Page 68 of A Devious Arrangement
“Hmmm. I’d say I’m more than obsessed.” There’s no point in trying to hide it. I did just chop off a man’s hand for touching her.
“So why haven’t you married her yet?” Damon asks, genuinely confused. Of course he is. This fucker had his girl wifed up immediately.
I snort. “Not all of us want to force their wives into marriage. Some of us want them to love us first.”
“You sure you’re what she wants?” His right brow raises, and there’s a slight disbelieving shake to his head. He may bet against me, but losing is not an option. Not now that I realized I’ve fallen for her. At this point, she owns me completely. Not that I’m going to tell these assholes that.
“Positive.” I pause for a second. “Well, that or she wants to kill me. It’s hard to tell.”
Matthias’s smile is absolutely shameless as he runs his thumb under his neck, where Scarlet carved her name. He wears her mark as a point of pride, even though she was trying to murder him when it happened.
I blow out a long breath. “So, are you going to help me or not?”
Damon sits forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Explain what you’ve been up to, and I’ll see what we can do.”
I hadn’t planned on letting them in, preferring this stay between Stasia and me, but at this point, I don’t have a choice if I want to keep this up. And I really fucking do. There isn’t a second I’m with her that doesn’t have my heart racing. She has me addicted to the high only she can provide.
There’s a bad taste in my mouth. It feels like I’m telling her secret. “I’ve been helping her steal the Kokoshnik Tiara. In return, she’s been pretending to be my girlfriend.”
Matthias barks out a laugh. “Of course you’re stealing from the Order. Don’t you have any morals?”
My head tilts to the side. “Should I? It’s not like any of us really care about the Order of Saints. Even as the Lords, it’s just been another avenue to keep us in power. It was our father who worshipped the title, and honestly, I couldn’t give a single fuck.”
Damon rubs his fingers into his forehead before sliding them through his hair. It’s clear he’s fighting off his frustration. “Start from the beginning.”
My brothers have earned my trust over and over, and I know no matter what I say, they’ll be on my side. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. Not when it involves bringing up Stasia. I tell them about catching Stasia in the Vault, waiting to see if they have any reaction. There’s no anger; if anything, they both look impressed. Matthias is furious that we’d nearly heard him fuck his wife, but luckily, Damon hurries the story along.
“So you have the code. Why don’t you just get the item yourself?” Damon asks.
“That’s actually what I need your help with. Once she gets her hands on the tiara, our deal is over. There’s no reason she’d stick around.”
Damon nods. “Honestly, she’d be smart to abandon your ass.”
“Hey, now! I’m your little brother.” I throw my hands into the air. He better help me out here after everything I did for him. He’s lucky I love my sister and nieces and nephews to death.
Damon leans back. “You’re a pain in my ass. So she can’t find the tiara. Is that all?”
She’ll fall for me. I just need a little more time. “Pretty much. So I was thinking you could move it somewhere for me.”
Damon flips his hand in awhatevergesture. “Fine. I know exactly where to hide it, but you better lock her down quickly before she finds out she’s better than you.”
I wince. “I’m pretty sure it’s too late for that. At this point, I’m trying to wait her out and use my charm to win her love.”
Matthias laughs. “Fuck me, you’re totally screwed.”
“Hey. I went through both of your schemes. This is child’s play compared to the shit you put me through.”
Matthias is cold when he says, “Hear me out. Not a single hair on my little sister’s head better get hurt. You’re playing a fucked-up game. Make sure you don’t lose.”
I smile because with those words, I know I’ve got them. They already consider her family, and they’ll never let anything happen to her.
“I won’t…because…” I tilt my eyes up without raising my chin. “I love her.”
Chapter 32
Anastasia
Vrrrr…Vrrrr…Vrrr…My phone vibrates on the nightstand, pulling me out of sleep. I hit the Cancel button without looking at the caller ID and pull the pillow over my head. Every muscle in my body aches, bringing back memories from last night. Bash had me pinned in every position imaginable. He’d been absolutely feral in the way he took me. That a-hole edged me to the end of the Earth until I begged him for what I wanted. And oh, did he give it to me. I didn’t know it was possible to orgasm that many times.
