Page 9 of Vows of Ruin

She stands in the doorway, beaming like she just won the lottery. “Morning, sunshine.”

“Were you…. you were waiting down the hall for me to get in here, weren’t you?” I blink water out of my eyes, baffled.

Margot doesn’t even pretend to be ashamed. “Well… basically yeah.”

“You are a menace.”

“And you are glowing, bitch. Now dish.”

I groan, shielding my face with one hand. “There‘s no comparing, remember?”

She places a hand over her heart like I’ve insulted her honor. “Excuse me, I am not asking you to compare. I’m asking for details.”

I sigh, laughing despite myself. “Fine. What do you want to know so you can stop lurking like a sex-starved stalker and let me shower in peace?”

Margot wiggles her brows. “First—how was the piercing?”

I can’t help the grin that slides across my face. “Functionally…. Artistic.”

Her mouth drops open and then breaks into a devious grin. “Oh hell yes.”

I turn my back to her, rinsing the shampoo from my hair. “And before you ask, he was more dominating than I thought he’d be.”

“Wait, really?”

“Usually it's me telling him what to do, but not last night. He flipped it on me. It was…” I pause, my breath hitching a little at the memory, “intense. Amazing.”

Margot squeals like a teenage girl at a boy band concert. “YAY! That’s what I wanted to hear. Okay, okay, I’ll leave you alone. Meet you downstairs.”

“Thank God,” I mutter as she backs out, still grinning. Just before the door shuts, she pops her head back in.

“And Wren?”

I raise an eyebrow.

“You’re going to need more electrolytes now that you have two men. Just trust me.”

Then she’s gone, laughing all the way down the hall while I bang my head softly against the wall with a smile I can’t fight if I tried.

Chapter Five

Reaper

The kitchen’s already loud when I walk in, Torque is flipping bacon like he’s trying to impress someone. Wrecker is double-fisting cereal straight from the box, and Margot walks in already ranting about Elias stealing her favorite coffee mug again. Even among the chaos, my eyes go straight to the empty doorway. Waiting for her to appear.

I’m pouring her coffee when she walks in, her hair in loose curls, skin glowing from a hot shower and something only I know the cause of. Just the sight of her makes my heart race. Max moves first, I can tell he missed her. He pulls her straight into his lap with a grin that says she’s the most important thing in his world. She giggles, brushing a kiss over his cheek, her eyes flicking to me like she can hear the sound in my chest.

I walk over and hand her the mug. “Morning, Little Warrior,” I say, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She murmurs a soft “Thank you,” then turns back to Max, their heads bent together in a quiet exchange that somehow makes me feel more included than left out.

Max looks up. “Hey, you good to bring her to the club later?”

I blink. “Yeah, of course.”

He stands, still holding her. “I’m taking her car in, finishing the upgrades.”

Wrenley groans. “My car is fine the way it is.”

Max raises a brow at her. “It needs more protection.”