But going to this auction was the right move. These guys had to be stopped. Ruin especially. I hoped he’d make an appearance. Going to jail for taking him down would be worth it. But so far, I’d only been able to confirm two of the other six would be here.
The sky was darkening as my driver pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse near a shipyard. Only one spotlight shined over the door. It would do nothing when darkness was complete.
“Stay with the car,” I said to the driver. His service wasn’t one I normally used, and that was the point. I didn’t want to be identified. I had no identification on me either.
The driver lifted a cigarette.
“That’s fine,” I said to his unasked question to take a smoke break.
We got out at the same time, and a flood of cars and vans drove in. I stepped back in line with the driver. I was strapped but wouldn’t wield the gun unless provoked. For all I knew, it was just a coincidence that everyone arrived at the same time.
I didn’t believe in coincidences though, and I was right not to. Cars pulled up to the warehouse, closer to the shipping containers, and two cars turned on us.
“Hands up, FBI,” someone yelled.
I already had one hand up, shielding my eyes against the sudden flood of lights.
“Hands up,” they repeated.
The driver and I did as told. I guessed it was jail then. Though it didn’t make sense they hadn’t waited for me to go in. I could easily say I had no idea what was happening inside.
Two male officers came forward and split us up.
“You’re the driver, right?” one asked me.
I recognized Matt’s voice. The sky was still bright enough for me to see his head was red, not blond. “I am.”
“That’s Mr. Black,” Matt said to the officer while pointing at my driver. “Take him in.”
I hadn’t put all the pieces together, but I glared at my driver, willing him to stay silent. The big man, and he was a big man, seemed to cower under my stare. The officer got cuffs on him and perp-walked him to one of the vehicles.
“Did Lizzy get in touch with you?” I asked quietly.
“No,” he whispered without moving his lips much. “But I know my sister. She was always going to tell you. I got the mob boss to send me here. I’m on this case now.”
“She means a lot to me.” I wanted him to know the whole truth, but I wouldn’t say the words until I said them to her first.
“I know. Otherwise you’d be eating gravel.”
“I can help in this case.”
“I know that too. I’ve done some digging. Someone’s been feeding information to the FBI, but our guy can’t get in touch with his connect.”
“He’s gone dark. That’s all I know,” I admitted.
“Well, now I’m your connect. You feed the information to me. We’ll talk later.” Louder, he said, “You’re free to go. If I find out you’re involved as more than a driver, I’m coming for you.” He pointed at me.
“Yes, sir,” I said, tipping my head and playing the role.
I got in the car, wondering if I would have to try to hot wire it, but the keys were there. I would bet my life my driver was a cop too. They’d given me plausible deniability to the six who ran the ring. I could say I’d gotten away because I’d pretended to be the driver. It would be on record that they’d arrested a Mr. Black but had to let him go when they realized they’d gotten the wrong guy.
The drive back home to my Manhattan apartment was long only because I wasn’t sure what to do with the car. Eventually, I left it in a lot not far from my club.
The cops hadn’t raided my club the night before, and I knew that was because Matt had fixed things. By the time I left for home, I was tired and wished Lizzy was there. If I hadn’t forced her to sign the annulment papers, she could be there with me always.
Instead, I was going home to an empty house. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t happy at the prospect. I opened the door of the penthouse, and when I walked down the short hallway to the living room, there she was. Sitting with her back to me. She wore a white bra and panties, from what I could tell from my view behind. Her hair wasn’t pulled back, but it was pulled over one shoulder. I got a view of her lovely neck and what she wore there.
Fuck my life. What had I done to deserve this honor?
I moved forward slowly, drinking in the view. When I stepped around to face her, she didn’t look up at me. My princess was a good student. I stroked a hand down her face and under her chin to lift her face so our eyes would meet.
“First tell me how you got in.” She opened her mouth, but I said, “Don’t tell me. My brother.” She nodded and I laughed. “The son of bitch is paying me back.”
She remained quiet.
“When I found you in my bed the first time, I reminded him I legally owned the place and that I saw you as a gift. Did he give you a message for me?” After a few seconds, I said, “You can answer direct questions.”
“He said to tell you legally, what’s yours is mine. Therefore, I was entitled to the key.”
My brows shot up. “You didn’t sign the papers like I asked.”
Her head bobbed a few times.
“Then why would he say that?”
“You only said to sign the papers. You didn’t say I had to return them to the lawyer.”
I threw back my head and laughed. “I should have known better than to play a war of words with you.”
Her shoulders lifted, but that mischievous smile was there.
“I ought to punish you.”
“Spank me then.”
I chuckled. “No, you want that. A better punishment would be to have you swallow my cock and deny you orgasm after orgasm until you were begging to come.”
That got the reaction I wanted. Her eyes rounded.
“Don’t worry, princess. You’ll get off on a technicality, like I did tonight. Your brother saved my ass for you. But you know that. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
She nodded. At least we didn’t have to waste time on the details of what happened. Matt had likely called her after I drove off and explained everything. Now I could move on to more interesting things.
