Nia pulled the envelope from her jacket and whispered a quiet spell. The magic worked instantly. Across the room, the man shifted, startled, his frown deepening as his fingers curled around the envelope that had appeared in them.
Nia and Lochlan watched from their dim corner as the man opened it with trembling hands. At first, his expression was unreadable. But as he flipped through the contents, his face grew pale. Each new photo made his jaw clench tighter, his hands gripping the edges like they might slip away. His gaze darted around the room, his bravado crumbling under the weight of his own secrets.
Without a word, he stood and rushed out of the club, his steps quick and uneven.
Nia leaned back, exhaling slowly. “I knew this would be boring,” she said, her gaze following the man until he was out of sight.
“What was in the envelope?” Lochlan asked.
She leaned in closer. “Oh, just a collection of photos. And a note explaining that if the same amount he was about to funnel into his little land grab doesn’t show up as three separate donations by tomorrow night, those photos will end up in his wife’s inbox. And her lawyer’s.”
She ticked the causes off on her fingers. “Fifteen to the Children’s Foundation, twenty to the Housing Trust, and fifteen to the Coastal Conservation Fund. All local. All in need. And not a cent left for bulldozers.”
Lochlan raised a brow, clearly impressed. Then, with a suddenness that made her breath catch, he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her closer, the kiss that followed stealing the air from her lungs.
When he pulled back, his gaze burned into hers. “You’re bold and beautiful and a little bit wicked,” he said, his voice admiring.
Heat rose to her cheeks. “I’ve been told.”
Lochlan looked thoughtful. “How do you know he’ll donate?”
“I’ve been doing this a long time. That was the face of a man who’ll pace around, freak out… but in the end, he’ll do the right thing. They always do, when the stakes are high enough.”
“How many millions have you raised this way?” He shook his head, bemused. “They should build a statue in your honor.”
The blush deepened. “Keep talking like that,” she murmured, leaning closer, “and I might just have to have my way with you.”
Lochlan glanced around the club, then back at her, his smile slight and gaze heated. “Seems like the right venue for that.”
Her lips parted in surprise and the laugh that bubbled out was low and throaty. “Careful,” she said, her hand slipping to rest on his thigh again. “I might take you seriously.”
Lochlan’s smile shifted into something more dangerous.
“I am serious.”
CHAPTER 36
Lochlan
“THANK GOODNESS HE’S BACK! ” —PRINCES&PIES444
She was his home.
The thought hit Lochlan like a sucker punch, knocking the breath from his lungs. He hadn’t planned for this—the warmth that settled low in his chest every time she looked at him, the ache that refused to be ignored. He’d learned so much in Dover: the truth of his sister’s misplaced cruelty, pieces of his mother’s past, the realization that his relationship with Thane was only just beginning. He had finally let go of the pain he’d carried for so long, it had become a part of him.
But none of this compared to the quiet certainty of being with Nia.
Her laughter still hummed in the air, low and throaty, and the sound curled inside him, leaving him feeling warm and restless in their dimly lit booth. She was still flushed from their kiss, and her fingers pressed a little higher up his leg, staking her claim.
Goddess help him.
Even as he basked in her closeness, guilt flickered through Lochlan as he thought about Wulfric’s plans, Luna’s diaries, and the threat to his job and livelihood if he didn’t keep these secret. A seed of deceit had sprouted and grown between him and Nia. But he pushed these thoughts away, telling himself that if he could just finish the diaries—and give Nia that piece of her mother’s life—maybe it wouldn’t matter he’d kept it from her.
Maybe.
Nia was in her element here, the faint pulse of the club lights casting her in a glow, her lips quirking in a mischievous way that made Lochlan’s thoughts scatter. And those eyes—gods, those eyes. Green and teasing, they locked on him with a focus that made the air between them feel heavy and charged as her body leaned ever so slightly closer.
What was he supposed to do? Be thoughtful? Assertive?
