Page 33 of The Most Wanted (The Kinky Bank Robbers #4)

Chapter Twenty-Three

I cringed as Zeus strolled over to Denko. Would he put a foot through his face? Knock him out again? Throw him out the window? But he simply stopped. Stood over him. Towered over him.

Zeus seemed larger just then—badass and beautiful. Achingly vulnerable.

“I can give you that,” Denko said.

My throat felt thick .

Zeus stared down at Denko. “I love these people. I’d die for these people.

I’m grieving a loss, that’s all. The loss of that dream.

I never quite let go of that boyhood dream, that’s all.

And when I realized that I could never have all that…

” He turned to us then, green eyes burning.

“I was scared.” He eyed each of us, connecting with each of us.

“Scared of doors closing, scared of losing you guys, too. It made me want to clamp down and control you guys harder. And that whole watching thing? I wasn’t being honest, either.

It wasn’t out of line, not for us—who gives a fuck about somebody watching?

Even Denko. Making that rule, it was about controlling you and pulling you closer, because I was insecure.

But instead of pulling you closer to me, it pushed you away. ”

Odin put his hand on Zeus’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you say?”

“That I mourn something impossible that I can never have? That I dream of walking down the aisle someday? It’s stupid. And I don’t even want it, really—not if it means not having us.”

“Don’t fool yourself, Nick—it’s only going to get worse,” Denko said.

“The personality mix I’m seeing here is clearly not viable long term.

These three live to break rules. Especially Rashad—there is no rule he won’t break, no boundary he won’t push.

He can’t help it—it’s his patterning, and it will only get worse. ”

Odin glared at Denko. “ Fucking-g patterning—fuck you.”

“Say what you will, Rashad. You could barely control yourself once you saw Nick making rules.”

Odin sniffed.

“You were a bull seeing red. You couldn’t think straight. Ice knew he was in pain, but you, his oldest friend, did you have any clue of this? No.”

Odin was doing his best to look annoyed, but I could see the horror in his eyes .

“You were a bull charging at a red flag.” Denko had a point—Odin had been kind of knee-jerky about the whole thing. “You can’t help it. It’s how you survived prison.”

Odin’s stare turned murderous.

“It’s how you kept from breaking,” Denko continued. “That’s what’s in you.”

I held my breath. Did Denko have a death wish or what?

“Fuck!” Odin sounded surprised. “Fuck!” He turned to Zeus. “I was making you into Mahfoud Ben-sakria. You made a rule, and I reacted like an angry puppet.”

Zeus shook his head. “It’s not on you?—”

“An angry puppet of Mahfoud,” Odin said. “The sadist Mahfoud.”

I felt Thor straighten beside me. “The prison,” he whispered. “That was the warden at the prison where Odin was held.”

“I see a rule, and I defy it,” Odin continued. “I projected Mahfoud on you. I am sorry for acting like an angry puppet.”

“It’s okay,” Zeus said.

“The prison will never be over for you, Rashad,” Denko said. “You’ll always be a prisoner.”

Odin stormed over, and I thought maybe he might kill Denko, but Zeus stopped him, held him by his arms. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking of you with the prison.”

“You shouldn’t have to think of me in the prison,” Odin said. “Reacting like a puppet of the sadist Mahfoud instead of seeing my brother in pain? Never again.”

“Odin—”

“Right,” Odin said. “I can’t promise I won’t feel that in me. But I can promise to stay vigilant.”

“You were right to push back. I was being extreme.”

“No, I was being extreme,” Odin said. “I was the one.”

“No, I was being extreme.” Playfully, Zeus grabbed Odin’s collar. “ Do we have to fight now?”

Odin wasn’t in a playful mood. “I don’t want you to lose your dream.”

“You can’t fight that battle for me,” Zeus said. “Losing that dream? That’s my shit to deal with.”

“If it’s your dream, it’s our dream,” Odin said.

Zeus still held Odin’s collar, but it was different now. Everything had shifted.

“We’re here. Let us be your home,” Odin said.

Zeus’s eyes shone with emotion. I thought he might cry, or maybe kiss him.

“You’re never alone,” Thor said.

Zeus let Odin go and came over to us. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“We’re with you,” Thor said. “I didn’t see what you were struggling with either, but I’ll try harder.”

Zeus sank into the couch between us. “You have a rebel streak, too. What do you think, Denko?” he called.

Denko said nothing. His plan to show us why we couldn’t be together had backfired. He’d shown my guys something important about how to be together.

Odin strolled over.

“Fuck.” Zeus looked up at him with utter affection and understanding. Like they’d come through a fire together.

“I know,” Odin replied.

I smiled. That was a make-up kiss if I ever saw one. My bank robbers’ version, anyway. “I believe in us so much right now,” I said.

