Page List

Font Size:

Too late.

She’s already halfway out of the room, barefoot and laughing, wearing nothing but my shirt—and not a damn thing under it. I groan and scrub a hand over my face. “She’s going to make me kill someone today.”

I grab the nearest jacket and sweatpants, throwing them over my shoulder as I hurry out after her.

Just as I’m rounding the hallway, Zalar steps into view like he’s been waiting. He takes one look at me and nods. “Kaz and Lukin are in your study. They want to see you.”

Of course, they are.

Of course, they do.

“Tell them I’m on my way,” I mutter, already brushing past him.

I need to find Jennie before someone else gets an eyeful and I end up murdering one of my own men. I find her in the kitchen, barefoot and radiant, chatting with the cook like she hasno care in the world. The cook sees me first—her eyes go wide and she bows slightly. I ignore her completely, my focus locked on the chaos that is Jennie.

She turns, grinning like sunshine, and before I can say a word, she bounces up and kisses me on the lips. Quick. Sweet. Dangerous.

I grab her waist, pull her flush against me, and land a light smack on her ass. She yelps, laughing, and swats my chest.

“Adrian!”

“You’re going to kill me,” I murmur against her mouth, handing her the sweatpants. “Put these on before I murder one of my staff.”

She pouts but steps into them anyway, cinching the drawstring while I help her into my jacket.

“This is too big,” she complains, tugging at the sleeves.

“It’s mine,” I say, adjusting the collar. “You’ll live.”

She crosses her arms but doesn’t argue. I kiss her forehead.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Stay here, eat something, and behave.”

“Define behave,” she teases.

I shake my head, biting back a smile. “Jennie….”

“Fine, fine,” she sings, stealing one more kiss before I finally pull myself away.

I turn on my heel and head for the study—where Kaz and Lukin are waiting to probably ruin whatever peace I’ve managed to steal today. Hopefully not.

I walk into the study to find them already deep in conversation, voices low, faces serious—until they see me.

Kaz rolls his eyes dramatically. “Oh, look who finally decided to show up. Thank you so much for leaving all the work to us yesterday. We really appreciated the extra fifteen-hour shift.”

I shut the door behind me. “Shut up, Kaz. You’ll understand when you finally get a woman.”

Kaz scoffs, leaning back in his chair. “I’m never getting one of those. Too much trouble. Too many feelings. You’ve gone soft, man.”

“I’ve gone sane,” I correct, heading to the liquor cabinet to pour myself a glass of water. “You’d lose your damn mind if you ever fell in love.”

Kaz narrows his eyes. “You’ve already lost your mind. You should step down and let someone else lead.”

I shoot him a look. “Say that again, and you’ll be taking your meetings from a hospital bed.”

Kaz smirks. “Fucker, I’m not one of your henchmen, I’ll fuck you up so bad, Jennie will scream when she sets eyes on you.”

Lukin raises his hands like a referee breaking up a fight. “Boys. Boys. Please. I don’t have all the time in the world. I have a son to go home to. He’s expecting a trip to the park today, not a father buried in Bratva drama.”