Page 48 of Queen of Ruin

“What?” he probes, his smile fading and the dimples receding.

I kiss him. His hand slides to the back of my neck, fingers splayed and moving into my hair. I feel a shiver of desire make its way down my body. If we didn’t have guests, I wouldn’t pull away, and when I do, he groans in protest.

“I’ll make pancakes more often,” he brags, with his eyes half closed.

“Thank you,” I mention, and he cocks his head. “For bringing Cleo here.”

“She did almost hang up on me. I guess she was still angry,” he explains. “But it was nothing that a private plane couldn’t cure.”

“I think you know the way to Cleo’s heart,” I tease, placing a hand on his chest. “But seriously, I’m just… I can’t believe you did that.”

Darren pierces me with those complicated eyes of his and gives me an unintentionally wolfish smile. “For you, anything,” he murmurs unabashedly, and it sets my pulse racing, causing a knot to form in my stomach.

I pull away. “I should go wake her,” I declare, leaving Darren in the kitchen as I run up the stairs that lead to the loft.

When I get to Cleo’s room, I hear the creak of a door on the other side open.

I was already prepared with a smart-ass comment about him sleeping in when I turn to see Cleo exiting Alistair’s room.

“Uh, you know we’re gonna talk about this later, right?”

Cleo waves me off as she passes by and shuts her door. When I look back, I see Alistair poking his head around the door and then he ducks back in.

“Oh, by the way, Darren made pancakes!” I yell to both of them and then head back down the stairs.

“Are they coming?” he asks, unaware of why his question causes fits of giggles.

“Oh, if I know Cleo, I’m sure they both did.”

Alistair descends the stairs a few moments later, looking as if nothing is wrong.

“Smells good.” He saunters into the kitchen and plucks a piece of bacon from the plate. “What’s up?” He casually leans against the counter chewing on his bacon.

“Did you just fuck my friend?” I challenge with narrowed eyes, placing my hand on my hip.

“Yeah.” He shrugs looking innocently between Darren and me.

When I catch Darren’s eye, he throws his hands up and mouths, not my problem.

“What’s the big deal?” Alistair asks.

“Because she’s my friend!” I whisper shout while pointing up to the loft, just as Cleo makes her way down.

“Wow, if you’re this protective over who she fucks, you must be exhausted,” he laughs.

“This is not funny.” I smack him with a potholder.

“Hey, hey!” Alistair holds his hands up while laughing. “Are you going to let your wife abuse me like this?” Alistair whines, looking to Darren for help.

“You’re on your own.” Darren stands with his arms crossed over his chest as he watches the scene unfold.

“What’s all the fuss about?” Cleo questions, giving Alistair’s butt a squeeze when she passes by, causing him to squeal.

I shake my head and laugh, “I think I need some fresh air,” I announce, throwing the potholder back onto the counter.

“I’ll go with you,” Cleo confirms, pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee while I head into the bedroom so I can change and grab a jacket. When I come back out, Cleo is leaning against the kitchen counter, casually laughing at something Darren said. I watch quietly for a moment before Darren notices me and Cleo turns around.

“Ready?” I zip up my jacket.

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