Page 160 of Inside the Wicked

Rix hollers, “Are we settling this before lunch? I’m getting hungry.”

The volleyball showdown is the result of a few rounds of cocktails, a lot of power play, and a metaphorical gauntlet thrown between me and Adam when the reminder came up that he beat Rhett and me in California last year and I challenged him to a rematch.

Rhett and I are in Hawaii for our honeymoon. The tagalongs Rix and Adam booked a trip out with us, swearing we’d hardly see them. We’ve only been here a week and have seen them more than they promised. Neither of us mind though. It’s actually been nice to have them with us.

Our wedding was as grand as I could suffer. My mom wouldn’t take my request for “small” into consideration. When I said we might just elope, you’d think I’d suggested getting married at a circus. Which might have actually been more appealing.

It was front-page news everywhere, and we couldn’t understand why people were so invested, even more so than the bride and groom. We’re just two ordinary people. We have a wild story behind us, but the entirety of it will never be known to them. They will never know “America’s Darlings” are still creatures of the underworld. Despite my reluctance to all thefuss and flamboyance at first, the wedding was a thing of fairy tales.

Riley, my best friend from six long years of university together, flew in from New York for the wedding as a surprise, and seeing her was such a burst of light. I told her everything that had happened to me, which was her first demand after seeing wild clips and stories of my kidnap then rescue in the press, and plenty of other stuff I’m sure was completely made up. It was one long, heavy, exhausting night. Allie was there for it too, and I was glad she could take over some of the explaining at times. We cried and laughed, and I got to hear about how her internship was going at Keithlington. Which also meant I heard a lot about Nolan Flynn. How their rivalry in the classroom has become even more intense in the workplace. She wants the job at the end of her year-long internship so badly that I’m not above working some shady shit through Xoid if need be to help her get it.

Allie has been working tirelessly to get the charges off Liam, and they might have been with us here too if Liam wasn’t under house arrest. It’s far better than prison. They think they might have something on him for the murder of the shit-face lawyer who tried to buy Allie. It’s all speculation, but they’re fighting her hard, and it’s her own family’s law firm she’s up against. It’s the last cloud of burden from what we all went through, but we’re staying confident Allie will succeed through the painstakingly slow trial.

Silas has been elusive about Kenna despite Rhett’s pestering. We haven’t gotten a chance to really speak to her since she was taken in by him. Rhett wouldn’t have stopped trying if she hadn’t told us herself she wanted nothing to do with us—in very colorful words. She’s safe with Silas for now, but last we saw, she was reluctant to be there, and I imagine all this time she’s been crafting her plan to leave him too eventually. To be on her own,since she trusts no one. Xoid is keeping tabs on her as best we can, because if she runs, we won’t be able to let her disappear until Rhett gets to say his peace and apologize to her. I know the past with her will always tear him apart.

I glance over the beach as Adam pushes Rix’s chest with a disgruntled expression. Rix is grinning at whatever he said, and the contrast between them is a regular thing to witness. What’s fairly new is how Rix grabs Adam’s wrist as he tries to walk off and pulls him back. They kiss, and I look away then to give them privacy. We all knew something’s been hot-and-cold with them for many months. It still is hot-and-cold, but they don’t try to hide it anymore.

“How about we ditch this game and head back to our villa?” Rhett suggests, enticing me with a kiss to my jaw, then a bite to my neck when I tighten around him.

“We need to beat him, or we’ll never get to live it down,” I protest, but he’s making a very persuasive case.

“You’llnever live it down. Your competitive streak is sexy.”

“You’ll suffer my complaining, sowe,” I say, pecking his cheek and uncrossing my legs.

Except when I turn back to the net, Rix and Adam have turned more heated, and the sun isn’t what flushes my skin. They don’t even regard us as they break away but remain close. Rix says something in Adam’s ear that causes him to playfully punch Rix’s chest before they walk off.

“Do we win by forfeit?” Rhett mutters.

I’m still slack-jawed they just left us like that, but I’m also not complaining.

“They did say they’d hardly interfere with our honeymoon,” I say, turning back to Rhett. Circling behind him, I reach for his shoulders, and he naturally bends for me to climb his back.

We have three more weeks of getting to sunbathe, relax, and enjoy our time alone away from work.

Xoid is thriving, and I’ve enjoyed more than anything getting to be a part of what Rhett built. But I’ve started to make something of my own now, with the school I wanted to open well under construction. I should be able to announce an opening date for the new term this year.

My life is split by two contrasting desires, but I like to think it keeps me balanced.

Rhett walks the whole way back to our private villa carrying me on his back. When we’re inside I moan at the cool lick of the air conditioning. In the bedroom, I squeal when Rhett twists and throws me off him and I land on the plush mattress.

He’s upon me a second later, and I giggle at the tickling assault of his lips on my neck.

“We’re both too sandy, and we’ll regret it later if we get it under the covers,” I say, but I don’t have much more to protest if he disregards that warning.

“Hmm,” he says, then he flicks his tongue over my serpent earring. “Then you have three seconds to get this pretty little ass into the bathroom before I’m coming for it.”

My pussy flutters at the thought. Rhett doesn’t move off me, so I hook a leg around his hip and push his chest, flipping our position.

Before I head for a shower I reach behind myself, pulling at the red string of my bikini top. Then I pull the tie around my neck. Rhett drinks me in with wild eyes as the material falls away.

I wasn’t kidding about the sand, and it clearly got into every crevice with how gritty my skin is with it.

I slip off Rhett, and he props himself up on his elbows to watch me. I walk backward toward the open glass doors leading out to our private pool.

“You’ll have to catch me first, Agent Kaiser,” I say.

When I pull the ties of my bikini bottoms, they fall to the floor. Rhett all but launches off the bed, and I yelp, running out and jumping into the pool. I immediately swim as fast as I can, but I don’t get far before the splash of him follows mine. He’s too fast, grabbing my ankle before I can even reach the other side of the pool.

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