Page 68 of Queen of Spades

“I have been warned,” Ranger says blandly. “I would like to never be told of such matters again, but I’ve got an omega in my home currently in the same state. The smell is horrifying. Worse than a three-week decaying corpse, or even the time I accidentally perforated the small intestine while?—”

“Yeah, I get the idea,” I say, combating my own queasy feeling. And this is why I have to keep my mouth shut. I have no interest in being his next victim.

“Well, you should likely inform my sister of your marital union. I’ll update Kane once it’s safe for her to be in Virginia.” He hangs up, and I toss myself down on the edge of the empty bed.

This is a disaster I don’t even begin to know how to fix. It’s been a long couple of days, and traveling all day didn’t help a thing.

I need a shower.

Maybe to jerk off a time or three. My system is still all out of whack from scenting Annika’s pussy all fucking day.

Shoving myself off the bed, I aim for the bathroom and start the water before moving back into the room to undress. I toss my watch on the nightstand and pull off my clothes, piece by piece. My duffel bag is next to Ward’s near the chairs at the small table. I dig around for sweats and toss them over one of the chairs.

A shriek fills the air coming from Annika’s room. I stride over to grab Ward’s gun from the table and jog through her hotel room. The bathroom door is open several inches, and my forearm slams against it.

“What’s wrong?” I growl, yanking back the shower curtain.

“Oh, thank God,” she says, pointing at the wall a few inches over her head.

There’s a substantially sized spider, and Annika’s soapy form flies at me as she tries to climb out. Shoving the gun down on the counter, I help her wet body safely out of the tub.

“A spider?” I chuckle, shaking my head.

“A seriously giant spider on steroids,” she says, tossing an arm over her soapy breasts. “Yes.”

I saw her stab a guy in the cock. She claimed it was accidental, but she also wasn’t afraid of murdering someone. It’s kind of adorable seeing her afraid of a medium-sized arachnid voyeur.

I twist the shower head until the water runs over it. It is stubborn, so I cup my hands and dump a fair amount over it until it falls and disappears down the drain.

“Well, that’s great,” she says with a huff. “What am I supposed to do now? I’ll never be able to pee in this bathroom, let alone step into that shower again.”

I snort, cutting off the water. “I was just about to pop into the shower in my bathroom. The water is already running.”

“So, you’ve already checked for creepy crawlies?” There’s an adorable smudge of soap on her cheek.

“I’ll check for you before you climb in,” I offer, grabbing Ward’s gun. Clearing my throat, I gesture toward the door. She strides off without bothering to wrap herself up in a towel, and my head falls back, shaking at the ceiling. It sure would have been nice if Ranger could have clarified if I’m supposed to be treating her like my real wife.

I drop the gun back on the table I pulled it from and guide Annika into the small bathroom.

Yanking back the curtain, I give it a solid once-over. “I believe you’re safe.”

“I thought that last time too,” she grumbles, throwing a leg over the edge as she climbs into the shower.

I extend an arm, offering it to her since there’s no bath mat.

She takes it, a sly smile crossing her face as her gaze slides down my chest. “I don’t want to take up all your hot water. Want to share?”

My God, do I ever.

I’d also like to avoid being slaughtered by Ranger for touching his sister. Grady’s bondmark is still red on the side of her neck. If anyone is going to suffer, it’ll be him.

“Or not,” she whispers, moving to grab the shower curtain.

I block it with my forearm and shove my boxers down with the other hand. “I need to speak to you, anyway.”

This might be the perfect opportunity, since she won’t be able to run away. Her lips turn down, but she shrugs and turns to rinse off her front. My half-hard cock sways as I climb into the small shower behind her.

She’s got a perfect ass, and the sight of the little creases under each cheek isn’t helping my dick to behave. Then again, if what Ranger said is true, she’s my wife. Dealing with that man is a mind fuck, under the best circumstances.

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