Page 73 of Lost Kingdom

“What are you talking about?” I snap the words out and feel like a prick when she startles. When her eyes, wet from old tears and red from stress, look me up and down. “Is this one of your jokes? Because I asked you to marry me?”

She shakes her head, dropping her gaze and smiling that way she does when she knows something I don’t. “The marriage certificate Cordoza handed you at Felix’s wedding? I gave you a million chances to tell me the truth before I was forced to call you out on it.”

“Archer told you?”

Her eyes shutter. Rage. Suspicion. Back to rage. “He knew?”

“As of a few hours ago. Did Fletch call you?”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” She spins on her heels and stalks across my living room. “Is there anyone in this city youdidn’ttell except me? Seriously, Tim? You think you get to sneak something like this in and tell everyone except the person now legally tied to you?”

“You snuck a look at the envelope?” My mind reels as I follow her intothe kitchen. “You saw me put it in the drawer, so you creeped out here while I was sleeping and peeked?”

“Nope.”

“Then how, Aubree?” I grab her sleeve and yank her around, only for her hand to wrap over mine and a sweet grin to cross her lips. Like she always does, she brings me calm when the world outside of us is a storm. Her touch is healing when my heart pounds with terror. “How do you know? How long have you known?”

“So you admit it?” She twines our fingers together and looks up into my eyes. The innocent succubus, just waiting to swallow me whole. “You had Cordoza bribe a judge to sign a piece of paper I never consented to?”

“I admit to nothing. Not unless you tell me how you found out.”

She snorts, shaking her head and pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. “That’s an admission.”

“Who told you?”

“Youtold me.” She steps onto her toes and kisses my jaw. “You’re an open book and don’t even realize it. So now you’re gonna stay here with me. You’re not going out tonight to start some shit with a guy who thinks threatening women is tough. And you’re not going down to the bar to spend time with your brothers. You’re staying with me, because my night, to this point, has really friggin’ sucked, and you’re the only person on the planet who can calm things down again.”

“Aubree…” My heart pounds out of control. “I had Cordoza get me that certificate so I could protect you. We’re married. We’ve been married for a fucking week, but I couldn’t enforce a damn thing unless I told you what I’d done.”

“And now I know?” Her cheeks warm with a sweet blush. “So what? You go out there and pound on your chest? Me Jane, you Tarzan? No one gets to touch.”

“The guy who slammed you against a wall?” I lower and look into her eyes. “He’ll die. There is no other choice. His friends? They’ll get the message that you’re a protected species, and then it’s done. You’re off limits; nothing else matters after that. Doesn’t matter who you’re related to, or who he owes money to, because the fact you belong tomesupersedes all that other shit. Your mother could assassinate the fucking governor and it wouldn’t blow back to touch you unless they want a war. Five united brothers… my own father couldn’t achieve that. But we’d stand shoulder to shoulder to fuck up anyone who looks at you sideways.”

“That’s a lot of power for a bunch of badly raised men to have.”Grinning, she reaches up and scratches her nails through my beard, sending bolts of pleasure rolling through my blood. “Felix is… crazy. And Cato is barely mature enough to go to the store with ten dollars without blowing it all on ice cream. Archer has made a promise to the law, and Micah is holding a million of his own secrets, few of which he wants his brothers to know.”

“You simplify an entire fucking empire like you think it’s a game!”

“I humanize the men Timothy the Second attempted to destroy. I don’t doubt the hell you could rain on this city if you had to. But I question the need.”

“That motherfucker tossed you against a wall and scared you!”

“And here I am,” she croons, “safe and sound inside your apartment, begging you to stay right here with me instead of running off to hunt someone else’s hired hand.”

“Aubree—”

“You could take me to bed.” She stands on her toes and pulls me down until we’re eye to eye. “I’m not sore anymore, and I know you know how to bring us both to ecstasy.”

God. Fuck. Goddammit. “I can’t walk away from what they did.” I cup her face and draw her as tall as her toes will allow. “Aubree Grace, I cannot let their crimes stand.”

“You could.” She licks her dry lips. “Life is about choices, and you’re standing at a crossroads right now. You can choose to leave me here, all alone. Or you could take me to bed.”

“And your brother?” I growl. “I leave him out there for Booth’s men to find? They’re done playing, and he’s too immature to understand the danger he’s in.”

“He’ll be okay for tonight.” Slowly, she begins undoing my shirt. One button. Then another. “This is his journey, too. He needs to learn there are consequences to stupid actions, and that he won’t always be saved, no matter who his sister is married to.” She slides the plaid fabric of my shirt back and reveals my bare chest, pounding over my racing heart. “We can go find him tomorrow,” she soothes, “and at that point, he’ll have learned something.”

“I don’t think you understand the danger he’s in.”

She breathes out a soft laugh. “I don’t thinkyouunderstand I know everything. He’s going to be fine.” She angles left and takes my nipple between her lips. “Stop focusing on him and start paying attention to me. I won’t tolerate split focus.”

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