Page 11 of Pretty Ruthless Monsters: Complete Series

NICO

Quinn’s booted feet are loud against the pavement as she strides off, each footfall ringing out like a gunshot.

She’s clearly pissed off at my requirement for our alliance, but the sight of her storming away makes a nice view all the same.

Her ass sways as she moves, her tight jeans and boots showing off her lithe curves, and her hair—which she’s dyed a teal color for as long as I’ve known her—glints with highlights of green and blue in the sunlight.

It takes me a second to tear my eyes away from her disappearing figure, and when I do, I glance at her crew. They haven’t quite followed her yet, as if they’re not sure whether the meeting is over or not.

“Keep an eye on things here,” I tell Atlas and Killian. Then I go after Quinn, knowing that those two won’t let anything happen while I’m gone. Our gangs aren’t allies yet, but they’ll make sure shit doesn’t get out of hand if any Enigma members start acting up.

Quinn is moving at a fast clip, clearly wanting to put some space between us, but I manage to catch up with her as she rounds the corner of a building down the street.

As I walk up behind her, she starts to slow down, lifting both hands and scrubbing them roughly over her face.

Her back is to me, but I can see the tight set of her shoulders, the rigidness of her spine.

There’s tension in every line of her body, like she’s holding her emotions in check by pure willpower alone.

I know I caught her off guard with that proposal.

I knew she wouldn’t like it.

But it had to be done.

Her shoulders slump a little more, and I grin to myself. Maybe she’s already realizing there’s no way out of this. If we’re going to team up, it’s the only way .

I step nearer to her, closing the distance between us now that she’s stopped walking.

But as soon as I’m within arm’s reach, she moves like lightning, wheeling around quickly.

Before I can react, she grabs my shoulder in a firm grip and drives her knee up, aiming right for my balls.

I manage to shift my weight enough that it’s not a direct hit, but pain still throbs between my legs from the contact she did manage to make.

“ Fuck ,” I hiss. “Goddammit.”

I should’ve learned my lesson from the other day at the warehouse.

She’s a fucking fighter, and I’ll have to remember that, or I’ll pay the price for it.

Clenching my jaw, I drive her backward with my body weight, taking advantage of my heavier frame as my own fighter’s instincts kick in.

I slam her into the wall of the building behind her, then let my arm come up to press across her throat, keeping her pinned in place.

We’re both breathing hard, and despite the ache in my balls, I keep my stance firm as I glare down at her. Her slate gray eyes are hard as she stares back up at me, looking like she either wants to spit in my face or claw my eyes out. Maybe both, knowing her.

“I hope this isn’t a preview of what our wedding night will be like,” I murmur, dropping my voice a little. “Is that any way to greet your future husband?”

Her nostrils flare at the last word, and I can feel her throat work beneath my forearm as she swallows.

Her chest is rising and falling with sharp breaths, and I’m suddenly intently aware of everywhere our bodies are touching.

We were in close proximity the other day, but Atlas was the one who had her pinned against the wall with his body, not me.

Did he notice how fucking gorgeous she is? Did he notice the way her breasts pressed against him as she struggled?

Fuck .

I shove that thought away, not even quite sure where it came from.

It’s not news to me that Quinn is attractive.

I’ve thought so for as long as I’ve known her.

But it was easy enough to ignore that fact when she was nothing more than the daughter of one of my biggest rivals, Jonah Kent.

Even when she became leader of Enigma, it wasn’t all that hard to keep her squarely in the box of an enemy I might like to fuck with but would never be stupid enough to fuck.

Now, though? Knowing that she’s about to become an ‘ally,’ even if it’s in name only? That she might even become my wife?

It’s harder to suppress my physical response to her proximity and the feel of her body against mine, strong and muscled but still soft in all the right places.

The sight of her with her cheeks flushed and a lock of hair falling partly over her face from the tussle has the same effect.

I can imagine a fuckload of different ways I could have her all tousled and out of breath, and each is more sinful than the last.

I realize with a start that neither of us has spoken for at least a full minute, silence building between us as we stare at each other, our breaths mingling between us.

Quinn seems to be hit with the same realization, her body jerking a little as if she’s snapping out of a daze.

She sneers at me, shoving me away, and I take a step back, releasing the pressure on her throat. There’s space between us now, but I don’t look away. Despite whatever the hell that just was, she needs to know I’m serious about this. It’s not a fucking joke.

“You’re not my husband,” she snaps, her eyes flashing. “And you never will be. I was willing to work with you to protect my gang, but marrying you? Fuck no. I’d rather die.”

I raise one eyebrow, tilting my head back a little.

“I don’t think you mean that. Your survival instincts are too strong to give up and die for anything, just like mine are.

And did you really think I’d let you in on any of my club’s business without knowing that you and I are linked?

That our interests are bound by marriage?

I thought you were supposed to be a good leader.

I’m protecting my people here, and if you truly want to protect yours, you should want the same thing.

It’s in both of our interests to do it this way. ”

Her eyes burn with fire and irritation as she glares at me.

