Page 44 of Devious Kingpin
Priest followed my gaze toward the girls. “So you plan on having your wedding night once you get back to the hotel room or back in Chicago?”
I didn’t answer him.
The chemistry was there, there was no denying it, but my wife wouldn’t make it easy for me and give in to it. I didn’t know how I knew it but I’d stake my life on it. That look after our kiss haunted me, and each time I thought about our wedding night, that image flashed in my mind.
My hands curled into fists and frustration bubbled inside me.
“You think she’ll fight you?” Basilio asked, his eyes x-raying me and probably cataloging all my thoughts. I shrugged. His eyes took in my balled fists, then returned to my face. “You insisted on having her.”
Priest snickered. “Got us all in on his scheme. If Dad finds out, there’ll be hell to pay.”
I glared at him. “Shut up,” I muttered. “Don’t ever mention it again.”
Priest didn’t even miss a beat. “Emory’s already regretting her role in it all.”
All our eyes flicked to her. She stood in the far corner talking to the Nikolaev psycho, of all people.
“She shouldn’t be talking to that devil,” I hissed. I didn’t trust Sasha as far as I could throw him.
Just as those words left my mouth, Royce and Byron Ashford joined them, almost as if they thought the same thing. Royce had a beer in his hand, rolling his eyes at whatever Sasha was saying, while Byron kept his face a blank mask.
“It seems the Ashfords agree,” Priest remarked. “I’m surprised they showed.”
“Well, Kingston and Winston didn’t come,” Basilio said. “We’ll probably never see Kingston, and Winston… well, who in the fuck knows what he’s doing? Probably making some poor woman miserable.”
Priest chuckled. “Kind of like our Dante here.”
I shot him a glare, my first instinct was to punch him. I counted slowly in my mind, and by the time I got to four, a voice came from my left. Right between Priest and I.
“Juliette’s ready to cut the cake,” Ivy uttered, her eyes focused on me and Basilio. It was way too obvious she was trying not to look my brother’s way. If I weren’t feeling so frustrated, I’d fuck with him, but be that as it may, I didn’t have it in me. “Are you ready?”
I noticed Priest’s body angled toward Ivy, crowding her. She took a small step away and he took one in. Almost as if he were protecting her, his eyes shooting around the room, looking for possible threats.
Interesting.
I’d hate to burst his bubble, but I didn’t think Ivy was the type of woman with a rough-sex kink. She seemed more of a romantic type and my brother didn’t do romance.
“Well, are you ready or what?” she said, her voice too soft, too meek. The girl should grow some balls if she had plans to handle my brother. Otherwise, he’d smother her.
“I was born ready,” I answered confidently. Ivy must have found it unoriginal, because she rolled her eyes right along with my brother and cousin.
“Yeah, you and Juliette,” she muttered. “We see how that worked out for both of you.”
My cousin snickered, and rather than punching him, I stepped hard on his foot. “Cake time it is.”
His hiss and curses sounded behind me, and I couldn’t help but feel slightly better. At least there wouldn’t be a fight at my wedding.
CHAPTER20
Juliette
Dante had a strange look on his face every time he glanced my way.
I started to fear that he could read my thoughts, or even worse, what I was about to do. It made me nervous, but I pretended to be unaffected.
Dante took my hand and held it firmly as we rode the elevator up to the hotel suite. When we’d stepped in, a group of rowdy teenagers piled in and I pressed my back against the wall, leaving space between us.
They kept laughing, throwing glances my way, leering at me.
