Page 127 of Royally Tempted

“I didn’t think you did,” I said quietly, putting both hands out and resting them on Sean and Hunter’s forearms. “I’m glad Damien told me, for what it’s worth. I think I just…” I trailed off, not sure how to put it into words.

“I likeknowingyou,” I finally said, looking at each of them in turn. “And you don’t have to worry, I’m not going to—”

“We know,” Sean said with uncharacteristic softness. “We trust you, more than, well, more than we tend to trust pretty much anyone.”

The sound of Damien chambering a round broke the silence.

“I’d hate to break the moment, but—”

“Right, we gotta roll,” Hunter said with a growl, whirling and grabbing a flak jacket from the trunk.

I started to move towards the trunk as well, but Damien stopped me with a hand on my arm.

“I think it’s best if you stay here, actually.”

“The hell I am,” I shot back, my blood pounding at the thought of my best friend being held captive by her psychopath ex.

A hint of a smile crossed Damien’s face. “Arianna—”

“I’m coming, and that’s final.”

The other two turned, crossing arms over broad chests, eyeing me.

Damien finally nodded. “Something told me you were going to insist.” He turned back to the trunk, grabbed a smaller armored jacket, and passed it to me.

“You’re stayingbehindus,” Sean muttered. “Thatpart is not up for discussion.”

“Here,” Hunter said darkly. I turned as he pressed the grip of a gun into my hands. I shivered at the feel of cold metal in my palm.

“I really think this is a terrible—”

“I’mcoming,” I said flashing a scowl at Sean before my look softened at what was clearly just huge concern on his face. I reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’ll stay behind you, I promise. But there’s no scenario where I don’t come with you.”

Hunter nodded at the gun in my hands. “That’s a forty-five millimeter. Ever used one of these?”

Right, like I’d held a gun before.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, slowly shaking my head. Hunter nodded as he moved behind me and wrapped his arms alongside mine.

“I got it,” I said breathlessly.

I turned in his arms and kissed him, before turning again and doing the same with each of them, holding their equally passionate and yet wholly different kisses in turn.

Hunter looked at the other three and nodded solemnly. “Alright then. Let’s roll.”

Chapter 15

The lodge was quiet, but I knew the silence was deceiving. I followed my three men through the footpath from the mountain road, the shadowy outline of Luke and Jordan’s lavish mountain retreat looming against the starlit sky.

I felt a hand on the small of my back, and felt lips against my ear.

Damien.

“When I say hang back I mean hangwayback, got it?”

I nodded, shivering in the night air. “I got it.”

“Nothing can happen to you, Ari,” he said softly, all of us stopping by the dark tree line.

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