Page 28 of Ruthless

“You may kiss your bride.” The priest smiles at us from his place at the altar.

I grip on to Zane tighter to keep my knees from buckling and lean forward, prepared to give him a quick peck on the lips so we can head back to the casino for dinner, but he has other ideas. His fingers slip through my hair and tighten. He pulls me in closer to him until I’m on the tips of my toes and have no choice but to hang on to him for balance. My fingers grip the sides of his lapels to keep upright as his lips crash down on mine. He nibbles on my bottom lip, teasing and tasting me with his tongue. This is no small kiss. It’s a full-blown assault on my mouth that I’m feeling down to the tips of my toes. I should feel embarrassed that he’s devouring me like this in front of a priest, but I don’t. Nothing matters except for Zane and what he’s doing to me.

Liquid heat pools deep in my belly down to my core. My thighs clench from the friction of our mouths as he continues to work me over. He tugs on my bottom lip with his teeth and then licks the side of my face. At the same time, a horrible smell hits me.

My eyes shoot open to find Thor in my face and his little body sitting on top of my chest. His tail wags back and forth like a weapon when he realizes that I’m no longer asleep.

I laugh and gently ease him away from me as I sit up and slip on my glasses. He takes that as an invitation to curl up in my lap and put his head down. I scratch behind his ear and stare down at him.

“How did you get in here, troublemaker?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

I jump at the sound of that gravelly voice. My attention was so focused on Thor that I forgot that anyone else was inside my apartment for a brief second. When I glance over at him, my breathing hitches.

Zane’s standing in my doorway shirtless with his gray sweatpants sitting low on his waist, showing off the deep cut of his V and every muscle of his six-pack. His arms are shoved inside the front pockets, giving me an unobstructed view of his glorious chest. Tattoos that I don’t remember seeing before cover both of his pec muscles. The silver of his nipple rings glints against the sliver of sunlight that’s seeping into my room from my parted curtains. That does little to detract from the stoic expression he’s wearing. His hardened gaze is planted on the bundle of fur sitting in my lap as he clenches his jaw. The messy knot on the top of his head hits the top of my doorjamb as he cocks his head to the side and continues to watch me. His massive form takes up the entire doorway.

“I take it you’ve met Thor.” I gesture down to the reason for his morning attitude. “He’s my favorite little thug,” I tease.

“He’s a little shit,” Zane grunts out.

I cover his ears and shoot Zane a look. He’s cranky this morning. “That’s not very nice. He can hear you, you know?”

Zane rolls his eyes and removes one of his hands from his pocket to stroke the tip of his beard. “He’s a dog, Ken. He has no clue what the hell I’m even saying.”

I shake my head at him. “Still, that’s mean. We’re going to be parents and should probably start watching what we say.”

“You been talking to Axel?” His head tilts to the side as he watches me with an expression that I can’t quite read.

“No. Why?” My eyes narrow at him, unsure where he’s going with this.

“No reason.” He shakes his head and brushes off my question.

“How did he even get in here?” I nudge my chin at Thor.

“Not sure. I went out to get us some breakfast, and when I came in here to check on you, I found the little sh—” I clear my throat, and he corrects himself. “I foundhimon your bed.”

“Oh.” My lips purse into an O.

“Yeah, oh.” He’s not happy that he’s been outsmarted by a dog. “You can bet it won’t happen again.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a safety issue, and I told you. I’m not taking any chances.” His eyes drift down to my stomach and then meet mine. “With either one of you.”

“He’s a damn Maltese. What’s he going to do? Drown me in his drool? This is insane.” I gesture to Thor, who’s still sitting in my lap with his head cocked to the side, staring at us.

I rub the top of Thor’s head, ignoring the brute in my doorway because I don’t do well with being told what to do. The second I do, Thor’s tongue falls out, and his ears perk up. I hold him up against the side of my T-shirt and rub behind his ears, which gets a little growl of appreciation in return.

“Kennedy.” Zane’s jaw clenches as he holds me with his stare. “Put. The. Dog. Down.” He speaks much slower this time, emphasizing each word. If he’s trying to intimidate me into listening, he’s got another thing coming.

“Why? He doesn’t bite.” I glance down at Thor and smile. There’s no way something so cute could do something like that. “Do you, boy?”

Zane eats up the distance between us until he’s right before me, invading my personal space. He bends down at the waist and plants his fists on either side of my hips before whispering, “Yeah, well, I do.” His lips brush against the shell of my ear, and the smile on my face dies. There’s no mistaking the threat in his tone, and all of my earlier bravery goes out the window.

Heat fills my face as those tiny hairs on his beard tickle the sensitive skin at the nape of my neck. My core clenches as thoughts of the locker room yesterday come flooding back to me. It’s not the time for this, but tell that to my body. I squeeze my thighs together to dull the ache that’s building inside me and do my best to keep my breathing steady and controlled.

When Zane pulls back, his blue eyes have deepened into dark pools. There’s no missing the promise in that gaze. He lifts his right hand and strokes the side of my cheek with the pad of his thumb as his eyes flick from mine to my lips and back again. The roughness of his skin against mine ignites a fire deep within me.

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