Page 133 of Devil Mine

“Apologize.”

“I’m s-sorry, miss,” he answers, voice shaking. I’d bet a hundred grand he’s pissing himself right now.

“Misses,” Tess corrects easily, holding up her left hand in his direction. My approving growl echoes territorially between us, my other hand tightening bruisingly on her thigh.

He turns ghostly pale as he takes in her diamond ring and wedding band.

“Roll your window back up.”

“Yes, sir,” he squeaks.

He rolls it closed then blows through the red light, just nearly avoiding colliding with oncoming traffic.

A pity.

The car behind him slowly advances into the vacant spot, the driver keeping his wide eyes dutifully on the road.

“That was reckless,” Tess admonishes me softly.

She’s not wrong.

But it’s not like Iwantto be threatening, maiming, or killing every fucker we come into contact with. It’s Tess who makes them lose their minds, their entire sense of self-preservation.

If I didn’t have such a beautiful wife, the life expectancy of London’s male population would be much higher, the mortality rate significantly lower.

I remember months ago when I was worried about my growing obsession, about her becoming a vulnerability of mine. I tried to stop it, tried to guard against the tentacles of those feelings encroaching around my heart. Now I’m rashly killing important leads, chopping off limbs in public spaces, and whipping out my gun on an open road.

In retrospect, trying to stop myself from caring about Tess was like asking the Earth to stop rotating around the Sun.

Simply impossible.

She’s my biggest weakness. My Achilles’ heel. The easiest, most obvious, and certainly the most lethal way somebody could hurt me.

???

Chapter Fifty-One

Tess

Excess is the living embodiment of its name. Opulence rolls from it in waves, from the vintage chandeliers on the ceiling, to the velvet walls, to the talented, half-naked dancers occupying the various podiums around the club. The ceiling is raised at least thirty feet with lavish candelabras hanging from it. The dance floor is completely packed as music blares from bass boosted speakers.

Thiago pulls me through the throng of people towards stairs that’ll take us up into the VIP area. His arm is outstretched behind him and he holds my hand firmly in his as he shoulders through the mass. I hold on for dear life, afraid of being separated in this crush. When we’ve only made it a third of the way through the crowd, he abruptly stops and turns around.

“What is it?” I ask.

His hands find my waist and he pulls me against him. “This isn’t going to work. I don’t like you being behind me. I need eyes on you.”

He folds me into his side and one arm comes vigilantly over my shoulder. Then he starts pushing through the crowd once more, using his free hand to move people out of the way.

Nestled as I am in his chest, I can feel his heart beating against my shoulder, the rhythmic thudding comforting. I sneak a thoughtful glance up at his face, at the determined look in his eye, the decisive set of his jaw.

I let my hatred of Thiego’s background and his work completely blind me to him for so long. In reality, he’s been my protector. He defends me with a fierceness that knows no bounds, like when he pulled out a gun earlier. He saves me every day, in countless ways, big and small. He always has, since we first met. He might be completely unhinged but not with me. Never with me, except in the ways I want him to be. That’s been the biggest surprise of our entire marriage.

I’m bursting at the seams to tell him how I feel, but I can’t. Not without knowing where he stands.

As we break through the other side of the crowd, Thiago feels the heat of my stare on him and looks down. “Is something wrong?” he asks, his hand on my low back as we go up the stairs.

When we get to the landing, I turn and palm his side. “No,” I say, looking up at him from beneath my lashes. “I just wanted you to know… I misjudged you when we first met. You’re not what I expected, what I thought you were.” I grin. “Well, no, youare, but you’re not that way with me. You always protect me and I… I’ve never had that before.”

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