Page 36 of Revenge of a Queen

“Revenge on a Sunday, princess?” Jace asks, his tone still too far from his playful self.

“Not today, pretty boy. Today, we have some fun. Family style,” I say in return.

This weekend feels like it has lasted a lifetime already, and after the dark and serious morning we have all had, I decide the best thing for all of us is a little R and R.

I lead them all back into the main part of the house and with perfect timing, Helen returns with Cassie. I ask if she wants a pool party. She screams so loud I think the whole of Hallows might have heard her, before she dragged me away to her room, so she could get dressed.

We return to the pool in matching swimsuits. She is wearing a lilac one piece that has tassels across the chest that match with my bikini in the same color. The tassels on mine come across my breasts and around my back with a couple on the side of my bottoms. We look cute as fuck, if I do say so myself. Perfect for an afternoon of family fun.

I find Asher is the only one waiting for us and when I take in his still fully dressed form and the frown on his face, I know he isn’t staying.

“Daddy, no swim?” Cassie asks him and I see the pain in his eyes at having to be away from her.

He picks her up and cuddles her close, breathing her in before speaking to her, “Not today, angel. I have some work to do,” he locks eyes with me on the word work and I feel rage at the thought of whatever shit Elliot has him doing.

“Okay, Daddy. Love you,” she says, and he smiles.

“Always?” he asks and then it’s my turn to smile.

“Always,” she responds happily before she runs to climb into the small kiddie pool, we have next to the main one.

We watch her go and then I turn back to him, “Sure you can’t stay?”

He takes a deep breath before looking at me, “Elliot is getting suspicious, keeps asking where I am going. I don’t want to draw any attention to myself.”

I am nodding before he has even finished because this is what it comes down to. Protecting our little girl, no matter what the cost. We both know that won’t be complete until both his father and brother are buried six feet fucking under.

I give him a hug, “Watch your back and call me if you need to,” I say to him.

“You too, baby girl,” he says, dropping a kiss on my cheek before he turns and leaves.

I hate to see him go, even more than I usually do. But I’m not stupid, I know the front he must keep up, the risks he takes every time he comes to see us.

The rest of the guys are nowhere to be seen, but I know they would have told me if they were leaving, so I don’t wait around before I grab Cass and get into the main pool. We play and splash around for a while in the shallow end before we start practicing her swimming.

Marcus finds us first, he is still fully clothed, but I notice he has shaved and changed. I mildly wonder how. He slumps down into one of the loungers by the pool and locks his gaze with mine. My questioning stare must be obvious because he answers my unspoken question “I had a bag in the trunk of my car. I wasn't sure if I was leaving town or not,” he says simply with a shrug like it's nothing. Like it would have been okay for him to have just left again.

“River,” I start, but I don’t know what to say. Would he really have left again? Would I have let him? Would it be better if he went? The truth is out there and still, I don’t know what to do. Who said being young is the best time of your life?

I turn my attention back to Cassie and continue to hold her while she practices her paddle, but all the while I can’t help but think, what I would do if I lost him again. Would I survive it twice?

Chapter 22

MARCUS

Desire. It’s a funny thing, isn’t it? How it can consume you, taking over your whole body until it’s the only thing you can feel. No matter what emotion I feel, when it comes to Ells, I always feel in excess. Too much, too long, too fucking hard. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is I fucking feel it.

Love. Hate. Rage. Passion. Friendship. Desire.

I have seen Elle King in a bikini at pretty much every stage of her life. From vacations when we were kids, to going to the swimming hole in middle school. I never really thought much about it, not even when we were fourteen and I was practically a fucking walking hard on. I mean of course I was hard; I was a young hormonal teen seeing a girl’s body for the first time.

Now? Well, clearly, I am still a hormonal teenage boy because I can’t even see her body, and I am hard as fuck watching as she floats around the pool with Cassie. In a pool where she is in a bikini and wet. Apparently even the fact she is playing with her child isn’t enough to deter my cock right now.

No, all I am thinking about is how the bikini must be clinging to her body as the water laps around her. How it would feel if I slid into the pool with her and swam to her until I could back her against the side of the pool and wrap her silky wet legs around my body. Drag my tongue across every droplet of water until she was wet only from my mouth.

I swipe my hands across my face like that will help erase the images I am conjuring up in my head. Jesus fucking Christ, I am as hard as fucking steel. I should not be lusting over her, not when she is just being a mom. Especially not after what she just told me, but I can’t help it. The image of her riding my hand on Friday night and the taste of her when I sucked my fingers into my mouth are at the forefront of my mind right now.

Jace finally comes back, dressed ready to swim. He and Lincoln went back home to grab some stuff so they could enjoy a swim with the girls. I could have done the same, but honestly there is too much pent-up energy running through me right now to be able to concentrate on anything. Even something as simple as swimming. He runs in from the direction we came earlier and cannon balls directly into the middle of the pool making the girls laugh. When he pops back up, he swims right over to them.

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