Pride : Deadly Sins Syndicate

by K. L. Ramsey

  “You don’t sound very sorry, man,” Finn accused taking the bag of food from Damion. Nix laughed and disappeared into Damion’s office.

  “I’m not,” Damion shouted back and shut the door.

  Damion got a call later that afternoon. The Gluttony family had agreed to meet with the three of them over dinner tonight. She was starting to see a pattern with Syndicate meetings involving food. They seemed to like to schedule their meetings around lunch or dinner.

  “I’ll meet the two of you at the restaurant,” Finn said. “I need to run home and change. I got take out on my shirt and I want to put our best foot forward.”

  “Sure, because the Gluttony family will care about if you’re impeccably dressed. They’re going to take one look at you and decide to let Carter go,” Damion teased.

  “Shut up,” Finn grumbled. “I’ll see you two at six. And, don’t be late because you lose track of time.” He said that part in air quotes and Nix giggled. She and Damion had lost track of time a lot over the weekend and even today.

  “Poor Finn,” she crooned. “Are you feeling left out? Maybe we can find you a nice woman to play with.”

  Finn held up his hand, shaking his head. “You don’t need to do any such thing, Nix. I can handle my own dating life just fine, thank you. And now that you’re here, I have extra time to schedule my play dates.”

  Nix rolled her eyes and waved at Finn, “See you there,” she said.

  Damion turned and pulled her into his arms. “So, wife,” he said. “We have about two hours to waste until our meeting. What should we do?” he asked.

  “Wait—I’m a way for you to waste time now?” she teased, trying for pissed, but failing. Damion chuckled and kissed a path down her neck, just the way she liked.

  “You are the sexiest way to waste time that I’ve ever seen, Baby,” he said. “Let’s go,” he ordered, taking her hand into his.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Home,” he said. “I need to let Oak out and then I’m going to spend the rest of our free time with you naked underneath me.”

  “How about on top of you?” she breathed.

  “Or in front of me—as long as you’re naked and screaming out my name,” he agreed.

  “Deal,” she said. Damion pulled her along and Nix was finding it hard to keep up with him in her heels. “My purse,” she said. He grabbed her bag from her desk and picked her up easily tossing her over his shoulder. Nix squealed and giggled when he swatted her ass. He stepped into the elevator when the doors opened and she realized that they had an audience.

  “Everyone’s watching us, Damion,” she said.

  “Back to work,” he growled as the doors closed.

  “HR will have a field day with this one,” Nix breathed.

  “You let me worry about HR and you just concentrate on me, Baby,” he ordered. That would be easy for her since Damion was all she seemed capable of concentrating on since they got married a few days earlier.

  “I think I can handle that,” she said. He led her out of the building and to his car, helping her into the passenger seat.

  “You know what?” he breathed, leaning in to gently kiss her lips. “I can’t wait until we get home.” He backed out of her side of the car and shut the door, leaving her speechless.

  “Wait, what?” she whispered to herself.

  He opened his door and slid into the driver’s seat, sliding it all the way back. She watched him, wondering just what he was planning. Her new husband always seemed to have a plan.

  “Come here,” he ordered. He didn’t give her time to think about her next move, simply pulling her across the center console and onto his lap. Damion reached up under her skirt, hiking it up her thighs, and pulled her panties to the side.

  “Someone will see us,” she protested.

  “I don’t give a fuck,” he growled, unzipping his pants to let his cock spring free. “I need you, Honey.”

  Nix framed his face with her hands and kissed him. “Then take me, Damion,” she said. He didn’t seem to need any more invitation than that, sliding into her body. Every time he took her, she felt like another little piece of her heart became his. Nix had admitted that she was falling for him, but that was a lie. She had already given Damion her heart, whether he knew it or not.

