The Devious Husband (The Windsors, #6)

by Catharina Maura

Mrs. Kingston.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Xavier Kingston got married, and his new wife just disabled the alarms I set off.

oh honey no 😂😂

Unhinged and insufferable.

He knows I hate that stupid nickname, which is exactly why he insists on using it. Before today, he’d never used it in earshot of anyone else, though. It started as a nearly-missed whisper when I danced with him at a charity gala eight years ago, and it turned into a taunt in empty hallways and boardrooms.

Each and every single one of my brothers are complete suckers for their wives, and sadly for them, my sisters-in-law all love me dearly. There is no threat that works better than telling my brothers I’ll call their wives when they get on my nerves.

I haven’t been able to get the article The Herald published out of my mind, and a dark emotion I can’t quite identify rushes through me as I watch her jewelry sparkle underneath the chandeliers I chose. Chances are that at least one of the pieces of jewelry Xavier commissioned from Laurier was an engagement ring.

I grit my teeth and begin to wonder why I even came here at all, only to freeze in place when I feel Xavier’s eyes on mine. He stops walking, and Valeria looks over her shoulder, following his gaze. She smiles at me so sweetly that I instantly feel guilty for the faint and entirely irrational animosity I feel toward her.

My heart instantly begins to race at the sound of Xavier’s voice, and I look over my shoulder to find his dark eyes filled with the kind of intensity that makes it hard to look away.

“Care to dance with the devil?”

Of course he’d catch me badmouthing him, and of course he wouldn’t turn a blind eye. I’m tempted to reject the hand he’s holding out for me, but if I did that, I’d never get answers to the question that led me here. What did he take from me?

Something akin to relief flashes through Xavier’s eyes as he pulls me onto the dance floor and against his chest in one smooth move. “I wasn’t sure you’d come, Kitten.” I narrow my eyes and purposely step on his toes. “You left me no choice. I’m here, and we’re on the dance floor, so tell me what you took from me.”

Por una Cabeza

My new favourite song

He requests this exact song every time we find ourselves at the same formal events, and though I’d never admit it to him, I’ve come to consider the song ours.

“I’ve always loved the way you say my name.”

Never in a million years will I let Xavier Kingston occupy all my thoughts again.

Ever since The Herald reported that Sierra was seen at his nightclub several months ago, he’s been trying to get on my nerves by mentioning her every chance he gets.

That stupid newspaper has no idea how close I’ve gotten to just buying their entire office building and flattening it.

“Did you see this, Mom?” Elijah asks, tipping his head toward the screen behind me. Instantly, a picture of Sierra and me dancing the tango appears, and I groan. “Aw, that’s so cute,” Mom replies, her eyes glittering. “That’s a wonderful photo.”

“When will we get to meet your girlfriend, Xavier?” Dad adds. “I feel like I’ve been hearing about her for an eternity now.” Zach bursts out laughing and shakes his head. “Sierra Windsor? His girlfriend? Maybe in his wildest dreams. She hates him...

“You,” she says, pointing at Zachary, “are the mayor of a city that was named after us, and this is how you behave?”

“And you, Elijah. You are, quite literally, the head of a secret intelligence agency, and here you are, abusing your powers and showcasing your brother’s private affairs.” She points at the screen, and he rushes to disconnect his laptop.

“And Hunter? You’d better stop humoring these reporters just to provoke your brother and start focusing on composing and recording some new songs. You’re wasting your talent in that godforsaken club of yours, ...

We all know who the real favorite child is, and it isn’t any of us.

I handle all our real estate, Zach handles politics and our family’s image, Elijah is in charge of maintaining some of our old ties and using them to take down some of the worst threats to our family before they materialize, and Hunter… well, he’s the only one of us with real otherworldly talent. Why he hasn’t picked up his guitar in years is a mystery to us all, but I’m certain he won’t be able to stay away forever.

“Sierra Windsor, huh?” “Nope,” I say, rising to my feet. “I’m not talking to you about her.”

