Page 13 of His Queen

“Yeah,” I snort. “To look pretty.”

Alexius slides his hands into his pants pockets, squaring his shoulders. “This is the part where I tell both of you to go fuck yourselves.”

“Caelian does that like a champ. The man was born with his dick in his hand.”

“Ha. Ha. Very funny. Now, get on your knees and kiss my ass.”

Alexius frowns. “As much as I’d like to stand here and talk shit all day, I have a wife and kids to get to, a.k.a a life.”

“Speaking of.” Caelian grins like an idiot. “Did you forget something, Alexius?”

“No. I don’t think so. Why?”

“Because I bumped into Leandra on my way in, and she asked me to give you a message. Let me see if I can remember it.” He fakes a look of focus. “Something about lunch and how you—”

“Oh, fuck!” Alexius instantly ashens as if God Himself tore his soul straight from his body. “I forgot about lunch.”

“You forgot about lunch with your wife?” I say with sheer, fake-ass horror, but witnessing my brother’sI-fucked-upface gives me so much pleasure, my spine is all tingly.

“She’s going to kill me.”

“I have to say, Alexius. I’m not married for as long as you are, but at least I’ve never stood up my wife.”

Alexius clenches his jaw. “Is there a reason I just passed Mirabella in the parking lot hugging some guy in shocking green spandex?”

“Hugging him!” Anger explodes, and I’m sure there are venom fumes on my breath. “That’s it. I’m going to kill that fucker and burn that pair of goddamn pants of his.”

“Is this before or after Mira chews your ass?” Caelian calls after me.

I turn and flip him both my middle fingers while walking backward before turning back and stomping down the hall. I need to find my wife and make sure she knows this is unacceptable behavior, and I will under no circumstances tolerate it. My wife needs to know her fucking place.

CHAPTERFIVE

MIRABELLA

“Hummingbird, please open the door.”Nicoli’s fists pound into the hardwood.

He’s been begging to come in for the last twenty minutes.

“Open the door, now.”

“I told you I’ll only be ready to talk to you tomorrow morning.”

“What? That’s ridiculous. Where am I supposed to sleep?”

I stretch my left arm and right leg out while balancing myself on the ball. “There are a dozen guestrooms in this house, Nicoli. Pick one.”

“I’m not spending a night without you, Hummingbird.”

“Well, you should have thought about that before you assaulted my Pilates instructor.”

“The man was touching you, and you were doing that frog pose thing that always gets me riled up. What was I supposed to do?”

“Be a grownup.”

“Besides, if he weren’t touching you, I’d still beat him up because of those damn pants he’s wearing.”

I still on the ball. “Nicoli!”

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