Deception, p.27
Deception, page 27
He pats the couch beside him, flashing me a cocky grin. I roll my eyes, but scoot over to him. Sparrow makes a sound of protest, but it’s cut short when we hear keys at the front door. I spring to my feet, unsure what I think I’m going to do, just that I need to do something besides sit and wait.
“I’ll get it,” I offer, a little too eagerly.
Sparrow scowls at me, obviously annoyed that I’d even offer, and saunters over to the door to do it instead. He opens it to find Scout struggling with some bags and his keys. Sparrow takes one of the food bags, stepping aside to let his brother enter. Scout’s chocolate-syrup eyes find me immediately and I warm under his gaze.
At least Scout is entertaining.
“Where’ve you been all day?” Sully asks. “I thought you went to see Ty.”
“I did,” Scout says, dropping the bags onto the table. “Then I had shit to do.”
“You reek of smoke,” I say, hands on my hips. “Did you set him on fire?”
Scout’s grin is dark and terrifying. “No, but I like how you think, prickly princess.”
I don’t reward him with a reply.
“Seriously,” Sparrow grunts. “Why do you smell like smoke?”
“I told you. I had shit to do.” Scout starts pulling containers out of bags and setting them on the table. “Any more questions?”
Since we had a late breakfast, we skipped lunch, and now I’m starving. I grab one of the noodle bowls and a silverware pack to take over to Della. Heathen makes her escape which makes Della pout.
“Eat,” I say to her, making sure she sees my mouth. Once I set it down beside her, I smile and sign, Scout got your favorite. Chicken lo mein.
Her green eyes brighten. Did he get me a fortune cookie too?
Sully, clearly watching our conversation, chucks a handful of fortune cookies my way. I attempt to catch them, but miss all five that fall to the floor. Della happily collects them all, piling them up beside her. I ruffle her hair and then go back over to the table.
All three men are already diving into their meals, but all of them are staring at me as though I’m the one pulling the strings. I pluck open the lid on one of the containers and start eating. The thought of being in control of a situation, for once in my life, is gratifying. Empowered by that thought, I ignore them.
They say they like to play games.
Well, boys, I’ll play.
“So, Sparrow and I had sex today,” I say around a mouthful of fried rice.
Sparrow curses under his breath and Sully chokes on his food for a second. Scout doesn’t react, continuing to eat as though my revelation doesn’t bother him.
“He says I’m his,” I taunt, unable to stop now that I’ve started. “Is that true, Scout?”
Poke the beast, Landry. Terrific idea.
I’m so used to tiptoeing around the monster in my life, that these guys pale in comparison.
“Ours,” Scout clarifies, his nostrils flaring.
He’s not as apathetic as he’s trying to be.
“So how does this whole sharing thing work?” I continue with a saccharine smile sent Scout’s way. “Am I completely off-limits to Sparrow while you’re gone? Or are we just sleepover buddies who cuddle? What if Sully wants a piece? If there are rules to this stupid arrangement, I’m pretty sure we broke them. Oops.”
“Why are you doing this?” Sparrow demands, hurt shining in his maple eyes.
“Why not?” I shovel more food into my mouth, ignoring their intense stares.
“Yeah,” Sully chimes in. “What are the rules, because I’m pretty pissed that all I am in this situation is the fucking babysitter?”
“No one asked you to babysit,” I snap, glowering at him. “Maybe you three can schedule in who watches Della while the other two take turns tag-teaming me.”
Sparrow shoves his container away from him. “Enough. You’re just trying to rile us up and it won’t work.”
But it will.
They’re all getting pissed. I can see it all over their matching faces. Jealousy. Possessiveness. Each of them wants me all to themselves. I’m not a fucking pie you can cut into three sections and separate equally.
“I’m done eating. Scout? Is it your turn?”
“Stop,” Sparrow growls. “I said that’s fucking enough.”
“You’re not the boss,” I bite back, pointing at Sparrow. “Is he? Scout, are you the boss?”