  “You feel so fucking good,” he moaned against her neck. “Move for me, Honey,” he ordered. Nixon rode him with wild abandon, taking every bit of pleasure that he was offering her and when she was on the brink of falling, he was right there to catch her. She cried out his name, her shouts and moans filling the car and he quickly followed her over. Nixon loved the way he whispered her name when he came as if he were telling her a secret meant just for them. When it was just the two of them, like this, everything seemed so perfect. She wished she could bottle this feeling and keep it with her always, but she knew that wasn’t possible. Tonight, they were going to have to sit down with the Gluttony family and try to get her brother back. Her life could change in just a blink of an eye, but she should be used to that by now.

  Damion

  Damion pulled up to the restaurant and parked around back. He cut the engine and when Nix started to get out, he grabbed her arm. “Not yet, Honey. I know you’re anxious to get to Carter, but we’re waiting for Finn to get here before we go in.”

  She pulled her door shut and scowled at him, causing him to chuckle. Damion loved her fire. “Listen, if things go sideways in there, I need to know that you’ll listen to me. I can’t have you going rogue in there and getting yourself hurt—or worse.” She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest and Damion sighed. He wanted to tell her the rest, but he knew that she wasn’t ready to hear it. If she was, he’d tell her that he had fallen in love with her and that losing her would kill him.

  “Finn’s here,” she whispered when his best friend pulled up next to them. “Can we go in now?” she asked.

  “You stick between Finn and me, Nix,” he ordered.

  “Anything else, master?” she mocked.

  “I know you don’t like being told what to do. Hell, that was one of the first things that I learned about you, but you need to give me a little bit of trust here, Nix. I’ve been dealing with this guy for a damn long time.”

  “I have been too, Damion,” she said. “Or, have you forgotten that he killed my parents?”

  “No,” he breathed. “I haven’t forgotten that. Just stick by me and Finn please,” he begged. “I can’t lose you.” He slipped from the driver’s seat and rounded to her side to help her from the car. She took his hand and let him lead her into the restaurant, and Damion felt like he was holding his whole world. He wasn’t kidding when he told her he couldn’t lose her.

  “We’ve got this, man,” Finn said, flanking her other side. “We’re going to go to show a united front and get Carter back.”

  “I hope so,” Nixon said. “I need my brother back.” The sadness in her voice made him ache for her.

  The hostess met them at the door and showed them to the back of the restaurant where Gluttony had the entire room sectioned off, giving them privacy. It had been years since Damion had seen Edward Gluttony and the years had not been kind to him. Damion felt Nixon squeeze his hand and he whispered down to her that she was going to be all right.

  Bruno Gluttony sat on one side of his father and Rock sat on the other. “What the hell?” Finn whispered.

  “Don’t,” Damion said. “Just trust me.” The three men stood and they all exchanged pleasantries and shook hands like old friends seeing each other after many years.

  “Where is my brother?” Nixon asked when Edward offered her his hand.

  “I see we’re going to get right down to it then,” Edward said. He nodded to one of the guards in the corner of the room and two other men brought Carter in. He looked like someone had worked him over, but he could stand on his own two feet and that could be counted as a win.

  “Oh God,” Nix breathed. “Carter.” She tried to let g
o of Damion’s hand to go to her brother, but he didn’t allow it. There was no way that he was going to let go of her in a room full of men he didn’t trust. “Damion,” she breathed.

  “Be patient,” he said.

  “I’m okay, Nix,” Carter said. “Stay with Damion.”

  “I’m hoping that you’ve come here to make good on our deal,” Edward said to Nix.

  “She never made a deal with you, Gluttony,” Damion growled. “She can’t marry you or Bruno because she’s married to me.”

  “Well, this is very disappointing news,” Edward said to Bruno. “Guess we’ll have to make a new deal.”

  “No,” Finn said. “You see, the Lust, Envy, and Pride families have all formed an alliance, so if you take on one of us, you take on us all. Think about your next step carefully,”

  “Are you threatening me?” Edward asked. “Because I’m pretty sure that I can still rally the Sloth and Wrath families if I need to. And, Rock here is on my side.” They all turned to face Rock and he shook his head.

  “Sorry, Edward,” he said. “I’ve already pledged the Greed Syndicate to back my nephew. If you go up against them, you go up against me. Four Syndicate families to a possible three—you want to play those odds?” Rock asked.

