Page 137 of Where the Wicked Reign

He walked to me and held out his hand. “I give you my word.”

We shook firmly and then he gave my hand a squeeze and told me, earnestly, “The other night meant a lot to me too. To all of us.”

“Okay, good.” I eased my hand away. “And to be clear, as my fake husband, or my boyfriend, you don’t get the right to order my friend to stay out of my vicinity.”

He ground his jaw. “Whatdidn’the tell you?”

“You said that?” Milo asked. “I thought you were going to keep things to business?”

Nico lifted a shoulder. “A slight slip. Nothing more.”

“Goddammit,” Milo muttered.

“You know he’s in love with Brianna Walker, yes?” I said. “As in, the love of his life? The woman he was kidnapped alongside? Their connection runs so incredibly deep.She’shis only obsession, the only one he sees where romantic sentiment is concerned. Believe me, there’s just friendship between him and me. We were together sexually one time years ago, and that was more solace and therapy than anything else. It was off the table afterward because we didn’t want to ruin our friendship after that… glitch in the matrix.”

“Glitch in the matrix,” Julian chuckled.

“If you need Levi’s help in the future, it all goes through me. In fact, I’ll take point. It will be beneficial to us all, anyway. Are we clear?”

He stared at me for several moments as he absorbed all that I’d said.

As he struggled with it, I realized what was missing from my assurances and me putting my foot down. I stepped up to him and linked my arms around his neck, making him frown in confusion at the intimate gesture given the dicey subject matter being discussed.

“You should also know that while she’s his obsession, and I know I’m yours,youare also mine now.”

He sucked in a breath. “Say that again.”

I smiled. “You, Julian, and Milo aremyobsession now.”

“We are?”

As he asked the question and looked so caught off guard by it too, it hit me just how much it had been one-sided for him all of this time, how much he’d been fighting for the connection he felt toward me to be reciprocated, how much he’d struggled to blast away my denial and reservations.

Sure, he’d gone about it in an obsessive, dangerous, and stalker-like way for a long time, a really fucked-up way. But he wasn’t alone in that. It was how all four of us were, the world we existed inandwho we were at heart—twisted, depraved, and most definitely unconventional. There was nothing normal about it at all. And I was more than fine with that now, fully able to admit that it was how I needed it.

It was just one of the reasons why the four of us fit together so well.

“Do you really think I just came here to lay into you? I could’ve done that over the phone, via video call, and got my point across and my voice heard just as effectively. I could have definitely waited until this bachelor party was done with if it was just about that.” I dropped one of my arms from around his neck and stroked his cheek instead, then traced his stubbly jawline. “But I didn’t just come here for that.Iwas being a little possessive too, maybe even a little jealous. About this fucking bachelor party, the strippers all over the three of you. Sitting at home on one of my rare nights off from work with terrible thoughts running through my mind about what awaits me in a few days with the wedding when I’m surrounded by my family didn’t really appeal to me either.Andbeyond that, most of all, I missed you all. Normally, going back to work and immersing myself in that for the last few days since we spent that night together at my place would have been fine with me. It would have held all my focus. But something has shifted for me. I’m missing the three of you now. I need to be around you more than just one night here and there, or a strategizing video call.”

I stepped back as he just stared at me intently. “I’m rambling, I guess, and I’m not exactly used to putting my true feelings out there, so—”

He had me gasping in surprise as he grasped my hips, jerked me into him, then crushed his lips to mine.

The kiss was hot and out of control, lips, tongue, and teeth clashing in a passionate fury that happily stole my breath and had me sinking into it within mere moments.

When he pulled back, we were both gasping.

Before I could fully catch my breath, Milo was there stroking my hair and gazing at me in wonder. “Goddammit,bellezza,that was one hell of a heartfelt confession.”

“Music to our ears,” Julian said, coming up behind me and sliding his hands down to my hips.

Nico cupped my face, his sapphire eyes burning into mine. “I’ve waited for you for a long fucking time, but this confession, it’s more than I ever could have imagined.”

Each of them moved in closer until they were enveloping me wholly with no space between us. The intensity was off the charts, the need building to an unbearable state.

“We can’t… not here… not now.”

Julian groaned in protest.

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