Page 146 of Dukes of Peril

He’s wearing a loose pair of sweats but is still shirtless, legs spread casually as Remy brings the tattoo gun back to his upper arm.

“Morning, Little Bird,” Nick says, suddenly turning off the phone. “We’ve really got to make some kind of scale between good and bad screaming. You should have seen me and Rem last night. We didn't know whether to bust the door down or give Sy a standing ovation.”

Sy’s eyes rise to mine, his lips twitching upward at the look on my face. “They really did the standing ovation. Obnoxious shits.”

I bury my hot face into Nick’s chest, stretching my legs. “Please tell me you’re not getting my vagina tattooed on your arm.”

Sy scoffs. “Who am I, Nick?”

“Oh no.” Groaning, I peek up at Nick’s face. “No, Nick. You’re not getting my vag tattooed on you.”

He rolls his eyes, casually flipping the sheets down to expose my breasts. “You’re not the boss of me. Sy is.”

Lazily, Sy commands, “You’re not getting our Queen’s pussy tattooed on you.”

In response, Nick lifts his middle finger.

“Can we not talk about my vagina?” I ask, struggling not to feel caught off guard by the title.Queen. It’s not like I wasn’t already preparing to be Nick’s, but now that it’s real, butterflies erupt in my gut. “What are you tattooing?” I ask, yanking the sheets back from Nick.

Remy’s the one to say, “Victory ink.”

Rubbing my eyes, I squint over the distance, seeing a smudged outline of a large, intricate bear. “Oh.”

Sy winces. “Sorry if it woke you up.”

“He wouldn’t leave,” Nick explains, fingertips dancing down my spine. “Boy gets him some unsupervised pussy and now he’s hooked. You thought I was bad? You’re about to find out which gene pool that comes from.”

After last night, the idea of Sy hounding me doesn’t seem so bad.

Nick slouches lower on the bed, nestling his nose into the crook of my neck as he works the sheets back into his grip. “Let me see,” he rumbles.

Eyes rolling, I relent, letting him pull the sheet back to expose my naked and well-fucked body. Figuring he just wants to play with my tits, I jolt in surprise when he throws the sheet off, wedging a hand between my legs. “Nick,” I say, trying to make my voice stern.

Even though my thighs part for him.

The tattoo on his temple pulls inward when he narrows his eyes. “Just checking.” His fingers are rough but gentle as they explore my center, his blue eyes holding mine as he explores. “Sore?” he asks, feeling at my entrance.

I hiss when he slides a finger in, but answer, “Only a little.”

His eyelids get progressively heavier, pupils blowing wider as he feels the slickness his brother left in me.

Then, his phone chimes with a text.

Nick freezes, jaw tightening, before pulling away with a frustrated growl. “Great, now I’m a King’s goddamn secretary,” he complains, jerking his phone up. I use his distraction to roll aside, fishing my panties and top from the floor. “Killian says we need a place to hold a meeting with the Kings. Your choice,” Nick says, holding up the phone. I’m already impressed at how easily Nick has taken to Sy’s leadership, but maybe I shouldn’t be. It’s the natural order of things, in more ways than one. Nick is used to working for Kings, and Sy, as the older sibling, has always been the one to hold these guys together. Now it’s just official. Watching me get dressed with a surly expression, he asks Sy, “Any thoughts?”

“They’re going to expect to come here,” Sy says, nose twitching as Remy goes over one spot several times to make the shade a little darker. “But as much as I love the tower, the room downstairs is a party pad, and up here…”

Remy stops his work. “It’s private space. Ours.”

Nick wraps a lock of my hair around his forefinger, eyes darkening. “The tower is a no-go, regardless. There are only two ways out: the conspicuously blockable stairway, or a very exciting fall from the belfry.” When I shiver at the thought, he gathers me close, tucking me back into his side. “There’s a reason no one’s allowed up here. This place is perfect for an ambush.”

“Good point.” Sy looks down at the ink, inspecting Remy’s work. From what I can tell, it’ll take a few more hours to fill it in completely, but the bear is already gorgeous. Majestic. Regal. Painfully sexy. Sy looks thoughtfully at his brother. “Hey, how about the gym? The Kings have all been there at some point.”

Nick nods, rubbing his hand over my thigh. “Sure, it’s defensible DKS turf, and you’re the champion of the house.”

“Total BDE,” Remy adds, while Sy rolls his eyes.

“BDE?” I ask.

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