Chapter 12

TWELVE

ARIANNA

As soon as my brother is done with his speech, I’ll get what I want. I always do.

“He just squanders whatever funds we give him and doesn’t know how to use it wisely.”

Refraining from rolling my eyes, I snap back at him, “He hasn’t spent a fucking dime. He even got rid of those leeches that were hanging around him. He’s a good man, Maxi.”

He snorts out a heavy sigh and leans back in his chair at Freidenberg manor. The soft summer rain patters on the fervent green leaves while the birds chirp with happiness in their cool baths. The covered patio we’re dining on provides enough shelter and a breeze to sweep off any lingering heat waves. “Well, well. Look who’s sticking up for the wolf. Glad to see he’s been treating you good enough you’d not listen to your own brother anymore.”

I guess I do feel part of him. I’m his and Wyatt’s and they’re mine. Though, oddly, in the short amount of time I have known Asa, I don’t think I have trusted anyone as much as him. Not even Wyatt. With my boyfriend, it’s always seemed like I had something to prove. That I had to be someone different so he would want me or be with me. There’s no struggle with my husband. It’s confusing and something I don’t want to think about at this time. Surely, things with Wyatt will improve now that he’s in the mansion with us and he and Asa are getting along.

“He’s my husband. Isn’t this what you wanted?” My eyes narrow as they meet his serious brown ones. If I need to resort to tears, I will. “And we need the money.”

My brother rips into a bite of his burger, chewing slowly. Livia has been pretending not to pay attention while she eats some ice cream. With his mouth full, he mumbles, “What for?”

“You know what for. For the casino.”

As if it’s a chore to even consider giving up another dollar to us, Max slumps and shoves a fry in his mouth. “He needs to start providing for you. For South Side. I can’t do it all. We have our own legacy here and are still rebuilding ourselves,” he says, reaching over to rub his wife’s belly for a moment. Livia forces a grin and licks some chocolate off her bottom lip.

“Lion, what if he needs to get the casino restored so he can provide for South Side? I mean, it is how he made his money for them in the first place.”

A scoff leaves his throat. “Yeah, before he lost it all gambling.”

“He doesn’t do that anymore,” I say, crossing my arms. At least, I won’t let him. I could keep Asa Donovan so preoccupied with other things that he wouldn’t want to put his money down on something else. Maxi is right, though. I am loyal to my husband. Over the last few weeks, things have been solidifying for the wolves. Determined to reach for my fairytale, I won’t stop until I get my dream with him, Wyatt, and a house filled with kids. And maybe a boat.

Shifting my voice to the one I know will get my brother to agree to anything, I let the corners of my mouth droop and say, “Please? We could eventually pay you back.”

Livia encourages him, slipping her hand into his and rubbing the back with her thumb. “Max, they need the casino operational again. I think his wife knows him best, and if she says he’s not gambling, then we have to respect that. Let’s help.”

The grouch grumbles for a moment, and with a growl, relents. “Fine. But here’s the thing, Ari. I expect ten percent of the profits until I’m paid back. Your dowry is done and now he owes me. Do I need to talk with him directly?”

I can’t help the smile that breaks on my face as I wiggle in my seat. “Nope. I got it.” Standing, I bend over and kiss his cheek quickly. “Thank you, Maxi!”

He nods as if he just lost a big match. “I love you, Ari.”

“I love you, too.”

Swinging around the table, I gather Livia’s upper body in a hug. She rubs her palm over my forearm lovingly, whispering, “Go, before he changes his mind.”

A little laugh escapes me. “Love you, too, Livy.”

Just as I reach the entrance to the inside, my brother stops me. “Ari! You two should come to family dinner next week.”

Pausing, I tap on the wood frame and reply, “Okay!” He’s inviting me to family dinner like I’m a married woman, an actual grown up. Pride warms my chest, thinking about getting the money I came for and a bonus of my brother’s respect. Hopefully, this means he’s open to respecting my husband.

Now if I can just figure out how to get Wyatt here with us without causing a major scene...

After giving Fritz a hug goodbye, I get back on my bike and head across town. East Side is looking better than ever thanks to my boyfriend’s crew running things here and Max and Livia’s leadership. Better than South Side in a lot of places. Taking a shortcut back to the mansion, I ramble through North Side’s lower end. I take in the sunny day as I ride along the river, letting it hit my face. Before I can gun it, I get caught by a red light just below the turnoff to the end of Strauss’s properties. Being this close always puts me on edge. My pulse rate heightens as I scan the area carefully, trying not to draw attention to myself.

