Page 60 of Dichotomy

My muscles tightened on reflex. Surprises usually meant failure, injuries, or loss. But Marcus was right, and that softened something tight in my chest. These men understood me. They’d learned my edges and were slowly proving that surprises could mean care instead of chaos. I had to trust that.

“Besides,” he continued, “you’ll recognize where we’re going soon enough.”

A couple of turns later, and I did recognize where we were going, although we were taking a roundabout way to get there.

“What about the FIA tail?” I asked, turning in my seat to scan the road behind us. I didn’t want anyone besides us knowing where this place was.

“Adrian talked to Dominic, and Dominic said they weren’t tailing us anymore. I still double-checked, though. No one tailed us to the hospital or from it, so we’re good. Liam and Sebastian have also been keeping an eye on the traffic cams as we traveled, and there’s no one there either.”

My heart warmed that they were taking such care to keep my secret. We pulled into the winding driveway of my safe haven.

“I missed this place,” I murmured.

“We know.” Marcus placed his hand on my leg and squeezed softly.

The old brick manor looked exactly as I had left it. Glowing softly in the setting sunlight, the chipped brick and worninterior looked like the house was slumbering. It was always my intention to restore it, but that required time and money. And both were always in short supply. I didn’t take a paycheck from the Archers, although I made sure my lieutenants did. Instead, all my money went back into helping the people we saved get back on their feet. I had been able to do some projects at the manor over the years, and Danny helped me with the landscaping, but I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like fully restored.

Adrian was waiting on the steps of the manor, leaning against the brick exterior. Dressed in black jeans and a dark green henley, he looked devastatingly handsome in his casual clothes. He straightened as we pulled in and walked down the steps to meet us. He opened my car door and extended his hand.

“Such a gentleman.” I smirked at him.

He chuckled, pulling my hand until I fell into him. He ran his hand up my back to cup my neck, lowering his head to give me a filthy kiss that had my knees buckling. “Probably more like a ruffian,” he said, pulling back and smirking at the dazed look in my eyes.

I rolled my eyes but leaned into him, pressing my forehead into his chest as he rubbed my back.

“Come on,” he said gently. “Let’s get you inside.”

The interior of the house seemed warmer and brighter, although I hadn’t been able to complete any more of the renovations in the last few months. The weathered and worn wood floors creaked under my feet, but the interior smelled of lemon cleaner, and the handrail on the staircase was surprisingly dust free. The dining room to the right of the foyer was set with a light blue linen tablecloth with a multi-candle centerpiece I didn’t remember owning. The table was set for five people with place settings I definitely didn’t own.

The voices from the kitchen beckoned me forward. Alexander was pulling my favorite dish, lasagna, out of the oven, while Sebastian was pouring wine into five glasses.

“Evie,” Sebastian greeted warmly, the only person who could call me that. He abandoned the wine and kissed me. For the second time in a few minutes, my knees went weak as he pressed me back into the doorframe.

“Stop hogging her,” Alexander scolded gently, shouldering Sebastian out of the way so he could lay his own devastating kiss on my lips.

“Hi, baby girl,” he murmured. “Go sit. I just need to finish the garlic bread.”

“What’s the occasion?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the fancy table setup.

“Just spoiling our girl.” Marcus’s strong arms wrapped around me from behind, and he pulled me back into his chest, squeezing gently before guiding me to a seat.

Dinner was amazing. I didn’t know what Alexander put in the lasagna to make it so much better than anything I’ve ever had before, but it was delicious. He had also firmly declared at the start of dinner that this was a no work-talk evening. Nothing about active operations for the Archers or SDS was allowed.

Afterward, the guys refused to let me clean up. Sebastian tugged me over to the sitting room. The comfy sectional that had mysteriously appeared after the guys first moved in beckoned me, and I sank into the corner. Sebastian handed me my wineglass and then flopped down on the ottoman in front of me, skipping through channels on the massive TV.

Marcus appeared next, a beer in hand, as he took the seat next to me. I leaned back into the side of the couch, swinging my legs over his lap as I stretched out. Apparently, this was what he meant by a lazy day.

“Comfortable?” Marcus arched an eyebrow at me. He leaned forward and put his beer down, then grabbed my feet and massaged them.

I groaned and sank deeper into the plush cushions. “Very,” I moaned.

“Evie.” Sebastian popped up next to me. If I hadn’t been so relaxed, I would have jumped. “You can’t make sounds like that.”

“Fuck off, Sebastian.” Marcus shoved him back gently. “She can do whatever she wants.”

It was hard to believe he had been the most resistant of all my boyfriends. Whatever I wanted? That could be dangerous.

Sebastian’s eyes gleamed, and I knew he was about to push back at Marcus, so I booped his nose.