Page 28 of Veiled Vengeance

It’s his.

Now we’re all here, together, in this perfect moment. A moment untouched by the sad, tragic ugliness of the world.

An uncontrollable, satisfied smile graces my swollen lips, and Rio traces the curve with his finger. “Esa es una hermosa vista. La podría ver todos los días.”

Now, that’s a beautiful sight. I could look at it all day.

A blush crawls up my cheeks, and I cover my face. Another hand grabs mine, and a beautiful face with a sharp jaw and emerald eyes swims into view.

“Don’t hide from us, Angel.”

My blush doubles and spreads across my chest.

Is it possible to die from swooning too much? I might be the first case and become a medical marvel.

Asher’s hand runs through my hair, lulling me into a restful state, but the tension in his body causes me to look up. His brows are drawn together, and his lips are pursed in concentration as he stares up at the ceiling.

“Hey,” I whisper, breaking his focus. “What’s going on? I thought orgasms were supposed to relieve stress, not cause it.” My teasing doesn’t have the intended effect.

Without relaxing, he gives me a small, placating smile. “And I thought orgasms were supposed to get rid of your sass.”

Rolling onto my stomach, I rest my hands and chin on his taut abs. “Guess we’re both wrong.”

He snorts out a laugh, but the clouds remain in his eyes.

“Talk to me,” I implore as his gaze wanders to the side. I raise my hand and tousle his hair.

His half-hearted smile is like a dense weight on my chest. He reads the stress on my face. “It was something Anthony said.”

Situation, meet a large bucket of ice.

Sweat breaks out across my back, and every muscle in my body strains. This is not where I thought this was going to go.

Zane sits up. “I think it’s time we talk.”

Never the words a girl wants to hear.

We all sit up, feeling the seriousness of Zane’s statement. Asher narrows his eyes and pulls me onto his lap as he catches Rio’s gleeful expression return. Rio retaliates by placing my feet in his lap.

“Sharing is caring,amgio,” Rio jests with a wink.

“Enough, you two,” Zane asserts. “We have to talk about what happened.”

My heart pounds as the box I stored in the back of my mind jumps off the shelf. “I’m good. Thanks for the kumbaya.”

I get my feet under me, ready to stand, but a set of colorful, tattooed arms and multiple hands keep me in place. The menacing glare I shoot each of them does zero favors for me.

Zane speaks first. “After our ex-girlfriend?—”

“Rachel? You all dated her?” I interrupt.

Rio’s head rears back. “How do you know about Rachel?”

“Anthony. While we were . . .there . . .he brought her up and rubbed her death in Asher’s face.” I mentally stomp on my box of nightmares, keeping the horrors inside.

“I see.” Rio nods his head.

They don’t owe me anything, but my curiosity gets the best of me. “What happened with Rachel?”