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There’s a round of applause after each name, and as I go to say the last name, I raise my chin a little higher. “And your fifth and final member of The Circle is myself, Oakley Quinn.”
“What?” Cara grunts as confused murmurs begin to fill the room.
“The fuck are you doing?” Zade says, taking my elbow and trying to lead me away, only I resist, determined to see this through.
“I understand that many of you are confused by this move,” I tell them, ready for a little raw honesty. “However if you knew me, if you knew my heart, you would understand that this is where I need to be, and as your leader, I am requesting that this decision be final and respected.”
My gaze shifts around the room, really wishing I had that drink right about now. “I am very aware of my limits,” I tell the people of Empire. “I know what I want and I understand my greatest desires, and this, standing before you as the leader of an organization I only learned about two months ago was never part of my plan. On the outside, I may appear to be a good leader, but I was not trained for this. Empire deserves a great leader, someone who will lead with honor, and while I believe I would do that, what kind of leader would it make me if I knew someone else could do it better and I held that back from you?”
The murmurs get louder as Zade’s hand tightens on my elbow, more than ready to yank me away from the dais if something absurd decides to come flying out of my mouth.
Then raising my chin and declaring in a strong tone, I make my final declaration, writing it in stone and allowing the masses to hear the undeniable pride in my tone. “The real leader here is this man standing right beside me, and effective immediately, I renounce my leadership and hand it to Zade Alexander DeVil.”
Gasps fill the room, hands flying to people’s hearts as the boys gape at me in shock, never having expected that in a million years. A weight falls from my shoulders as everything settles into place, right where it was always meant to be, when Zade pulls me away, clutching my shoulder. “What the fuck are you doing?” he demands.
I look up into the dark, stormy eyes, seeing my whole world before me. “I may be the true blood heir, Zade, but you’re the rightful leader. You always have been, and you don’t need the same blood that runs through my veins to pulse through yours to know that you are exactly what Empire needs to rebuild and stand tall. You can breathe life back into this, Zade. I would have been good, but you . . . you are going to be amazing.”
A wide smile pulls at the corner of his lips, and without even a moment of hesitation, he pulls me into him, those warm lips crushing down on mine as he kisses me deeply. His arms wrap around me, and for just a moment, the world fades around us and all that exists as us.
I feel his smile against my lips, and it’s everything I knew it would be, but nothing will ever compare to watching the way that Zade steps up in front of his people, right where he’s always belonged, his arms stretched out wide, welcoming a new DeVil legacy.
EPILOGUE
OAKLEY
THREE YEARS LATER
A soft groan rumbles through my chest as the small rose-shaped vibrator goes to town on my clit, my body arching off my bed. God, this thing is a little slice of forbidden heaven. But when the boys use it on me, it’s so much better.
Unfortunately for them, this is a solo performance.
My hand skims across my breast, my nipple pebbled beneath my touch, and just as I feel my orgasm building deep within me, my world thoroughly about to be rocked by this magical little device, my phone sounds through the room, Dalton’s ridiculous Rocky ringtone blasting in my ears.
My arm stretches out across my bed, feeling for the phone, and when I see a video call on the screen, a wicked grin tears across my face as I gingerly accept it.
“Where the fuck are ya, Firefly?” Dalton demands as I hold the phone back enough so that he can see my perfectly flushed cheeks and the way my bare body arches off my bed.
A satisfied groan tears through me as I see Dalton’s handsome face, the boys all peering into the screen in their matching suits that have my mouth watering with need. God, there’s nothing better than these men in suits. They are not the type of guys to just pick up the typical ninety-nine dollar special. No, when my guys pick out a suit, it’s always flawless and well-fitted. The type of suits that have me coming undone. There’s simply nothing better . . . apart from when they take those suits off, of course.
