Page 52 of Illicit Temptation

“And?”

“Before we worry about the Greeks coming to kill us, those Irish brats might arrange for my execution to put him on the throne. He’s holding Ava specifically so I can’t marry her. Hewantsthe war his father tried to stop.”

The Irish are savage enough to take their anger that far. I fight everything I have not to glance into the soundproof compartment, worrying if bringing Shea into my world is a little too dangerous at the moment. With my child no less, if I manage to get her pregnant.

Doc Mike better know what he was talking about when he said if she keeps taking those pills, they will hopefully make her ripe and fertile for when she finally lets me into her bed.

“Have something you want to tell me about you and Shea?” Griffin asks, looking right at me.

“No.” I return my gaze forward. “But she’s not my usual client.”

“Meaning?”

“She’s not a stranger. I’ve known her since we were just kids.”

“I know the history.”

“How much do the O’Rourkes know about your ties to Keller?” I change the subject. “They’re into some sinister shit.”

“Minimal. The O’Rourkes grew their power and got rich by staying in their lane. In Astoria.” Griffin leans back and stares out the window. “So. A Quinlan and an O’Rourkeafter all.”

I debate telling him about the Vegas wedding, and more importantly, my intention to stay married to Shea. And get her pregnant. Griffin says Quinlans come first to him. But I don’t want to test that. Not with this new weight on his mind.

He might shoot me himself.

But I won’t treat him like a fool.

“I know what I’m doing, mate.” But I realize every day we stay married there’s a chance the wedding record could be discovered by Balor or Shane. Shane will bury it. I’m not sure what Balor would do. Especially if they want to marry Shea off to Nico Scava as some sort of safety net from the Crests.

“You have eyes,” I add. “She’s gorgeous. I won’t be her bodyguard for long. She’s an adult. Independent. If shewantsme...” The words die in my throat at the look of murder Griffin gives me.

“I can’t have a bounty on your head from Lachlan O’Rourke. Or have him hunt you down himself. Keep that giant cock in your pants.” Griffin stares me down. “I will have a house to run, but only if find Ava and marry her. I have to keep the Greeks on our side to do that billion-dollar land deal. We need their connections, and they need the Keller money I now control.”

I go to respond, but the bird’s nose dips, sending my stomach twisting.

“Folks, we’re landing in five minutes,” the pilot says over the loudspeaker.

Griffin immediately gets on his phone to give our ETA to someone, probably Lachlan. We land, and I stride to the passenger compartment to collect Shea.

Our eyes meet on opposite sides of the glass. I can’t make out what she’s thinking.

For a moment I question how good a husband and afather I can be working as an enforcer gunning down Kellers who won’t bend the knee to Griffin. I fight the bile that rises in my throat, spilling Irish blood, but anyone who dares to threaten me will pay if they pull the trigger first.

I think of Lachlan, who’s even more fierce now that he’s got a wife to protect. Being powerful is supposed to reward you with the spoils of a great life. A beautiful woman on my arm, swollen with my child, and warming my bed, sends a strong message:Do not fuck with me.

The consequences will be even worse. I’ll punish anyone who dares to hurt me ten times harder because hurting me will hurt Shea. But I can’t tell her why she needs to stay married to me. What her brothers are planning. What my family is planning.

As soon as we get to Ireland to visit Dunbar, and I get her father’s backing, she’ll come around. She’ll have permission to stay with me.

That’s what’s got her in a lather, the way we got married. I’ll give her a big showy wedding. I’ll marry her here, and Ireland, and Hawaii. We can get a license in every damn state if she wants.

I reach inside the luxury compartment and clasp her throat, my thumb brushing the soft skin right beneath her chin.

“What?” she mouths with the engines roaring outside the helicopter.

I lean into her ear. “Take this for what it’s worth, princess. Letting you walk out on me that morning three years ago was the hardest thing I ever did. I only left because of my assignment. Now you want me to give up on you all over again. On what wecanbe. You don’t remember how good we were, how much fun we had both in and out of bed, but I do.” The words scrape from my throat, but the only pain I feel is in my chest.

“Trace...” Her voice fades as the whirring blades outside die down.

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