It’s perfect.
She’sperfect.
A few days after the wedding, my brothers appear at the door. They gave me a bit of time off, which I’m grateful for, but real life can never wait for long.
I lead them into the living room, walking past the kitchen where Rose is sitting at the table, drinking a glass of water. My brothers nod at her in passing, and she smiles somewhat stiffly, her gaze darting to me as if I’m her anchor when she’s agitated. I like that, although I also want her to feel comfortable around my brothers. I hope that day will come soon.
“The Messinas are getting agitated,” Lachlan says as we settle in the living room.
Connor grimaces. “I see we’re getting right down to business, then.”
Lachlan raises an eyebrow. “What else did you expect?”
I nod, breaking up the banter. “We have to deal with them sooner rather than later.”
“Our alliance is already proving useful,” my oldest brother continues. “We have a large shipment, and we have a new warehouse we’ll store it for now.”
“Well, that’s good,” I muse. “But the Messinas are…”
“Petty?” Finn interrupts, snorting.
“I was going to say ‘particular’.”
Connor chuckles. “That’s very politic of you.”
“He’s not wrong,” Lachlan says shortly. “They’re already tense. Especially after the remark at our last meeting.”
“Shit is tense at meetings,” Connor agrees. “Trust is in short supply. I can’t remember the last time things were so tense between everyone. The entire Assembly.”
“Things could slip further,” Finn says. “There’s a grudge between the Volkovs and the Devil’s Disciples, isn’t there?”
“Territory breaches,” Lachlan explains shortly. “Same as ever with them, but it’s going on longer than it ever has. Something is changing.”
“If it’s changing, do we take a stance?” Connor asks. He frowns, cracking his knuckles. “I mean, it could work in our favor.”
“No,” I say. “It’s not worth it. Not now.”
“The Messinas already have issues with our spirit of cooperation,” Lachlan says dryly. “We should stay neutral while we sort out our problem with them.”
We spend another hour discussing the state of affairs and coming up with a plan for how to deal with Enzo Messina. Once we’ve made as much progress as we can for now, Lachlan nods, and my brothers all stand.
“We’ll see you soon,” Connor calls to Rose as I lead them back toward the door.
She rises from the kitchen table, giving him a small wave and a smile. “See you.”
Lachlan gives me a nod as my brothers all file out the front door, heading toward his car. I nod back as Rose comes to stand at my side.
“You guys talked for a while. You must have a lot of work to do,” Rose says as I close the door.
“I do,” I agree. Then I pull her close to me, watching the way her eyes flare with desire. “But before that, I intend to fuck you.”
* * *
Rose
My blood heats at the promise in Aiden’s voice.
I know he’s got a lot on his plate and a lot on his mind, but when he looks at me the way he is now, I feel like nothing else exists but the two of us. It’s something I never expected out of this marriage, this union that I walked into grudgingly at first, before finally admitting to myself that it was something far more real than just a business transaction.
