Page 78 of Sweet Oblivion

“Fucking delicious.”

RYKER

Giving another man the opportunity to make your woman smile is your first mistake.

—Advice from Sebastian Beneventi to his sons

Liv

Open the door.

Ryker

Go away. We’re in bed.

Liv

Get up and get clothes on. You’re going to want to hear this.

Ryker

Good news or bad news?

Liv

Open the door and I’ll tell you.

Delaney murmurs something against my chest, her voice soft and warm against my skin. Too soft for me to hear. I tip her chin up to see her lips as they curve up, and she realizes what I’m doing.“Whoare you texting?”

“Olivia,” I murmur, brushing my thumb along her jaw. “She’s at the door. She wants to talk to us.” Breathing her in, I press a kiss to the top of her head, wishing like hell we could ignore my cousin and stay right here, locked in our own damn world. Just for a little longer.

She pushes up, my jersey slipping off her shoulder again, and yeah... that sight alone might ruin me. But the softness in her big doe eyes is gone. Replaced by something sharper. Concern flashes back at me.“Is everything okay?”

“No matter what she says,” I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. “We’ll be fine.”

Her teeth dig into her bottom lip as she nods, far from convinced. “I guess we need to get dressed then.”

“I like what you’re wearing, wife.” Fuck, I like the sound of that a little more than I think I should.

She stands and faces me, that taunting smile back on her beautiful face like armor.“Four more days until you can call me that, Beneventi.”

“Whatever you say,” I tease, both of us trying to keep the energy light, knowing it could all be about to change.

I throw on a pair of sweats and a tee and let Olivia in before Delaney walks out of the room. She stares down at Tori for a beat as the pig chuffs by her feet and crinkles her nose before pushing past me into the apartment.

“Morning to you too, Liv,” I mutter moving into the kitchen to turn the coffee on. Lane might not need it, but I sure as hell do.

Olivia doesn’t bother answering. She doesn’t even look at me. Her eyes scan the apartment once, sharp and assessing. Like she’s already ten steps ahead of us, and Lane and I don’t even know what game we’re playing.

That’s when it hits me.

This isn’t good news.

Delaney steps out of the bedroom, fresh-faced and beautiful. My jersey still hangs off her delicate frame. She’sthrown on black leggings and thick pink socks. And I want to throw her over my shoulder and take her right back to bed for our next lesson. I want to hide her where nothing can ever hurt her. Now that I have her, even just a little, I don’t want to share her with anything or anyone. I don’t want the real world to crash in around us, and that’s what’s about to happen. I can feel it.

“What’s wrong?”she asks, her eyes going between Liv and me as she walks into the kitchen and stops by my side.“Someone speak.”

Olivia takes a slow, measured breath in, her eyes edging on hard.“Roger Dennings is dead.”