Page 111 of Tangled in Vows

“Can we go? I could use some fun.”

Her voice is almost as pleading as her gaze, and I feel my resolve crumble. I’m unsure I can say no to this woman, even if I wanted to. And she’s right. She does deserve some fun after all this shit happening lately. As long as we make her unrecognizable and use the side entrance, we shouldn’t run into any issues. Hopefully.

A spark enters her eyes that I miss seeing more of. “I promise I’ll be good.”

My dick stirs at her words. Fucking hell.

Either she has no idea what she just did to me, or she’s pretending she doesn’t.

I raise my eyebrows. “Only if you listen to everything I say. We need rules to ensure we’re safe.”

She leans in and presses her lips to mine in a quick kiss. “You got it, thank you. I’m excited.”

Archer chuckles while Olivia gathers items from the table.

I hold my hand up. “Leave it. I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure? I want to help.”

“Yeah, we’ve got it.”

She smiles and pushes her chair back. “Well, thank you. I will take Stormy out back for a walk, and then I’ll lock myself in the studio for the next few hours.”

I get up and pull her into my arms. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

I push my fingers into her hair and brush it back, memorizing every inch of her beautiful face—every tiny freckle across the bridge of her nose, every small birthmark, every scar or line—before I lean in to capture her perfect, full lips. I get lost in the leftover taste of the strawberry jam she ate and the softness of everythingher. Somehow, my hands find their way down her curves, diminishing any distance between us so I can feel her flush against me. Olivia’s arms snake around my neck,her nails digging into my scalp. She appears to lose herself just as much as I am.

A loudclankpulls me out of the bubble, and I glare at Archer as he picks up the knife he must have dropped. He mouths, “Oops,” and I flip him off behind Olivia’s back.

Olivia avoids Archer’s gaze, her cheeks a dark pink. “Well, I’ll see you guys later. Come on, Stormy. Let’s go outside.”

Stormy is happy to comply, and the two of them practically race toward the patio doors.

Archer adjusts his pants, shrugging when I raise my brow. “Don’t give me that look. You’re the ones who keep making out in front of me. Not my fault.”

His shrill ringtone sounds, and my retort dies on my tongue.

Archer frowns at the screen before he swipes it and lifts it to his ear. “You got something?”

I grab the dishes from the table and pile them together, taking several trips to the kitchen to put all the food away. Archer dished up an entire feast for us. While my hands are busy, my ears tune in to Archer’s side of the conversation. Sadly, it’s primarily hums and expletives, not giving me much to go on. Is this about some other job for our security company, or does this have something to do with Olivia? My frustration grows the longer I listen until Archer laughs.

“What did the dishwasher ever do to you?”

I didn’t realize he’d ended his call. “Huh?”

He points in my direction. “You just banged the plates into the dishwasher like they offended you personally.”

I grunt and ignore his comment. “Any news?”

He dips his head in a single nod. “Actually, yes.”

“And?”

He leans against the kitchen island and crosses his tattooed arms over his chest. “Do you remember Zeno?”

“The Italian guy from fighting?”