I could be in real danger sitting here, though being on a motorcycle, I can speed away easily. Strauss blew up the casino and I wonder if he’ll come for us at the mansion. Or even go after my brother. Despite the risks, I hate traveling with a guard, and I don’t want to keep one with me at all times. Not now that I’m free from Maxi’s reign.

Glancing in my mirrors, I spot Wyatt coming from a turnoff near Strauss’s property. He must see me because he stops his bike before slowly crawling through the traffic to meet at the crosswalk. What was he doing near Strauss’s place? My stomach twists at seeing him coming from that direction.

He gives me an easy grin as he pulls up beside me, then mouths the word, “Home?” and I nod. It’s too loud to hear over the engine noises.

In fifteen, we park in the garage back at the mansion and I slide my helmet off, then toss my hair back with a wave of my head.

“Hey,” he says, hurriedly running to kiss my lips, but I turn my cheek to avoid it.

“Hi.” Thrusting my helmet onto my hip, I ask, “What were you doing up there?”

With a crooked eyebrow, he squints as he meets my gaze. “Up where?”

“Up where I saw you. Near Strauss? Why were you there?” Why is he avoiding the question?

Sliding a hand down my arm, he tugs me toward the house, and I follow, with a little hesitation. Was he cheating with one of the women there? My heart aches as I try to slow us down, but he seems determined to get inside.

“I make a drop up there. Pay off some of Strauss’s men. You know that. Plus, I also save some earnings for the poor of North Side. They’re often forgotten.” Pulling on the front door, he motions for me to enter first, but he continues rambling like he can’t stop talking. “I’m telling you, things are bad there for the homeless. They have nowhere to go and no resources. Strauss just wants to pretend they don’t exist, but he’s the very one who’s causing the issue. Something has to be done about him.”

I’ve heard Wyatt speak at his evening meetings on East Side. He’s become a patron saint of the destitute there, encouraging others to take action and to help their neighbors as well. But the way he speaks now is unlike him. Hurried, almost, maybe…practiced. And I get so bored with his daily anti-Strauss speeches that the tone and intonation of his words seem more passionate than ever. But I do know he makes his payments there for my brother. So maybe that’s all it was.

Right?

“Like what?” I ask, seeing where the next part of his speech takes us. At his direction, we aim toward the kitchen.

“The easiest way to overthrow him without costing a lot of lives is to follow the laws here first. To have the senate vote him out. Even if it’s for the future of, um, you know. Our children.” He pauses in front of the fridge and grabs a bottle of water for me, then one for himself. The cool drink refreshes me for only a moment. He’s talking like there’s some plan he has that I’m not part of.

My heart stutters at the mention of his dream tossed out there so casually, but there’s a hidden meaning. Like he’s been thinking about this for a long time. “Our children?”

“Yes. Yours and mine. And Ace’s if, um, we can combine.” As I stand at the island, he presses his firm chest into my back, surrounding me with his widespread arms, then nuzzles my neck, sniffing me there for a moment. The gesture is soothing, comforting. Especially when he lowers his voice and says, “I’m not sure Ace will agree to let me have children with you or even make a formal commitment to you. I know we can’t be legally married, but Ari, I want to.”

The heat not only strikes my back where his body is, but also steams my eyes with tears. Is it possible I could have two fairytales? Have a family with both men? Turning my head, our lips almost touch as I whisper, “You want to marry me?”

Pressing into my shoulder, he rests his chin and says firmly, “Yes. Yes, I do, vixen. I love you.”

I swing around and grasp him behind his neck, my smile making my tears spill onto my cheeks. “I love you, too.”

His fingers raise to brush some of my hair behind my ear as he scans my face with his light green eyes. “But vix. I don’t want to take away from your role as Mrs. Donovan. I won’t do that. If we could be a family… If we can convince Ace to vote in the senate, make peace with Cal and have a three to one vote, we could get Strauss out. And…” he pauses, looking down with something like embarrassment, “convince him to let us have children, too, then we’d be set as a unit. Your and Ace’s kids and, um, mine and yours.”

