by Avery Flynn
They hadn’t planned that part, but it covered their tracks better than anything they could have done. “Jasper and I faked my death.”
That statement of the obvious broke through whatever shock had wrapped itself around Lucas. His entire body went ridged and he stalked toward her, a predator stalking its prey with every intention of shredding its prey.
Lucas stopped an arm’s reach away from her, everything about him wound tight. “Why would you do that?”
The question was quiet, so quiet it sent a frightened shiver up her spine. “I did it for you.”
“For me?” He punctuated his words with a booming laugh that made a mockery of the joy normally associated with the sound.
This wasn’t Lucas, not her Lucas anyway. This was her fault. The attitude, the underlying anger. If she hadn’t fallen so hard for him, she would have been able to keep her distance, but even now staying away from him seemed almost impossible. She had to make him understand.
“I couldn’t let you make any more sacrifices for me.” She reached out for him, but he brushed off her touch. “I knew you’d pay a price for disobeying your orders if I stayed around. No matter what, I’ll always be the crime boss’s daughter and you’re the head of the Silver Knights. I’d ruin everything for you. I wanted to protect you from that.”
“So letting me think that I’d killed you was your way of protecting me? I know growing up at Rolf Macintosh’s knee would fuck a person up, but this is so far beyond that.”
She flinched. His words hit as hard as a slap. “I couldn’t let you know. If you had, you would have tried to stop me.”
The breeze ruffled her now black hair, tugging it from the ponytail she’d pulled it into and she held her breath. The last thing she could take was the scent of lavender—something she’d always associate with Lucas for the rest of her life—as he looked at her as if she was the worst human being on earth. She’d known it would happen. He’d realize just how bad she was for him, but she hadn’t thought she’d be there to see it. The reality of it was so much worse than what even her twisted imagination could bring to life.
“You know, the first time you walked in here, I steeled myself against you knowing that if I didn’t I’d end up like all the other poor saps you’d manipulated, but you managed to play me anyway. I guess I’m lucky that you’re the one who ended up dead instead of me.”
And this was how it ended. She’d come here hoping to get one last look at the man she loved, share one final moment, even if she was the only one who’d realized what was happening. Instead, she’d proven everything about why she and Lucas could never be together.
She took a step backward, unable to look away from him. “I shouldn’t have come.”
“No you shouldn’t have.” Cruel. Harsh. Deserved. “You can’t be dead if you’re in my garden.”
Her feet faltered at the pain in his voice, but the knowledge of why she was doing this steadied her when all she wanted to do was throw herself at him. “I think it’s best if we act as if I am.”
“Agreed.” He nodded, his face as hard as granite. “Because you are dead to me.”
Letting the Sparrow have another go at carving up her palm would have hurt less. Hell, having her fingernails pulled out with saltwater-soaked pliers would have done less damage. But this is what it was, what it had to be.
Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving Lucas staring in his lavender garden, free to be the Silver Knight he was destined to be. She gritted her teeth and forced her feet forward. She’d follow the same path linking the garden to the shore she’d taken to get here. Another pair of painful steps. A boat was waiting for her there. She pushed passed the agony twisting her insides. The captain would take her to Scotland and from there, she’d board another ship to America. She reached for the gate latch. And then—
Lucas’s palm slammed against the gate, holding it shut. “You’re not going anywhere, not without me.”
…
Heart thundering in his chest at his own idiocy at how he’d almost lost her again, Lucas took Ruby by the shoulders and spun her around. She looked up at him, her gray eyes gleaming with unshed tears and it gutted him. God, he was a moron. “Neither of us is walking away again. That’s not what you do when it’s someone you love.”
She shook her head. “Lucas, it won’t work.”
“Not if we don’t fight for it.” This wasn’t his area. He wasn’t a charmer. He gave out orders. He marshaled forces. He made plans. He didn’t know what to do when it came to convincing the woman he loved to stay. So he did the only thing he could think of. He told her the truth. “Look, I was an ass. Everything I said was awful and wrong. I could blame the shock or the fact that I haven’t slept since I’d thought you’d died but the truth of it is I said it because I was scared.”
“Of what?”
“That I couldn’t take it if I lost you again. I love you. You’re smart. You’re sexy. You make me want to be the good man you seem to inexplicably think that I am.”
Tears spilled down her cheek. “But the queen, she’s mad enough at you already.”
“Only because I tried to quit.”
“I’m still just the crime boss’s daughter and if I stay—maybe not now but eventually—you will resent me for ruining your life.”
“Without you it’s already ruined. This last week has shown me that. It’s been worse than hell.” For a man who lied for a living, he’d never told so much of the truth in only a few sentences. No matter what. No matter where. They were in this together from here on out. “Damn it, Ruby, I love you. If you’re going, so am I.”
