Page 54 of Ruthless Reign

“I think I like you the most like this,” he said. “Half awake and oh so pliant.”

I tutted through my teeth and ran my fingers over his face, stopping at his lips. “You like when I fight you.”

He sucked two of them into his mouth and bit my fingertips. “Only because you like it, wife.”

I didn’t know if it was the nickname, the finger-sucking, or the cock warming that set him off, but he soon grew hard again and took me once more before we fell back asleep. The nightmares did not return.

Later in the morning, we woke and showered together, joking and touching and teasing. When the water turned cold and our fingers had pruned, we dressed and joined my brother downstairs. He sat at the tiny dining room table with a mug of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

“Morning,” he drawled, one eyebrow raised as he looked between us.

“Good morning,” I said, leaning down so I could kiss him on the cheek. Up until last night, I would say I loved and trusted my brother more than anyone else on the planet. We had survived so much together, and trauma like that bonded people on an entirely unknowable level. “Is there coffee?”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded to the carafe. “How are you both feeling?”

“Okay,” I said, wincing as the wound on my leg twinged. But I’d had worse injuries, so I didn’t mind it so much.

“My shoulder aches,” Roman said, coming to stand next to me as I made our coffees. “But it’ll be okay.”

“Hmm,” Leo said with a nod. “That’s good.”

“How are you?” Roman asked. “Have you heard from Davila?”

Leo rubbed at the space between his brows and sighed. “He is still considering our terms.”

“Della texted me yesterday,” I said. “Gabriella is planning a big arms pickup from the Hell’s Knights. That could be why they were on Rose territory.” After last night, I didn’t know if they’d still have the numbers to back Gabriella. The Roses had taken a lot of them out. “Hannah is missing.”

“Missing?” Leo raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Della says she was terminated. No one’s seen her in weeks.” My stomach churned with anxiety for my missing friend. She’d been an informant for years, and to suddenly go missing usually meant terrible things. “Can you ask around about her?”

Leo nodded and grabbed my hand in solidarity after I sat next to him. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“In the meantime,” Roman said, “we can use the Hell’s Knights to track Gabriella. I’ve already got Switch and Castor looking for the rest of them.”

“Thank you,” Leo said, nodding at Roman, “for protecting Julia…for standing by your promise.”

“Hmm.” Roman returned the gesture. “I’m a man of my word. I said I’d keep her safe, and I meant it.” He lowered his body into the chair next to mine and sipped his coffee. “Where are we with the plans for the wedding?”

“I’ve secured the caterer and the invitations, and I’ve planted seeds with the family. They’ve heard about the big ceremony and Leo’s part in it.”

“Good,” Roman said. “That will draw her to us.”

“She will come out swinging,” Leo said. “She’ll bring the whole army.”

“I’m counting on it,” Roman said.

“It could be a bloodbath,” I murmured, glancing between the two most important people in my life.

Roman cleared his throat and shifted in his seat while Leo rubbed at his lips.

“It will be okay,mia sorella.”Leo’s gentle smile almost calmed my anxiety. “We’ll make sure you’re safe.”

That wasn’t what I was worried about. Here I was, giving my heart to the King of Roses, only to chance losing him the same way I’d once lost Hugo and Vittori. I couldn’t go through that again. Would I always be cursed because of my Caputi blood? Would they never let me be happy?

For someone in Roman’s position, he’d likely find an early grave or a life sentence in jail regardless of what horrible luck I brought to the marriage. I couldn’t lose another person so close to me, someone in whom I’d placed my whole heart and soul. I needed to be prepared for this to end in heartbreak all over again.

If I were smart, I wouldn’t have those rough nights with him anymore. I wouldn’t allow him to use me however he wished or indulge in early-morning fornication. But when it came to love, my silly, stupid heart ignored that type of logic.

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