  Edward threw his napkin onto the table. “You’ve always backed the Gluttony Syndicate, Rock. Why the change of heart?” he asked.

  “Let’s just say that I owed my nephew a favor and he came to collect,” Rock said. “I’m righting a wrong.”

  “No, what you’re doing is making a huge mistake, Rock. If the Greed family backs them, you’ll be backing a losing team. Is that what you want?” Edward asked.

  “I don’t think we’ll lose, Edward,” Rock said. “Besides, watching you squirm a little is going to be fun.”

  Edward pointed at Rock, his face turning the brightest shade of red Damion had seen in a long time. “You will live to regret this, and then I’m going to kill you, Rock.”

  Rock shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal that Edward had just threatened him. Damion almost felt bad that he dragged Rock into this mess—almost. “I’ll take my chances,” he said. “Now, I think that we all have places we’d rather be. We’ll be taking Carter with us.”

  “Not a chance,” Bruno said. “You can’t just let them walk out of here, Dad.” Edward nodded to his guard and they released Carter.

  “Let them have him,” Edward said to his son. “They might have won this battle, but I have a feeling that it’s going to be a long war. I’ll be seeing you soon, Rock,” Edward threatened. Rock chuckled as if he wasn’t just threatened by the head of the Gluttony family.

  “Let’s go,” Rock ordered. Finn wrapped an arm around Carter, to help him out and Nix never let go of Damion’s hand. She had done exactly as he had asked and he was so damn impressed with his new bride.

  They got out into the parking lot and Nixon let go of his hand and wrapped an arm around her brother. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

  “I am, Sis,” he promised. “I think I have a couple of cracked ribs and a few scrapes and bruises. Other than that, I’d love a hot shower and a soft bed.” He looked over at Damion, “You married my sister?” he questioned.

  “I did,” Damion said.

  “To keep me safe,” she quickly added. Damion wanted to tell her that she was wrong. He wanted to tell her that keeping her safe was only part of it, but he wanted to marry her because he was in love with her. He wanted her to be his. But, now wasn’t the time and he’d prefer not to have an audience when he said all of that to her.

  “Thank you,” Carter said. He held out his hand to Damion and he shook it. “I can’t thank you enough for keeping my sister safe.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Damion said. “I’ll always protect Nix. Let’s get you back to her place. You can stay there since she’s living with me now. I’m sure that a good night’s sleep will help with those aching ribs.”

  “You’ll also be seeing my doctor tomorrow,” Nix insisted. “No argument.” Carter held up his hands as if surrendering to her.

  “Thanks for everything, Rock,” Damion said, turning to his uncle. “I appreciate it.”

  “You have my word that the Greeds will continue to back your alliance. The four of our families could do great things together,” Rock said.

  “Agreed,” Finn said. “Thanks for the assist tonight,” he said.

  “I’ll be in touch soon,” Rock said. “I’m sure we’ll have much to discuss.”

  “After I take my wife on a honeymoon,” Damion said.

  “Honeymoon?” Nix asked.

  “Yeah—it was supposed to be a surprise. I guess I’m lousy at keeping those. We leave on Monday,” he said.

  “What about work?” she questioned.

  “I’ll take care of everything around the office. You two deserve this,” Finn said. “Plus, Damion hasn’t had a vacation in five years.”

  “Wow,” Nix breathed. “Five years is a long time. Are you allergic to relaxation and fun?” she teased.

  “No,” he said. “I’ve been a little busy building a company.”

  “Well, you two enjoy your honeymoon and I’ll be in touch when you get back,” Rock said. He turned and started for his car, waving over his shoulder, not bothering to look back.

  “So,” Nix said, turning back to him, “where are we going?” she asked.

  “That’s a surprise,” he said. “But, pack plenty of bikinis. No, scratch that—pack very little clothing.”

  “Okay, I think we’re going to have to have some rules when it comes to what you should and shouldn’t talk about in front of me. My sister’s lack of clothing is on the shouldn’t list,” Carter grumbled.

