Page 48 of Vicious Kingdom (Dynasty of Queens #3)

“ W hat’s this?” I laughed, stepping into the underground parking garage of the apartment building.

Leo held out a matte black helmet. “A proper date.”

A first date.

Five years ago, we had one. It was beautiful, grand—extravagant. While I enjoyed it, I was eager to see how he would top it this time. I didn’t ask about the anklet. It had been sitting on the island this morning before Leo left to ‘run an errand.’

He didn’t seem concerned about being caught.

So I didn’t have to be either.

“I’ve never ridden one of these.” I pulled the helmet over my head.

His fingers were gentle as they helped me secure the strap under my chin. “It’s easy, cara mia, just grip me tight with those sexy thighs and hold me here.”

He guided my hands around his waist.

“Okay, lion.”

Heat blazed in his eyes, and I made a mental note to start calling him that more. I did in my head, so it wasn’t a hard jump to start practicing it out loud.

Leo guided me to the bike, mounted, and pulled me behind him.

My heart began a wild patter.

The motorcycle roared to life beneath us, vibrating with raw power. Leo revved the engine a few times, the sound echoing through the concrete structure.

“Ready?” he called over his shoulder, pulling on his own helmet.

I gave him a thumbs up before my arms tightened instinctively around his solid torso.

He clicked his visor shut. I did the same, scrambling to regain my hold on him.

We lurched forward, and I gasped, clinging tight as we emerged from the darkness of the garage into the sun-drenched streets.

Wind whipped at my clothes, the city blurring around us as we accelerated.

I squeezed Leo tighter, my chest pressed firmly against his back.

The city unfolded before us in a kaleidoscope of movement and color. Leo guided the machine with confident precision, weaving between cars. The wind rushed against my body, somehow both violent and caressing. I could feel Leo’s muscles flex beneath my fingers with each turn, each adjustment.

We slipped through an impossibly narrow gap between a delivery truck and a taxi. My heart should have been racing with fear, but instead, a strange calm settled over me.

Leo had me.

I always wanted that.

We slipped between cars stopped at a red light, then darted forward when it turned green. The afternoon traffic was thick with commuters, but Leo navigated through the maze of vehicles with practiced precision. We’d slow, then accelerate, weaving between lanes like we were dancing.

All too soon, the music ended, the engine cut, and silence pulsed inside the helmet. We were at our destination.

A used bookstore, the largest in the city.

Anticipation shimmered down my spine. This hadn’t been on the survey his secretary had me fill out. The idea was all Leo.

It’s like he knows me.

My husband pulled up his visor, then turned to do the same to mine. “I fucking love the way you hold me.”

I gave him a squeeze.

He helped me off the seat. “Give your legs a second to adjust while I tell you the rules.”

I unbuckled my helmet and handed it to him. “Rules? On a date?”

He nodded, looping the straps on the handles.

“Do I need a safe word?” I murmured.

Leo’s body tensed. His hungry gaze snapped to mine. A rough curse escaped his lips, and he let go of his hand to brush back the short strands of hair on my head.

“Such a wicked mind,” he rasped, accent thickening as he spoke.

Fuck—I was obsessed with this man.

“So…the rules?” I asked, my own voice thick.

Leo shook himself. “There’s a trend online. You have five minutes to look, three minutes to shop, and you get two baskets.”

My poor heart did an excited little flip. “Counter proposal.”

“Anna,” he warned.

But I melted into his body, sliding my hand over his chest. “You be a gentleman and hold the baskets—”

“Naturally!”

“—no time to look, and six minutes to buy.” I arched my brow in challenge.

His eyes narrowed. “How will you know what you want if you don’t browse first?”

“Because, lion, I already know what I want.” I wasn’t talking about books, but when it came to shopping for reading material, I was a pro at selecting. Plus, I knew this store like the back of my hand.

“Alright, I accept your proposal.” Leo laced our fingers together and drew me inside.

The familiar scent of paper and ink enveloped me as we stepped through the automated sliding door. Towering shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, creating a labyrinth of literary treasures that seemed to go on forever. This wasn’t just a bookstore—it was a sanctuary.

Sunlight filtered through tall, arched windows, casting golden beams across the worn hardwood floors.

Dust motes danced in the light, glittering like tiny stars above the maze of books.

In some corners, the shelves were so tightly packed that volumes jutted out at odd angles, creating a beautiful chaos.

“Mio dio,” Leo whispered, his eyes widening as he took in the vastness of the space.

