Page 119 of Illicit Temptation

He strokes my cheek. “I have a flight reserved for us the day after tomorrow.”

“Won’t Malone be checking manifests?”

“Not on a cargo flight to Greenland.”

“We’re going toGreenland?”

“For a diversion, yes. A private plane will be waiting forus there.”

“Okay, what’s the bad news?”

“There’s more good news.” He crashes his mouth down on mine. “You’renot mad at me anymore.”

I lose my breath from the kiss. “I’m still mad at you.”

“Can you please get over it, so we can have some killer make-up sex?”

“Do you even hear yourself?” I cross my arms. “Does the bravado clog your hearing? I. Am. Mad. At. You. You should have told me about Scava.”

Trace nods. “I worried you’d see him as a better option than me. And I wasn’t sure he’d overlook your inability to have children.”

The brash honesty hits me in the chest. “Why do you seem so unaffected by that fact?”

“Mostly because I’d rather have you than a bunch of brats.”

I exhale. “I come with lots of brats. They’re called nieces and nephews.”

“Those are the best kinds of brats.” He leans down and kisses me on the nose. “You play with them, feed them whatever they want, and then they go home.”

I snort a laugh but try to hide it. “You’re impossible.”

“Honestly, Shea?” His serious tone startles me. “I never saw myself having kids. Never thought about being a father. I went through things in the military that messed me up. In the Syrian war, the carnage was life-altering. I’d been trained to fight and protect. After what Malone did to me, I’m more suited to my line of work than fatherhood.” He takes off his shirt to remind me of his scars.

Gently, I press a kiss to each one. “I bet Lachlan thought the same thing. Now he’s thrilled to be a father.” Although, I think he’s been calmed by his wife who’s the sweetest thing in the world. She’s the sugar to his salt.She’s given him so much love, and a baby is a part of that.

I’m not exactly the sweetest thing in the world. I’m a businesswoman, hard-headed, and stubborn. Mouthy and independent.

“Hey, what’s the bad news?” I remember we didn’t get to that one.

A grim expression overtakes Trace’s face. “Your brothers and your mum left on Kieran’s plane an hour ago. If my plan fails, we’re on our own.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Shea

Ifeel sick.

“They... They left me?”

“Katya went into labor,” Trace explains softly. “That drove Lachlan’s crazy up to nuclear.”

“Malone let them leave?”

“Aye. He wantedyou, not them. Just as I said. It was a standoff, but in the end, Malone gave in. Apparently, neither of them wanted to commit murder with dozens of witnesses. Malone is cruel, but he’s not crazy. He’s now looking for us. That’s why we’re laying low, not rushing to another airport. Malone still has a prison to run and has to hunt down dozens of escapees, or explain to the Director of Prisons what the hell happened there.”

“How did you find this out?”

“Cormac called me.”

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