  “Yeah, I’m thinking that those rules should apply to best friends, too,” Finn agreed. He pulled Nix in for a quick hug and released her back to Damion. “I’m taking off guys,” he said.

  “Thanks for helping me get Carter back, Finn,” Nix said. “I appreciate it more than you will ever know.”

  “Not a problem,” Finn said.

  “Let’s get you back to my place and get you settled, Carter,” Nix said. “I’m not going to lecture you tonight about how stupid you were to meet with Gluttony by yourself,” she said. “I’ll save that for when you are good and rested tomorrow.”

  “Oh good,” Carter mumbled. “Something to look forward to.”

  Damion was nervous about taking Nixon away—just the two of them. He loved the idea of being alone with her, but he also knew that they were going to have to sit down and discuss their feelings. That thought made him cringe. Talking about feelings was never his strong suit, but she needed to hear where he stood in their relationship. He just hoped like hell that she felt the same way.

  Monday morning came quickly and he got up early and ran Oak over to Carter, who was staying at Nixon’s old place. Her brother had agreed to keep his puppy while they were away. He woke Nix and that was quite a feat since she wasn’t a morning person. She grumbled something about the sun not even being up and he laughed.

  “You do want to go on our honeymoon, right?” he questioned. Nix sat up in bed, yawned, stretched, and nodded.

  “Yes,” she said. He started the shower for her and by the time they left the house and drove the half-hour to the airport, he was sure they were going to miss their plane. He checked their luggage and they made it to the terminal in time to be the last passengers boarding the plane.

  “Made it,” Nix breathed, sitting down in her seat. He stowed their carry-on bags in the overhead compartment and sat down next to her.

  “Barely,” he grumbled. “Remind me to wake you an hour earlier next time we travel anywhere.”

  “Hey—I moved pretty quickly considering the hour. Maybe book us a later flight next time,” she said.

  He smiled at her, “Are we having our first marital spat?” he asked. Nix rolled her eyes at him and giggled. “I hear that make-up sex is all the rage.”

  “Wel
l, we can test that theory when we get to wherever it is that you are taking me.” The captain came over the speaker, welcoming them aboard and letting everyone know that it was sunny and a perfect eighty-three degrees in Jamaica, where they would be landing in just three hours and twenty-one minutes.

  “You’re taking me to Jamaica?” she asked.

  “Is that okay?” he asked.

  “It’s more than okay,” she gushed. “I’ve always wanted to go there. I hear that it’s beautiful and I’ve always wanted to explore Jamaica.” The plane took off and she held onto his arm as if it was her lifeline.

  “Well, we will have fourteen days to explore the island,” he said. He wanted to keep her locked away in their room for the first week, so he booked two weeks, to give them a chance to get out to see the island.

  Nix cuddled close to him and laid her head on his shoulder. “In case I forget to tell you later—thank you for this trip. I think it’s just what we needed after everything with my brother. I have to admit, I worried that once we had him back, you’d want out of this marriage.” Hearing her say that made his stomach sink. Damion had felt the same sense of panic when they got Carter back. He worried that he might have outgrown his usefulness and she’d want to end things with him.

  “I worried that you wouldn’t feel the same way,” he admitted. “But, I married you because I wanted to, Nix. Not because we had to get married. Saving Carter and you was a bonus, but marrying you was something that I wanted to do. If I had to make that choice again, I’d do the same thing.”

  “Oh,” she breathed. “Damion, I have something I need to tell you,” she said.

  “Let me go first,” he insisted. “Nix, I wasn’t being completely honest with you when I told you that I was falling for you.”

  “I understand, Damion. You were forced to marry me and I don’t blame you for not—” He didn’t let her finish rambling, covering her mouth with his hand to quiet her.

  “I wasn’t done,” he said. Nix nodded and he lowered his hand from her lips. “I was going to say that I wasn’t falling for you, I was already in love with you. I was just being a jackass and didn’t want to admit my feelings. I guess I worried that you wouldn’t feel the same way, you know. I don’t like talking about feelings and all that shit,” he grumbled. Nix giggled and pulled his hand into hers.