“Honey,” Sully starts, his voice soft like he’s trying to calm me.
“I’m not your honey! I’m your stupid toy!” I yell in a mocking tone. “Take your turns! Use me up! Come on, Scout. It’s our turn to fuck!”
Push. Push. Push.
I crave to push all three of them right off the edge.
Scout’s stare burns a hole into me.
“You have a death wish, prickly princess.”
There’s one triplet I’ve pushed a little too far. Exhilaration skitters through me. I’m not afraid but am eagerly anticipating whatever happens next.
“No,” I argue. “I just want to know what the rules are.” I bark out a harsh laugh. “Maybe I should make the rules.”
Scout rises from his seat at the table, looming over us, his darkness shrouding like a thundercloud. Sparrow starts to stand too, but Scout gives him a sharp shake of his head.
I’m thankful Della can’t hear this ridiculous conversation. Hell, that no one but us hears for that matter. It’s insane.
And I’ve lost my mind.
They’ve driven me to madness.
“Come on,” Scout says, holding his hand out for me. “Time for bed.”
“Landry,” Sparrow mutters. “You don’t have to do this.”
“No one is forcing me to do anything,” I state in my sweetest, fakest voice I can muster. “I’m done following rules. I’m making them now. I’m calling the shots here.”
He fists his hands like he wants to pummel his brother.
“Seven days a week. Hmm.” I tap my chin. “I guess that’s two days each.”
“And we share the seventh day?” Scout asks, a spark of amusement glinting in his dark eyes.
“The seventh day we rest,” I hiss. “Let’s go.”
“We’ll look after Della,” Sully assures me. “You know I really didn’t mean what I said, honey.”
I relax a bit knowing I at least didn’t screw things up for Della. “I know. Thank you.”
After bidding Della goodnight, I avoid Sparrow’s glowering and take Scout’s hand. It’s strong and hot wrapped around mine. He’s the perpetrator of all of this, but I find myself clinging to him right now. Sparrow can eat a dick for all I care.
“Landry, goddammit,” Sparrow calls after me, venom dripping from his words. “Don’t you dare sleep with him.”
Oh, look, there’s another one I’ve pushed off the edge.
Have fun falling, fucker.
A shiver makes its way down my spine, rattling through every bone in my body, but it’s not from fear. It’s from the uncertainty of what he’ll do. Will he fight his brothers for me? I pretend I don’t even hear Sparrow and refuse to look at him. Like the dummy I am, I let Scout, the most terrifying of the triplets, take me to his bedroom.
After I’ve provoked him.
After I’ve made a mess of things.
Because I want to. Because I chose this.
I’m not scared of him.
I’m not scared of any of them.
He smells like smoke and violence and barely contained rage, yet I willingly follow him. The door closes behind us, sealing us in his room.
Scout releases my hand and steps until our chests are touching. He peers down at me, an unreadable expression on his handsome face. A startled gasp escapes me when he dips down to my neck and inhales me.
“You smell like him.”
I shudder at the deep accusation. “I showered and I told you what we did. You can’t punish me for coming clean.”
He toys with a strand of my hair, curling and uncurling it around his finger. “Who said I wanted to punish you?”
“You’re pissed. I can see it in your eyes. I’m pretty good at reading emotions.”
He pulls back, his dark eyes searching my face. “Because of your dad. You behaved accordingly to his moods.”
There’s no sense hiding from the truth now. He knows my deepest secrets.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“I’m not angry with you,” he says, surprising the hell out of me. “And I can’t ever stay mad at my brothers.”
“What, then?”
“Sharing is difficult when you really, really want something all to yourself.”
“Maybe I don’t want to be shared,” I challenge. My body prickles with heat, arguing that statement immediately.
“You want to be Sparrow’s only?”
“No,” I say too quickly. “He’s bullheaded and thinks with his dick.”
A wolfish grin stretches out over Scout’s handsome face. “Sully? Me?”
