Page 59 of Vow of Vengeance
Violet only laughs, unbothered by the insinuation that she would do anything. "I'll be on my best behavior." She winks at him, and I wonder if I should feel as slippery as I do right now.
"Well, I won't make you promise that." Wes shrugs at me. "You can do whatever you want tomywife."
"Wes," Violet chides, though there’s a lilt of humor to her voice. "Leave the poor girl alone."
Wes only chuckles, turning his gaze back to me. "It's all in good fun. But if you don't want her to try and seduce you, I suggest you keep her mouth busy... eating, talking…” The pause is full of the innuendo he doesn’t say. “Whatever works."
Oh my god.
I don't know what is even happening, but his implications are making me insanely warm. And I don't hate it.
"I'll make this as fast as possible." Declan promises. "Just stay in. Don't go anywhere, okay?"
I don't know where I'd go even if I did have plans of leaving, but I definitely don't. I'm going to stay right here and try to ignore the fire that Declan built with his kisses and Wes stoked with his words.
And when Declan gets back, I'll have him fuck every filthy thought out of my head.
twenty-six
Declan
We’resilentasweleave the building, not wanting any of our conversation to be overheard. Wes waves off the valet who straightens in surprise when he sees me and leads me toward his car.
“Drop your phone.” He instructs, slipping his into a planter near the row of guest parking. I eye him warily but slip mine into the soil all the same. A quick glance around shows us no one’s around to have noticed.
"I wasn't expecting you to show up at my house." I tell Wes as I sink into the passenger side of his car.
Speaking of expectations, this car isn't what I'd think a man like Wes would have. It's a black crossover, the most stereotypical car in the suburbs. Has having a wife domesticated him so much that he drives a soccer van?
"Well, I'm not going to let you commit murder alone." He shrugs, leaning forward to flick the radio on. I notice the list of names to choose from on the Bluetooth menu, and suddenly the car makes sense. It's a rental. "Although, having met your wifeto be, I can assure you, if you do end up in prison for this, Violet and I would be very happy to take care of her."
“Fuck off.” I grunt, because I knowexactlywhat he's offering. And it may be a genuine offer, in part. But the thought of anyone other than me touching Soren? The thought of her getting pleasure from anything that's not me? It's inconceivable. And imagining her wrapped up in his sinister dealings? That's the worst part of it all.
"So, you don't share anymore, huh?" He chuckles. "You make a little bit of money and suddenly you're too good to share with one of your oldest friends."
"I still hate you, in case you've forgotten." I shrug. "Even if I was willing to share a woman, it wouldn't be with you."
"Yeah, yeah," Wes waves his hand flippantly. "You're mad I set you up, you'll never forgive me for making you a millionaire." He rolls his eyes. "Where are we going by the way?"
I don’t trust the car’s GPS, so we have to rely on my memory to guide us.
"Take a left on Cadence and then go straight for fifteen miles."
Wes drives in relative silence for all of two minutes before turning to me. "How is your mom, by the way? Still in remission?"
I swallow, but it feels like choking on glass.
"Never made it to remission to begin with." I laugh, not because it's funny, but because Wes knew how hopeful I was that she'd make a recovery. Of course, that was before I realized the extent of how bad it was. "She kept it from me too long. By the time I had the money, it was too late. All the money in the world couldn't have helped at that point."
I was in denial, of course. I exhausted a lot of resources trying to fight what everyone was telling us, that it was time to lay down the battle axe and enjoy what we had left.
"Fuck." Wes mutters, shaking his head sadly. "I'm sorry, man."
"Mm." I grunt, not ready to accept that surrender. "What about you? You're married, so I'm guessing life is grand, just like you always knew it would be."
Wes laughs harshly, his tongue flicking out over his lips. "It's different than I thought it would be, that's for sure."
"Your wife... she knows what you do for a living?"
