went directly to Rumor,” my father pointed out.

  “I left her at my fucking house. Isn’t that enough?”

  Stellan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “Scotlin’s safety is important.”

  No shit. “I’m aware of that, and my house is safe. Not to mention the security that her father has on her.”

  Stellan raised an eyebrow. “You are her security. The others are just there for looks.”

  “They’re former Marines. One was a fucking sniper,” I pointed out.

  “And you’re the goddamn Mafia!” my father shouted.

  “Easy, Ronan,” Barrett Kingston said to my father, holding up a hand to stop him. “King always gets the job done.”

  Thank you, Barrett!

  “Yes, but before, he was never locked on a piece of ass,” my father shot back.

  I was standing before I knew it. My annoyance had morphed into a full-blown rage. “Don’t,” I warned him. “Don’t call her that again.”

  Thatcher let out a deep, low chuckle. “To think I didn’t want to come today. I’d have missed the fucking entertainment.”

  “Shut up, Thatch,” Wilder told him.

  “It’s time to call Blaise,” Stellan told the room. “This has to end. Now.”

  Fine by me.

  “Why? It’s his fucking fault. He’s the one who told King to fuck her,” Thatcher said as he lit up a cigarette. “Seems like his problem.”

  “Thatcher,” Stellan warned his oldest son with a hard glare.

  Thatcher took a long pull, then smirked in response. I’d love to agree with him, but I knew that even without Blaise’s orders to make Rumor want to stay, it would have happened. The bomb had been ticking. I’d been slowly giving in to what I wanted. And what I wanted was Rumor.

  The ringing immediately ended, and Blaise Hughes appeared on the flat screen that covered a large portion of the far wall.

  “Before we get started, Thatcher, you need to call Huck. We got a hit that needs to happen in Atlanta before noon,” Blaise said from where he was sitting behind his desk back in Ocala.

  Thatcher stood up and put his cigarette out in the ashtray. “On it,” he replied before heading to the door.

  “Take backup if you think you need it,” Blaise said.

  “I don’t.” Thatcher smirked before opening the door and leaving.

  “Storm, go with him,” Stellan ordered.

  We all knew it wasn’t because he thought his oldest son needed backup. Sending Thatcher anywhere alone wasn’t smart. His twisted head would do more than kill whoever it was that Blaise wanted dead. If left to his own devices, he’d leave them nailed to a damn wall or some crazy execution-style shit.

  Blaise leaned back in his chair. “Let’s get started.”

  • Five •

  You don’t know that much about King, do you?

  Rumor

  The knock on my door came at the same time my phone buzzed with a text. I never got messages from anyone other than King, so I grabbed it before going to see who was here. He wouldn’t be knocking and texting me at the same time. Although it was almost eight at night and he still hadn’t arrived.

  Glancing down at my phone, I read:

  I’m sorry. Things got complicated today, and I can’t get there tonight. Maeme is going to get you, and you are staying with her.

  The disappointment was instant as I slipped my phone into the pocket of my jean shorts and headed to the door to let Maeme inside. I shouldn’t have slept with him last night. Being with him like that had made me want things I couldn’t have. King wasn’t a forever guy. We weren’t in a real relationship. Yet I was feeling too deeply.

  When I reached the front door, it wasn’t Maeme. I unlocked the bolt and opened it while studying Sebastian through the window. His eyes met mine, and he smiled.

  “Hey,” he said simply.

  “Hey,” I replied, stepping back for him to come inside.

  He walked past me and into the kitchen. “Man, it’s been years since I’ve been in here.”

  “Really?” I asked. “Who lived here then?”

  A deep chuckle came from him as he turned to look at me. “No one at the time, which is why I came here.” He paused, and a crooked smile tugged at his lips. “It was a great place to bring a girl back in the day. Well, that is, until Maeme caught us doing it and changed the locks.”

  I laughed at the thought of Maeme catching them. “Great. I’m hoping the mattress has been replaced since then.”

  Sebastian’s smile only grew. “None of us used the bed. We knew we couldn’t make it look the way Maeme did, so we didn’t go near it.”

  “The sofa?” I asked, raising my eyebrows, wondering what I would find with a blue light and not wanting to sit on it anymore.

  “Eh,” he said and walked toward the doorway that led into the living area. “Ah. You’re safe. That is not the same sofa.”

  I let out a loud sigh. “That is the best news I have heard all day.”

  My phone dinged in my pocket, and I ignored it. King had sent me another text. I didn’t want to answer him because I wouldn’t lie if he asked me, and I knew telling him that Sebastian was here wouldn’t go over well.

