Page 92 of Ruthless Reign

“I don’t like it,” KC said, scratching the back of his head. He narrowed his bright blue eyes and winced. “This walks a fine line.”

“I know,” I said. “Which is why we’re gonna play our own game.”

“Oh?” Thor raised his eyebrows. “What did you have in mind?”

“Vengeance.” With a grin, I told them my plan and watched as they pieced it together. For the rest of the afternoon, we schemed and plotted and ultimately decided to keep it between us. The rest of the club didn’t have to know, not yet, not until we had more to go on ourselves.

“We’ll have to give it to someone else,” Thor said. “We just got you off runs. You can’t start stuffing your face with pig shit.”

“I agree,” I said.

“You think she’s got it bad for your old man?” KC asked with that charismatic grin.

I laughed. “If she does, I pity both of them. The only thing worse than marrying a Caputi would be falling in love with a cop.”

“May the Gods have mercy on them, then,” Thor said. “Now, let’s get to work.”

29

JULIA

SIX WEEKS LATER

It took me longer to heal than I would have liked. Even after I got the all clear from the doctor to resume normal activities, the pain in my ribs still ached, especially if it had been a long day. But I couldn’t wait anymore. I had an apology to make, and I’d been dreaming about it for weeks.

I put on my sexiest lingerie, a black lace bra, a matching garter belt and thong, and thigh-high tights before I did my makeup. I attached the silk collar around my neck, a blatant indication of what I wanted, and I braided my hair in two pigtails down either side of my head, knowing Roman would like to use them in delightfully perverted ways. I heard him in the other room, the one we’d converted to his office, rummaging around and adjusting his chair. When I knew I looked too beautiful to resist, I put on his favorite pair of heels and walked down the hallway, stopping just inside his door.

He sat behind his enormous desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper in front of him. He wore a white T-shirt and jeans, nothing else, and as much as I loved to see him in his leather, this, too, sent a yearning spike straight down my spine. His hair had been properly mussed, as if he’d been running his fingersthrough it all afternoon, and his dark, intelligent eyes sparkled as they scanned over the documents.

I squeezed my thighs together, hoping to alleviate some of the tension building between them. At the sound of me stepping into the room, he glanced up and froze. I could tell I’d interrupted something important, but perhaps he could use the break.

“Husband,” I said, sauntering closer.

He ran the length of me with a heated gaze as he leaned back in his seat, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair. He touched his fingertips together, brought them to his lips, and raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

Donning all the self-confidence I could muster despite the huge pink scar on the left side of my rib cage, I walked to the side of his desk and tilted my chin up, trying not to tremble under his scrutiny.

“I left you in the Beacon with hardly an explanation,” I said, turning to lean the back of my thighs against the edge of the mahogany. I put my hands behind me, pushing my breasts out farther before taking a deep breath to slow my racing heart. I didn’t know what I was nervous about. My husband had never rejected me, and even if we hadn’t been intimate since before our wedding, I had no reason to think he would now. Still, I was very aware of how damaged my body had become since then. I’d lost weight, I had more ugly scars, and I’d never be able to inhale fully without grimacing through it. “You said I owed you an apology. I’m here to pay up.”

He twisted his lips into a devastating grin, his eyes lighting up like a little kid who had discovered a bundle of presents under the tree on Christmas morning. I couldn’t wait to be unwrapped.

“Hmm.” He quickly washed away that excitement, training his features into a stoic mask before turning his chair back to his paperwork. “I’m really busy.”

I swallowed against a dry throat, trying not to take it personally. I hadn’t told him about this. I had simply shown up at his doorway and expected him to drop everything for me. Still, the heat of doing all this work only to have him so easily dismiss me raged through my blood, burning my cheeks, curling my hands into fists.

“Oh,” I said, pushing upright again. “I guess I’ll just go fuck myse?—”

He shot his hand out to grab my arm. “I didn’t tell you to leave,wife.”

His tone on that one word locked me in place. He only used it when he was ready to play, when he wanted me in the headspace for a scene.

“What can I do to assist you,husband?” I bowed my head, pretending to be reverent.

He wrapped a finger inside the metal heart at the center of my collar and pulled, forcing me down to my knees. “Why don’t you use that pretty mouth for something other than apologies?” Without taking his attention away from his work, he nodded under the desk, and I got the picture.

After crawling into the space where he’d tucked his long legs, I situated my body between his knees. I grounded myself in his presence by coasting my palms up his thighs to the button at his waist. He canted his hips, allowing me to push the metal through the hole and lower the zipper. Trying not to tremble with anticipation, I reached inside his boxers to release his already erect cock, gently taking hold of his balls, too. His soft groan urged me on, and I leaned in to lick him from the base to the tip. I loved the way his skin felt like velvet over steel, and when I kissed the head, he let out a barely audible whimper that made me smile.

I could turn such a strong man into a pile of mush, and that emboldened me, making me feel powerful and ruthless. Suckingmy husband back, I massaged his cock with my tongue, using one hand to grip and guide him while the other held his testicles the way I knew he liked. He hit the back of my throat and I kept going, gagging around him, tears burning my eyes. But I didn’t let up. No, this was an apology. This was my way of making up for all the times I’d made him feel like I didn’t want him, like he was just a pawn in a much larger game.

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