“And what about this?” I said, tugging on the black collar around her neck.
“You mentioned never living with a sub before. I thought having the collar would make it easier. If I’m wearing it, you’ll know I want to play. If you give it to me, I’ll know you want to. Neither of us will have to say the words and spoil the fun.”
“You continue to surprise me. But this”—I tugged on the silver hoop in the front— “isn’t your style. We’ll need to get you a different one. One you can wear in public and only you and I would recognize. But there’s something else…” I held out a hand and helped her to her feet. “Only one of us should be on their knees tonight.” I got down on one. “I think I’ve been in love with you since the first time we met in that bar.”
She sucked in air then let out a nervous giggle. “But you ran.”
I hadn’t run. I’d walked away thinking I’d won over the pull I’d felt toward her. I didn’t say that or chide her about speaking because this was no longer playtime. “That’s because you had this take-no-prisoners look and I didn’t want to be caught. It didn’t matter though, because you already had. There hasn’t been another woman in my bed since that day. It’s been you this entire time.”
“For me too,” she said.
“Not Griffin?” I’d avoided this question but had to know.
“No. Not even a kiss.”
“Good. I’d still forgive you, but I might have had to kill him.”
She giggled. I stroked her fingers and prayed for once in my life. This was the most important question I’d ever asked.
“Lizzy, I know technically we’re still married, but I have to ask. Will you be my wife?”
A tear spilled from her eyes and she got back to her knees, putting us face to face. “Yes, you big lug. I thought you’d never ask.”
“I never saw myself as a prince until I had a princess.”
“You know that’s corny, right?” she teased.
“And you love it.”
She sobered. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” So damn much. She was hope. My hope.
“What’s going on in your head?” she asked.
“You.” I kissed her longer this time. “Now back to playtime…” I slipped my hand around her throat as I slipped inside. “I really want to see you on a Saint Andrew’s cross.”
“Why?”
I squeezed just a little as I felt her getting close and said, “Because you look like a fucking angel and I’m about to corrupt the hell out of you.”
Epilogue
Bailey and I both looked down at my dress and back at each other.
“I can’t believe it,” I said.
“Well, you look amazing.”
I’d been torn between two dresses. One was very princess-like in off-white—because who was I kidding, I was no virgin. It had a deep V in the front, back, and sides, intricately embroidered all over with geometric patterns in white beading. It was Mother-approved.
The other was more modern, a white mermaid dress with geometrical cuts of eyelet lace around the bust and hips to create an artful bodice. That I would wear at the reception. And if there was time, the plan was to change into my original dress from our courthouse wedding for our send-off.
“Three dresses,” I said, happy but second guessing myself for the millionth time wondering if it was over the top.
“This is your day. Have twelve dress changes if you want. I had two. And honestly, I’d be pissed if I didn’t see you in the dress from the wedding I didn’t get to attend,” she teased.
Grinning like a loon, I asked, “Is it weird to get married when you’re already married?”
The judge who had married us had agreed to perform today’s ceremony. My parents would have preferred a priest, but this felt right for us. When he’d explained he was a religious man, they calmed down.
“Who gives a fuck?”
I burst into laughter because it wasn’t often Bailey cursed.
She touched the diamond choker at my throat. “Another gift from Connor?”
The man was a giver. “Yes.”
I didn’t explain its significance. She was my greatest friend in the world, but husbands and wives were allowed to keep some secrets.
“He doesn’t know I’m going to wear it today,” I said.
“It’s stunning and goes with the tiara.”
“Who doesn’t want to be a princess, especially when your man calls you that?”
She grinned. “I told you he’s a keeper.”
I took her hands. “You did, and I couldn’t do this without you. You’re the sister I never had.”
“We might have been sisters,” she teased. She was referring to the crush she’d had on my brother, but Matt had dragged his heels. By the time he made a move, the gorgeous Scotsman had stormed into her life.
“Yeah, but we married brothers.”
She squealed. “That makes us sisters by marriage!”
“We are.”
She brushed something off my cheek. “Don’t cry. We can’t ruin this dress.”
I sniffed. “I just never thought…”
Finding the perfect life partner wasn’t a guarantee in life. Connor “Striker” King had his flaws, but he was perfect for me.
There was a knock at the door. When the door opened and Connor poked his head in, Bailey shooed him away.
“It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” she admonished.
“We’re already married.”
She tilted her head as she thought about it. “There’s that.” She looked back at me. “You look amazing. I’ll see you out there and let you have a few minutes with your husband…”
I laughed. “Thanks, Bails, for being you.”
She left, and he closed the door. For the longest moment, he stood there looking at me. “You look beautiful.”
I did a little twirl. “Like a princess?” I teased and touched the understated tiara on my head. He came forward as if to kiss me, but I held up a hand. “Not the makeup.”
He grabbed me anyway and gave me a kiss that left my lips tingling. “You can fix it when I’m done.”