Nobody replied. We all felt it. We were so beyond words.

Zeus sat back, looking calm. “And really, a tied-up guy watching? Who cares. What the fuck difference does it make? Who am I that I get to say we can’t do that? Who am I to deprive Ice of that? Not that I would’ve thought it up, but it’s so hot when Isis gets turned on by super-fucked-up things. ”

“Hey!” I said, pushing Zeus playfully.

He pulled me up onto his lap. “We’re fucking outlaws. We think it, and we do it.”

Odin came over behind the couch and set a hand on Zeus’s shoulder. “I wasn’t carrying you.”

Zeus put a hand on Odin’s hand. “You always carry me.”

“That door doesn’t have to be closed,” Denko said. “You can still decide?—”

“Have you heard nothing?” Zeus said. “We’re the God Pack. A family. We love each other. We’ll die for each other.”

“Though if this ZOX agent gig doesn’t work out,” Odin said, “you could always look into being a group therapist.”

“Yeah.” Zeus surged up and slammed his foot onto the coffee table. I was shocked that the thing didn’t break apart. Was he going to stand on it?

But then he did something that gave me shivers.

He rolled up his pant leg.

There it was. Our tattoo. The storm cloud with four lightning bolts. He pulled off his shirt and turned his arm to reveal the angel with the scrolls. “You see this tattoo? This says, I choose these people. I unchoose everything else, and that’s fine, because these people are my fucking life.”

Thor beamed at Zeus. “Though technically it says You WISH we were dead, motherfuckers. ”

“Yes, technically it says that.”

“Because it’s fucking-g awesome .” Odin was there next to him now, pulling off his shirt, baring his tattoos. “We choose each other. Always.”

Thor and I stood up then. Thor rolled up his pant leg and his sleeve. I pulled off my shoe and shoved down my thigh-high stocking and pushed up my sleeve too.

There they were, our tattoos. I could never get enough of looking at them, admiring them, this link we had. My guys couldn’t, either. This little display wasn’t so much for Denko as it was for us. Denko was small across the room, and we were huge with love, reveling in our family.

“Enjoy it while you can,” Denko said.

“I’m so tired of your negativity,” I said, pulling my stocking back up. “You’re a negative person.”

Thor laughed, and I just smiled. Was it possible to be even more in love with my guys?

Zeus flopped back onto the couch and pulled me onto his lap. Thor and Odin flopped down on either side.

I punched Zeus in the arm. “I get turned on by super-fucked-up things? Did I hear you right?”

Zeus wrapped his huge hand around my upper arm, huge and sinewy and strong over my silky blouse. With his other hand, he adjusted the collar of my blouse. “Are you saying it’s not fucked-up to want a stern, tied-up man to watch as we slowly unbutton your shirt, goddess?”

He fingered a button. My attention flew to Denko. His eyes a forbidden jagged edge on my skin.

My belly tightened.

Zeus smiled, continuing to finger that button.

Would he?

Odin stood up in front of the couch where Zeus sat with me on his lap. He reached down and smoothed back my hair. “Unbutton her shirt, Zeus.”

Shivers exploded across my skin. “You guys,” I whispered.

Zeus’s eyes were full of love as he began to unbutton my shirt, holding me with his gaze. “What, goddess?”

“Oh my god,” I said as his fingers lightly brushed my chest.

“Take your time on every button, Zeus,” Odin said. “Let her know that you control everything.” He pulled my arms up above my head and hooked my hands around his neck. “Keep your arms just like this, Ice,” he growled.

Of course there was nothing I wanted more. I tipped my head up; Odin’s hard gaze speared dark excitement clear through me. He squeezed my wrists, holding me in place, reminding me of the dangerous edge of him. “Let her know that her body is ours to use for our utter and complete pleasure,” he said.

Yaassss, I thought, letting my eyes drift closed.

I bit back a grin as Zeus flicked open another button. Air cooled my newly bared skin. He was baring me to the air, baring me to Denko’s dark eyes.

Odin slid his hands up and down my arms, like he couldn’t believe how silky my skin was. “We’ll let another man watch if we choose, but we will never allow another to touch you, baby. You are ours to touch—only ours. And we are only yours.”

I kissed his belly.

“Well, if it’s going to be this kind of party…

” Thor got up and headed to where we’d deposited our luggage.

Not a minute later, Michael Jackson was on, and not ironically, either.

Because my guys were badass like that. Gotta be Startin’ Something sounded out.

He stalked back over and sat on the couch next to Zeus and me.

“Put your feet here.” He patted the spot where he wanted my feet.

Zeus urged me around, and I put my feet up where Thor patted.

“You want to be naked, baby?” Zeus asked.

“Yes,” I whispered.