“You really want to have babies with me?” He’s never mentioned something like this before. Maybe now that we’re settled, all three of us in this amazing home…maybe that’s why he feels so comfortable discussing it. And it’s all I’ve wanted to hear.

A little chuckle leaves his nose before he presses his warm lips to mine, gathering me into a tight embrace. When he pulls back, I’m completely flustered with his intoxicating steely sweat scent and declarations of forever. “Yes, vixen. Of course, I do. I mean, when you’re ready and only with Ace’s permission. Also, I’d have to reverse my vasectomy, but yes.”

“I can convince him,” I say, knowing I can. Ace will do it if I ask. “We could have a ceremony for you and me. Like a wedding, but not legally, you know?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want. If I can’t have the paper, it’s fine. I just want you.” With a passionate kiss, he devours me, grasping at my ass with his palms and rubbing his firm erection into my belly.

Breaking away from him, I breathe heavily. “I’ll be right back.”

“Ugh…don’t be gone too long.”

“Well, we can’t do anything without Asa. You know this. It’s part of the rules now.”

He gives me a slight nod before walking toward the stairs while I go to find my husband.

Voices filter through the hall near his office, and I recognize Kline, who seems agitated about something.

“No, it’s just a waste of money and that’s a no. Final.” Kline stands with his hands on his little hips as I enter the study, pacing in front of a wide glass desk that Asa sits at, glaring at him. A wall lined with books sits behind my husband’s hunched figure, looking like he’s ready to snap.

He doesn’t seem to see me. “I wanted it for my wife. Not for me. I think she’ll— Oh, hey, sugar.” His entire demeanor changes when his blue eyes light up at the sight of me. Something about it makes me want to cry all over again. Asa genuinely seems to like me when no one does.

And I really like him. His boldness and his kindness. It makes me want to pair with him and take on the world. With his bark and my bite, we could.

Holding a cut arm out toward me, he pulls me into his lap, forcing me to lean against his bare chest. He hates clothes, except for when he’s going somewhere. Otherwise, it’s shorts only. Sometimes flip-flops.

“What are you doing for me?” I ask, and he plants a small peck on my cheek.

“Well, uh, nothing now.” His eyes narrow at Kline as the muscles in his cheeks tighten.

“What were you doing?”

Kline at least has the decency to seem slightly ashamed, digging the toe of his loafer into the pink and green rug, then cleaning his glasses. “Um, Ace wanted⁠—”

His lack of respect for my husband hits my last nerve. It’s like when I won top scholar for math in eleventh grade and Prissy Jones refused to acknowledge it, telling everyone I’d cheated or slept with Mr. Sparks. The girls would call me a whore, but I corrected them every time. It’s top scholar to you, I’d say.

So hearing the little weasel man speak to my Asa like this, I want to shove his words back in his mouth. “You mean, Mr. Donovan? The King of the South? Yes, what did Senator Donovan want?” I correct him, and Kline’s little eyes dart to mine, then Asa’s, then back to the floor.

“Mr. Donovan wanted funds to remodel the other wing. He says it was for you.”

Asa swallows, brushing a kiss on my shoulder, causing goosebumps to erupt on my skin. I think I’m becoming addicted to his touch. Lowering his voice, he says, “I was going to make it all pink…for you.”

I want to smile broadly, but refrain. Pride in my husband, and longing for him, cushions my heart with overwhelming emotion until I almost can’t stand it, but instead of letting the grin fly, I flutter my lashes at the lawyer. Show no weakness to your enemy. “So, what’s the problem, Kline? This is his house. Shouldn’t the man of the house decide what to do with his funds?”

“Uh…yes. Yes, Mrs. Donovan.”

“And! Seeing as how I just procured us more money from the Freidenbergs for casino reparations, we should have enough for renovations here, too. I’m so happy my husband cares so much to give me such an amazing gift.” Turning on his lap, I kiss him deeply, that ethereal feeling invading my mind. Being with Asa is like being on vacation, and I never want to return to the real world. “Thank you,” I whisper with the genuineness I’ve reserved for him.

Of course, I understand he must want to do this for himself. That he has issues going to that part of the house because of painful memories, so maybe this will help him, too. Either way, Kline shouldn’t be the one to bully him about it.

