Page 208 of Ruin Me With Lies

Miss you, Sleeping Beauty.

Come find me.

Smiling, I pour some coffee in a travel mug and check the surveillance feeds on my tablet.Ah, he’s at Blue Court.

A warm flutter stirs in my belly as I head out, girlishly giddy at the thought of seeing him, touching him, smelling him.

Down on the plains, I find Wren—my right-hand man—lounging on a bench, leering lecherously at White’s backside.White, his husband and my second-in-command, is off in the distance maneuvering a drone with meticulous focus.Wren doesn’t even notice me approaching, too entranced by the view.

“You’ve been married to that ass for seven years,” I say.“Shouldn’t you be bored of it by now?”

Wren twists around.“Oh, hey, boss.”He jumps to his feet, careful not to spill his shitty green juice.“And nope, I’ll never not be obsessed with that fine ass.”

“Walk with me.”

He falls in step beside me.“No sparring today, I take it?”

“Unless it’s with Castello’s dick, no.”

He laughs.“The guys will be thrilled to hear that.”

“Bunch of pussies.”I sip my coffee.“How long has Castello been down here?”

“A few hours.He’s been making the rounds, talking to people, showing respect, being decent.You put him up to it?”

“Me?”I laugh.“You know damn well no one can put that bullheaded man up to anything.”Blue Court comes into view.“I don’t get why he’s trying to make nice, though.It’s not his style.He thrives on being hated.”

“Because he loves you?”Wren suggests, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.“He’s doing it foryou.Probably thinks it’ll be better for your relationship if he gets along with your team.”

I shake my head.“Still weird.”

Wren chuckles.“No, Ray.That’s what it’s like to have someone love you so much they’d do anything for you.”He stops walking and pivots to face me.“You know I’m no fan of his.But, with all due respect, you’re a little slow on the uptake.That man would move heaven and earth for you.And that’s all we want, Ray.For you to be safe and happy with someone who’ll swallow his pride and bend to your needs.Who’ll kneel for you.If he hadn’t proved himself worthy to Pavlov, he wouldn’t be here.Some of us might not like him, but we damn sure respect him.”

“Hm.I hear you, Wren.”I punch his rock-hard bicep.“You can go back to ogling your husband.”

“My favorite pastime.”He flashes me a wink and turns to leave.

“Oh, wait,” I stop him.“Tell Holly to stock my fridge and pantry with some bougie snacks for Stefano.He’s being a diva.”

Wren laughs.“Chocolate Almond Butter?”

“Especiallythat, yes.”

He throws me a thumbs up and jogs off.

As I walk into Blue Court, conversations halt and chairs scrape across the floor, everyone rising to their feet.My searching gaze sweeps across familiar faces until it lands on Stefano.

He’s up at the bar, back to me, texting on his phone while Rodney pours him a drink.

With an absent flick of my wrist, the room exhales back to life as everyone settles back into their rhythms.I hop the steps up to the raised bar and slide onto the stool next to Stefano.“So...waking up alone was fun.”

He turns, and my heart stutters when his eyes meet mine.That soothing softness that floods his eyes whenever he looks at me…it never fails to steal my breath.

I’m lifting my coffee for a sip when he gently nudges my hand aside, leans in, and kisses me.Slow, tender, and all too brief.

My lips quiver for more when he pulls back.

“You were dead to the world,” he says.“I spent over an hour being deliberately noisy around the room.Bumping and shaking the bed.Your ass didn’t budge.”