Page 86 of Skin Deep

“That was before you made me draw sixteen cards,” River mumbled, rearranging the twenty-something cards in his hand. “I’m so punishing you later.”

Theo’s face blazed bright red and he touched his cheek as if checking to see if it’d caught fire.

“Shit,” Charlie offered and held up one of her board books.

Pax sighed and lowered his phone. “Now you’ve got her doing it. Watch your fucking language around my girls.”

River rolled his eyes and Theo snickered.

Paxton combed his fingers through my hair as he went back to looking at his phone and I went back to reading. The book wasn’t particularly good, even if it was a favorite of mine. I had a soft spot for heroes facing off against impossible odds, especially down and out heroes who’d been cast out of society. Throw in some sword fights, some steamy romance, and a little magic, and I was sold.

I was starting to get engrossed in my reading again when Paxton closed a fist in my hair and tipped my head back. Lust sparked in his dark brown eyes as he looked down at me. He didn’t need to speak to communicate exactly what he was thinking. He wanted to go back upstairs and fuck.

I smirked and chose to ignore him, pushing his hand away and sitting up so I could focus on reading.

My breath caught when Pax closed a hand around my throat, leaned in, and whispered, “I want you. Now.”

I wiggled away, giving him my back. “Not now. I’m in the middle of a chapter.”

“If I’m not inside you in the next five minutes, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”

I huffed and turned the page. “I guess one of us is about to be disappointed.”

“Gross.” River snorted. “Get a room.”

I flipped him off.

A phone rang somewhere in the kitchen, shattering the moment. Everyone went on high alert, heads snapping toward the kitchen door, and the room went silent as we all waited, hoping to overhear the news.

Annie answered in a pleasant tone, her voice muffled just enough by the walls that I couldn’t make out a word. River, however, grimaced and lowered his thick hand of cards. I lowered my book with a frown.

A moment later, Annie appeared in the doorway, cleaning her fingers on a dish towel. “Theo, dear, would you take the girls upstairs and let Tatty know Boone’s here?”

“But we weren’t done playing!” Scarlet protested.

“Why don’t we switch to Monopoly?” Theo suggested, gathering up all the Uno cards. He winked at her and gave her a tight smile. “That way, you have a chance of winning.”

“Sorry, princess,” Pax said, patting Charlie’s head when she offered him her book. “I’ll read to you later. Promise.”

“C’mon, Charlie.” Scarlet took Charlie’s hand, and they retreated up the stairs while Theo put away the game.

“Is it happening already?” Theo asked, his voice tense.

I nodded. “Once we get Boone involved, everything will happen quickly. He’s not one to waste time once he’s been paid.”

I had already paid a huge deposit for his services. Boone had sent me the invoice that morning and promised he’d start searching as soon as it was paid. I hoped that meant he already had news for us. If so, we could move quickly, and the quicker we moved, the less likely they were to see us coming.

“Who’s this Boone guy?” Pax asked as we stood.

I stretched, cracking my back in three places. “Boone Calhoun. They call him the Bloodhound. He’s a freelancer.”

“You don’t like him,” Pax observed.

I snorted. “Of course not. He’s a mercenary with no loyalty except to the highest bidder. Someone like that is the last person I want involved, but we don’t have a choice. We can’t trust anyone in the family, and reaching out to other groups would be… problematic.”

Outsiders would see the family feud as a weakness. The Greeks might swoop in to exploit the situation, pushing the borders of their territory. They could turn this into a bloody three- or four-sided war for territory, and nobody wanted that. Regardless of our involvement, everyone in the family wanted the same thing: a quick and decisive end to this standoff.

We made our way upstairs. I wanted to change into something more fitting for a business meeting. Not that Boone would be dressed up. He’d be wearing the same fatigues he always wore to meet clients. I had to be the professional, since I was the one negotiating.

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