“You can see yourself out, can’t you, Kline?” Without another look at him, I tell him to get lost while staring into my husband’s entrancing blue eyes. Asa’s gaze captures me with some crinkle in the corners of his lids. Like a smile waiting to burst through the skin. The door shuts with resolution as the lawyer leaves.

“I’ve never been able to get rid of him like that,” Asa says, his face holding something like awe.

My natural bear instincts surge within me. “How long has it been this way?”

His sculpted chest rises, every tattoo spreading a bit as he does. “Pfft, probably ten years? Yeah. I’d say. Definitely over the last four when I got even worse with, uh, with the games.”

“Well, now you have me.”

A little bit of shine sparkles in the whites of his eyes and his voice comes out choked. “Yeah. Yes, I do. I’m pretty glad about that, actually.”

“Even though you didn’t pick me?”

His lips form a solid line, and he goes still for a long moment. “I think I’d pick you anywhere. Every time. You’re my good luck lady.”

Wetness coats my cheek as a tear escapes at his words. Grasping the back of my neck, he presses his forehead to mine before placing a small kiss on my lips. The heat of his breath hits my skin as he whispers, “I’m feeling things, Arianna. Things… Fuck, I can’t explain.”

“What kind of things?” I whisper back, my heart pounding harder.

“Things about you.”

“Like…you like me?” Just the possibility he could feel that back makes me feel dizzy with desire.

White teeth creep out behind his full lips as he smiles. “Yeah. Like I like you.”

A giggle escapes my lips as I manage to muster out, “Good, ’cause I like you, too.”

Groaning, he brings me to him closer and our mouths meet in a fierce, raging battle of ardent passion. Bucking his hips, his large erection strokes between my thighs, making me gush in anticipation.

He breaks our kiss, huffing against my mouth, “Fuck, where’s your boyfriend? I need to be inside you.”

“I-I want to talk about something first.” Sitting back, he tries to steady himself, but both of us seem to be energized with feral lust.

“What about? ’Cause I’ll say yes to anything right now, empress.”

“Asa, I never expected… I didn’t know that I would have feelings for you, too. But I love Wyatt. And he wants to be part of us. To be part of the future, our future. He wants to be able to have children with us. And, well, I want that.”

With his shoulders pulled back, his face drops to my chest. He seems disappointed, and it hurts me to see it on him. “Yeah…I don’t even understand what that looks like, what the future would look like with him involved. Or I don’t know. What does one even call that? A throuple? How do you navigate that? It’s confusing me.”

Lifting his chin with my finger, I try to ease his worries. “It doesn’t have to be. We can make our own rules. You hate all the expectations that others set for you. Why not live your life the way you want?”

As he holds my gaze, he considers me for a long pause. “I like that. You give me this courage I don’t have when I’m alone.”

Stroking my fingers through the sides of his hair, he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment. “You’re not alone. You have us. We’re your family now. Remember?”

With a nod, he puts on a sad smile. “Yeah, I do.” Just as my hips wiggle with victory, he says, “But, Arianna…I need some time to think about this. To figure things out in my head.” He clutches my hand and raises it to his mouth briefly, then holds it up between us. “You’re mine. You’re my wife. I didn’t know you’d be a package deal. Some days, I want to tell him to fuck off, or just kill him. But not today. And I guess I’m getting used to it. To, um, him. I’m, uh, I mean… He’s good to have around. Just give me time, okay? I’ll let you know.”

Patience is not a virtue I possess. And Asa doesn’t seem like one who wastes any moments before deciding something. The fact he’s considering this for me is huge. “Thank you.”

Biting his lower lip, he gives me this star-winning look. If he knew how dangerous it was, he’d use it all the time to get whatever he wanted. “Can we have sex now?”

“Yes, please.”

He stands with a ferocious growl and grips me under my butt as I wrap myself around him. Carrying me like a koala upstairs, I laugh as he uses his fingers to tickle my sides. When we get to the bedroom, Wyatt exits the bathroom with just a towel around his waist. Instead of being upset, he seems relaxed and happy.

“You two ready?” he asks.

“Always,” Asa says, tossing me onto the bed. “Besides, I gotta get her knocked up so you can share her with me properly.” The two men seem to study each other’s expressions for a long moment.

Wyatt’s face brightens, his slight grin turning into a full-out smile. Some silent bro code passes between them. Wyatt nods once and says, “Sounds good, maverick.”