Then I wrapped my arms around his head. “We can call this practice for the Mr. and Mrs. kiss at the end.” I felt him growing hard against me. I pulled away and shook a finger at him. “None of that right now.”
His brow arched before he slipped a finger under the choker and tugged a little. “You wanted me hard on that dais.”
My answering grin was wicked. “Did it work?”
“You know it did.” He pulled me firmly against him.
“I do. It’s the reason I married you. For your body, not your money,” I teased then bit my lip for what I was about to say. “So don’t go getting a dad bod on me.”
Confusion furrowed his brows. “Dad bod? Why would I get a—”
He stepped back and looked at my belly, the same as Bailey and I had minutes ago. When he came forward, his hand carefully touched my stomach.
“You’re pregnant?”
Lips between my teeth, I nodded while holding my breath.
“Shit. When? How?”
“You know how,” I said on a nervous laugh, still not sure how he was handling the news. “The when, not long ago. I woke up puking this morning. When I told Bails, she reminded me I didn’t drink much last night.” I hadn’t wanted the hangover. “She insisted I take a test and brought it. I just found out myself.” I waited for him to speak. “Well? Are you happy? I know it’s a shock, but when Griffin’s people don’t pack your birth control and your husband is a horny bastard—”
“Me?” he asked with an upward curl to his lips. “You couldn’t keep your hands off my dick.”
“It is a pretty dick, I must admit. And since we were fucking without a condom I might add, things like pregnancies happen,” I said in a rush because he’d yet to say how he felt.
He cupped my cheeks. “I don’t know if I’ll be a good dad.”
“You’ll be an amazing dad.”
“Maybe. But I can’t wait to have a little spitfire daughter just like you running around our house.”
We’d rented out my apartment, which was fine. I was still a little spooked about living there. I would have sold it, but he convinced me real estate was a solid investment. We were currently living in his place in Manhattan. He’d given me carte blanche to redecorate.
“That would be a future biker King son,” I said. “Because there can be only one princess in this family.”
His sexy smirk had me wet all over again. “And there can be only one King.” He held my gaze, a smile on his face. “A boy and a girl.”
I grimaced. “Not at the same time.”
“Why not?”
“When you get a vagina, you can pop out two in one day,” I said, laughing the entire time.
He kneeled and slowly pushed up the fabric of my dress.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You brought up your vagina.” His hand reached the apex of my thighs. “And you’re wet for me. Not to mention you’re wearing the collar. You want to play.” He stood with mounds of fabric in his hands. “Turn around and hang on to the back of the sofa.”
Without question, I turned because he’d called it right. I had worn the collar to bait him into doing something like this.
“What about the door?” I asked, knowing I was breaking the rules.
He slapped my ass. Not to hurt. He had a way of using his hands, floggers, and whips to turn me on, not off. “That was a warning. But I’ll answer your question this time. You like the idea of getting caught. Don’t you?”
Okay, so maybe I had learned I was a little into exhibitionism. I hadn’t crossed the line of actually letting people watch, but the idea that someone could see definitely turned me o
n—along with light bondage, discipline, dominance, and submission. I didn’t think I’d ever be into heavy masochism, but to each his own.
“Yes,” I said as there was a knock on the door.
The wedding coordinator said, “Five minutes,” at the same time Connor penetrated my core. I moaned loudly. I couldn’t help myself. Connor placed a hand over my mouth.
“Okay,” the coordinator said, “I’ll give you an extra five.”
“Fuck, you’re dripping for me,” Connor said.
I bit my lip, trying to fight crying out. I took his hand and put it to my throat. Only his hand slipped away as I felt an orgasm coming on. “We can’t while you’re pregnant.”
It was too late to respond before my muscles began to contract. I imagined him squeezing my throat. Always the right pressure. The man was a master at playtime. I was totally going to miss this for the next nine months. Though I had my lips compressed as the orgasm took over, my moan was loud. I went spiraling over the edge as he clamped a hand lightly over my mouth. “Everyone will here.” He thrust a few more times coming deep inside me.
“Clean up on aisle seven,” I joked.
He tucked that massive cock of his back into his tuxedo trousers. “I fucking love you.”
“I love your fucking.” He narrowed his eyes, and I grinned. “I fucking love you too.”
That put that sexy smirk of his back on his face. “I’ll get something to clean you up.”
There was a bathroom attached to the suite of rooms made for prewedding needs. After he’d cleaned me up—because the man was attentive like that—I fixed my makeup and we left the room hand in hand. In an untraditional move, Connor handed me over to my dad.
“Bring her back to me,” Connor said to Dad before disappearing into the garden.
“Are you ready for this?” Dad asked.
I squeezed his hand. “I am, but we’re already married.”
They hadn’t been thrilled to learn the truth about my secret wedding, but they loved him as much as Bailey had thought they would. I was just happy to have my dad walk me down the aisle. Even more to have him and my brother in the same room. I was still working on repairing that relationship.
“Let’s get you married.”
Kingdom Fall: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (Kingdom Come Book 2) Page 16
