Page 138 of Rogue Villain

He chuckles at my impatience, a dimpled smile growing on his handsome face. “I’ll grab it if you want to freshen up.”

I’m out the door before he’s finished speaking, almost sprinting down the hall as his laughter chases me all the way to the closed door of our old bedroom.

As my hand twists the knob, I glance down at my sauce-spattered top, having a lightbulb moment when I remember I’d left some naughty negligee in the closet of the guest bedroom.

Dropping my hand, I cross the hall and quickly rush to the dresser, my feet grinding to a halt when I spot the absolutely gigantic shiny black butt plug sitting atop it.

My jaw unhinges as I distantly register noise behind me.

“Please don’t tell methatis my surprise.” Slowly, I twist about to find Vaughn standing in the doorway. “Because it’s going nowherenearmy ass.”

His eyes move past me, and his face scrunches up comically as he scratches his temple. “I guess that’s confirmation that Jules and Kendra are getting serious.”

Then he extends his hand, and I walk closer to take it, grateful to be leaving King Kong behind on the dresser. He chuckles as he closes the guest bedroom door. “Jules stays here some nights. He’s the only person with access besides Jo, and we both know he’s celibate, hoping your mother will eventually give in to his persistence—”

“She’s being an idiot.”

Vaughn shrugs. “She’s being cautious, and who could blame her?”

We stop outside of our room door, my sigh filling the space. “I guess.”

Then I glance back at the guest room, my lip curling up. “And tell Jules thatKongover there needs to exit the building.” I shiver exaggeratedly, and Vaughn grins. “Poor Kendra. I got weak at the knees at the mere sight of that thing, andnotin a good way.”

Vaughn’s deep chuckle stokes my own humor, and my lips twitch despite myself as I open the door, only for my heart to falter beneath my breastbone at what greets me.

Fairy lights twinkle, illuminating the room, highlighting the white and lilac rose petals that are strewn across the floor and the black satin sheets on the bed.

I dimly register “What Have I Done” by Dermot Kennedy playing softly as I step over the threshold, taking a beat to note the framed images that line one wall like a collage.

Every photo is of us.

Vaughn palming my swollen belly before I’d been brought for my c-section.

My first time holding Alessia, with Vaughn smiling over us both.

This past summer, on our family trip to Italy, when we were swimming in the turquoise waters of Lake Garda at Malcesine.

And last Halloween, when we’d been laughing uproariously at my Smurfette costume.

My lips are curved upward as I tap it. “This is one of my favorite memories.”

Then I turn to see Vaughn’s reaction to find him down on one knee, an unopened small navy box on his upturned palm.

He swallows harshly before blowing out a breath. His midnight eyes alone hold me up on legs suddenly made of jelly.

“I never wanted much in this life. My driving force was to extinguish all memory of my father. To makemymark.Mylegacy. Of beingbetterthan he was. And I thought it was enough…”

He trails off, shaking his head with a small smile. “Itwasenough. Until you came in here and blew my world to pieces when you set my motherfucking soul on fire. When you kick-started my heart back into existence with the force of your presence. And then there was something I wanted. Something I craved with a single-minded intensity that was the catalyst to changing my life. Something that shifted from a want to aneedlong before I realized it.”

His brow creases, his gaze deepening in potency as a single hoarse word falls from his lips. “You.”

The sound hangs between us as my heart gallops within my chest. His head tilts to one side, his brows knitted together, and the vulnerability in the action makes my stomach dip.

“I had no business wanting you. No intention of falling head over heels in love with you, yet here we are. My heart is so full of you, I couldn’t even call it mine anymore. You live within every beat of it, within every breath I inhale, within every thought, every single day.”

His head drops, and when he looks back up at me, his eyes are glistening with emotion. “Until retribution was had…until I could look into your eyes and finallyfeellike I deserve the love you so freely give to me, I couldn’t ask the question I’m about to ask you now.”

“Oh my God.”

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