Treachery

It feels like I’m trapped, but I can’t argue. “This isn’t a favor, right? Something I’ll pay for in the end.”

“On the house. As long as you stick to your promise.”

Nodding, I turn to glance at him, but my head whips forward again when I hear the front door open and Ta

Gabriel chuckles and leans toward me to whisper against my ear.

“It’s interesting how he steals your attention whenever you know he’s near.”

I shrug him off and frown. “That’s just my survival instinct. I never know what he might do next.”

“Sure it is,” he says as he pushes to his feet and brushes the wrinkles from his pants. “I’m leaving for the night. Don’t forget you promised to behave.”

I barely hear him because I’m paying too much attention to the small area where I see Ta

Gabriel walks off to follow after him, and I’m left in the living room by myself.

Taylor, Jase and Sawyer are in the kitchen. Mason took off with Ava over an hour ago, and the twins left shortly after them.

Shane walks into the living room, looks in the direction of the kitchen, then back at me. His lips quirk as he drops down into a seat opposite me, kicks his feet up onto the coffee table and pins my eyes with his.

Lifting his hands to rest on the top of his head, he narrows his stare. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

I chuckle at that. “Yeah? Well, at least I have enough sense at my age not to pick fights at a bar and get my face smashed to hell.”

He grins, and I realize a woman wouldn’t stand a chance against this man when he sets his sights on her. There is pure wickedness in that expression, a subtle promise that he can turn your world on end when he wants.

“It was worth it.”

Narrowing my stare on him in return, I think about what happened at Yale, about the photos, and I wonder if Shane truly is responsible.

“Was it worth it at Yale when Ta

His biceps flex as he pulls his hands to the back of his head, his physique perfect as he goes lower and palms the back of his neck. Tattoos peek out from beneath his shirt sleeves.

“Those were just love taps. And I deserved them.”

Here we go. Maybe he’ll admit it.

“And why’s that?”

Another grin, such deviousness in his eyes that I’m both pissed and smiling. Damn it. I really want to hate him.

“Let’s just say my mouth has a tendency to wander. Although you’ll never catch a woman complaining.”

He winks at me and gets up to walk off. I sit in place with my jaw hanging open.

Where the fuck has his mouth been?

I’m about to follow after him and demand answers when Ta

Pausing in place, he’s only wearing a pair of ragged jeans, the waist loose over his hips. My eyes trace the muscular lines of his shoulders and chest, down farther where his abs look like a damn washboard.

When I glance back up, he has the strangest expression on his face. It’s not something I can interpret. But rather than saying anything, he runs a hand through his hair and stalks off toward the kitchen where the other guys are getting rowdy.

Feeling somewhat awkward that I’ve been left sitting here while the rest of them are hanging out in another part of the house, I run upstairs to use the bathroom. After splashing some cold water on my face, I look in the mirror and barely recognize myself.

Dark circles look like bruises under my eyes. I’m exhausted. I know that. And given everything that’s happened in less than a week, it’s understandable.

Hell, the past six months have been a nightmare come to life, and I blow out a breath wondering when I’ll see a light at the end of this insanely long tu

My dad dying was bad enough. The divorce made it worse. Living on practically nothing only complicated matters, and then, of course, in steps Ta

It almost feels like everything was pushing me back to him, that no matter what I did, this has always been where I was intended to end up.

Obviously, that’s insane. Nobody has that kind of influence. Still, the feeling is there.

Or maybe, it’s just my exhaustion speaking. I’m so run down at this point, I’d be willing to believe anything is possible if it would help explain my shitty luck.

Returning downstairs, I see the front door slamming shut, and notice how the house has dipped into silence.

I take hesitant steps down the last few stairs, padding barefoot through the foyer to wind my way back to the living room.

Ta

Eyes closed, his head is tipped back, his dark hair disheveled as if he’s been ru

“Did they all leave?”

Those moss green eyes slowly open, their color framed by inky black lashes. Lifting his head, he locks his stare on me, our gazes dancing together, every moment we’ve ever spent together rushing through my thoughts.

It’s like a film reel spi

We’ve stood like this before. Just like this. I feel shaky and exposed while Ta

“Come here,” he says on a rough voice, the deep tenor of it echoing softly through a large room that is empty except for him and me.

My legs are shaky as I cross the room, each step made with care as Ta

When I reach him, he lunges forward to catch me around the back of my thighs, pulling me down until I’m straddling his lap. My hands move to his shoulders, my fingertips sliding over hard muscle and smooth skin.

His hand slides up the center of my body until he traps my chin with his fingers.

Slowly tugging my face down to his, he presses a kiss to my lips, his tongue peeking out to tease me. I try to kiss him back but he holds me a teasing inch away, his eyes searching mine, his voice a whisper.

“Do you want to love me or hate me right now?”

That’s a bit of a loaded question. My brows tug together, and he grins, just the corner of his lip tilting up.

“Stop overthinking this, Luca. I know you. Know your frustrating mind is spi

Our breath collides as he holds my gaze, my heart thumping like a trapped rabbit beneath my ribs. His lap shifts beneath me just enough to remind me of where I sit, his scent seducing me as much as his dark stare.

What do I want?

To feel alive again.

Reckless.

To reclaim the sunshine.

When Ta

A sultry whisper against my mouth, rough on the edges and heavy with promise. “Just tell me what you want.”

Him.

This.

Everything that’s bad for me.

“To love you,” I answer without thinking. I can’t be thinking. If I were, I wouldn’t ignore the warning at the back of my thoughts.