Page 63 of Twisted Empire

Logan sighed and pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against mine. “She’s doing well, all things considered. We managed not to get into any arguments this time.”

He’d made a habit of visiting his mom in prison every other week, and it seemed to help him cope with the disastrous turn their relationship had taken. He hadn’t forgiven her for the crimes she’d been a part of or for abandoning him, but his residual anger had simmered down, so now he was mostly just sad. I knew from our talks that he no longer felt at all guilty about his role in putting her in jail.

It's where she belongs, he’d told me a few months ago.And I can tell she’s accepted that too. I guess that’s some kind of progress.

Logan’s lips sought out mine, and I returned the kiss eagerly, our mouths melding together for the better part of a minute. When he drew back, I touched his cheek.

“Are you still meeting your dad for lunch tomorrow?” I asked.

He nodded, and his face lightened just a little bit. Joy sparked in my chest at the sight.

He’d become so much more relaxed about hanging out with Holand since the air had been cleared between them—and his dad hadn’t shunned him the way he’d feared. We’d even gone to a larger family gathering for Easter a few weekends ago, and it’d warmed my heart to see Logan ambling around chatting up all the relatives he’d spent most of the past few years avoiding.

I’d been able to tell from Holand’s expression that he was even more pleased than I was.

Logan moved to the stove, snatching up a fork and spearing a mushroom out of the pan. He popped it into his mouth despite Dexter’s disgruntled sound and then fanned his mouth to cool it off.

Dexter elbowed him. “What did you expect? I’m in the middle of cooking it—of course it’s hot.”

Logan smirked. “Delicious, though.”

Dexter waved him off. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and set the table?”

“I can do that.”

I joined Logan in getting out the plates and glasses. We were just setting them out on the maple dining room table when Beckett appeared in the doorway.

“You’re back! I didn’t hear you come in.” I hustled over to give him a hug and then a lingering kiss. I hadn’t seen him in a few days—and his presence was always less consistent than my other men’s. He still spent half his nights either at the Storm mansion or roving around to various other properties they owned looking after his empire.

“Glad to be here,” Beckett said, nuzzling my hair. “Always my favorite place.”

“You said the meeting went well?” Logan asked. “Exactly how well?”

Delight crinkled the corners of Beckett’s eyes. “The investors actually agreed to contributemorefunding than I’d asked for. Which means we can add an extra wing to the building that I didn’t think would even be possible.”

“I’m not surprised,” I told him. “You’re very persuasive.”

He chuckled and gave me another kiss. “And I hear you’re on your way to earning your Nobel prize with this research internship.”

I snorted. “I’ve got a lot more work to do beforethat. But I can’t wait to get started.”

Logan’s phone pinged with an incoming text. He glanced at it. “Slade just got out of class. He should be here in ten minutes.”

Dexter clapped his hands together. “Perfect timing. Let’s get everything on the table.”

He scooped the various delicacies out onto serving plates, which the rest of us carried into the dining room. Beckett pulled out two bottles of wine from the small collection he was building and got the chef to decide which was the better pairing. He was just filling the last of our glasses when Slade strode in.

“All this for me?” he joked, and slung his arm around my shoulders to pull me into a quick but ardent kiss. “Missed you, Piccolina.”

“You just saw me this morning,” I reminded him with a laugh.

“Any time without you is too long. But it looks like we’d better dig into this feast.”

We all took our seats and grabbed portions from each dish in the spread. There was chicken in a creamy sauce, rice mixed with various spices that turned it a vibrant shade of yellow, and three different types of vegetables with varied spicing.

I took one bite of the chicken and let out a moan at the sweet but tangy flavor. “You’ve outdone yourself again, Dex. I think this is my favorite yet.”

He grinned. “I plan to keep topping myself as many times as I can.”

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