Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
But it would be the very best way to die.
A moment later, West dropped on top of him. He wrapped his arms around Jin’s chest and waist, rolling them together onto their sides while he remained buried inside of him. West rubbed his face back and forth in his hair like a cat seeking affection.
“Love you. Love you so much,” West murmured, his voice low and deep, sounding exhausted.
Jin chuckled. “Love you too, but my ass might never recover.”
West released him so he could move aside Jin’s hair and press a sweet kiss to his neck and jaw. “Did I hurt you?”
“No, baobei.” Jin closed his eyes and tried to snuggle even more into West’s embrace. “I’m just sated within a centimeter of my life. I think my brain is blood starved and on strike. Qin will have to reschedule more meetings.”
West hummed happily. “I’m good with not moving.” But he followed that up with a sigh. “But we need to move. You have work, and I have work. I need to find this bastard who is trying to harm my fiancé.” West pressed a kiss to Jin’s shoulder, sending goose bumps down his arms. “Someone has promised me an amazing happily ever after, and I’m not about to miss out on it.”
Jin closed his eyes and tried to swallow past the lump that had grown in his throat. No, he didn’t want to miss out on this happily ever after, either. West was his private joy and his shining future. He wasn’t letting that go without a fight.
21
WESTIN ST. JAMES
“How sure are we that it’s him?” Jin inquired again as he picked up a fountain pen from the blotter on his desk and rolled it between his index finger and thumb on both hands.
West’s heart ached for his lover. He didn’t want to put him through this, but they were so close now. His friends had been digging and working around the clock for the past week since West’s meeting with the emperor. Kairo and Justin were confident that they’d uncovered enough evidence to prove they knew who the contract issuer was.
The only problem was that they couldn’t swoop in, arrest him, and demand he take the contract down. He could refuse and they’d be stuck.
Of course, West was more than happy to conduct a little torture to convince their target to change his mind, but he wasn’t sure such a thing would sit well with Jin.
“Dianxia,” Gabriel started smoothly from his seat in front of Jin’s desk, “I will be the first to admit that my husband can be a bit…eccentric—”
“And sexy as hell,” Justin interrupted on all their communication devices.
“But I can say with absolute certainty that he is also one of the best hackers out there. If he reports that he’s found damning evidence to convict Finance Minister Deng Rong, I believe him.”
“Awww, G Love,” Justin cooed. “You still love me after all these years!”
This was only his second time working with the married assassins, and West still struggled to fathom that this pair of complete opposites was so perfectly matched. Justin was an overeager golden retriever puppy who treated everyone as his best friend and everything as his chew toy.
Gabriel, on the other hand, in his black suit, sleekly styled dark hair, and sharply angular features was death incarnate. And somehow his husband got away with calling him G Love.
Insane!
It was also insane that Alexei was related by blood to the man seated in front of them. If anything, Alexei was more similar to Justin.
Except in the eyes. Both Alexei and Gabriel had the same cold, unblinking gaze that whispered of unrelenting ruthlessness. The only time he’d seen either man’s gaze soften was when they were looking at someone they cared deeply about. Thankfully, in Alexei’s case, that was the entire team. Gabriel seemed to be more limited to his nephew and his husband.
“I understand your reticence, Dianxia,” Gabriel continued, as if his husband hadn’t interrupted. “He’s worked for the royal family for how long?”
West watched as Jin dipped his head while he frowned at the top of his desk. “Deng Rong has been a civil servant for twenty years. He’s worked in the Department of Finance for at least a decade, if not longer.” He paused and shook his head before staring up at West. “I’m not saying they’re wrong; it’s just a struggle to believe that he’s been lying all this time. My family trusted him. Gaoxing trusted him.”
“This could be a recent development.” West placed his hand on Jin’s shoulder and squeezed, massaging tense muscles.
“Not to put too fine a point on it, your father’s poor health created a unique opportunity to remove two, possibly three, members of the royal family, throwing the country into turmoil,” Gabriel continued. “The news of your death would harm your father, if not kill him. If it didn’t, it would be nothing to nudge him in that direction. Accidents happen all the time in hospitals.”