by K. L. Ramsey
“That’s what we’re trying to avoid,” Finn said. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. “Think this through before you outright turn him down, Nix. We’ve had a little time to digest this and I know that you feel like you walked into an ambush, but we’ve thought this through. The only way to keep you safe, and take away Gluttony’s hold over you, would be for you to marry Damion. I know that he didn’t ask you in a very romantic way, but that’s just not his style, really.” She already knew that. Damion didn’t do the whole romance scene. He wasn’t one for grand sweeping gestures or sending roses and candy. It wasn’t who he was, and she was fine with that. But, a marriage proposal should be a guy asking a woman to marry him—not telling her that it was just going to happen.
“I get that,” she said. “But, it would have been nice to have been asked, you know?”
“I understand,” Finn said. “Listen, will you hang out in my office for a bit? You can’t go back to your or Damion’s homes. It’s not safe. Let me talk to Damion and you take some time to think through your options. I’m sure we can come up with a solution if we put our heads together.”
He was right—she couldn’t go back to her place or Damion’s. Her best bet was to stick around the office and right now, Finn’s was her best option because she didn’t want to be anywhere near Damion Pride.
Damion
Finn burst into his office and slammed his door shut behind him. Yeah—his best friend was good and pissed at him for the way he handled things with Nix. Well, he’d have to get in line to kick Damion’s ass because he felt about ready to do that to himself.
“What the fuck was that back there?” Finn growled.
Damion decided to play dumb, even if he knew exactly what Finn was talking about. “What do you mean?” he questioned.
“No,” Finn Barked, pointing his finger at Damion. “You don’t get to play stupid with me. I know you better and I know how smart you are, Damion. All the woman wanted was hearts and flowers and instead, you gave her an angry alpha man telling her how it’s going to be. She’s had so much taken away from her, you couldn’t let her keep a shred of her dignity?”
“I wasn’t trying to hurt her or strip her of her dignity, man,” Damion defended. “I was simply a way for her to stay safe from the Gluttony Syndicate. I’m a means to an end.” That truth made him the saddest. They had only been together for a short time now, but he liked her. Hell, he more than liked Nixon Lust and that was trouble for him. If he gave her hearts and flowers, he might lose his heart to her and that wasn’t an option. He needed to remember the plan and hopefully, he’d get her to agree to come work for him and Finn, permanently joining their Syndicate. Marrying her went above and beyond the little alliance, they had made.
Damion had never thought of himself as husband material. Hell, he wasn’t sure that he wanted that for himself—a wife, kids, the whole nine yards. What he did know was that he couldn’t let Nixon walk out of his life. He couldn’t let her run off to save her brother and most importantly, he couldn’t let her marry Bruno Gluttony.
“You could have used a little more finesse when you demanded that she marry you, Damion,” Finn said, his smirk firmly in place. When his best friend looked at him that way, he usually believed that he was right and that Damion was wrong. This time, none of the right or wrong stuff mattered. What did matter was keeping Nixon safe and finding a way to get Carter back in one piece.
“I don’t need you to stand there and tell me how to ask my girl to marry me, Finn,” Damion chided.
Finn’s laugher rang through the office and Damion wanted to tell him to get the fuck out. He didn’t have the time or energy to deal with his business partner today. He’d already had his marriage proposal turned down, the last thing he needed was having to deal with his asshole best friend telling him how to ask a woman to marry him.
“Your girl is in my office pissed off at you for being an asshole,” Finn chided. “Listen, I know that you want her, Damion. Hell, you too are practically living together now. Do you want to marry her?” That was the question and one that he hadn’t been asked before now. Damion was feeling just as hopeless as Nixon probably was—as if all of his options were taken away from him and he was being told what to do with the rest of his life.
He shrugged, “Not sure,” he admitted. “I mean, we’ve known each other for all of two weeks now.”
“How do you feel about her?” Finn asked. He already knew the answer to that question. He didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he was in deep.
