Page 62 of Resisting Royal

CHAPTER 31

ROYAL

That was the first move. That was a fucking first move. Bianca could deny it all she wanted, but I didn’t force her tiny little fingers to the back of my neck to pull my head to hers, and I sure as hell didn’t place my lips on hers. But, once those lips touched mine, I wasn’t going to be the one to stop it. Cat calls be damned, I was in heaven. Well, as close to heaven as a guy like me could get.

I left her thinking about what answer she wanted to give me, but I knew. I knew damn well that she kissed me, completely uncoerced and now . . . well, now all moves were fair game. Images flashed in my mind as I walked away, images of all the things I could do to her. Ways I could touch her and prove to her just who she belonged to. And if she had any questions before, she would have absolutely no doubt in her mind who owned her body, heart, and soul.

Heart? Nah, that’s probably too soon for conquering. But if I could get her quivering underneath me, panting my name and declaring she’s mine, I would be the most satisfied man in the world.

“I have to admit that kiss was hot. I think I just lost half my men to the shared restroom,” Roman smirked.

I blinked, remembering why I walked over here. “Have you talked over the deal with the few men you trust?”

He nodded. “It’s all set.”

That was reassuring. I pulled out my phone, shooting Troy a message instructing him to talk to my available men and gather a group of volunteers to come to the compound. I started to put my phone away before sending him another, making sure the men I trusted with Bianca were not part of the volunteers.

“Want to send our females back to the main house and grab a few beers? Seal the deal?”

My eyes searched for Bianca on the other side of the room. She had a glass of wine in her hand as she talked to Shaw and Emma. It was cute, really; those girls drinking from dainty glasses of wine in a sea of burly men sucking down beer. “Let me tell my lady.”

I turned back to the woman I left only a few moments ago, walked the length of the room, and leaned into her ear, not caring that I was rude. “Do you want to go back to the main house with Emma? I’m going to have a few beers with Roman to close out the night.”

She looked at the little watch on her wrist. “It’s late.”

“I won’t be long.” I turned toward Shaw. “Are you coming, man?”

His eyes grazed over Emma, and I felt the smolder he was giving her. “Let me walk the females to the house, then I’ll meet you guys at the barn.” An amused look crossed his face, “The new barn.”

“You didn’t even like the old barn,” I defended. “And I didn’t burn it down.”

“No, you didn’t. But you burned down the building next to it, which we then had to rebuild. The backhoe backed up into the barn, weakening the foundation and beams, which then caused a collapse.”

“Who was driving the backhoe?” I questioned.

“I was, but that’s beside the point.” Both the women looked at him in shock.

“You can’t blame me because you can’t drive machinery.”

He raised one eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure I just did.”

“I have so many questions,” Emma whispered to Bianca as she leaned toward her.

Bianca nodded slowly, looking between us. “Me too. Me. Too.”

Ten minutes later, I found myself inside the old barn, sitting on bales of hay with a cold beer in my hand. Sure, we could have stayed at the party, but the barn was so much more personal, and sometimes a small crowd was better than a massive one.

We’d come a long way since we were kids, and I didn’t just mean with our success. Looking at Roman and Shaw now, it was mind-boggling to even believe they were the same people. Shaw, who towered over all of us with his compact muscles and lean, muscular build, was once the smallest runt of the litter. A punching bag for his abusive father, he always sported black eyes and bruises. But now? He was probably the deadliest of the bunch if given the proper opportunity. He was quiet and thoughtful, and looking at him now, just as when we were kids, he still watched Roman like he was a fucking god.

Does Roman know?

Does he know that Shaw shares a love for him as equal as he does for the woman who lay between them? That with each drink Shaw tossed back, his lustful gaze kept finding Roman like he was a light in a tunnel of darkness? Roman didn’t notice, and I decided that the man was blinded by their friendship.

Roman stood, stretching his arms over his head, and Shaw’s eyes followed the movement. He brought his hands down, his broad, solid frame blocking out most of the light that shone behind him. His hand came up, rubbing his palm over the short sheer of black hair before settling on his neck. “Want another?”

He gestured to my beer, and I shook my head. “I’m getting too old to drink you under the table. I can’t be climbing trees anymore, either.”

He laughed, his big hand coming to my shoulder in a friendly offering. “It’s that wife of yours, she’s taming you.”

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