Page 51 of His to Claim (The Owner’s Club #2)

Delilah

We drift in and out of sleep for what feels like five minutes and an eternity.

At some point I wake up and we're tangled together in the sheets, my head on Graham's chest, listening to his heartbeat slow back to normal.

The anger has burned itself out, replaced by something softer but no less intense.

"Tell me something about yourself," I murmur against his skin. "Something I don't already know."

He laughs quietly. "That's silly. You already know everything about me and I know everything about you. We were evenly matched from the start, remember?"

"That's true." I trace lazy patterns on his chest with my fingertip. "But there's gotta be one thing we don't know about each other."

I lift my head to look at him. "The cat photo on your desk back at the office. You never told me about that."

Something shifts in his expression—a shadow of sadness mixed with fondness. "That was Smoke. The first true friend I ever had." His voice gets quieter. "He's gone now but he taught me that some things are worth protecting."

He presses a gentle kiss to my forehead and I feel something warm unfurl in my chest.

"Okay your turn," he says. "Why'd you start conning people? Really?"

I consider deflecting but there's something about the way he's looking at me—open and vulnerable after sharing his own memory.

"There was this guy named Ethan. My first boyfriend after my parents died.

I was eighteen and stupid and he convinced me to let him invest what was left of my inheritance.

" I shrug like it doesn't still sting. "He disappeared with every penny I had left. "

Graham's jaw tightens. "Bastard. Don't worry—I can find him and kick his ass if you want."

I giggle despite myself. "Yeah okay."

"I love that you say yes to that sort of stuff," he says, grinning at me with genuine delight.

That's when his phone rings. The sound cuts through our quiet moment and I feel Graham tense beneath me. He glances at the screen, then at me.

"It's Sebastian. I should take this."

I nod and shift off him so he can sit up properly. He swipes to answer, putting the phone on speaker.

"Tell me you have good news," Graham says without preamble.

"I do." Sebastian's voice sounds tired but satisfied. "Stanley and I came to an understanding. The original two million, with interest, returned in full. Everyone walks away from this clean."

Graham looks at me, his expression unreadable. "Hold on a second, Seb."

He mutes the phone and turns to face me fully. "That's the deal. Two million dollars, and Stanley disappears from our lives forever."

"But?"

"But it feels like I'm letting him off easy. Like I'm not properly addressing what he did to you."

I study his face, seeing the conflict there—the part of him that wants blood warring with the part that wants to keep me safe. I reach up and cup his jaw, then lean in to kiss him softly.

"I don't need vengeance," I tell him when we break apart. "I did steal that money."

"Yeah, but that guy stole all of that money from other people too. Stanley Torrino didn't earn a single dollar of what he's asking for."

I laugh, unable to help myself. "Okay, valid point. But who cares at the end of it? What matters is that we get to be together and no one can stop that."

"I appreciate your 'I'll burn the world for you' energy, I really do. But I don't want that from you." I trace the line of his jaw with my fingertip. "I like the carefree, can-always-make-me-laugh Graham. Bury too many bodies and all of that starts to go away."

"I don't know," he says thoughtfully. "Batman managed to keep his sense of humor."

"Let's not aspire to Batman-level psychological damage."

"Fair point. Though technically?—"

"Your point is stupid."

"My point is valid and you know it."

I roll my eyes, but I'm smiling. "Fine. Tell Sebastian we have a deal."

Graham unmutes the phone. "Seb? We'll take it. Send the wiring instructions and I'll transfer the money. Then we're done."

"Understood. Though I should mention—Stanley was very clear that this agreement is contingent on no further interference from any of you."

"He can count on that," Graham says, then his voice hardens slightly. "But make sure he understands that if I ever see one of his guys so much as within three hundred yards of Delilah, the deal's off and I'll end this the way I wanted to end it in the first place."

"I'll make that crystal clear."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yeah?"

Graham's smile turns sharp. "Make sure Martin understands what it's like to have people force themselves on him. Just to teach him some manners about respecting women. I’m sure there’s more than enough willing volunteers on the inside.”

"Consider it done."

Graham hangs up and sets the phone aside. I stare at him with wide eyes.

"What?" he asks innocently. "It's not murder."

I roll my eyes and curl back into his side. "You're terrible."

"You love me anyway."

"Unfortunately."

"So now that we've taken care of organized crime single-handedly," he says, "what's next on our agenda?"

"Did we take care of organized crime single-handedly? Because I'm pretty sure Sebastian did most of the actual work, which just included paying off a criminal.”

"Details. The important thing is that Stanley Torrino is out of our lives forever."

I thread my fingers through his hair, suddenly feeling nervous about what I'm about to say. "Actually, there's something I want to ask you about."

"If it involves more criminal activity, I'm going to need at least twenty-four hours to recover first."

"It's not criminal." I bite my lip. "I want you to come somewhere with me. Meet someone."

His eyebrows rise and that dangerous smile spreads across his face. "I gotta be honest, if this is your final move in stealing my money, I am genuinely impressed. The long con within the long con? Chef's kiss level of criminal artistry."

"Oh my God." I shove his shoulder, laughing despite myself. "I'm not trying to rob you."

"Are you sure? Because bringing me to meet your criminal mastermind boss would be a pretty brilliant way to corner me. I'd actually respect the follow-through."

"You're ridiculous."

"I'm thorough in my paranoia. It's kept me rich this long." He grins wider. “But I’d willingly surrender my fortunes at one more chance to eat this pussy.”

He pushes his hands between my legs before dragging his fingers up my body. I shiver before he digs his fingers in to turn it into a laugh.

“So who is this mysterious person? Should I be worried about a second boyfriend? Because I have to tell you, I don't share well."

"Not a boyfriend, you possessive jackass."

"Good. Because I was already planning where to hide the body." His expression shifts slightly, becoming more curious. "So who then?"

I hesitate, not quite ready to explain about Sal and what he means to me. "Someone important. Someone who's been looking out for me for a long time."

"Okay."

"Just like that? Okay?"

"Just like that." He brushes a strand of hair away from my face. "Though I reserve the right to be appropriately paranoid if this turns out to be an elaborate kidnapping scheme."

"It's not a kidnapping scheme."

"That's exactly what someone planning a kidnapping scheme would say."

"Will you come or not?"

"Of course I'll come." His smile turns softer. "Though I should warn you—I'm excellent at making first impressions. People tend to either love me immediately or want to throw things at my head."

"I'm betting on the second option."

"Your faith in me is touching."