“I’ve fallen for her,” he admitted. Hearing the words come out of his mouth made him feel a little panicked. He had never felt this way for any woman that he was with. Hell, he had never been with a woman for as long as he had been with Nix. Usually, he dated a woman once or twice and then sent her packing. He and Finn had promised each other that they would concentrate on building their company. They agreed to keep their personal lives simple to allow room for their growing careers and now, he had gone and broken his promise to his best friend.
“I’m sorry,” Damion said. “I feel like by saying that, I’m letting you down. We made a pact to concentrate on growing our company.”
Finn chuckled and sunk into the chair in front of his desk. “If you haven’t noticed, man, this company has grown. We’ve practically outgrown what you and I are capable of handling. It’s one of the reasons why bringing Nixon on was such a good idea. We’ve gone through our growing pains and you falling for Nix is perfectly acceptable. Heck, if you told me that you weren’t falling for her, I’d ask her to marry me instead. She’s awesome, Damion. Don’t fuck this up and let her go.”
He looked at Finn and laughed. “You really suck at pep talks, man,” he said. “I’d love to believe that it’s as easy as you say, but what if I’ve fucked this up beyond repair. I don’t want to let her go and she’ll marry Bruno Gluttony over my dead body,” he growled.
“If you’re looking for some advice,” Finn said. “I think I might be able to help. I know that I don’t do sticky relationships. Hell, I might be the worst person on the planet for you to ask relationship advice from, but if I were you, I’d just tell her how you feel. You know, women seem to love that honesty shit. Just tell her what you’ve told me. It might be the only way to get her to agree to marry you and possibly, the only way to save both her and Carter’s lives.”
Damion knew that Finn had a valid point. If he wanted to keep Nixon safe, as he promised Carter he would, he needed to get her to agree to marry him. It was the only way. “All right,” Damion breathed. “Let me make a quick phone call and then I’ll come to your office to find you and Nix.”
“Sounds good, man. Don’t be too long. I’m afraid that she’ll bolt if we give her too much time to think,” Finn said.
He left Damion’s office and pulled his door shut behind him. Damion looked up his friend’s number and dialed it. Titan owned a local jewelry store and he knew that his friend would help him out in a hurry.
“Titan,” his friend answered.
“Hey man, it’s Damion.”
“Pride.” Titan’s voice boomed through the phone. “How the hell are you?”
“Good, Titan,” he said. “Listen, I need a huge favor. I’m getting married and I need an engagement ring and wedding band A.S.A.P.”
“Well, fuck me,” Titan growled. “I can’t believe that you just said that to me. You’re getting married? I thought I’d never see the day.”
“Surprise,” Damion grumbled. “Listen, I need something special in the next thirty minutes, delivered to my office. Money is no object. Can you make that happen?”
“I believe that I can. I have just the set in my store right now. I’ll have my assistant bring it over to you and if the lucky lady you’re asking to marry you doesn’t like it, just bring her into my store and we can find something that suits her.”
“Thanks, man,” Damion said. “I owe you a favor.”
“Noted,” Titan said. “Pleasure do
ing business with you, Pride.” He ended the call and Damion shoved his cell into his pocket. It was time to man up and tell the woman that he wanted how he felt about her, and that terrified him.
Nixon
Nixon paced the floor of Finn’s office, worried that she was waiting and wishing for something that might not happen. Damion might not want her on her terms and maybe she was being foolish even asking for them. Was it wrong to want a little romance? Was it wrong to want to be asked to marry someone and not be outright told that you will? Nix didn’t think she was being too unreasonable, but judging by his tone, Damion did. He walked away, leaving her standing in the hallway like a fool, and that hurt most of all. When Finn looked at her with so much pity in his eyes, she almost wanted to run and hide to have a good cry.
Her cell phone rang and she pulled it from her purse, “Hello,” she answered, not bothering to check to see who was calling.
