“I’ll go with him,” I say, because if I’m caught wandering around on the compound, so what? But the looks I get from both Sin and Grainger tell me that this is going to be a fight.
“No, you damn well will not,” Grainger tells me, looking me over with a bit of a scowl.
I rise to my feet, ready to make a stand, but then Grey speaks up, breaking the tension.
“It’s probably best if you don’t,” he says with a long sigh. He takes the pile in front of him and gathers it into his arms. “You didn’t go to all that trouble to save my life only to die now.”
Grey takes off, careful to keep a wide berth around both Grainger and Sin before he disappears into the downstairs bathroom to change.
“So if he says it, then it’s sure thing?” Grainger asks dryly, shaking his head. “You’re the most infuriating fucking baby mama.”
I narrow my eyes on him.
“Did I say sure thing? He shouldn’t be out there alone. If I go with him and we run into someone, I can create a distraction so that Grey can escape. There are a million reasons I could be out there by myself that aren’t immediately suspicious.”
“The answer is no,” Cade snaps as Sin offers up a more sympathetic but no more agreeable look.
“He’s right, you know. Cat gave you a pass once. He won’t do it again. He certainly won’t do it if he finds out you’ve been harboring his enemy’s heir on the compound. Don’t test fate, Gidge.”
My initial response is to fight back, just like I always do. Instead, I close my eyes and take in a deep breath, pushing aside that white-hot rage while I think this through. If I’m caught out there, I can probably distract whoever we come across long enough for Grey to get away. But what happens if I’m caught red-handed? I’m dragged in front of my father and executed?
It’s a distinct possibility.
In the past, I’ve played hard and fast with my own life. Because it was just mine and nobody else’s. Now that I’ve committed to these men, I feel like I have … gag … responsibilities. If I get caught, not only is there the chance it could come back on them, but I’m not sure how they’d all fare after losing me.
In the end, I decide that they’re right and open my eyes.
“Really?” Grainger asks, moving over to grab my face in his hand so that he can peer down at me through narrowed eyes. “You’re not freaking out?”
“I am capable of character growth, you know,” I retort, reaching up to grab his wrist so that I can shove his hand away. He squeezes his fingers even tighter on my chin and resists the movement.
“Well, fuck.” He lets go suddenly, but he’s still watching me, like he expects me to sneak out anyway. It’s absolutely something I’d have done in the past, but if I didn’t learn any kind of lesson when Carol Briggs died then I’d be a moron. There was a reason I was told not to leave the house that day. In the end, Cat was right.
That’s not an easy thing for me to admit.
We wait in silence for Grey to come out of the bathroom. Before he does, the front door opens and both Crown and Beast return from their shifts looking exhausted.
“Wife,” Beast greets, and then he’s grabbing me in his strong arms and kissing me with a hard, possessiveness that makes Grainger turn away with a curse. Sin leans back against the wall to watch, but Crown … He’s waiting, too, but for something else entirely.
As soon as Beast releases me, he’s reaching out a hand and grabbing mine. He pulls me against him and puts his arms around me as my heart thunders wildly. And then, with the taste of Beast still lingering on my lips, he kisses me, too. Like he’s my husband just as much as Beast is.
Oh. This is nice. I like this.
I could get used to this. As long as the men do their best to get along, I can handle some jealousy and posturing, some alpha male displays of possessiveness. Actually, it turns me on.
Crown pulls back and looks down at me, his eyes flicking up to Beast’s, as if he’s testing the other man, seeing if he’ll actually stick to his word.
“Welcome home, Vice Prez,” I quip, and the asshole almost smiles at me. But then, this is Crown, so he’s a bit of a hard-ass. He can be playful if he wants; I’ve seen it. It’s hard-won though, something I’ll have to chip away at.
When Crown releases me, I glance back over at Beast, but he looks the way he always does, contemplative and dark, like he’s planning sex and violence both inside that pretty head of his.
