Page 45 of Royally Embraced: RBMC

Inside, wrapped in scented tissue, were several pairs of delicate panties for everyday wear in her size, along with some much more racy things. She hoped he picked the sexy things out himself instead of hiring an anonymous shopper.

After folding the items up and placing them in a neat little stack, she shimmied into a dark purple thong, then dressed in another pair of leggings on the bottom with a Jack Skellington T-shirt on top. Next to Jeter and Kendrick, she definitely would look like the odd girl out.

She glanced around the room to ensure it looked tidied up before searching for Jeter.

The sound of male voices drew her into the same room they’d been in the night before. She’d stopped in the kitchen first and grabbed a coffee. Armed with the liquid gold, she walked over to where Jeter sat. He patted the spot next to him.

“You look sexy as hell, Vita Mia.” He brushed his lips over her cheek.

“Good morning, Tori. Did you sleep well?” Kendrick asked.

She nodded, knowing her cheeks were on fire. “Yes. Your home is lovely.”

Kendrick’s lips twitched. “There’s been some new development. Jeter, do you want to be the one to explain while I go get changed?”

He wore another expensive-looking suit without a tie, making her wonder if he would put on a nicer one or what.

“Yeah, I got this. I’ll be ready when you get back.”

Tori took another big drink of her coffee to ease the dryness that suddenly made it hard to swallow. She had a sinking feeling she wouldn’t like whatever Jeter said next.

Kendrick walked past her and gave her shoulder a little squeeze. Jeter waited until they were alone, then shifted his focus on her.

“You know my brother’s ex ran off the day before the wedding, right?”

Whatever she thought he was going to say, it wasn’t that?

“Ah, yeah. She was obviously an idiot unless there’s something nefarious about Kendrick I don’t know, which is highly unlikely.”

She held the coffee in her hands like a shield.

Jeter took the cup from her hands. Lifting it to his lips, he drank deeply and placed it on the table beside him.

Tori twisted to face him, placing her bent knee underneath her ass. She laid her right arm on the back of the cushion, trying to appear calm while inside, her heart raced, and her stomach threatened to revolt. “You’re freaking me out, Jeter. Whatever it is, just spit it out.”

He put his hand over hers as he stared into her eyes. “We know the Rizzos were involved in both incidents yesterday, but a New York family sanctioned them.”

She frowned. “Why would either family want to harm me?” Realization dawned the second she finished speaking. “They figured out who I am,” she whispered.

Jeter nodded. “That’s the information we have so far. The Rizzos want my brother’s territory so much that they agreed to allow their baby sister to marry Kendrick. For my brother’s part, he agreed to marry Taysey because he felt it was time to settle down and, in his words, she was a good fit.”

Tori got to her feet. She shook her head, trying to think who in New York other than her adopted family would benefit from harming her. “Did they say what the plan was once they took me?”

Jeter came to where she stopped walking near the fireplace and pulled her into his arms. “No. The good news we can take from yesterday is the fact they didn’t appear to be trying to kill you. Injure you? Of course. But if they wanted to take you out, they could’ve done so before we’d have known they were there,” he bit out.

She shuddered at the reminder. “My stepfather or stepbrother would be the only ones in New York with a reason to back the Rizzos. I left and embarrassed the family. As you know, that is not a good look and would mean I’d have to suffer some consequences.”

“I’ll gut every single fucker who thinks they have a right to harm one hair on your body,” he said.

Tori looked up into his green eyes, watching them flash with a fire that promised retribution. She didn’t doubt he would follow through on his promise if the need arose.

The sound of a throat clearing made them turn toward the entryway. Kendrick stood with his arms crossed as if he’d been listening for a while. He changed into black cargo pants and a black T-shirt that hugged his upper body like a glove. On his feet, he wore a pair of black boots that reminded her of the ones Jeterhad on. In fact, the man looked more like his younger brother right then than ever before.

“You’re staring at my brother like you’ve never seen a man before. If you keep it up, I’ll have to kill him,” Jeter growled.

She whipped her head around. “What?”

Jeter nudged her mouth closed. “The way you were staring at Kendrick was too intense. I didn’t like it.”

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