Page 34 of Groom Gamble
Dex swallows, his mouth set in a furious line.
“They could have fired again,” one of the Streatham men adds. “If it had been me, and I’d been trying to kill anyone, Iwould have given it a go. Are we sure it was a full assassination attempt?”
“Streatham and the London Maths Club have been attempting to defang the Essex Cartel with a coup,” I say. “They might just want us to back off.”
Dex pauses, his brows low as he considers. “This was mainly a warning. We’ll accept it as such. For now.”
He orders a double guard watch and then leads me to his quarters with a bleak, stony look in his eyes that scares me almost as much as the shooting.
Locking the door behind us, Dex releases my hand, and I’m left standing in his home where all our possessions are mixed in together.
“Do you want to leave?” Dex asks abruptly.
“What?” I stare at my husband.
“I wouldn’t blame you.” His gaze skates away to the empty fireplace. “I should have protected you.”
“Dex, you did!” He literally threw himself over me and got shot to keep me from harm.
“I should have anticipated this. I swore you’d be safe as my wife.” He sighs and shakes his head. “You deserve better.”
My heart cracks. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
He looks at his bandaged arm and his jaw clenches.
“We have a bet.” Life is short, I remind myself. “I’m not leaving, and you’re going to give me ababy.”
He scowls. “In two days, and then?—”
“No.” The word is squeaky.
He goes still.
“I need you to come inside me. You’re not going after the Essex Cartel, and you’re not dying. You could havedied, Dex.” Emotion wells up from my feet, flooding up to my chest, then higher, threatening to drown me. “Give me a babynow.”
“Hey, hey, little one,” he croons and pulls me into his arms. “There’s no need to cry. You’d be a very wealthy widow if anything happened.”
A watery sob fights with a fire of frustration. Why can’t he understand? “But I wouldn’t haveyou.”
“Would that matter?” he asks wryly, and his eyebrows twitch down as he takes in my expression of furious horror. “Oh, because you wanted a father for your child, right.”
“No, you idiot! No!” The stupid bargain. I can’t take this any longer. “It would matter because?—”
“Hey, it’s alright.” He’s soothing me as though I’m the one who’s hurt.
“Because I love you!”
12
DEX
I don’t know who is most shocked by Sophia’s outburst. We stare at each other for an amount of time that could be seconds, or long enough to fly to the moon.
Shelovesme?
Sophia, my darling girl, lovesme?
Maybe I move first, or perhaps she does, but that doesn’t matter because she’s in my arms and I’m kissing her and she’s kissing me. My cock hardens and thickens, turning to rock in the moment it takes me to back her against the wall and press myself to her.