Page 10 of Dangerous Devotion

“Nope.” The details were clear. All of my siblings knew our contingency protocols by heart because I made them run through imaginary scenarios a lot growing up, and once I inherited La Dimora, we all agreed it was the perfect hide-out. Especially since my father had no say here and wasn’t even allowed to step a foot on my land.

I let out a long breath, feeling some of the tension leave my body. Hopefully, the rest of my family would be safe soon.

I sank into the plush couch, my body suddenly heavy, feeling every ache and pain from the day’s events. I wasn’t in my twenties anymore, that was for sure.

To my surprise, Jemma sat next to me and leaned her head against my shoulder.

I glanced at her sideways. She looked utterly exhausted.

The fear and emotional turmoil had probably taken a toll on her, and the crash in adrenaline wasn’t helping either.

I put my arm around her and pulled her even closer.

She stiffened for a second, then relaxed.

My little punk was too tired to fight me, which was a nice change for once.

But she wasn’t nearly close enough.

I pulled her onto my lap.

“Vince,” she said, her eyes flitting around the room, beforeshe settled her gaze on me, narrowed her brows, and gave me a cute, little annoyed stare.

“What?” I murmured, lifted her chin with a finger, and gave her a kiss. “You’re mine. Everybody in this room already knows, so why hide?”

Jemma took a deep breath and shook her head, but then she relaxed again and nestled her head against my chest.

I looked at my brothers, who were both smirking, like the man-children they were. I rolled my eyes at them, then swept the room.

Goofy and Peaches ignored us completely, and after a quick glance at Hawk, who was standing in the corner, talking on the phone and watching us with narrowed brows, I ignored the glances cast in our direction.

Jemma was mine, and hell, it felt damn good to have her safe and secure in my arms. And if anyone had a problem with that…I didn’t fucking care.

I wrapped my arms tighter around her and marveled at how right it felt to hold her like this. Despite the chaos swirling around us, despite the danger and uncertainty, this moment, having her in my arms felt…incredibly peaceful and right, like stepping out of an ice bath after a fight, after the first couple of seconds—right when all the pain went away and the body calmed down.

She belonged right here—as close to me as humanly possible. Her weight on me. Her skin against my skin.

Her breathing slowly evened out.

I looked down and studied her face, memorizing every detail. The curve of her cheek, the flutter of her eyelashes, the slight parting of her lush lips. How had this fierce, stubbornwoman wormed her way so deeply into my heart in such a short time?

I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, and she rubbed her cheek against me like a sleepy little kitten before settling again.

My little punk.

Whatever came next, one thing was for sure: I would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

Hawk sat down on the opposite sofa and looked at Jemma with a dad-like smile before his gaze met mine and the look in his eyes sharpened.

He’d been on the phone from the moment we entered the house, and if I wasn’t wrong, he’d most likely mobilized his troops, as well.

What a lucky coincidence he and his men were with us on that roof. “Thank you for keeping her safe.”

Hawk’s smile deepened, and he nodded once—ever efficient. “Once someone is under my protection, they remain under my protection,” he said. But it was the look in his eyes when he met my gaze that let me know he knew it was the same for me.

Hawk and his guys weren’t that different from us. Public displays of affection were mostly expressed through extensive teasing. But the bond between Hawk and his guys was similar to the relationship I had with my brothers. “How long until your team arrives?”

“ETA is about two hours,” Hawk replied, checking his watch. “Craig Donnelly’s on his way, too,” he said, then paused. “He sounded pretty pissed when I told him what happened.”

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