She choked back a sob as she waved her hand at the house and grounds. “You can’t leave this.”
Looking around, he took it all in. The gentleman spy. The aristocrat. It wasn’t him. For all that his name had changed, he hadn’t. At heart, he was still Luc Svendsen, a scrappy kid who survived by his wits and pulled himself up from nothing. She’d seen that way before he ever had.
“Of course I can walk away. It’s just a house. It’s just a job.”
“One that you love.” She wiped away her tears with the back of her had. “One that means everything to you.”
“Not as much as you do.” He pulled her close. She felt good. This felt good. The two of them together were as close to good as he was ever going to get. She had to feel it too. “Don’t start over in America. Start over here with me, as my wife, as my partner on the Silver Knights.”
Ruby gasped and pushed him away. “That’s insane.”
“No, it’s perfect.” And it was, so much that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it earlier. It was the perfect solution to everything. “You’re smart. You’re a survivor. You’re determined. You’re stubborn as hell. You’re perfect for me and for the Silver Knights.”
“Just like that? And no one would object to the crime boss’s daughter becoming one of the good guys?” she scoffed, but she couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice.
“They took me, didn’t they?” He tugged her close again, brushing his lips across hers. “Say yes. Say you’ll marry me.”
…
A month later, Ruby was once again in a house populated by armed liars and skilled manipulators of the first order who’d do just about anything to accomplish their mission—but unlike her experiences on Fare Island, they were all doing it for the right reasons.
Just like the first time she’d been in Lucas’s office, the Queen of Elskov was on the giant screen taking up a huge chunk of the wall next to a long table. It was a sight Ruby wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to. Saying she had nervous butterflies doing the conga in her stomach was putting it lightly.
Unlike before, each seat was taken by a Silver Knight, including Talia Clausen whose long red hair was pinned into a tight bun at the base of her neck.
“Well then,” the queen said from the video screen. “If there’s nothing else to cover concerning Gregers Henriksen’s arrest and upcoming trial,
let’s move on to the last item on the agenda. I understand we have a new Silver Knight with a rather unusual resume.”
Every set of eyes at the table turned to her, including a pair of aquamarine ones that belonged to the man who’d been crazy enough to think this whole thing could work.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lucas said, squeezing her hand under the table. “You’ve met Agent Bendtsen.”
The queen arched an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware you’d decided to change your name, agent.”
“It won’t be official until the wedding in a few months,” Ruby said, unable to stop the giddy grin that appeared on her face whenever she thought about the fake wedding that was turning out to be real. “But I decided to go ahead and try it on for size now.”
“Looks to me like it fits you perfectly,” the queen said before giving her a wink. “Now then, if there’s nothing else, I’d say we’re done here. The people of Elskov may never know all that you’ve done to keep them safe, but I, for one, am eternally grateful. Thank you.”
Everyone at the table stood and bowed toward the screen.
“Ugh, I will never get used to that,” the queen grumbled, an embarrassed pink tinting her cheeks. “Go off and do something fun. Royal orders.”
The screen flickered and the livestream of the queen was replaced by a static image of the Elskov State Seal.
The other agents around the table gathered their folders and electronic tablets before heading to the door. Talia let out a quiet yawn as she followed the pack, the action emphasizing the dark circles under the woman’s normally alert eyes.
She paused in front of Ruby and Lucas. “Three weeks?”
Lucas nodded decisively. “Not a day less.”
Talia shot him a glare, but didn’t argue. Instead, she followed the rest of the agents out the door.
None of the Silver Knights were what she’d describe as soft touches, but Talia seemed cynical and hardened even for the secret protectors of Elskov. The woman was an uber type A with extra rigid on the side and a generous helping of “don’t fuck with me” sprinkled over the top. Ruby couldn’t help but feel sorry for the resort staff who’d have to deal with a grumpy Talia on a forced vacation.
“So you’re really making her go?” she asked once all the agents were gone and the office door was closed once more. “Can you do that?”
“I’m the head of the Silver Knights, I can do anything,” Lucas said, as cocky and sure of himself as ever. “Anyway, she hasn’t been herself since the last mission.”
She suddenly became very interested in sorting the reports in her folder so he wouldn’t see the smile she couldn’t hide. For all the gruff, no-sense-of-humor, alpha-ness of him, Lucas sure did have a gooey, soft center for the people he cared about.
She cleared her throat to get the giggle out of it. “My brother can drive a person to drink. Being stuck with him twenty-four seven for as long as they were, I’m not surprised she’s out of sorts.”
