Treachery

Luca

It may have been stupid on my part to push Ta

And it worked the first night. The house was full, so Ta

I went to bed before the party wound down - intentionally. And I woke up this morning believing Ta

Except when I step out of my room and smell the scent of cooking food wafting down the halls, I know I’m not alone. It’s possible Ava stayed the night again and is cooking breakfast, but from what I remember her saying last night, she had work this morning and wouldn’t be staying late.

I’m not sure what time she took off since I went to bed early, and with that thought in mind, I turn back to my room to put on something that covers more than the large t-shirt I’m wearing.

My steps pause at my bedroom door, my lips pursing with the thought that it would be fun to tease Ta

Yes, I’m still mad at him. Probably a little more than is healthy, but I also can’t hold it against him that my dad died without warning.

Gabriel wouldn’t have lied about that, and it’s still a question about why my dad didn’t tell me. I assume it’s because my mom was sick, and he didn’t want to add that to my problems, but even after she died, he could have said something.

Slipping on a pair of cotton sleep shorts, I think about the Clayton stuff and want to hate Ta

In his own fucked up way, he was looking out for me. But more importantly, he was trying to help the twins. That has to count for something, even if it made my life a living hell in the process.

Still, it’s not entirely his fault. I could have walked away from the marriage at any time. Which makes me wonder why Ta

I’m also wondering why Clayton would even agree to something like that. Marriage is a big deal. It’s a commitment, even if he doesn’t know what the word means. It’s not something as simple as just dating someone or breaking up with them.

There’s too much tied into the legality of it not to be taken seriously.

Ru

Ta

I refrain from commenting on how dangerous it is to cook bacon without wearing a shirt. The popping grease will hurt like a bitch if it catches him.

He turns as I step into the room, his moss green eyes dragging a slow path down my body and back up again.

There’s pure heat in that stare. Longing.

But behind it is a dare, a silent but cu

“Morning,” I say, my voice guarded because there’s no telling what might roll over his lips in response. “I thought you were at work.”

“Not today.” Ta

“Why?”

The bacon splutters and spits, Ta

“You probably should put some clothes on.”

He studies his stomach to see where the hot oil burned him. “Says the woman wearing nothing but a t-shirt and tiny shorts.”

Maybe we’re both playing the same game. Torturing each other. Which means...

“You’re doing this on purpose.”

Pulling the food from the stove, he plates it and sets it on the island between us.

After snatching a slice of bacon, Ta

I focus on his throat as he swallows, still unsure why watching his mouth and throat move fascinates me so much.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I shovel some of the food onto my plate and roll my eyes at him. “Will you answer a question I have? Honestly,” I emphasize.

One thing with Ta

Fork scraping his plate as he devours his eggs and swallows it down, he asks, “What do you want to know?”

He didn’t promise his answer would be the truth, but I ask the questions regardless.

“Why was Clayton willing to marry me as payment for whatever he owed you? That’s a little much to ask, even for you guys. I think I would choose to run the gauntlet rather than risk myself legally like that.”

Ta

“Number one, Clayton is a pussy. He wouldn’t have survived the gauntlet, not with his mind intact. More likely than not, he would have screamed like a little bitch and pissed himself the second we sent him into the woods.”

“But that still -“

“Plus,” he says, interrupting me, “what we have on him is bad enough to force him to give us whatever we want. Clayton did some screwed up things in undergrad. Stupid shit when he was drunk. And we have the video and proof of all of it. Sadly, he made it a habit to do stupid shit, so by the time we started law school, he owed me a lot.”

His gaze lifts to mine.

“His father would have cut him off financially if any of that stuff leaked out. He also would have lost his election from the public embarrassment of his son. Marrying you was nothing compared to what he stood to lose by not doing what I asked of him.”

Quiet for a few minutes, I poke at my food with my fork, not really hungry while another question rattles in my thoughts.

“How did you know I wouldn’t leave him? That I wouldn’t divorce him as soon as I came here and found out he was a liar and a cheat?”

His eyes darken, a

“I thought you would. And I was a

His eyes pin mine, the green color hypnotic despite the anger I see.

“You are so much better than that. Than him. Than what he did to you. I sat back for years waiting for you to realize it and walk away. You have no idea what it did to me to watch you allow that from him.”

Okay, now I’m surprised. A little sad about the entire thing, but still curious…and mad.

“Wouldn’t it have ruined your plans if I left him?”

The expression on his face is enough to floor me, a mix of disappointment and rage that sharpens his cheekbones and squares his jaw.

“No. I would have been brought in as his attorney regardless. Once you two were married, I had you cornered. And the prenup had Clayton cornered. The game was over the second you walked down the aisle.”

A fresh wave of anger filters through me to hear him talk about this so casually. But at least he’s talking. And being honest for once. That’s about all you can really ask of a man like Ta