Page 47 of Graves & Griggs
I smirk. “Every way.”
He tries to hold on to his pinched, less-than-enthusiastic expression, but he can’t do it, and a smile slowly slips across his face that sends my heart racing. He leans forward, resting a hand on my hip before pulling me closer. Surprise ripples through me. Typically, he’s careful about when and where he shows me affection. It’s rarely in front of others and usually only when we’re naked. When his lips touch mine, though, it’s anything but sexual. It’s passionate, warm… perfect.
When he pulls away, he rests his forehead to mine. “Come home safe, yeah?”
I smile at that and nod. “Of course.”
“I’ll miss you,” Skyla says from behind us.
We pull apart, both smiling down at her as she looks between us. A mischievous smile plays at her lips, like she somehow orchestrated this whole… thing between Ronan and me. Or at least she likes to think so and will be claiming credit. I don’t care who takes credit for what; I’m just so deliriously happy, and I want it to stay that way.
“I’ll miss you, little one. We’ll be in and out. I’ll see you by lunch tomorrow.”
She nods, wrapping her arms around my neck. I try to pull her closer to me, but her growing belly is beginning to make that a little difficult. Ronan pushes me away from her slightly until I’m no longer pressed against her belly.
Rolling my eyes, I look to him and laugh. “Easy, papa bear. I’m not hurting your baby or woman.”
“Our woman and baby, and yes you fucking were.”
Skyla sighs at our bickering, lifting onto her tiptoes to place a kiss on my lips before taking Ronan’s hand.
“Come on—you’ve been assigned back-rubbing duty,” she says.
He follows after dutifully, both of them casting me last-minute smiles. I smile back, lifting my hand to wave when Dominic pauses beside me, clapping his hand on my shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
When we land in London, a car is already waiting for us. To the driver’s credit, he didn’t look in the back once. Not when Dominic was assembling the guns he took apart for the flight. Not when Zayden was actively sharpening knife after knife. Not even whenVincent started pulling out every weapon fathomable from his bag, handing me a couple before strapping the rest to his body.
We’re suiting up like we’re going to battle. Granted, I’ve never been on a hit before, but I’ve been on plenty of missions, and this sure as shit feels like a mission. I guess technically it is.
“Do we have his itinerary?” I ask the car.
“No,” Dominic says, loading a bullet into the chamber before beginning on the next gun. “Make yourself useful,” he says, handing me half a dozen empty clips and a large box of bullets.
I begin loading each as Vincent speaks.
“We have a hotel reservation; that’s all we need.”
Dominic moves Zayden’s bag, and it jingles. We all look to him with confusion as he grins. A mischievous childlike grin, something that Jackson or Brooks would wear when sneaking into something they ought not to.
“What the fuck is jingling, Zay?” Dominic asks, his tone oozing exhaustion with his twin.
“A little of this, a little of that.”
When no one says anything, he tosses his hands out by his sides and snickers. “It’s Christmastime! I’m being festive.”
“Jesus,” Vincent mutters under his breath and shakes his head.
I don’t know him well enough to give him shit for anything. Besides, he seems a little too mentally unstable to be making any type of comments. He seems the type to laugh and joke one moment and slit your throat in the next breath. No, thanks. I’ll just stay quiet and load clips.
Dominic screws on silencers to the guns before handing one to each of us.
We arrive at a nice hotel then and all exit the car, Vincent tossing the driver a wad of bills so fat, he won’t even think of mentioning us to anyone. Or at least that’s the idea.
We walk into the lobby and are immediately greeted by staff.Dominic takes charge, throwing down a card onto the desk as he speaks.
“Grand suite, eastern-facing terrace.”
