Illicit Temptation (Astoria Royals #3)

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Trace

W ith Shea tucked in her bedroom, and Darragh tending to Mrs. O’Rourke, I find Lachlan in his father’s office finishing a call with Griffin.

I consider those drones Balor brought with him and how I can use them to our advantage.

I can’t have Lachlan or anyone else in Shea’s family as my enemy, or create a wedge between the O’Rourkes and the Quinlans when Griffin will soon need allies.

I have to speak to the O’Rourke Enforcer and man up about what I’ve done.

“Lachlan, about Shea and me,” I begin when he looks up at me.

He gives a slight eye roll. “I’m not the overbearing, irrational prick you think I am. My sister is right. She’s an adult with six brothers at her immediate disposal to fight battles she’s incapable of. If you laid an inappropriate hand on her, she’d tell us. And I wasn’t a fan of the Scava plan.”

My heart rate lowers considerably. “But I work for you.”

He cocks an eyebrow and leans back in the chair, it squeaking under his colossal weight for a man of his height. “Have you been screwing her all this time?”

“Aye. I won’t have that hanging over my head.” I shove my hands in my pockets. “After we got married, we parted ways. I had an emergency in Dublin. Then I got sent on an undercover assignment for three years and couldn’t contact her. But for the record, I’ve stayed faithful to the marriage vows I took that night.”

“Why?” His eyes rake over me like I’m insane, especially since he now knows Shea was with Archer Crest and didn’t stay faithful to me .

A smile curls my lips. “I’ve been crazy about her since I was just a lad when she came here to visit your grandparents. Talk about irrational, yeah?”

“And what was your plan?” He crosses one ankle over the other like he does in the black site watching scum try to talk their way out of a death sentence. “Before this shit show?”

“To come here and ask your father for his blessing, hoping that would unseat the plan to marry her to Scava.”

Lachlan barks out his signature dark chuckle. “You got balls, I’ll give you that.”

“Keller’s attorney has started distributing Troi’s wealth to all of us. Rhys, too. I’m asking you to undo the Scava deal. I want Shea.”

Lachlan’s jaw drops, suggesting he knows the breadth of House Keller’s power and wealth, soon to be rebranded as Quinlan Empire. “I’m not in a position to undo the agreement. But when we go home, I will speak on your behalf.” He gets up and cups my shoulder.

“Thank you, Lachlan.”

“How is Griffin the heir to the Kellers, anyway?” he asks as if the world isn’t crumbling around us. Maybe he just needs to think about something else.

“Troi Keller’s wife was my Aunt Norah’s cousin.”

“Fuck.” Lachlan lifts his tired eyes to the ceiling.

I give him a very quick summation of the deal Troi made with the Greeks to stop the war between them. And how Griffin is being forced to marry Ava Zervas, sister to Ares to keep that peace.

Only, she’s missing...

“Those fucking Greeks are psychopaths.” And Lachlan is the psycho of all psychos, so he’d know. “Get some sleep, Quinlan.” He looks me over. “Go sleep with your wife.”

For now, he doesn’t want to kill me. I’m taking my chips and going home.

AFTER A SOFT KNOCK , I enter Shea’s bedroom with a deep sense of relief that I no longer need to worry about who sees me. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders to not sneak around anymore. To look her devil of a brother in the eye, tell the truth, and walk away from the depths of his hell unscathed feels like a victory.

Plus, the man killed his father and doesn’t need another body to bury for one night.

“Here’s a carafe of water for you.” I put the tall bottleneck glass container on her bedside.

“You’re not sleeping here tonight.” She folds her arms. “I’m mad at you.”

I lay my gun on the dresser and remove my suit jacket. “And I’m fucking furious at you for even breathing the idea that you would go to that animal willingly.” I grab her by the throat with one hand, the other finding its way up her skirt to part her folds. “The only man who will ever fuck you again is me.”

Her eyes roll in the back of her head as I work her clit until she’s dripping all over my hand and wobbly on her feet.

“It’s called a sacrifice,” she breathes in short gasps, looking ready to come. “You of all people should respect that.”

“Shea, you’re a master at what you do, but sassing your way out of Faolan Malone’s bed will get you tied up and throat fucked until you choke.”

She visibly gags. “Good night, Trace.”

“Kiss me.” I tighten my grip on her throat. “I said, kiss me.”

“ No. I’m filing for a divorce when we get home.” She squirms out of my hold and pushes her dress down. She might as well kick me in the balls. “I’m telling Kieran I’m not marrying anyone. I’m buying Lagerfeld Events. End of story.”

“You’re upset. And our marriage will keep Kieran from marrying you to Nico Scava.” I don’t tell her Lachlan is on my side to kill the deal. “ I am the man who will allow you to have everything you want. I’m the one who will gladly give up having children if the woman I love can’t bear me one.”

Her eyes go glassy, and she holds her stomach. “Trace... My father is dead. My mother might die tonight, too. I was nearly handed over to a man who makes even your skin crawl. I need some time to process.”

“You can have all the time in the world because I’m not going anywhere. But I’m not agreeing to a divorce.” I pull her in and kiss her with such force and emotion that tears leak from my eyes by the time she breaks away from my vise grip hold.

She turns her back and moves several feet away.

“I have a plan.” I reach for her again. “And it’s better than Lachlan’s.”

“What is that?”

“My immediate plan is to fuck you like my life depends on it, and then you’re going to sleep.” I tug at her dress, but she swats me away.

“Because I’m a woman? Spread my legs and let you, the man, do all the thinking?”

I smile and lean in to her. “Aye. But not because you’re a woman. You’re my wife. And it’s my job to keep you safe. ”

Even if the plan might get me killed.