Page 123 of King of Temptation

Emotion lodged itself in Brody’s throat as he flipped open the lid and stared down at a stunning wedding set. A large ruby sat in the middle of a circle of diamonds, nestled on a thin gold band.

It was simple, a bit old fashioned.

And perfect for his Goldie.

“Thank you.” Fuck, he was not going to cry. “This means the world to me. And I know it will mean everything to her.”

“Promise me you’ll do it right. When you ask her. She… she deserves that. She deserves the kind of romance she writes about in her books.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Chapter 44

Goldie

She woke feeling lighter than she had in… well, in longer than she could remember, really. Rolling onto her back, she stretched and grinned up at the ceiling. Things weren’t perfect, not by a long shot. Rowan was still on bed rest at the clinic, the Russians and Williams still had it out for her new family, and they still had no fucking clue who the mole was.

But despite everything hanging over their heads, she was happy. And that was enough.

“Someone woke up in a good mood.”

Pushing up in the bed, she grinned even wider when she spotted Brody making his way into their room with a cup of coffee in hand. “I figured out another thing that’s not bullshit in my books.”

One reddish brow quirked up as he handed her the mug. “And what’s that?”

Both to keep him in suspense and because she desperately wanted that first life-giving sip of caffeine, she made him wait while she closed her eyes and took a long pull of coffee. “Mmm. Okay, make that two things. Being served coffee in bed by a hot mafia man definitely lives up to the fantasy.”

A smug smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “And what was the other thing?”

“Falling in love.”

Everything about him softened. “Aye. That part, you definitely got right.”

“I wasn’t sure, you know.” Keeping her gaze locked on his, she lifted the mug to her lips again. “Since I’d never really been in love like that, the way I write about in my books where it’s this huge, terrifying, all-consuming thing, I wasn’t sure it would feel the same. And some parts of it are different, but overall… yeah, I think I nailed it.”

“What’s different?”

Because he seemed genuinely interested, she took her time answering. “In my books, it’s all grand gestures and sweeping declarations of love. And I’m not saying you haven’t had some doozies when it comes to both of those things, but I’m realizing now… it’s more about the little ways you show up. Like keeping me calm and centered when I’m panicking about an event, or standing by my side when my dad shows up unexpectedly. And then also setting aside your own beef with the cops to get to know him, all because he’s important to me and I’m important to you. I used to think love screamed at the top of its lungs, but now I’m seeing that more often than not it whispers in the dark, quietly reminding you that you aren’t alone.”

Reaching for her, he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, a knowing smile still playing at his lips. “You know, as far as sweeping declarations go, that one wasn’t too bad.”

“I’m pretty proud of it. I should be a writer or something.”

“Speaking of… I have a surprise for you. Downstairs.”

Curiosity, her greatest gift and heaviest cross to bear gripped her as he pulled her to her feet and led her down the stairs. Toward the den he’d converted to an office space for her. She still couldn’t quite bring herself to consider it her office, but maybe she could convince him to let her⁠—

Her internal monologue cut to silence when he pushed open the door. For a moment, all she could do was stare in shock at what lay inside.

It was her office. In its entirety. Her desk, her chair, her pictures on the wall, even her dry-erase board where she jotted random notes about stories she was working on or things that needed to be done relatively soon.

Stepping inside, she looked around, an odd pressure growing in her chest as she took in the transformed space. Nearly everything was in the exact right spot, though a few minor changes had been made to accommodate the different dimensions of the den.

“How?” she whispered, crossing the room to run her fingers lovingly over the planner sitting right where she always left it, on her desk in her office.

“The twins. I sent them to your apartment with strict instructions to take pictures of how you had everything set up. Last night, when we were at your dad’s, they came over and replicated it as closely as we could. I know it’s not perfect, but⁠—”

Running toward him, she leapt into his arms, pressing her lips to his and cutting off whatever else he was planning to say. “It is perfect. Thank you, Daddy.”