Page 99 of Wicked Empire (Knight's Ridge Empire 3)

“Come join us,” Theo says, his eyes flashing with amusement.

“Tell me they’re not actually fucking serious,” Stella mutters.

“Sorry, baby.”

“I’m not walking out there naked.”

“Too fucking right you’re not.”

“You guys are mean,” Calli snaps, walking over to both of us and holding something out for Stella. “It’s all I had. It might be a little small,” she admits with a cringe.

“Thank you,” Stella says, accepting the scraps of fabric Calli passes over.

“The guys have yours. Good luck getting them to bring it over, though.”

“Fucking cunts,” I mutter under my breath, releasing Stella so she can dress and march toward the shallow end, not giving two single fucks about everyone getting an eyeful. The guys have seen me naked more times than I’m sure they’re willing to admit.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Emmie barks, clapping her hand over her eyes. “I’m not fucking high enough for this shit.” Her other hand reaches out in Alex’s direction, demanding the joint he’s got to his lips.Unlike the others, she’s the only one still wearing the same outfit she was earlier.

“No one invited you, biker bitch,” he scoffs, although he does hand the blunt to her.

“Calli invited me, bellend. She wanted some kind of relief from all the macho alpha bullshit.”

“She doesn’t need to be here either,” Nico adds as I snatch up the pair of shorts Theo was hiding behind his lounger.

“Just tell me you brought more alcohol,” I demand.

“Of course, bro. What kind of pool party would this be without it?”

I drop down on a free lounger and gesture for Emmie to share, taking a pull on the joint as Stella emerges from the pool.

“Holy fucking shit,” I gasp, quickly proceeding to choke on the hit I just took.

“You’re a lucky motherfucker, man,” Alex announces, clearly eye-fucking my girl.

“Yeah, I know.” I scoot back on the lounger and pat the space between my thighs. Stella holds my eye as she walks over, her hips swaying, almost all her curves exposed and making my cock stir to life again.

Calli was right—the bikini is a bit small but in all the right fucking ways.

She takes a seat between my legs and rests back against me, tilting her face up to drop a kiss beneath my jaw.

“Love you,” she breathes.

I hold her tighter, dropping my nose to her wet hair. I breathe her in.

“Can’t believe these cunts gatecrashed.”

“Oh, I totally can. They knew exactly what they were doing, too.”

“Arseholes.”

“Nah, Seb. They’re just the best fucking friends you could ask for.”

I look over at all of them, laughing, joking and passing around another joint and cans of beer and bottles of vodka.

“Yeah, they’re all right, I guess.”

“Fuck you, man,” Nico barks, having clearly overheard. “We’re the best and you damn well know it.”

“What did you guys do with Daemon? Was he not up for a pool party?” Stella says, her body shaking slightly with a laugh.

“Daemon wearing anything other than his suit? You’d be lucky,” Alex barks. “He’s probably gone home to worship the devil or some shit. How the fuck we share the same DNA I’ll never know.”

The conversation moves on, the drink flowing along with the weed, and I keep my hold on Stella as I lose myself in my friends.

The events of the day might be up there with some of the worst of my life, but things are going to be okay.

I’ve got my boys, and most importantly, my girl, by my side. What more could I need?