Page 27 of King of Desire (Kings of Las Vegas #2)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Triston
Honeyeh has been quiet since we woke up for the second time. And not a good quiet. She doesn’t purr with contentment. If anything, tension simmers under the surface.
Is she worried about my brothers? Hers? Dimitri? All of the above? We’re due for a good long chat about the future, but I need to handle my family first.
Ryker, Rush, and Killian will follow my lead. Gris, my twin, does a lot more questioning, but if my choices mitigate danger, he’ll be on board. He’s about to get married and is all about quality of life and more time for his soon-to-be bride.
But Win. He’s got my father’s uncompromising nature, my mother’s head for business, and the kind of alpha energy that makes most other men tremble.
It’s not a false bravado. Win is deeply confident, and it makes changing course nearly impossible once he’s decided upon a path.
Honestly, he’s a prick.
Not that I don’t love him. But he thinks he answers to none of us. He’s a giant pain in the ass.
My responsibility is to support him and the rest of this family, and that has made me feel heavy. Until Honeyeh.
What I failed to understand is that the right woman would take my burden and make it…lighter. She makes my life more beautiful and I’m not sure I could go back to the way it was before.
I will not lie to my brother. I gave up ground when I saved Honeyeh. I had a lot more room to spin or hit before I showed my cards to Dimitri, and I might have painted us into a corner.
But I don’t regret what I did yesterday. In fact, I think it might have been one of the most important moves of my life.
And now that I’ve got her here, it’s become clear that I’m not just letting her go.
I’ve moved her in. Moved her brother in, for fuck’s sake. Honeyeh is my future. And I’ll tell her all of this, after I deal with my brothers.
She’s next to me in the shower, showing me her back, her shoulders curled. I finish scrubbing and turn off my showerhead, stepping toward her as I grab her hip, my front coming up against her back. “Need any help?”
That relaxes her and her body melts into mine. “Have a moisturizer I could use?”
“Yes. In a few days we’ll have you all sorted.”
She looks back over her shoulder, her eyes filled with questions she doesn’t ask. I slide my hand over the curve of her hip, kissing her shoulder. I’m glad she doesn’t ask now. It’s a big help. Honeyeh has always been more than willing to follow my lead, which I appreciate.
I wrap my arm around her waist, squeezing her before I ease back. “You get ready. I’ll see if Darius has had anything to eat.”
“You don’t need to take care of my brother. You’ve got enough?—”
“I’ve got plenty of time and energy to check on your brother.” I skim my fingers down the curve of her spine, wanting to taste her.
“Thank you,” she looks at me over her shoulder, a small smile playing at her lips even if her eyes hold some hesitation.
I push her hair to the side, kissing the spot between her shoulder blades.
“I’ve got to finish if I’m going to be ready to greet them,” she murmurs.
I let out a long, rumbling protest. After what I just did to her in the closet, I know her body will need a rest. She’s new at this. But I can’t keep my hands off her. “They can wait.”
She shakes her head. “We don’t need to give them more reasons to dislike me.”
Shit. I can see how she’d be worried about that. “They’ll like you just fine, sweetheart. Don’t you worry about that.”
I feel the little twitch that moves through her. “What’s my role today?”
For a second my brow furrows.
“Am I your assistant? What will you tell them about Darius? Or should he stay in his room?”
My lips press together as I begin to understand her tension. “You are here as my guest.” I almost say more. Maybe I should. But she’s right, we don’t have a lot of time to really get into it.
She nods, appearing less pensive. I kiss her neck and then get out to find a moisturizer for her.
Once done, I shave, dress, and bring in her clothes, laying out an outfit for her. It’s a pale pink shirt dress in silk that belts at the waist. It’s classy, understated, flattering, and perfect for a Sunday.
I pair it with a pair of strappy sandals and then pull out a polo shirt and slacks for myself.
Heading out in the hall, I call to Darius. “You up?”
He pokes his head out of his room. “I’m up.”
“Eat anything?”
“No. Not yet.”
I wave him forward, and then start for the kitchen. I can see the yellowing of his skin, how thin he is, even for a teenage boy. “Let’s find something for you.”
“It’s all right. I don’t have much of an appetite.”
I keep walking and he follows. The family resemblance to Honeyeh is undeniable, as is the pleasant demeanor.
So different from my family.
“What other symptoms do you have?”
“Not much energy.” We reach the kitchen, and I take out some eggs and bread. I know that his problem stems from an overproduction of bile that has scarred the liver, but I’ll get more of the particulars from the doctor tomorrow.
“How’s the gaming system?”
“Awesome,” he answers, a big smile tugging at his lips.
“That’s good. Feel free to use the pool whenever you like.”
