More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“I’m here. You hear me? I’m fucking here. I’ll never leave you. I’m sorry.”
“I can’t lose you,” she cries. “I can’t—” “You won’t.” My thumb brushes the tears from her cheek. “Not now. Not ever. You’re mine, Stephanie. Always.”
“I was always coming to get you, baby. Always.”
“Finn?” “Yes, love?” “Will you marry me? For real this time?”
“You stole my line again, temptress. I even had a new ring ready.” Tears stream down my cheeks. “You did?”
“I did. I want a wedding that we remember. Something that could never be forgotten. Our moment for everyone to see. You deserve the world, love. And I want to be the man to give you that.”
“But I asked first. Will you marry me, Finn Quinn? Will you make me the happiest woman in the world?”
“Yes, Stephanie. I’ll marry you. We can do it every year if you want to. Whatever makes you smile like you are right now.” James’s groan from behind us burst our little bubble. “Do you want to end this with me? By my side as we get our revenge?”
“Are you seriously checking my pulse?” I whisper. “Yeah. You’re my husband. My responsibility to keep alive.”
I’ve always had my brothers at my side. But now, we’ve got family everywhere. Because that’s what this is. Not just business. Not just vengeance. Family. And we protect our own—fiercely.
“I need you,” he breathes, voice rough. “I know you do. You’d be lost without me.”
“How do you need me, Finn? What do you want me to do?” “I need you to remember how much I love you. Because once I open that door, it might not seem like love. But it is. It’s my way of showing you.”
“You better not overdo it and die fucking me, Finn. I swear to god.” He grins, a wicked flash of teeth. “I did say I’d die for you, love. Dying inside of you doesn’t seem so bad.” “And you nearly did die today, psycho. I vote we shower and nap first.” “You might change your mind when you see what I’ve done.”
“I was about to punch you in the balls. I never want to see those papers again.” “Me neither, love. Me neither.”
“Finn—” “Stephanie Quinn.” His voice is steady. “You might have proposed first. Said you love me first. But, I want to do this properly and get down on one knee with a ring you deserve. Will you do me the absolute honor of marrying me a second time? Only this time, we both remember saying our vows?”
“Is that a yes?” he asks, his voice husky against my ear. “A million times over—yes, yes, yes. Always yes, Dr. Quinn.”
“Fuck. I love you, baby. I love you so much.” I grab the annulment papers, holding them up between us. “I love you, Finn. More than you could ever imagine,”
“What are we doing with these? I don’t want to end our first marriage. I think this next one is just more of a vow renewal. That first wedding—it made us,” I ask. His brow arches, a smirk curling like sin. “We fuck over it and then rip it up?”
“Yes.”
“You really thought I was going to leave you? Even after I told you I loved you? That’s punishable behavior, love,” he whispers against my bare skin.
“But we’re changing the rules. Husbands or families still sign up the women… But the women never step inside. We put the men who entered them into the Trials there instead. And help the women from the outside.” Enzo raises a brow. “And the winner?” “There isn’t one,” I answer. “They’ll believe there’s a chance. That’s enough,” Stephanie finishes.
“Think Rowan’s ready to host on his own without Reggie?” “He’ll manage,” I answer. “Reggie will be busy. And Rowan needs something to keep himself entertained.”
“Bella’s marrying the wrong twin. Reggie’ll take this too seriously. Rowan would’ve been better.”
“Or maybe Drago should m...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“He’d terrify the poor girl,” she says. “And he’s double her age.”
I wouldn’t have it any other way. My brothers. My wife. My family. And the fact they accept her as theirs too? That’s everything. I’ll die a happy man. Having everything I never knew I needed. Well, minus one thing. But I’m sure that will be coming soon.
“I’ve watched you bleed for that career. Work every shift you could grab. Fight tooth and nail for respect in a world that tried to take it from you. I’ll never be the man who steals that from you. If we want a family, and all the other things we have planned, we both can’t work here.”
“I’m not sacrificing. I’m choosing. And I finally realized—”
“It was never the job I was obsessed with. It was always you.”
want children with you,” he continues. “I want nights where I’m not buried in surgeries or charts. I want mornings where the only thing I’m studying is the rise and fall of your chest while you sleep beside me. I want our family. And I don’t need this fucking hospital to prove who I am. I only need you.”
“Oh, fuck,” I choke, nails clawing at his shirt. He’s so deep, my body stretching to take him, to hold him.
“You feel that?” he pants. “That’s me. Not the surgeon. Not the psycho. Just the man who would rip the world apart to keep you.”
“Finn—” My moan tears from me as my orgasm builds too quickly. “I love you. God, I love you.”
“I love you, Stephanie.”
His face is buried in my neck, his voice muffled and wrecked. “See? You don’t need a perfect husband, love. You just need me. Exactly as I am.”
“Exactly as you are, Finn. And I’ll never let you go.”
My entire fucking world steps through, Nyx coiled up her arm, a bouquet of red roses clutched in her hand.
With every step she takes, my chest tightens. The sting of tears presses against my eyes.
“Hi, beautiful,” I whisper. “Finn. You look so handsome my panties are wet.”
“I’m disappointed you’re wearing any, love.” Her blush blooms against me. “Not for long, I hope.”
“It’s one of the books, yes. I have four.” Her jaw drops. “I’m really that interesting?” she teases. “To me? The most fascinating person on the planet, love.”
“Stephanie Miller. This is our second interaction. She scowls at me, a lot. I think she might find me attractive. I’m not sure. I will observe her behavior further. Note. Her smile is infectious, and so is her scowl. She’s the brightest person in the room, including myself.”
“I’m fascinated. I need to be in a room with her on my own to assess further.”
“What is this?” Her voice trembles. “Finn. Tell me what this is.”
“No. No, it’s all good, love. It’s healthy. Just the scan results. When I was falling in love with you, I had brain scans done. I needed to be sure I wasn’t sick. It all felt so alien.”
“Loving you is the only thing that makes everything in here okay.” I tap my temple. “That day was confirmation of what I already knew. That I love you.”
“So you were obsessed with me from day one.” A grin pulls at my mouth. “It would appear that way, temptress.” I wink.
“Dec. I need you to take Nyx,” I murmur. He freezes. “You never fucking mentioned that. You know how I feel about it.” “It?” I growl. He sighs. “Put your arm next to Stephanie’s, and I’ll move her over, okay? Just… breathe normally and relax,” I tell him calmly.
Declan looks like he’s about to piss himself before dropping into the front row with Charlotte. I spot Reggie, who is looking more stressed than usual.
“We bleed for each other.” We cut a shallow line across our skin. I take her hand and lick the blood from her palm. She does the same to mine. As the priest announces us husband and wife, I crash my lips to hers. One hand locked around her throat.