  “Maeme sent me to get you. That’s probably her or King letting you know he won’t be back tonight and you need to go stay there.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, King already told me. I’ll go grab my overnight bag.” Thankfully, I hadn’t unpacked since I’d gotten back today. I had been too excited about the new books I had to read from the library at Maeme’s.

  Once I got to my room, I pulled out the phone to read the newest text.

  Rumor?

  I replied so he would stop worrying.

  I am getting my things together now.

  After sending it, I grabbed the bag with my stuff and went back to the kitchen where Sebastian stood, looking out the window over the sink. His arms were crossed over his chest, and when he wasn’t standing beside King, he seemed larger. It wasn’t that he was a small man. He was over six feet tall at least, and his arms were corded with muscle. His long legs weren’t as thick as Kings, but they still filled out a pair of jeans well. I wondered if riding horses was why they all seemed to have such nice butts.

  He turned to look at me, and I realized he’d caught me staring. The grin that curled on his lips wasn’t as cocky as King’s, but it was a close second. I shook my head and let out a small laugh. They were all a little full of themselves.

  Something hit me I hadn’t thought of before.

  “Do the women you all … bring around know what you are?” I asked him.

  He ran his hand over his mouth as his smile spread, then nodded. “Yeah. Anyone we bring onto the property has had a thorough background check and been approved. They are given the rules and warned about what happens if they talk.”

  Interesting. But it made sense.

  “What happened to Sedona?” I asked, realizing that with all I’d found out following her being threatened at the stables, I hadn’t heard anything about her. My focus had been on me, on King, and on trying to figure out what we were doing.

  Sebastian walked over to me and took my bag, and then his eyes locked on mine. “Do you really want those details?” The warning in his gaze was obvious.

  I felt a coldness settle in my chest. Twisting as it sank in. I didn’t want to ask now. He was right. I wasn’t sure I wanted the details, but I also knew this would haunt me.

  “Is she … dead?” My question came out in a whisper.

  “No.”

  I let out a relieved sigh and placed my hand on my heart. “Thank God.”

  Sebastian smirked. “God’s not the one that gets credit for that. I assure you. Those outside of the family refer to him as the Devil.”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to ask who that might be.

  “Come on,” Sebastian said. “Maeme’s waiting.”

  I followed him outside and out to a truck. It was a fancy, expensive-looking one, but it was still a truck. I let out a small laugh at the sight of it.

  “What’s funny?” Sebastian asked me as he opened the passenger door.

  I waved a hand at the vehicle. “This and you. I don’t see you driving a truck. You’re more of a Porsche guy.”

  He tossed my bag inside, then stepped back so I could climb inside. “A Porsche guy? Why is that? King drives a truck. How are we any different?”

  I sat down and looked at him. “You live in a mansion. Have a dozen vehicles in your underground garage. There’s a movie theater in your house. You’re high-profile, expensive. You might ride horses, but you are not a country boy.”

  He tilted his head and shook it with an amused look on his face. “You don’t know that much about King, do you?”

  What was that supposed to mean? I frowned at him, suddenly wondering what it was I didn’t know. I thought I knew him.

  Sebastian rubbed his jaw for a minute, and I could see the indecision on his face. He was struggling with telling me things. But this was about King, and since I was having sex with him regularly and I’d fallen in love with him secretly, I kinda thought I should know the man.

  “King has his own house. You know that, right?”

  I nodded. Although I hadn’t been aware it was a house. I had imagined more of an apartment.

  Sebastian let out a groan. “Listen, this isn’t my shit to share. But I will tell you that King grew up just like I did. Same kind of life. We are the same. More so than Wells or Wilder even.” He paused a moment, then grabbed the door like he was going to close it. “But for the record, King has a fucking Jaguar.”

  I sat there, letting that sink in and trying to imagine it as Sebastian walked around the front of the truck. King had a house and a Jaguar? Really?

  Once Sebastian got in the truck, I looked over at him. “How old is King?” I asked. Something else I realized I didn’t know. It hadn’t been important. I was so wrapped up in everything else that I didn’t take the time to really get to know him. Past what I’d already known.

  “Thirty-five,” he replied.

  “And you?” I asked.

  He grinned. “Not that damn old,” he drawled, then added, “Twenty-eight.”

  I’d known King was older than me, but I hadn’t realized he was eleven years older. Not that it mattered. What else did I not know?

  “Where’s his house?”

  Sebastian glanced at me, then back at the road. “About five miles from here. It’s on Salazar property. His father’s house is there, along with their stables.”

  More stables?

  We were already at Maeme’s, and Sebastian put the truck in park and turned back to me. “Any more questions before I take you inside?”

  I realized I suddenly had several, but asking him instead of King felt like I was doing something wrong. These are things I should have asked King about. I bit my bottom lip to keep from blurting out another question and shook my head.