Page 83 of Sinful Kingdom

“So it’s over?” Alex confirms.

“It is. Reid’s already booked his plane ticket home. Pussy is missing his family,” Seb scoffs.

“Dude, you have three hours away from Stella and you start pining; you’re hardly one to speak,” Theo points out.

“Yeah, well, her pussy is just that good.”

“Maybe Reid’s girl’s is, too.”

“You seen a photo of her?” Nico asks. “She’s banging. Ow, fuck,” he complains when Bri punches him in the stomach. “Not as banging as you, obviously,” he backtracks.

“It’s all downhill from the day you say ‘I do’, isn’t that right?” Toby asks, tugging Jodie into his side as he baits his best friend.

“I dunno, it’s been pretty fucking epic this far. Current situation aside, of course.”

“Sorry for getting in the way of all the marital fucking,” Seb scoffs as he climbs from the bed. “Feel free to fuck off and make better use of your time.”

“Do they ever stop?” I whisper to Alex while everyone continues to bicker around us.

“Never,” Alex and Calli say simultaneously. “Just be glad you don’t have to listen to your older sibling talk about sex twenty-four seven,” Calli adds.

“Don’t worry, I’d heard enough,” I confess, thinking about some of the wilder stories my sister has returned home with over the years.

“Oh, I bet she’s got some crazy tales to tell,” Jodie says, also ignoring the guys’ banter.

“Yep. Although most I think she’s tried to forget. There have been so many less-than-desirable clients over the years.”

“She’s just a dancer though, right?” Calli asks innocently, making Daemon’s interest spike a little.

“Um… officially, yeah but it’s not always all she does.” Calli’s eyes widen. “Blakely’s amazing. She’s been the mum both Zay and I needed after we lost ours. She’s done what was necessary to keep a roof over our heads. She’s not always been proud of what she’s had to do to ensure we’re fed and clothed, but it is what it is. I’m proud of her, no matter what. I can’t imagine what would have happened to us if she didn’t step up.”

“She’s pretty awesome,” Calli admits. “I’d love to have her as an older sister instead of that pig.” He points at Nico, who hears her and narrows his eyes.

“I heard that.”

“You were meant to.”

The banter continues around us, the sound of Alex’s friends’—our friends’—voices and laughter filling the room. It’s incredible. To know that we’re surrounded by such a fierce group of people who would literally kill for each other is mind-blowing.

I’m honoured to have been welcomed into the group without question. I’ll be forever grateful.

I’ve no idea how much time passes as I sit with Alex, just enjoying everyone’s company, but eventually, he begins to slip lower in the bed, his lids getting heavy, no doubt helped along with the painkillers Daemon insisted he took after he finished stuffing his face with pastry, as per his mother’s orders.

“We should head out. Someone looks like they need a nap,” Stella points out as Alex begins dozing with his head resting on my shoulder.

The volume around the room decreases as they all notice him sleeping before they slip out, leaving only Ant behind. He stands at the end of the bed with a deep frown lining his brow and dark rings around his eyes.

“You okay?” I whisper.

He shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck.

“What I let you do, Evie… It was foolish and reckless and—”

“It worked, didn’t it?” I interrupt.

His eyes dart to Alex. “Yeah, it did. But if it didn’t…”

“Do you usually worry about the what-ifs of jobs you do?” I ask, assuming none of the men—and women—I’ve just been surrounded by second-guess many things in life. They’re all so confident and sure of their actions.

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