She rolled her eyes, grinning.“Begged? Please.”
Sayer chuckled, brushing damp hair from her face, his touch suddenly gentle—reverent. His fingers followed the curve of her jaw, the slope of her throat, the way her pulse still beat hard under her skin.
“You okay?”he asked softly, all teasing dropping away.
She nodded.“Better than okay,”her voice dipped quieter now.“You?”
His answer was another kiss—slow, unhurried, like he was memorizing her all over again.“Yeah. I’m good.”He kissed her again, then murmured,“I didn’t think I’d get to have you so soon.”
Diamond’s smile faltered, just for a second, before she pulled him down to lie beside her, her leg slung over his hip. She toyed with the edge of the sheet.“You got lucky.”
He smirked.“Baby, luck had nothing to do with it.”
“Shut up before I bite you again.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
She laughed—really laughed—and nestled closer, her head resting on his chest, his arms wrapping around her like they still fit just right. And maybe, for now, they did.
Diamond’s laughter softened into a hum as she rested her cheek against his chest. His fingers lazily traced circles on her bare back, both suspended in that rare, quiet space where nothing else mattered.
For once, everything felt still. A knock. Sharp and impatient sounded in the small room. They both froze.
Another knock, harder this time.“Diamond! We gotta move!”came a muffled voice through the door.
She groaned, dropping her head against Sayer with a dramatic sigh.“Are you fucking kidding me?”
Sayer huffed a quiet laugh.“Guess we weren’t missed for long.”
“They always need me when I’m finally naked and happy.”She sat up, the sheet slipping down her body, unapologetically bare as she dragged a hand through her tangled hair.
Sayer reached for his jeans on the floor.“Think they heard everything?”
She shot him a look over her shoulder.“I hope so.”Then a louder knock had her looking towards the door.“Five minutes, or I swear I’ll come out there still dripping and make eye contact.”
A beat of silence, then a hurried,“I—I’ll be outside!”
Sayer barked out a laugh.“Cruel.”
“Efficient,”she said, smirking as she stood and grabbed her clothes and tugging them on without shame.“Now hurry, hotshot. Apparently, we’ve got somewhere to be.”
He caught her wrist before she walked away, pulling her down for one last kiss—slow, lingering, and full of promise.“When this is over … you’re mine again.”
Diamond smiled against his mouth.“Only if you earn it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
They steppedout of the truck’s apartment into the sharp eyes of several Royal Harlots scattered around the lot. Conversations quieted; glances exchanged—but no one said a word.
Diamond didn’t break stride. “Fifi, did you find something on who’s digging into what we do?”
Fifi stood near the side entrance of the warehouse-style building, arms crossed, her face unreadable.“No. It’s amateurish. Sloppy. I think it’s just a false attempt to make us second guess ourselves.”
“Okay. We leave tonight. Make sure everything’s ready when we bring the family later.”
“We’ll have it locked in.”Fifi turned to head back inside, then paused and called over her shoulder.“Nova’s at the house waiting on you two.”
Diamond glanced back.“She didn’t sound happy?”