“Hi there,” a man’s voice said. “I’m trying to reach Nixon Lust,” he said. No one knew her true last name except Rock, Damion, and Finn. Why would someone call her that? Unless that someone had her brother hostage and wanted to marry her.
“Bruno Gluttony,” she breathed.
“Good guess,” he said. “I thought I’d call so we can go over some of the ground rules for our nuptials.”
“Ground rules?” she asked. Oh—this was going to be good. A part of her thought that maybe she should just hang up on him but the curious girl in her won out. She wanted to hear what ridiculous rules Bruno would have come up with for her. She knew Bruno when they were just kids and he seemed like an arrogant prick even back then.
“Yeah—I think that if we’re going to be married, there need to be some ground rules,” he said.
“Okay, Like?” she asked.
“Like—this isn’t a real marriage, so I don’t want you going and getting any crazy delusions that I’m going to fall in love with you or anything. My father is forcing me into this and I know you’re being forced to marry me. Just don’t go getting any crazy ideas, is all,” he grumbled.
“Wow,” she breathed. “How very romantic.” She was starting to remember everything about the conceited boy who used to tease her. He was only a year older than she was and when the Syndicates would have their big meeting, out in the Catskills, kids and spouses were invited. She always dreaded going out there that week. All the other kids seemed to love getting together with their friends and catching up but she was more of a loaner. She was only about six and she hated having to find a group of kids her age to hang out with while her father talked business and her mother hung out with the other wives. Carter would usually ditch her to hang out with the older boys, and she had very limited choices of kids her age to hang out with—Bruno was one of them. He loved to make fun of her name and pull her hair. She hated him back then, although now, she found him mostly amusing.
She had heard rumors about him while she worked for Rock. Mostly stuff about Bruno liking men, but she never really paid the gossip much attention, even if it had come directly from Rock. “You think I’m going to get all attached and mushy with you—I get that, Bruno. That’s a very good rule to keep me in check,” she agreed.
“Are you making fun of me?” he asked.
“Not at all,” she said. “I think it’s a fair rule, given the fact that I’m not your type.” She knew she was poking the bear who held her brother, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Not my type?” he asked. “How so?”
“Well, for one, I don’t have a penis. There’s nothing wrong with liking boys, Bruno. I happen to love boys. But, does your father know? Have you come out to Daddy yet?” she asked. Yeah—she wasn’t playing fair but she didn’t give a fuck anymore. The men in her life had always underestimated her.
“How the hell did you know that?” he breathed.
“You know people talk right? The Deadly Sins Syndicate has some of the worst gossips in town, too. I’m just wondering if my little stipulation to your plan is worth your secret, Bruno,” she said.
“Stipulation?” he asked.
“Yep—you let my brother go and I won’t run to your Daddy to tell him about you liking boys. I’d hate to be the one who kicks your ass out of the closet, but I will. You took someone that I love and I can’t let that happen. So, what’s it going to be Bruno?” she asked.
“Fine,” he barked into the phone. “I’ll talk to my father, but I can’t make you any promises. He’s looking for a way to tie you to our family and I hate to tell you this sweetheart, but it’s either me or the old man. You know my father is single, right?” Bruno asked. Shit. She hadn’t thought about that little twist. Marrying the senior Gluttony wasn’t even something she could think about, let alone stomach. The thought made her want to be sick.
Bruno’s laugh filled Finn’s office and she turned to find Damion and Finn still standing behind her at the door. “Talk soon, sweetheart,” Bruno said and ended the call.
“Shit—well, that didn’t go as planned,” she whispered more to herself than the two alpha men who stood in the doorway.
“Nix,” Damion said, crossing the room to stand next to her. He took her cell phone from her hands, laid it on Finn’s desk, and pulled her into his arms. “Marry me,” he breathed. “Not because you don’t want to marry into the Gluttony family, but because I’ve fallen for you. Marry me because you want to be with me too. Say you feel the same, Honey. Give me something.”