My phone chimes letting me know someone is at the gate. I look at my phone, a limo sitting just outside.
The phone rings in my hand. I pick up on the first ring. “Hello?”
“It’s me,” Win says in his deep baritone. “Open up.”
I hit the button, swinging the gate open.
“I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
I scowl at my phone. “I have real time updates, Win. It wasn’t longer than ten seconds.”
“It’s harder to get in here than it is to access Windsor,” he fires back.
I hang up, not wanting to listen to his grousing. He’s completely out of the fray in England, where the gates are purely for show. If he wants to change jobs, I’m game. I’ll take Honeyeh and Darius to England. Sit and watch it rain while I bark at Win to make more money.
I hit another button on my phone to unlock the front door. Mrs. Raith doesn’t work on Sundays and I’m not answering, especially not for him.
I could have the house staffed all the time, but I like the break. Perhaps I’ve been craving some normalcy for a while now.
I hear the front door close. “Darius, can you go meet my brother?”
“Sure,” he gets up from the stool at the island and starts for the entry. The two of them enter the kitchen a minute later.
Win looks even sterner than I remember, his face more deeply lined. “Eggs?”
“It’s dinner time in England,” he answers.
“Check the fridge,” I wave behind me. “I had a benefit on Friday. If there is nothing in this fridge, my guess is the staff kitchen is still loaded to the gills.”
He grunts his thanks. “You want something too?” he asks Darius.
“Is that okay?” Darius looks at me.
“Of course. Help yourself.” The coffee pot beeps.
“Tell me again how you know my brother?” Win asks Darius as they reach the connecting doorway.
“My sister works for him.”
“Worked,” I call out. “She’s my girlfriend now.”
Both of them stop, turning back to me. Darius wears an excited grin while Win gives me a fierce glare.
I glare back. I’ve done my duty to this family and then some. And I’m fine with continuing. But only if Honeyeh is welcome. Without her…
He turns away again, leading Darius into the other kitchen. They come back five minutes later with plates heaping full of food.
The coffee finishes and I pour myself a cup, my eggs done, so I dump them on a plate.
The three of us eat until my phone chimes again. One by one my brothers arrive, joining us around the island.
They grab plates of food, coffee, filling the kitchen with low chatter. It’s a quiet moment in my home that we almost never have.
Most of the house is a showpiece. I can’t ever remember having a quiet family meal like this.
They pull up stools, eating and talking. Gris pops a shrimp in his mouth. “Win, can you remind Mother that we’ll be in England in a month to help with wedding prep? She’s texting me constantly.”
“She’s excited,” Win chuckles, more relaxed after some food. “One son married,” he nods at Killian, “another planning the wedding of the century.”
My phone dings again, a text message from Mason appearing.
I’m here.
“Who invited Mason?” I ask, allowing our partner in through the gate.
“I did,” Win answers.
Of course. The father I never wanted or needed.
It’s my turn to glare. Because Win doesn’t have to answer to anyone.
I’ve always shouldered that burden, and I don’t appreciate him making it harder today.
It’s my call when Mason is included, not his.
I wanted us to make some decisions as a family first. Something he would have known if he’d asked.
That’s when Honeyeh enters the kitchen. She’s got on the dress I laid out for her. The shoes.
Her hair is styled in loose waves down her back, her light makeup perfect for the occasion.
I reach out my hand and she moves closer, slipping her slender fingers into mine. “Honeyeh, I’d like you to meet my brother, Winston. Publicly, you refer to him as Your Grace, or Lord Grandmont. Privately, we call him Win.”
She dips into a curtsy, though I never mentioned that it was appropriate.
Win gives her a curt nod in return. I’d hoped for warmer. “Win, this is Honeyeh Karimi.”
Before either can a say a word, Mason enters the kitchen. “I see I’m just in time for introductions. Lord Grandmont, a pleasure to meet in person.”
Win turns to Mason. “And you, Mr. Kincaid,” he says as he pushes his plate aside. “Now that we’re all here, are we ready to begin?” He hasn’t verbally acknowledged Honeyeh at all.
“Win,” I rumble. “I don’t have staff on Sunday. We’ll load the dishwasher first.” Because this is my house, my business, and my life. Win doesn’t call the shots and we’re going to tangle if he tries.
Honeyeh squeezes my hand, her eyes filled with a question. “I can take care of it,” she whispers close to my ear so that only I can hear. Though I know Gris hears it too when his brows lift.
“You get coffee, sweetheart. And then eat.” I kiss her forehead and then let go of her hand to pour her a cup.
Win has played his one move. The rest of the meeting is going my way. And while I don’t need another person to fight with, Win will understand. He might be the duke, but when it comes to our American company, he bows to me.