“I would like to know what your intentions are, Xavier. I didn’t raise a bully — but that’s exactly what you seem to be. I didn’t mind it when your feud was mutual and it seemed playful, but now? You took her designs, and she looked devastated when she walked into that party. That’s not how you treat a woman you care about.”

“Your intentions, Xavier. If they’re anything but honorable, Sierra slashing your tires will be the least you’ll have to contend with.” “How…” I shake my head and sigh. Elijah, no doubt. Fucking tattletale. “Mom,” I say, taking a deep breath. “If things go the way I hope they will, I intend to make Sierra my wife.”

After all, he’s Xavier Kingston, one of the most eligible men alive, according to those horrid gossip magazines I pretend not to read.

My heart drops as I walk into my hidden safe and find all of my most expensive necklaces missing, the displays showcasing vastly different designs. I gasp as I take a step closer and recognize them for what they are: seven extremely expensive Laurier designs that I’ve never seen before.

I’m so distraught by the fact that he seems to have cut pages out of books, like some kind of psychopath, that it takes me a moment to comprehend what the message is.

Dear Kitten, please know that I wish it were my hands on your skin each time you wear these necklaces.

Is he threatening me? Does he want me to wear these necklaces and imagine him choking the life out of me for annoying him just a touch too much?

Bewakoof 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

If he wanted to gift me jewelry, he’d just have done so, though I can’t imagine Xavier Kingston ever giving me a present. No, this isn’t a gift, or he wouldn’t have stolen my jewelry and left that creepy note.

I’m frazzled as I begin to take inventory of what exactly he took in an attempt to figure out his motive, only to realize he stole one piece he never should’ve touched — a heirloom piece my grandmother gifted me when Raven married Ares.

How does he know which buttons to push to infuriate me, and why the hell does he keep coming after me when I tried and succeeded in being the better person for so long?

I once bribed our head of security, Silas Sinclair, to hack into Xavier’s system and give me his entrance codes. Xavier, being the cocky asshole he is, never changes them.

Normally I’d have worn a wig and a hoodie, along with gloves and actual shoes, instead of the fuzzy house slippers I stormed out in.

“Please,” I whisper, hoping his code is still the same. 8502, as always. I’m sure it has some kind of sentimental value since he uses the code frequently, but I haven’t been able to figure it out.

“Kitten,” I murmur, trying my hardest not to smile at the fire blazing in her eyes as she sits behind bars, for the second time since I’ve known her. “You really do seem to think you have nine lives, don’t you?”

“You do realize it’s my office you tried to break into, right? Who else would they have called?” “They should have called Raven, like I asked them to.”

“You haven’t learned your lesson from the last time you got arrested for breaking into my office, have you? Do you need a reminder, sweetheart?”

Her breath hitches, and her expression shifts, becoming disarmed and a little shy at the mention of that evening. She’d broken in with Valentina, her sister-in-law, who, at the time, was still her brother’s secretary. They’d gotten caught and arrested, resulting in Luca bailing Val out — but much to Sierra’s absolute horror, he left his little sister to me. “Hardly,” she says, looking away. “That night was one I’ve regretted ever since, and the last thing I need is a reminder of it.”

I smile, realizing that I’m just as completely and utterly fucked as I’ve ever been when it comes to her. She doesn’t even need to say anything for me to follow her, and she has absolutely no idea how much power she holds over me.

Sierra gasps when I grab her ankle and turn my face to bite her leg. “W-what are you doing?” “What do you think? You presented me with a snack, so I’m taking a bite.”

She’s never looked more beautiful.

She looks furious and incredulous, but beneath that lies something else, something she’s trying to hide, something that looks an awful lot like jealousy. I’ll be damned. I didn’t think there was anything major that Sierra didn’t know about me, but I was wrong. So wrong.

I completely and utterly despise how handsome he looks when he smiles.

Dimples are meant for adorable and kind human beings, not this piece of shit.

“Is my little kitten angry? You’re so adorable when you glare at me like that.” “God, I hate you,” I mutter. “No, you don’t,” he retorts as he sits down on his marble coffee table, facing me. “You wouldn’t be here if you did.”

“Now, let’s have a chat, shall we?” “Do you often have to handcuff women just to get them to speak to you?”