If I thought I had her pissed off before, she’s fucking furious now—and goddamn, it looks good on her.

She’s angry as hell, and I’m sure she’d be happy to kill me right now if she could justify it in her mind, but I can see her working through the logic of my words.

Even angry, she’s sharp, and I like that. She’s smart as hell, that much I already knew from my dealings with her. But more than that, she’s just a sharp person , like a dagger, lashing out with a quick jab of wit.

Or a physical jab , I think, still feeling the soreness in my balls from where she kneed me.

“So you won’t help us against this unknown threat unless I marry you?” she finally asks, drawing the words out. “We either get married to cement the alliance, or the whole thing is off and we each deal with the threat on our own?”

“That’s right.” I nod. “Either we’re allies in this completely, or not at all.”

Quinn makes a low noise of frustration. We’re standing a few feet apart, both tensed as if we’re ready for a fight, although neither of us has reached for the weapons I know we have on us.

“You’re such a fucking pain in the ass,” she grits out. “There are a hundred other ways we could do this without having to get married.”

“Name one,” I challenge. “Name one way that would have the same impact.”

She hesitates, almost as if she’s about to suggest that we could just decide to trust each other, but she must recognize how ridiculous that would sound because she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she just glares at me, her scowl deepening.

“Look,” I tell her, lowering my voice. “This is about more than me and you. You know that.”

“Yeah, of course I fucking know that.” Her tone turns hard.

“You think I want my people getting attacked? You think I want to watch the shit I worked to rebuild get torn down by some faceless threat? I’m doing my best here, and I thought working with you was going to help.

But it’s just giving me a fucking headache. ”

The fire in her is back, and it’s so tempting to put my hand to the flame and see how badly I get burned. But I hold back for the moment, not wanting to push her too far while we’re still hashing shit out.

“I think you know I’m right,” is all I say.

“Fuck off,” she snaps, as if it’s a knee-jerk response by now.

But I can tell from the look on her face that I’ve hit the nail on the head.

We can talk about trust all day and tell other people that we’ve joined forces—but without a concrete bond, something tying us together, the chances of betrayal are too high.

Besides that, while both of us have done okay on our own when it comes to leading our gangs and defending our territories, combining forces will be a boost to both groups.

A boost we really fucking need right now, if someone from the outside is trying to stir shit up.

“I can’t believe I’m even considering this,” Quinn mutters. “I must have lost my fucking mind.”

I drop my head a little to catch her gaze. “Does that mean you agree?”

“Goddammit.” She hits the final consonant of the word sharply, blowing out a breath. Then she nods. “Alright. If it’s the best way to keep my people safe, then Enigma will ally with Carnage, and I’ll…” She swallows, as if the words are sticking in her throat. “Marry you.”

I grin at her, letting it turn sharp. “I knew you were smart.”

“Fuck you.”

“Sorry.” I chuckle, tracing my tongue lightly over my teeth. “Not until the wedding night. I’m old-fashioned like that.”

Her jaw tightens. “You try touching me on our wedding night, and my knee is going right back to your balls. And this time, I won’t miss.”

Instead of daring her to try it, I hold my hand out for her to shake.

She sighs and moves to take my hand, her smaller palm resting against mine. But instead of just shaking to seal our agreement, I use the grip to yank her close and press my lips to hers.

I’m not quite sure why I do it, except maybe to prove a point. To prove to her that this is fucking real, no matter how much she hates it.

She stiffens, her body tense against mine and her lips like a block of ice.

Then something seems to break, and in a split second, the kiss shifts from cold ice to pure fire.

Her mouth softens, moving against mine, and I press into it, drawn in by the feeling.

She makes a noise against my lips, something between a whimper and a moan, and my cock twitches at the sound.

I kiss her harder, tempted to coax her mouth open and explore it with my tongue. To find out what she tastes like.

Then Quinn bites down on my lower lip.

Hard .

Hard enough to draw blood.

I grunt in pain, and she rips herself away from me, breathing raggedly. Her own lips are stained with the red of my blood, and her eyes blaze with that same fire I was admiring earlier as she smirks at me.

“ That was a preview of what our wedding night will be like, husband ,” she says, her voice husky. “So I hope you’re ready.”

I lick my lips, tasting the coppery tang there. I’m breathing just as hard as she is, and despite the pain from the bite, my cock is still half-hard in my pants. I smile back at her, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “Oh, I’m more than ready, wife.”

Her jaw clenches with some reaction to that. Her pupils have expanded, darkening her gray eyes, and she uses one thumb to wipe my blood away from the corner of her lip before licking it off. She eyes me for a moment in silence and then nods, turning to walk away and rejoin the others.

I watch her go, staring after where she disappeared around the corner.

A low chuckle escapes my lips as I readjust my pants and then follow her, walking back out to join everyone else.

I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do for my gang—that’s always what matters here. Keeping my people safe, making sure no one can fuck with us. Getting close to the leader of Enigma is a strategic decision before it’s anything else… but it isn’t a total hardship either.

Quinn Kent is pure fire, bright and intense.

And I’m looking forward to seeing how hot she burns.