The Devil's Bargain (Deal with the Devil, #1)

by Carin Hart

And, holy shit, I need to focus. Because the buzz? It’s not coming from the phone I placed face-down on the tabletop in front of me. It’s in my pocket, and that means only one thing: the phone I’ve carried around for fifteen fucking years without it ringing once in the last thirteen or so is going off.

“Right. Because… and let me stress this part… your unmarked wife was walking in the club without a chaperone, and all the wallets thought she didn’t have your protection. Because… again… let me stress this… you’d rather hole her up in your penthouse instead of introducing her to the syndicate so the guys know to protect her.” I fucking hate it when he’s right. “You don’t have to worry about that.” His eyebrows shoot up. “You’re finally going to share Saint Ava with the rest of the class?” “Fuck you,” I say, but there isn’t any heat. “I just meant that she’s being marked right now.” His eyebrows nearly reach his hairline as I explain, “She asked Cross to do it.” “Riiiight,” Royce drawls. “And she happens to know that Cross does all the tats for the Sinners because⁠—” Ass. “Because I brought him up to the penthouse to ink a ring around her finger because she lost it, okay?” Slipping his hand into his pants pocket, Royce pulls something out. With a clink, the golden band hits the tabletop. “Where did you find that?” “A good samaritan found it on the dance floor. They turned it in to the bar. Jessie gave it to me.” He uses his finger to shoot it across the table at me. “I guess you won’t be needing that now.”

friendship goals

“Look at you. You’re puppy dog awful over this woman… have been as long as I’ve known you… and you’re hiding her. If it was me, I’d be showing her off to everyone in Springfield. But you… I still don’t get why you let her get away in the first place.” He doesn’t, does he? “I had to. It was my penance.” Royce snorts. “Catholic shit, huh?”