Page 79 of Intense (Beneath The Blaze #3)

STEPHANIE

W e board the private jet, and Finn squeezes my hand so tightly my rings cut into my skin. His grip is almost painful, but it steadies me. Everyone else is already on board when we step inside.

“I thought you were taking an army with you?” I whisper.

“We are. We just have separate jets. You don’t take a whole army on one plane.”

Oh. Right.

His brothers sit together on one side, the twins on the other. The tall blond guy from the strip club is hunched over a laptop, fingers moving quickly across the keys. His eyes lift briefly to mine, and I offer a smile.

“Hi. I’m Drago.” He stands, offering a tattooed hand, his Russian accent thick.

“Uh. Hi. Stephanie.” I give it a firm shake.

Finn’s brothers greet me too, though it’s clear Declan is less welcoming than Conan.

Conan’s easy smile softens me, but Declan’s sharp stare makes it obvious that he doesn’t want me here.

He’s worried about Finn, I assume. It’s up to me to prove to them all I can be trusted.

The twins are too wrapped up in their own argument to notice anything at all.

“Declan isn’t angry with you, love. He’s worried about me bringing you, is all. I promise he doesn’t usually behave like he’s got a stick up his ass,” Finn whispers.

I cover my mouth to stop the laugh.

“Finn,” I hiss, jabbing my elbow into his ribs.

Then there’s another man clearing his throat, with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes, snapping something vicious in Italian into his phone. His voice is low but deadly.

“Who is that?” I murmur.

“I’ll introduce you.” Finn smiles, leading me further down.

The man looks up, cuts the call without a word, and rises to his feet.

“Enzo. Meet my wife, Stephanie.”

Enzo’s gaze drops to our joined hands, then flicks back to Finn.

“I didn’t get invited to the wedding? I thought we got past this,” he says dryly.

Finn chuckles, completely unbothered.

“Hey! His own brothers didn’t either!” Conan calls from the front.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment wedding,” I add quickly.

“Nice to meet you,” I offer, and Enzo gives me a smile that softens him, but not entirely. There’s still an edge there, like a blade hidden under silk.

None of these men feel quite as frightening as the Russians I saw in Vegas, though. Those men wore their violence like armor. And now… it makes sense. The tattoos. The danger. The way Finn blended seamlessly among them. These people, this life, are the real Finn Quinn.

And I like him this way. More than I ever expected.

We slip into the back row near Enzo as the jet takes off. I rest my head on Finn’s shoulder, grounding myself in him.

“What’s your favorite food?” I ask softly.

“Your pussy,” he answers flatly.

I smack his arm. “No. Seriously. I want to know everything about you.”

“You already know all the important things. More than anyone else, ever, in my life.” His voice is low as he presses a kiss to the top of my head.

“Yeah, but I want to know the trivial stuff too. Like what I can do for your birthday. Date nights. Fun stuff.”

He rests his head against mine. “Fillet steak. Rare. Skin-on fries. A brandy-based sauce. Finished off with a glass of my dad’s finest whiskey.”

I smile. “Yum. And no caviar in sight?”

“No.” He smirks. “What about yours, love? What should I cook for you?”

“I love seafood. But I really, really love melted chocolate on strawberries.”

“Ah. A sweet tooth.”

“Yep. That’s why I have to run, so I can have my extra treats.”

His arms tighten, and suddenly I’m in his lap, straddling him. My cheeks flame as I glance around, but no one bats an eye. His grip on my ass is firm enough to make me squirm.

“You’re perfect exactly how you are,” he says. “Don’t you dare say anything otherwise.”

I chew my lip. He’s deadly serious, though, his eyes burning through me. Almost as if he’s angry I’d think otherwise.

“So, you don’t want me to be like one of the models you probably jerk off to?” I tease.

His hands slide over my hips, and he squeezes. “Baby, I need something to grab hold of to fuck you thoroughly. These are staying. Your ass is staying. I want you exactly how you are.”

I squint at him, trying to read the truth. I’ve never been content in my skin. Stripping kept me disciplined, but I was never the most toned girl on stage. Never enough compared to the others. And now I’m in my thirties, it’s even harder to feel good about myself.

I open my mouth to argue, but he digs his fingers into my skin harder.

“If you even contemplate arguing with me on this, I’ll feed you every damn meal myself. Mouthful by mouthful. Got it?”

I nod and can’t help but smile. Just that alone has made me feel better about myself than any other man has.

“So you do jerk off to other women?” I ask.

His expression hardens like stone. “No. I don’t even touch myself. I have no need. And now, the only time I will is if I’ve got a front-row seat of your ass so I can paint my cum all over your cheeks.”

My face burns hot at the crude promise.

“Noted. Want me to spread them apart, or…?”

He groans low in his throat. “Not here, love. Not here.”

I press a kiss to his jaw, softer now. “Okay. Where do you see yourself in five years?”

He smiles. “Easy. You, me, Nyx, and a couple of little hellions running around.” His hands slide over my stomach, lingering there.

“Oh yeah? You still want to be Daddy Finn, huh?”

His mouth finds my ear. “I’ve already started tracking your cycle, temptress. It’s not an if, it’s a when.”

My eyes widen. “You… what?”

“I’m a doctor. And I know you very, very well, Stephanie,” he says, grinning at me.

I gape at him. “So you know when I need extra chocolate strawberries, right?”

“In approximately four days,” he tells me with a smug grin.

He’s right. Of course he is.

“You better get all the action in before then, doctor.”

His fingers curl lightly around my throat. “Nothing can stop me from having you, love. We’ve established that the blood doesn’t faze me.”

I melt into him, shutting my eyes, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. For the first time in my life, I feel safe. Like I’m not in complete survival mode anymore.

After a beat of silence, his voice lowers. “Do you want kids with me?”

“Yes. But can you promise me something?” I lift my head to meet his eyes.

“I can try.”

“That our kids will always be safe. That if something awful ever happens to us, your family will protect them. I don’t have anyone. I was abandoned, and I can’t face the idea of that happening to them.”

Finn takes my hand, pressing a kiss to every finger, his gaze never leaving mine. His answer is silent but unshakable.

Tears sting my eyes.

“Family is everything to me, temptress. I’d die for them. I’d die for you. And for our children? I’d rip my own heart out for them. You’ll never have to worry. Here, we stick together. Always.”

My breath catches as his fingers brush my cheek.

“And now you’re part of the family too. You might’ve been alone for a long time, but not anymore. We’ve got you. I promise.” He leans closer. “Till death do us part, right?”

My tears spill over, sliding down my cheeks.

“You’ll always be safe with me,” he whispers, sealing it with a kiss.

“And your heart is safe with me, Finn. I swear.”

I press my palm against his chest, right over his steady beat.

“I know, baby. I know. Get some rest. We’ve got a lot to do once we arrive, and it’s not going to be pretty.”

I nod, eyelids heavy. “I still get to wear my pretty dress, right?”

“Yes. My killer in red heels. You get to wear the dress.” His mouth brushes my ear. “And then I’ll rip it off you the second it’s over.”

His arms tighten around me, locking me in, and I fall asleep to the sound of his heart.