He ended the call, then downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.
Kody just grinned and offered him a refill. "You're playing with fire, Zed," he commented lightly, and the older guy just shrugged.
"Nothing new there, Kody." He flashed a grin, then shifted his attention to include me once more. "Now, you guys wanna tell me who has enough money and motive to put out a hit that hardcore? Someone really wants you dead, Madison Kate."
I wrinkled my nose. "No shit."
34
Archer and Steele arrived about an hour later, and I almost tripped over the table trying to launch myself at the two of them. I hugged Steele first, my arms banding around him and my face buried in his neck. He hugged me back just as hard, then loosened his grip slightly.
"Hellcat, I'm fine," he whispered in my ear, then kissed my cheek. "We all are. Promise."
I huffed. "That's not true." I let him go and turned to face Archer with my hands on my hips. "How the fuck did you get shot, Archer D'Ath? You're supposed to be invincible!"
His full lips curved in a grin. "Am I? Huh, I didn't know that. Sure would make these gunfights easier if I were." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, but used his left hand.
My eyes narrowed, and I patted him firmly on the right arm, taking a guess. He flinched and hissed in pain, so I glared harder. "That doesn't seem like you are, D'Ath. Start talking."
He grimaced, then shot Steele a dark look. "Steele shot me. Get mad at him instead."
My jaw dropped, and I spun around to give Steele an accusing glare. But he was just shaking his head at Archer in disappointment.
"Smooth, bro. Real smooth. Just push me right in front of the bus, why don't you?"
Archer snorted a laugh. "Well, you did." Leaning into my body, he pressed a kiss on my cheek. "But I'm fine, Princess. Stop stressing." With a quick kiss to my lips, he moved over to our table and let Kody pour him a Scotch from the bottle he and Zed had been sharing.
"Max Steele," I snarled, spearing him with my glare. "What the fuck?"
He just smiled at me and reached out to grab my hand. "Hellcat, it's not as bad as it sounds," he said with a laugh, tugging me closer, then lifting me into his lap as he sat.
"Uh-huh, so you didn't shoot Archer?"
His gray eyes met mine, full of amusement. "I didn't. I shot the guy who was about to stab Archer in the kidney, and his fat arm just happened to be in the way of my headshot. It's really his own fault."
I blinked at him in disbelief. "You... hang on. Wait. You wanna tell me you deliberately shot Archer?"
"Grazed at best," Steele corrected with a small eye roll. "He's just being a baby about it. Better a grazed bicep than a knife in the kidney, I'm just saying."
"Max Steele!" I shrieked in outrage. "You could have killed him!"
"My point exactly," Archer agreed with a smirk at Steele. Clearly, I was the only one freaking out about Steele literally shooting Archer.
Steele just grinned and kissed the tip of my nose. "That wasn't even a possibility, Hellcat. Have you seen me shoot? I don't miss."
Zed and Kody were chuckling quietly, and I just threw my hands up in frustration.
"Hey," Steele whispered, tightening his arms around my waist. "You did well with the plan, Hellcat. I saw you cap that guy in the head."
A stupid amount of pride rolled through me, and my lips quirked in a smile, despite how mad I was at him. "Yeah?"
"Yep," he replied, kissing my neck, "hottest thing I've seen all week. Don't even get me started on that perfectly executed tuck and roll you did." He let out a sexy sort of moan that went straight to my cunt. Damn him, using my libido against me like that.
"Max..." I groaned in protest, then gave up on my anger. I turned my face, cupped his cheek in my hand, and kissed him hard. His lips curved into a smile against mine, and he deepened our kiss to the point that I was squirming in his lap and desperate for more, despite our audience.
Hell, I'd totally forgotten Zed was even there until Steele released me and I spotted him eyeing us with curiosity.
"Poly relationship, huh?" he murmured to Kody with a raised brow.
Kody shrugged. "Don't knock it until you try it, friend."
Zed snorted a laugh, shaking his head. "You're braver men than me, that's for sure."
Archer refilled his Scotch, then clapped Zed on the shoulder with a grin. "For the right girl, Zed, you'd be surprised what you'd agree to."
I caught Archer's eye across the table, and the look he gave me was pure adoration. It made my pulse race and my insides warm, and I smiled back at him with total infatuation. The fact that he'd accepted our unconventional relationship constantly blew my mind.
He and Zed slipped into a casual debriefing about the mission, and I snuggled back into Steele's embrace as we took some time to just enjoy the party.
The boys had all moved on to Scotch, leaving the Champagne for me, so it wasn't long before the warm buzz of drunkenness started rolling through my limbs. The music was catchy, and without even meaning to, I found myself swaying in Steele's lap.
His fingers tightened on my hips, and he let out a small groan some moments later. "Hellcat, you keep grinding on me, and I'm gonna have to fuck you in the bathroom."
I laughed but rolled my hips against him harder. "Maybe we should go dance," I suggested. "I need to work off this energy somehow."
"Take Kody," Archer told me before Steele could accept.
I cocked a brow at him. "Why?"
"Because," he replied with a smirk, "for one thing, Steele can't fucking dance. For another, he shot me and doesn't deserve rewards."
Kody snickered and stood up, holding out his hand to me. "Come on, babe, you know I love dancing with you." The wink he shot me said it all. Every time the two of us had danced together, we'd ended up making out or more. Perfect.
We made our way over to the busy dance floor, giggling together as I tripped on the edge of my dress. Kody caught me before I could fall, of course, and dipped me like it had been an intentional dance move. Smooth as fuck.
"Hey babe?" Kody said as he pulled me into his arms and started moving with the music. We were pressed close together, and I was already cursing the amount of clothing between us. He'd ditched the bulletproof vest, but even so... naked would have been better.
"Hmm?" I looped my arms around his neck and gazed up at him with adoration. I was so fucking smitten with my guys it was insane.
He grinned back at me, like he knew exactly what I was thinking. "I noticed Arch gave you a gift this morning. Does that mean you're not filing for divorce?"
My eyes widened, and I brought my hand between us to look at the ring in question. It fitted me so perfectly it felt like it had been made for me. It was unquestionably stunning, too, and clearly a priceless antique. Yeah, that ring was more than just a casual trinket.
"I..." I had no words. Is that what it meant? What did it say for our whole relationship if we started out with a divorce? Ugh, then again, it shouldn't have started with a forced marriage. But still... what harm was there in leaving things as they were for the time being?