Treachery

Luca

I wake up the next morning late in the day.

Blinking my eyes open to see the sun high in the sky, I push up on an elbow to notice I’m alone in bed. Ta

I push myself into a sitting position, my gaze landing on the alarm clock. It’s almost noon, my brows tugging together in surprise because I never sleep this late.

Not that I got much sleep last night. Every time I shifted on the bed or moved in any way, Ta

I lost count after the fourth or fifth time. And my body is paying for it now.

Everything hurts.

In a good way, so don’t get me wrong.

But I can barely move after all the positions he had me in, can barely think straight when his scent still fills the room, and I’m crazy enough to want more of him.

Wondering where he is, I crawl out of bed and stumble into his bathroom. My feet stop in place as I walk in, my eyes widening to see his shower alone is almost as big as my bedroom. Ru

After using the bathroom, I open the glass door of the shower and step in, my hand hitting a knob that sets all the showerheads off at once. When a lower one pulses water between my legs, I slam a palm against the tile to keep from buckling.

I’m way too sensitive there and move so my body doesn’t respond.

After letting the water massage my tired muscles, I head back into his room, get dressed, and then step out to find him.

The house is quiet as I creep down the stairs. From the kitchen, I can hear the sizzle of food, the scent of bacon and eggs drawing me closer.

Surprised that Ta

Ava stands at the stove with a spatula in hand, her head turning to glance over her shoulder as I clear my throat.

“Oh, hey! I’m glad you’re finally awake. I waited a while to start making something, but then gave up when I thought you’d sleep all day.”

Walking up to the island, I pull out a stool and sit down.

“Where is everyone?”

We’re both wearing our clothes from last night, and while I look like a train wreck, she looks perfectly put together.

Her brown eyes glance at me, the corner of her mouth tugging down. “They went to get Damon and Shane.”

“All of them?”

A bark of laughter shakes her shoulders.

“Yep. Unfortunately, it’s become a necessity over the past year. I guess seven attorneys is better than one.”

Confused, I stare across at her, my brows lifting with the hope she’ll explain.

Ava drops the spatula on the counter and turns to look at me.

“Shane and Damon were arrested last night...again. I think this is their fourth time in the past twelve months.”

“For what?”

Granted, I don’t know the guys well enough to be surprised at anything they do, but it still shocks me to hear two twenty-eight-year-old men - both attorneys, I might add - have been arrested so many times.

“For fighting,” she says, her arms crossing over her chest as she flashes me a wobbly smile. “Those two are trouble when they’re together. Shane typically starts the fights, and Damon ends them.”

The bacon sizzles beside her, a full plate of eggs already set aside.

Turning to pull the pan from the heat, she shakes her head.

“They never get charged, but only because Ta

After sliding the bacon onto a plate with a paper towel to soak up the grease, she carries both plates to the island and sets them between us.

I assume she’s been here a lot, considering how comfortable she is in the kitchen. It only takes her a few seconds to pull empty plates from a cupboard and silverware from a drawer.

“You should eat up. If the guys get here, this food will be gone in less than a minute. They will literally steal it off your plate.”

She smiles and shakes her head, and I can’t get over how close she seems to them.

I’m a jerk for wanting to take advantage of the situation, for using this woman to find out more about the man who has been driving me nuts since the first night I met him at Yale.

Scooping food onto my plate, I keep my voice casual. “You seem to know the guys pretty well.”

Soft laughter drifts across the island. “You can say that. I’ve been with Mason for almost ten years.”

Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it...

“How can you do that when he’s engaged to someone else?”

Damn it. The words slip from my mouth before I can stop them.

She meets my stare and chuckles.

“I’m actually best friends with his fiancé. Emily is the reason I know Mason. And trust me, those two have no love for each other. She has the hots for another guy who is off limits. It’s a mess.”

My eyes widen at that. “Oh.”

“Yeah...oh,” she says with a grin. “But I’m not sure you have much room to talk about living recklessly by going to bed with a difficult man.”

My cheeks heat, my legs sliding against each other because just the thought of Ta

“I have to give you credit, Luca. You have managed to pull off something I’ve never seen before. And I’ve been around these guys for a long time.”

“What’s that?”

She chews a bite and looks up at me.

“Do you know that Ta

“No.”

My thoughts race back to that night. I can’t remember much of it, at least not until the next morning. But I remember Ta

Ava grins and lifts a brow.

“I won’t say the guys don’t get in fights with each other. It happens because they’re practically brothers. But Ta

I can’t help but immediately think of the photos that were taken of me. Ta

“Listen,” she says, pointing her fork at me, “What Ta

“I doubt that-“

“You shouldn’t”

She gets quiet for a second, takes a bite of bacon as her eyes tip up to me.

“He’s claimed you, Luca, and I hope you know what the hell you’re doing because Ta