“I told her it was either vacation or she’d have to act as the human guinea pig when Osborn needs to test out one of his inventions. I’m sending her to the Bahamas. I hear a certain newly minted crime boss is taking some R&R there.”
Ruby whipped her head up and dropped the reports to the table.
There wasn’t a trace of shame on his face at returning once again to his old tactics. In fact, he looked pretty damn proud of himself, and she couldn’t blame him one little bit.
“Lucas Bendtsen, are you turning into a blackmailing matchmaker?”
He shrugged. “Just watching out for my people and making sure they get what they need.”
If she could have fallen any more in love with him, she would have right then and there. “All of your people, huh?” She raised herself up on her tiptoes, bringing her mouth close to his. “Even me?”
“Oh, I know exactly what you need.” Desire flared in his gaze and a wicked grin that promised all sorts of happily ever afters curled his lips. “I promise to always make sure you get it.”
And he did.
Did you love this Indulgence? Check out more of our category romance titles here!
Don’t miss another book by Avery Flynn! Sign up for our newsletter here.
Acknowledgments
This book would have never have come to be if it hadn’t been for a crazy phone call with my editor, Alethea Spiridon, who has spent time with me in real life and still talks to me anyway. With that one phone call, the Tempt Me series was born. I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks Alethea!
Another huge thank-you goes out to the entire team at Entangled who helped make this book a reality. Y’all rock my world. A special shout out to my street team, The Flynnbots, who post very motivational photos of extremely hot men. They really are doing the Lord’s work.
As always, many thanks going out to the fantastically talented Kimberly Kincaid and Robin Covington who are responsible for all of my bad habits. Every. Single. One. For real. :)
And, of course, I couldn’t have done any of this without my family’s support. So to the Fab Mr. Flynn who pretends to believe me when I say “THIS time I’m not going to be twenty thousand words short two weeks before deadline” and to the three Flynn kids who never met a closed office door they wouldn’t burst through anyway: I love you guys.
xoxo, Avery
About the Author
Avery Flynn is an award winning romance author. She has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. She was a reader before she was a writer and hopes to always be both. She loves to write about smartass alpha heroes who are as good with a quip as they are with their *ahem* other God-given talents. Her heroines are feisty, fierce, and fantastic. Brainy and brave, these ladies know how to stand on their own two feet and knock the bad guys off theirs. Subscribe to her newsletter for all her latest book news. Find out more about Avery on her website, (www.averyflynn.com) follow her on Twitter (@AveryFlynn) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/AveryFlynnBooks), and like her on her Facebook page (facebook.com/AveryFlynnAuthor). Also, if you figure out how to send Oreos through the Internet, she’ll be your best friend for life. Contact her at [email protected]. She’d love to hear from you!
Discover more category romance titles from Entangled Indulgence…
Millionaire Under the Mistletoe
a novel by Stefanie London
Stella Jackson would rather stab herself in the eye with her own stiletto than return to England. But to fulfill her grandfather’s last wish, she has to spend Christmas at the estate she inherited from him…with the one man she wishes she could forget. Self-made millionaire Evan Foss wants one thing from Stella—her estate. But seeing her now, sexy and all grown up, tempts Evan to finish what started years ago between them.
Right Billionaire, Wrong Wedding
a Sexy Billionaires novel by Victoria Davies
Darian King has never met a challenge he couldn’t handle–except planning his sister’s wedding. His able assistant, Allison Reed, agrees to help, but what he doesn’t expect is the spark that ignites between them. But he doesn’t know her secret, and she fears that by the time the vows are exchanged, she won’t just be leaving her job behind but her heart as well.
Southern Nights and Secrets
a Boys are Back in Town novel by Robin Covington
Being a doctor is everything to me, but I’m not going to let bureaucrats tell me how to practice medicine. It’s about saving lives no matter what, screw them and their paperwork. When the one woman I could never forget, Ginger Crawford, shows up as my boss all bets are off. The heat between us is tough to ignore but I have to if I want a future at this hospital. It isn’t easy. Every time we argue, I want her even more. But I’ve got secrets she can never know, and she’s always going to be way too good for me. So it’s best if she hates me…at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
The Prince’s Bride
a Modern Fairytale novel by Diane Albe
rts
Prince Leo can’t believe he’s finally found Alicia Forkes, the woman he’s loved for years. Unfortunately, she wants nothing to do with him. In fact, she’s cursing him to hell and back for breaking her heart when they were teens. But he’s determined to prove he’s her prince charming––even if that means letting her go.
Discover the Tempt Me series
His Undercover Princess
Also by Avery Flynn…
Dodging Temptation
Enemies on Tap
Betting on the Billionaire
High-Heeled Wonder
This Year’s Black
Make Me Up
Designed for Murder