Page 52 of Ruthless Wars

Austin shakes his head. “I’m the one avoiding a punishment,” he says as he pulls out eggs, bacon, and shredded cheese. “If we let Coop cook, we’ll all be crunching on eggs with bits of shell in them, and a generous side of Beanee Weenees.”

I flash Evie my best boyish grin. “Cooking was never my strong suit. And with Alli being culinary challenged like me, that leaves the fate of our meals in Austin’s hands.”

“But Alli does one hell of a bang-up job with pastries,” Austin says, pointing his chin at the box of fresh danishes, muffins, and croissants from a local bakery.

I couldn’t agree more, and it takes all the willpower I have to keep from digging into them with my cup of fresh coffee in hand. But that would be rude. Highly satisfying, but rude.

“Well, I’ll make the eggs,” Evie says, volunteering rather insistently, sliding the eggs to a corner of the granite island she’s apparently claimed for her own.

“You cook?” I ask, not so much as a judgey question, but more in genuine fascination. The little I researched about her left me surprised to find her working at all.

Between her family’s wealth and her engagement to a guy who could probably buy a few countries without so much as putting a dent in his net worth, there can only be one reason Evelyn Banks is an employee of Long Multinational.

She loves it. And in an oddly obvious and overtly ironic way, she loves them.

Evie cracks several eggs in a bowl before answering. “I was alone a lot with a nanny that I hated and chefs that I absolutely adored. They could’ve gotten fired for it, but they let me help in the kitchen when my parents were away.”

The blood drains from her face, and she stops working on the eggs to look up at me and whisper, “Don’t tell Gabe I hated his mom.”

“I won’t,” I say with a chuckle. “But you’re hardly one to hold back. Don’t you think he knows?”

Evie considers it for a second before nodding. “Probably,” she says, then sips at her coffee before resuming her egg cracking.

Before long, Allison and Gabe wander in, hand in hand but not overly clingy like the first couple I encountered this morning.

The only one missing is Margot. My lips pull into a smile as I think back to why that gorgeous vixen may be exhausted. I refresh my mug and pour a second cup before heading up to check on her.

I find Margot out on the balcony wearing the pajama top I left behind. It catches a few gusts of wind that almost give me a peek at the perfectly round ass that feels amazing in the palms of my hands.

Frowning, she’s checking her phone, and my heart sinks at the possibility of a weekend that just started quickly coming to an end.

“Morning,” I say carefully, offering both cups for her to choose from.

She places her phone down, forcing her lips to a relaxed smile. “Morning. I see my legendary two-fisting is back to haunt me.”

“I’m giving you your pick. Black with just enough sugar for taste. Or Evie’s blend.”

Without a word, she reaches for the creamier cup, and I pull it away, teasing her. “You know the price of my favor.”

Playfully, she walks her fingers across my bare abs and shoulders, knowing I’m stuck holding two very hot cups of coffee. Her body is warm and soft against mine, but her lips stay a whisper away.

“You are an evil temptress.”

“Well, it’s about to get worse.” Smiling through my confusion, she takes both cups from my hands and sets them down, then returns to my arms that are now free to hold her close. I go in for a kiss, and she backs away, spurring a growl.

Her smile is diabolical. “Your price is a kiss, but you didn’t say where.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Margot

I’ve got to get my mind off Wyatt’s text. Why is he coming?

Of course, I’m ecstatic to see my brother, but the sinking feeling in my gut is that something’s wrong, and no doubt Roddie is at the heart of it. Or more precisely, Guillermo Fernando Rodriguez is.

But a smoking-hot god toting two cups of coffee is all the distraction I need.

Casually, I set my phone down after clicking off the screen, and already Coop’s got my heart racing. I wrap my arms around him, ready for a kiss, when his colossal erection grinds into me and his eyes focus on my lips.

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