Page 49 of Queen of Spades

I could tell she was anxious, but I had no idea it was to that level.

My lips brush over her forehead. “Get some sleep. I’ll watch over you.”

She scoots forward, officially erasing all space between us, and buries her nose in my shoulder right near my armpit.

Good God.

She’s absolutely precious—and probably too young for me.

It’s a weird feeling to not even have my eyes open and be able to sense a threat well enough that I grab for my gun. Only, I’m not wearing a holster. My eyes pop open to find Annika’s liar of an alpha climbing onto my bed.

“Chill, Gramps. It’s just me,” Grady says. His hair is wet, and he smells like my body wash.

“Make yourself right at home,” I grumble, keeping my voice down.

Annika sleeps with her head on my shoulder and her thigh tossed over my pelvis. If I’d known she was this snuggly, I would have gotten more comfortable before putting us to bed. I definitely wouldn’t have gone to sleep fully clothed, that’s for damn sure.

“I intended on it.” Grady slides up, wrapping himself around her back. “I found a pair of sweats in the bathroom, which I’m guessing Anni passed on.”

“Cas might owe someone important a favor, but that in no way gives you the right to cuddle in my bed,” I growl, trying to keep my voice down. “And call me by my name if you’re going to speak to me.”

“Whatever you say, Granddad.”

Yeah, that about guarantees it.

I’m going to kill that bastard at some point when Annika isn’t watching.

Chapter Sixteen

Annika

“I’m still mad at you,” I grumble, wiping my sleepy eyes.

Grady’s strong form is plastered to my back as I wake. I’m even more shocked that Ward is nowhere to be seen. I kinda felt like we had a moment last night. My instincts liked having him take care of me, but my fingers dig into my forehead as I remember blabbing a bunch of information I should have kept to myself.

“I know you are,” Grady says in a serious tone as he runs his hand over my stomach. “Would it make you feel any better if I apologized? Because I’m not above getting on my knees and begging for you to forgive me. I’m genuinely sorry that I lied to you.”

I sigh and my lips roll together with the force of how hard I exhale. “I wanted it to, but that didn’t make me any less upset. That sucks.”

“You’re running a fever,” Grady says, brushing his lips over my cheek. “It’s not dangerous yet, but I noticed it last night when I climbed into bed.”

My ass pushes back into his pelvis. “You’d think all of the sex yesterday would have helped. God, was that only yesterday?”

“It was, but we slept like normal. I’m guessing it’s around three or four in the afternoon.” He nuzzles his cheek to mine from behind. “Do you think you’ll be able to forgive me? I had a couple dreams last night that I wish I could forget.”

I roll to face him, and he clearly looks tired. “I’m not going to hold you to an impossible standard when I kept things from you, too, but I also feel really dumb right now.”

“Anni Girl?—”

“No, stop. This is not a breakup conversation. My heat is going to be here soon, and I’m not going through that without you. I might be pissed at you right now, but I still trust you more than anyone else.”

“Good. You should. I’m on your team, always.” He brushes a quick peck on my lips. “I’ve got a few things for each of us in the bags down in the trunk, but we’re going to have to do a little shopping.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Kane growls from somewhere behind me. “At least, no in-person visits to a store for Annika.” My head twists, and I barely catch sight of him tossing down the bags Grady grabbed from his safe room. “Get dressed and come downstairs. The three of us need to get on the same page.”

“Apparently, he appointed himself the boss of this operation.” Grady snorts.

The door slams behind Kane, making me jump. I still can’t believe how quickly everything can fall apart. It’s even more concerning to think the Andrettis know where I am. Heats make it impossible to stay clear enough to protect ourselves. It’s a nightmare I don’t even know how to go about tackling.

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