She looked into Damion’s eyes, not believing him at first, but then seeing the sincerity behind his beautiful brown eyes. He meant every word. “I feel the same way, Damion,” she whispered. “But, I can’t say yes without knowing one thing.”
“Name it,” he breathed.
“Do you trust me?” she questioned. It was a big ask. She knew that Damion didn’t trust easily, but she also knew that she couldn’t be with someone who didn’t trust her. She needed a partner in life and that would involve commitment, trust, and eventually love.
“I do,” he whispered. “I didn’t want to at first. Hell, I didn’t even want to like you, but I do. I trust you, Nix,” he agreed.
“Thank you for that,” she said. “I’ll marry you, Damion.” He picked her up and twirled her around Finn’s office. His best friend cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there.
“Since you’re going to be part of the family,” Finn said, “let’s make it official all around.” He handed her an envelope and she opened it. Inside were legal documents giving her a share of their company. “That makes you a legal partner, Nix,” he said.
“Why would you guys want to do this?” she asked. She checked the date on the documents and realized that they were drawn up three days ago. “These are from three days ago. You didn’t know I was going to say yes then.”
“I didn’t,” Damion agreed. “But, Finn and I talked. When you didn’t accept my job offer, I wanted to come up with a way to entice you to say yes. We figured, if you and your brother are willing to put your lives on the line for our alliance, then we could come up with something better than just a job offer.”
“You were planning on offering me the partnership without knowing that I’d marry you?” she asked.
“Yep,” Damion said.
“I’d like to be a part of your company, but you don’t have to make me a partner,” she said. “I was going to tell you today that I’d love to work for you guys. So, you don’t need to do this.” She handed the envelope full of papers back to Damion. He handed them back to her and shook his head.
“No,” he said. “Finn and I both want this. We want you to be a full-fledged partner in the company. We need you around here, Nix. If you haven’t been able to tell, we need the help. Finn and I are swamped.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she breathed.
“Just say yes,” Finn said. “You already agreed to marry this asshole, why not agree to the rest of it?”
Nixon giggled and nodded. “Fine,” she said. “I agree—to
all of it. And, thank you both.”
“Great, now all we need to do is figure out how to get Carter back,” Finn said.
“Yeah—any ideas?” she asked. Damion pulled her against his body and wrapped a protective arm around her waist.
“We set up a meeting with Gluttony,” Damion said. “After we get married.” The idea of marrying him both terrified and thrilled her. “We need to show a united front and let them know that messing with one of our families, they will have to deal with ramifications from the three of us coming for them. Oh—and we’ll subtly announce that you’re already hitched and can’t marry either Bruno or his father.”
“And, you think that will work? We just walk in there, threaten them, and drop the bomb that we’re married?” she asked.
“I have no idea,” Damion said. “But, it’s worth a try.” He was right—it was all they had and sitting back and hoping that the Gluttony family would just let her brother go was a pipe dream. She’d do just about anything to get Carter back, even schedule a sit-down meeting with the same family who killed her parents.
Damion had called in some favors and within an hour, she had a dress, hair, and make-up, and a minister was on his way to marry them. He had thought of everything and she had to admit, she was excited about marrying him, which was hilarious since they had only known each other for two weeks.
He and Finn promised that they’d find a way to get Carter back, and she just hoped that they were good at keeping their word because marrying Bruno Gluttony wasn’t an option.
Nix was so angry with her brother for walking into the lion’s den without thinking things through. He was a fool for believing that exposing himself and ultimately, her to the Gluttony Syndicate, would work out in their favor. And now, she was going to be put in the line of fire along with Finn and Damion to go in to save his ass. It was a lose, lose situation and there was nothing she could do about it. Well, except marry Damion. Finn and Damion were right, walking into that meeting married to Damion would remove her hand in marriage from the equation. Nix just wondered what they would ask for in exchange for her brother’s life because that was the way things worked in the Deadly Sins Syndicate. They had the, “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,” motto down cold. It was the way things ran since before her time. Hell, it was the way things ran since before her parent’s time.