I smiled, running my fingers along the spines of nearby books. “Three floors, over half a million titles, and the best rare book collection in the city.”

“You sure you don’t want to go back to the original proposal?” he pressed.

I handed him two baskets. “Have your charge card ready, Mr. CEO. I’m going to show you how it’s done.”

Leo arranged the handles and pulled out his phone. “Your time starts now, cara mia.”

I took off.

I raced through the stacks straight to the thriller section, where glossy covers of dark alleyways and shadowy figures beckoned. My fingers danced along the spines, pulling books with practiced efficiency.

“James Patterson—need the new one. Oh! Lisa Gardner, haven’t read this yet.” I yanked volumes from the shelves, barely glancing at the covers before tossing them over my shoulder. Leo scrambled to catch them in the baskets, his reflexes impressive as he juggled the growing collection.

“Four minutes left,” he called, amusement coloring his voice.

“Karin Slaughter and Freida McFadden—absolute must.” I grabbed several hardcovers to complete my collection, then spotted a limited edition of a Thomas Harris classic. “Ooh, special binding on Red Dragon!”

The basket was filling rapidly as I moved like a hurricane through the section, plucking books with the precision of a surgeon.

The next destination was the romance section, tucked away in the back corner of the second floor.

I darted through the narrow aisles, my fingers skimming along the shelves as I navigated the familiar path.

“Three minutes gone!” Leo called, trailing behind me with the baskets.

“Don’t distract me!” I shouted back, skidding to a halt before the massive paperback display. I attacked the shelves with practiced efficiency, pulling books almost faster than Leo could register.

I paused long enough to arrange the piles for maximum capacity before running up the stairs to the third floor.

Fantasy. There were too many classics to miss!

I loaded up on Robert E. Howard, a new favorite.

I grabbed the complete series of Robert Jordan’s work, before going after some Indie authors like Chandelle LaVaun, Leigh Kelsey, LJ Andrews, and Stacia Stark.

“One minute.” Leo seemed triumphant.

I tore down three flights of stairs, bumping and bumbling past other customers. Sailing to the glass cases of special editions, I tapped on the glass. “I’m buying all of these if you open them up in the next ten seconds.”

The wide-eyed clerk blinked at me.

“Hurry, my good man, it’s life or death!” I sang out with a laugh, not caring how ridiculous I sounded.

He hurried.

With tender care, I loaded book after book into the last basket. Leo began to count down from twenty. My fingers slipped on a precious first edition Maas.

“Time.”

I did it. I owned one of the first printings of Throne of Glass .

As the clerk rang up the books, Leo traced his fingers over the spines. “How the hell did you manage to grab over sixty books?”

I shrugged. “I’m just that good.”

He looked at me, something more than hunger blazed there. Possession maybe? Admiration? Or…adoration?

Either way, I felt light and happy.

Until I looked at the boxes. “How the hell are we getting those home?!”

“Oh, I’ll have them delivered.” Leo waved a hand.

I sighed contentedly. “So many pretties for my shelves. Say….” I shifted.

“Yes?” Leo arched a questioning brow.

“I need to box up my books at my parents’ house. They’re redecorating my bedroom. But um, we don’t have room at the apartment.”

“Anna.” Leo placed his hands around my waist. “Your books will always have a place with us. I would never separate you from your library.”

“Honey, never let him go,” the clerk gushed, staring dreamily at us.

I smiled. “I don’t plan to.”

***

Leo was over-the-top. The man ran a billion-dollar corporation. He employed hundreds and hundreds of people. He donated to charities. And yet, he had his secretary, who likely had more important things to do, waiting outside the store to drive my book haul back to the apartment.

As the taillights faded, I shook my head. “That was one hell of a date.”

“Good.” He tenderly brought me to his side. “Hungry? Want to grab a coffee?”

“Mmm, maybe later, Americano,” I teased. The old nickname made his lips twitch upward. “I want to go back inside.”

“You reached your limit on books for the day,” he warned. His smile grew feral, all teeth and predatory.

I shook my head. “Not for me. You.”

Leo cocked his head. “Me?”

“You read.” I tugged him back inside. “But you could use some recommendations to enhance your tastes.”

Laughing, he followed me.

I had an ulterior motive, as he would soon discover. We grabbed another basket and leisurely browsed the thrillers, true crime, and detective novels.

“No, not that one, I prefer G.R. James,” Leo said, putting a police procedural back on the shelf.