“Congratulations, mate,” I say, extending my hand. He shakes it, grinning from ear to ear.
“Thank you. We’re very excited.”
“Twins,” says Reyna wistfully. “How wonderful!”
I tighten my arm around her, smiling wide because I know we’re going to have a bloody grand time trying for twins next time around.
I can already imagine the wicked fun it will be.
Sloane laughs, glowing with happiness. “Okay, now that’s off my chest, let’s party!”
Declan says, “You’ll not be partying with my babies in your belly!”
“I’ll be having sparkling cider, sweetie. Don’t get your panties in a wad.” She kisses him, then turns back to the girls and throws her arms in the air. “Partay! Partay! Partay!”
As Declan shakes his head, I lean down and murmur into Reyna’s ear, “I think we need to go to the loo.”
“We? Do you need an extra hand?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
Smiling, I take her by the shoulders and tell the others we’ll be right back. Then I steer her down the hallway toward Declan’s office. I turn her into the powder room halfway there and lock the door behind us.
Backing up toward the sink, Reyna says, “Are you all right?”
“Better than ever, viper. Better than ever.”
I take her in my arms and kiss her hard. She responds as she always does, with a soft sigh, her body instantly melting against mine.
My own body responds as it always does, too, sending most of the blood in circulation straight to my cock, so I’m left feeling dizzy.
“My gorgeous gladiator,” she whispers against my mouth, opening her eyes to gaze up at me. There’s so much love in that look, it makes my dick even harder.
“My beautiful queen. I need to fuck you.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
She laughs a husky, happy laugh, winding her arms more tightly around my shoulders.
“Okay, Maximus. You’re the boss.”
When I freeze, staring down at her with what I’m sure is a glint of hysterical euphoria in my eyes, she clarifies, “For the next five minutes. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Romeo.”
My smile is savage. I turn her around so she’s facing the mirror, pull up the skirt of her dress, and slide my hand around the front of her hip and down between her legs. The moment my fingers slip under her panties and brush her clit, she moans softly and closes her eyes.
Into her ear, I murmur, “Who do you belong to?”
She answers without hesitation. “You.”
“Aye. Now and forever.”
I work my hand between her legs, my fingers sliding through her heat and wetness. With my other hand I cup her breast, thumbing over her hard nipple. Then I kiss her throat, sucking on it at the same time I tug on her clit.
She exhales a shaky breath. Reflected in the mirror, we look exactly like what we are.
Two people madly in love with each other.
Starting to sweat, I command, “Spread your legs wider, wife.”
She obeys me immediately, canting her ass back and widening her stance as she leans over the sink. I pull her panties down her thighs, unzip my trousers, and take my aching cock in my hand.
Nudging the crown at her entrance, I say, “Open your eyes.”
Her lids drift open. When our gazes meet in the mirror, I thrust inside her, then grip her hip and thrust again.
Her moan is broken this time. Soft and broken, a sound that makes all the cells in my body fill with supercharged energy. The way she surrenders to me makes me feel like a fucking king.
Then she whispers my name, and I feel like a god.
Invincible.
Immortal.
Capable of anything.
Holding her gaze in the mirror, I fuck her slow and deep, lazily stroking her clit until she’s gasping for breath and shaking all over. She leans farther forward, bracing an arm against the wall.
“Quinn. Oh God. Quinn.”
Panting, I say, “Aye, baby. Give it to me.”
She shudders, gripping my forearm and moaning as I play with her clit and fuck her pussy.
She’s soaking wet, luscious and beautiful, taking my cock as hard as I want to give it to her. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted and so much more than I could ever deserve, and I know without doubt that I will love this woman until my last breath. I’ll love her until the earth stops spinning and the sun flames out and all the stars fall from the sky.
I’ll love her forever.
My wife. My viper. My warrior.
My queen.
I will worship at your feet for all eternity.
Acknowledgments
So the Queens & Monsters series has come to an end. I don’t exactly know how to feel about that, because I’ve been living with these characters for a while now. More than four years, if we count the first time Killian Black appeared in the Dangerous Beauty series back in 2019.
The response to the Queens & Monsters series has been overwhelming. I can’t explain the gratitude I feel for how enthusiastically readers have embraced my mafia world and shared it with their friends. I want to give a heartfelt shout out to Geissinger’s Gang, my reader group on Facebook, for being my cheerleaders and emotional support team throughout this process. I also want to thank the countless bloggers, reviewers, BookTokkers, Bookstagrammers, and YouTubers who have taken the time to not only read my work, but also to make incredible edits on social media, leave reviews, share snippets and teasers, ask me for interviews, cajole their friends to read along with them, and make the whole experience of getting my books out into the world so amazing for me.
2022 marks the tenth year since my first novel was published. Brutal Vows is my twenty-ninth novel, and one I can say without doubt that I had the most fun writing. I hope the joy I felt creating this world and these characters came across as you were reading it.
If you found this book before reading the three prior installations of the series, the last chapter will probably make more sense if you go back and start with Ruthless Creatures, book one. And if you’d like to go back to where it all began, start with the Dangerous Beauty series, then read the Beautifully Cruel duet before crossing over to Queens & Monsters. Many of my series have crossover characters who like to make surprise cameo appearances, so there’s a full reading order on my website at www.jtgeissinger.com to help direct you.
Sincere thanks to my PR team, Social Butterfly PR, for all their help. Specifically to Sarah Ferguson, who never fails me, thank you so much for all you do. I appreciate you.
Thank you to Linda Ingmanson, editor extraordinaire, for your attention to detail and for hitting all my ridiculous turnaround deadlines.
Thank you to Letita Hasser of RBA Designs for creating my incredible covers, and also for your quick turnarounds. And for accommodating all the changes I come back to you with which probably make you pull out your hair.
Big thanks to Denise Black and Marnye Young of Audio Sorceress for making my audiobooks come to life so fantastically with your magic! I love everything you’ve done for me, and my readers love you, too.
Also huge thanks to Troy Duran, Brooke Daniels, Michelle Sparks, Tara Langella and Tess Hanna for your incredible talent.
Thank you to the first acquisitions editor I ever had, Eleni Caminis of Montlake Romance, for buying the Night Prowler series, becoming a wonderful friend, and making my dreams of becoming a published author come true.