Chapter 29

Twenty-Nine

Rook

S he stomped up the steps as I slammed the door behind me.

"I just wanted to go out for one night. One damn night and someone is trying to kill me?"

"I told you I would go with you in case something happened."

"I thought you meant if a guy was hitting on me or something. I didn't think you meant in case you needed to shoot a man."

"I can be more clear next time," I said, stifling a laugh.

"Next time? You think there is a next time? You think me not being able to go out for girls' night without you tagging along so I don't die is okay?"

"It doesn't have to be me if you need a break from all my charm. Zack could go. Or Mason. He likes to get out sometimes. I'd offer Hero to go, but he would start a fight on purpose if nothing happened. Aiden is already one step from Evie's full-time bodyguard, so he'd like to keep a night off."

"You think this is funny? My dress is covered in some random guy's blood. Am I supposed to pay to have that dry cleaned? Or scrub it out myself?"

There was no shortage of money in this room, let alone the house, but I still smiled. "I will pay to have your dress dry cleaned. Or buy you a new one. I would like to add, though, that I was there to save you. Sometimes it gets a little messy."

" Messy ?" She nearly yelled the word, but her mouth snapped shut as she screamed against her sealed lips. "You are insane."

"You've said that before," I said, sitting back on the bed.

She disappeared into the bathroom. The shower turned on, and I waited.

"Do you need help in there?" I yelled out.

"If you so much as step foot in this bathroom, Rook, I will cut you."

"With what?"

"Oh, some dumb man left a giant knife in my room after he tried to kill me with it, and I was so freaked out that it was a murder weapon that I hid it. I can reach it from here. Don't even try me."

"You put it close enough that you can reach it from the shower? Interesting choice. You're really getting good at this threatening thing, Rebel. Before you know it, you'll be running a damn empire, making men scared of you without them even meeting you."

When she stomped back out, my chest tightened. She was still mad, but now she was wet, wrapped in a towel, and as beautiful as ever.

"Don't be condescending."

I held up my hands. "I'm not."

I liked when she was mad. I liked to see the wild woman she hid away and gave just to me. I didn't think it would be just for me for much longer, though. She was born to be in charge, and I didn't think her temper would last long inside these four walls when she knew she could let it out. She seemed comfortable with me now and had no fear in facing me to tell me exactly why she was mad at me.

I was in her room and she was comfortable to shower and get ready for bed with me here. It was so domesticated and, with her, I loved it. I wanted my woman with me every night, telling me about her day or asking about mine. I wanted someone who was at my side and would help me run our world. I knew it would include getting yelled at by her sometimes.

"I called you to help me tonight. It's not like I took care of it myself," she said, the sadness in her tone making me upset.

"And?" I asked, stepping closer now. I reached up, running a hand down her jaw. "You are a fucking queen. And just like a queen, you don't have to fight battles on your own. You have a damn army behind you. Maybe not a big one, but I promise, we are enough to fix any issues you have with anyone."

"And I'm just supposed to rely on you to always show up?"

"We can teach you how to defend yourself more. Or you can learn how to shoot. Whatever you want, but I will always show up. You can always count on me showing up."

Her face fell, and she looked away. "I'm supposed to count on that? I'm supposed to believe you just truly want to protect me? Or is your solution going to be asking me to not go anywhere or do anything for my safety? Will I have any say in anything? Or will you just say you're more powerful and get the final say?"

"Never. It's not an option for me. Do you know what a rook does in chess?" She shook her head, and I wrapped my arms around her. "He protects the queen. He can't take her down, he can't win against her, he only protects her. If you want to be queen of it all, I will cut down anyone in your way. I won't stop you or lock you up, and yes, I would happily kill anyone who bothers you."

Her lip curled. "You shot that guy."

"I fucking did and loved watching his hands drop from you." I leaned down, kissing along her neck as I pulled at the towel. I loved the moment he fell, the second his hands stopped touching her. I groaned. I liked her being mine, and I was pretty sure I would do just about anything to keep her to myself. "I would do it a thousand times over."

"You're serious," she said.

I stepped back, looking at the bed and back at her. "I'm very serious. You know, there's something I've wanted to do since I met you. Could we do it now?"

She stepped back, pulling the towel tighter again. "That sounds like you're about to tell me some weird kink you have."

"What counts as a weird kink?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, like she was thinking about it. "Maybe anything illegal?"

"Oh, then yeah, I for sure have some weird kinks," I said, heading to the bed.

"Okay, I'm going to need to know what they are before either of us gets even a foot closer to that bed," she said, the horrified tone nearly making me laugh.

"I was just thinking about exhibitionism, but I think your mind went somewhere really gross."

She shuffled back towards the bed again, grabbing a t-shirt to throw on before sliding back under the covers. "Okay, well, we aren't in public, so what is the thing you want to do?"

"I want to lie down in this ridiculously big, comfortable bed and watch your endless episodes of Dateline."

"That's it?"

"For now? Yeah, that's it."