Rulers of Deception by Katie Jennings

shoulders, easing her tension and his own. The feel of her warm skin beneath his hands erased some of the aftereffects of the conversation with Jimmy.
    In all likelihood he was overreacting. Why the hell would a guy like Franco hold onto a grudge for an entire decade? Jimmy had likely heard some bad information, or he’d brought it up purposely to get money. Which he’d been successful at, the bastard.
    With a heavy sigh, Wyatt tilted Madison’s face back so he could lean in and kiss her.
    This was real. She was his life now, not Jimmy or Franco or the cartel. All of that was long over. Even if Jimmy was telling the truth, which Wyatt knew was always a crapshoot, then he’d deal with it when it came.
    Until then, he was only doing himself a disservice by letting it get to him.
    “You know, I’m not even really that hungry,” he murmured against her lips, savoring the taste of her.
    “Me neither.” She spun her chair around and grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him down to her. Their mouths met in a fast and impatient kiss, his hands bracing on the arms of her chair. In a move that was both restless and feral, he scooped her out of the seat and laid her on the floor. He watched the surprise and dark delight flash in her eyes as her hair splayed over the carpet, accompanied by that seductively wicked smile he’d never grow tired of.
    Seeing it both tore his insides apart and threw them back together again, a convoluted mess of regret and hope and rage. She was everything. Everything.
    He dove into that wild chaos headfirst and let it consume him until there was nothing left but her. No Jimmy, no Franco, no cartel…he couldn’t allow any of it to exist. Wouldn’t allow it to touch the one person he loved more than himself. The one person he’d lay down his life to protect.
     

     
    Raoul may have only heard the tail end of the conversation, but he knew enough of the dirt in Wyatt Bailey’s past to put the pieces together. What he’d heard greatly worried him.
    If the scrawny Italian was right and Franco Luis Escobar was after Wyatt, then Madison was in direct danger. Raoul had heard rumors of what Franco was capable of, what sick, twisted routes he preferred to take when exacting his revenge. If he had at last found Wyatt after ten years of searching, then there was no doubt he would be plotting to take his enemy down. Which, consequently, put the Vassers directly in the line of fire.
    Raoul scowled, the urge to throw something heavy for that satisfying loud crash rushing through him. Rage flooded his system with red-hot flame and he cursed his inability to keep Madison from letting Wyatt back into her life. If only she had listened…
    He knew better than to confront her with it now. He was lucky she’d forgiven him for the kidnapping and let him stay on at the hotel, still as her friend despite it all. But her trust in him was greatly tarnished and may never be repaired. Trying to warn her of the target on her husband’s back may only destroy it further.
    The best he could do was keep an eye on things and above all else, keep Madison safe if the cartel made a move. He had to hope that between his efforts and whatever Wyatt Bailey attempted to do that the Vassers would be safe from harm.
    Forcing back the fierce bite of temper, he grabbed the bag of flour he’d gone into the storage area for and headed back into the kitchen where Quinn was busy kneading dough for the dinner rolls. He avoided her eyes and set the flour down in front of her.
    “You get lost back there?” Quinn joked, smiling sweetly. It didn’t take long to notice something was bothering him. “You okay?”
    She reached out to touch his arm, startling him. His dark eyes seared into hers for a blazing second, then softened and cooled. “We are out of ginger.”
    Quinn went back to kneading the dough, keeping her eyes on his. “Want me to go get some more? I don’t mind.”
    “No.” He released a slow, calming breath, practicing the