Page 6 of Wicked Empire (Knight's Ridge Empire 3)

“Me? I wasn’t the one who got freaking shot, Seb. What the fuck?” There’s an edge of anger to her tone, and it startles me a little.

“I-I didn’t mean—”

“Shit. I’m sorry.”

Leaning forward, her warm hand cups my jaw as her brow presses against mine.

“Do you have any idea how fucking terrifying that was?”

A flashback to when she was stabbed hits me. “Yeah, actually. I do.”

Tears fill her eyes as she stares at me. “I thought you were both dead,” she whispers, emotion cracking her voice.

“It’ll take more than—”

“No,” she begs. “Please. No jokes.”

I nod, helpless but to do anything she asks.

“Have you seen Toby?”

She shakes her head. “Not yet, but the guys are with him. I made them leave us alone.”

“Hmm,” I hum, rubbing my nose against hers. “I like the way you think.”

“Sebastian, you’re in the hospital.”

“A guy still has needs, baby.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re incredibly hot. I can’t help it if I get hard every time I look at you.”

At my words, she glances down. “Oh my God. Don’t let Janice see that, she might start to think you’re softening to her.”

“It’ll definitely go soft if she comes anywhere near it, don’t worry about that.”

“Jesus,” she mutters, a smile playing on her lips.

Wrapping her arm around me, she snuggles into my good side and we just lie there in silence, appreciating that tonight didn’t go as badly as it could have.

Stella’s breathing evens out, and I start to think she’s drifted off to sleep. But just as I close my eyes to do the same, my name floats through the air.

“Yeah, baby?” I whisper back, caressing her arm with my thumb.

She shifts so she’s looking up at me once more.

“I love you.”

My chin drops, and all the air rushes out of my lungs as I stare down at her in disbelief.

I know she feels it. I see it within her when she looks at me. I saw it in the way she wanted to react to me when I told her how I felt.

But hearing the words?

Fuck.

It makes me appreciate her holding back from saying it as a reaction to me doing so because knowing just how much she means it… Fuck, it makes my heart shatter in all the best ways.

“Stella, I—” Her fingers press against my lips.

“Rest.”

Unable to do anything but what she says, I close my eyes once more, drop my nose to the top of her head, and breathe her in.