Page 115 of Beautiful Revenge

And now all I can do is picture him at my grandma’s house. Not the way it is now, with police tape and weeds taller than my knees. But the way it was. When it was perfect andlooked like a scene off the Hallmark Channel instead ofDateline.

I’ve been too focused on my dad and bad guys and secret siblings to slow down enough to appreciate the difference in him today.

I decide to tell him. “I like the casual Devon.”

Without turning to me, he talks as he searches for whatever he’s looking for. “When you work where you live, there’s no time for casual.”

“That’s not healthy. When can you beyouand unwind? My father has worked non-stop my entire life. Of course, I love him, and I know he loves me. I guess he found other ways to show it, but being present wasn’t one of them. Do you want that?”

He pulls a locked box from the bottom of a locked cabinet and sets it on his desk before turning to me. “Baby, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit back and think about what I want. Life has put me on the defense since I joined SIS. I can’t lie, I’m fucking tired.”

I walk to him and slide my hands up his chest. “And finding out you were deceived by someone who you thought was your friend. You’ve been spinning your wheels for me and have barely had a chance to let that sink in.”

He turns to rest his ass on the desk and pulls me to him. “I don’t have time to think about what Hugh did to me. If I don’t stay focused, I may lose it. The stakes are too high. I need to take him down and make sure Turner falls with him. That’s no small task. But this time around, I’m not obligated to the law. I don’t work for anyone but myself. It’s empowering.”

“An even playing field.” I murmur the words as my gaze drops to the skin of his neck. On their own accord, my fingertips begin to roam from his neck to the dip of his throat between his collar bones until they catch on the top button. I unclasp it and press my lips there.

His hold on me tightens, and one hand slides up my back and neck until it lands on my scalp. “You call it an even playing field. I call it revenge.”

I continue to work the buttons of his shirt until it hangs open between us. He doesn’t stop me, and his other handdrops to my ass for a firm grope. I drag my fingernails over his nipples. “We’ve both been betrayed by people we trusted. That’s been the hardest thing for me to come to terms with.” I press my lips to his pec. “And here we are, all because you were forced to be my bridal assistant.”

He shakes his head. “Ever since you crossed my path, I’ve had a new focus.”

I peek up at him. “Youcrossedmypath.”

He fists my hair and the roots of my scalp pull tight. The sensation shoots straight between my legs, and wetness pools in my panties. “Did you forget you were on my property? Claiming you is the best thing I’ve ever done. As much as I want to ignore the rest of the world and get lost in us, some things must be taken care of first.”

I wet my lips when my mouth waters, but I don’t argue. “Revenge?”

“Yes.” His eyes darken, and I sense the uncompromising determination in his soul. “I’ll exact it for you and for me.”

“And then?”

His gaze roams my face before his unwavering blue eyes penetrate my heart. “Then it will be beautiful. I’ll make sure of it.”

“That’s a steep promise, Devon Donnelly,” I whisper. “No one has ever kept a promise that significant to me before.”

“Then I’m the lucky man who gets to give it to you. I can’t know for sure because I’ve never had it, but it might be the easiest thing I’ll ever do. We’ll figure that out later. First ... justice. Everything after that will be smooth sailing.”

I nod and squeeze my thighs together. Talk of the future has never turned me on.

“Claimed you,” he repeats the words he used earlier. “If you think I’d do that on an empty promise, then I’ve got a steep hill to climb. You give me a minute, I’ll prove it to you and give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Starting with retribution...”

“You just wait, baby. There won’t be anything like it.”

My hands slide down his chest to his abs until they land below his waist. His stare holds me in a trance as I make quick work of his button and zipper.

It’s like his cock thanks me even though it’s still held hostage in his boxers.

When I run my fingers up and down his erection, his hold on my hair tightens.

He nods once.

Like a silent order that makes my mouth water.

Damn, that’s hot.