Page 48 of Wilde and Deadly

She hated it.

“I washed all the clothes in your backpack. They’re in the dryer upstairs. Go clean up,” he said, his voice cooler now, more practical. “Then we’re going to have a very long talk about all of this.”

Rowan nodded, knowing there was no avoiding it. She’d confessed her darkest secret. She’d told him she loved him, but that didn’t erase the lies. The months of deception. The ways she’d broken his trust.

She had to earn that back.

Brick by fucking brick.

Davey turned and grabbed his phone from the coffee table before heading for the stairs. He paused at the bottom step, his back to her. “And, Ro?”

She lifted her head, heart slamming into her ribs. “What?”

Slowly, he turned. His blue eyes locked onto hers. Unreadable. Intense.

A beat.

Two.

“The answer’s yes.”

Rowan stopped breathing. “What?”

His lips curved—not a smirk, not quite a smile. Something softer. Something only meant for her.

“Yes,” he said quietly, like it wasn’t even a question. “I still love you.”

Her breath rushed out of her in an explosive exhale, and tears blurred her vision. She blinked hard to hold them back. She would not cry in front of him, dammit.

“Even if I’m pissed as hell right now, that hasn’t changed.” He shook his head and let out a low, self-deprecating laugh. “I don’t know what it says about me, but I’m starting to think there’s nothing you could do, nothing you could confess, that would change how I feel.”

Then, before she could even think of a response, he was gone—disappearing up the stairs and leaving her standing there, chest tight, hands shaking, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do with that.

twelve

His brothers arrivedwithin minutes of his call, which meant neither had left for work yet.

Elliot strode in first, his polished dress shoes clicking against the hardwood floor, and Luka trotted over to meet him, tail wagging as if this were a casual family visit instead of a crisis. Elliot took a moment to give the dog the attention he deserved before straightening and pushing his sliding glasses up his nose.

“What’s going on? You sounded tense on the phone.” His gaze flicked to Rowan as she descended the stairs dressed in a tight black crop top and black tactical pants, her hair hanging loose and damp over her shoulders.

His brow furrowed. “You found her.”

“More like she found me.”

Dominic burst through the door behind Elliot. Despite it being nearly eleven a.m., he was still dressed in flannel pajama pants and a New York Rangers T-shirt, his hair sleep-tousled. His boyish grin faded as he sensed the tension in the room.

“Shit, is this a family meeting or a standoff? Because it’s feeling like a standoff, and I haven’t had coffee yet.” He yawned and shouldered by Elliot, headed toward the espresso machine in the kitchen.

Luka followed, nudging his leg for attention or, more likely, treats. Dom was always feeding Luka table scraps behind Davey’s back. He patted the dog’s head once and yawned again. “Hey, buddy. Not now. Uncle Dom needs caffeine before pets.”

“Whose bed did you wake up in today?” Elliot asked dryly.

“My own, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, who with?”

“I never kiss and tell.” He grinned over his shoulder at Davey and Rowan. “But it smells like sex in here, so I can guess who big bro woke up with.”

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