“No one. I just want to be on my own. With Della. Far, far away from here.”
His lips brush over my cheek, so soft it tickles me. Hot breath finds my ear as he says, “That’s not going to happen. Ever. So who do you choose?”
Swallowing hard, I wonder if forced to give an answer, could I?
“I said no one.”
“Until you choose, the answer is all three.” He steps back, raking his gaze over my face. “Take off your clothes.”
My eyes widen at his words. “W-what? No.”
“What did my brother do to get you to undress for him, hmm? Plead sweetly? Promise you gifts?”
“He just took them off,” I admit in a quiet whisper.
His eyes darken. “Should I get my knife?”
I jolt at his words. “No, you crazy-ass psycho. I have like two outfits. I’ll take them off before I let you cut them off.”
He smirks, losing some of the disturbing malevolence that was just brewing beneath his surface. “Strip and get in the shower.”
I’m not going to win a war with Scout.
Shooting him a dirty look, I strip out of my clothes, hoping it looks as un-sexy as a striptease can be.
“Turn the water on and get in.” He grabs the back of his T-shirt behind his neck and yanks it off, revealing his colorful tattoos and rock-hard abs. “Now, prickly princess.”
Turning on my heel, I scamper into the bathroom. After turning on the hot water, I climb inside. Last night, we bathed together and then slept together naked. I’m safe here. They’re assholes, but I can handle a few pricks. Seconds after I’m relaxing under the hot spray, he enters the shower as well, crowding me from behind.
Scout’s palms slide over my breasts. “I like your rules. Sharing you equally. Having you all to myself and no one to stop me.”
His dick is stone behind me, a thick rod of granite between us. It makes me wonder if he’d feel differently than Sparrow did inside me. Would he tie me down and gag me? Or would he be gentle, like how he was when he washed me last night? I’d never admit it to him, but I’m curious.
My voice is breathy as he thumbs my nipples. “I’m a person, Scout, not a toy. And there are lines, even in this fucked-up game of ours. When I don’t want to have sex, you can’t make me.”
He chuckles, nuzzling my hair. “How did I survive each day without you before now?”
A laugh tumbles out of me. “Are you for real right now? You sound like an obsessive stalker.”
Or in love…
But that’s impossible. People like Scout don’t have hearts. They have sexual needs and big dicks for brains and douchey cars.
“I am an obsessive stalker.”
I don’t understand his cuddling or weird brand of playfulness. I’m not hating it, though, which makes me question my sanity. He’s keeping me and my sister captive against our will. Even my mental attempt to remind myself he’s a kidnapper falls flat.
“What are we even doing?” I ask, defeated.
He grips my hips, fingers digging in almost painfully, and twists me around. I shriek at the cold tile against my ass. His lips find my neck and he sucks the flesh so hard it hurts. Again and again and again he marks me, as though he wants his brothers to see what he’s done. It feels good being the object of his single focus. I’m also looking forward to the look on Sparrow’s face when he sees hickeys all over my neck.
By the time he pulls away, I’m breathless and needy. I half expect him to lift me up, fucking me into tomorrow. Instead, he washes us both, dries us off, and then carries me to bed.
“You don’t want to have sex, we’re not having sex.”
To sleep. No fooling around or sex. Just cuddling and sleep.
I don’t understand Scout’s game he’s playing with me.
But I am learning I like lying against his hard, naked body. A lot.
Chapter Nine
Sully
I wake to my phone buzzing. My neck is stiff from where I’ve been sleeping on the couch. If Della is going to be staying here for much longer, I’m going to convert the office into a room for her. There’s no way I can sleep on the couch forever. Buzzing continues and I blindly look for my phone that’s on the coffee table. Group text.
Scout: Family meeting. My room.
For fuck’s sake.
I take a detour to piss and brush my teeth before heading to Scout’s room. Sparrow stumbles out of his room reeking of liquor and pulling up a pair of sweats over his naked ass. I’m guessing he drowned out his sorrows with a bottle last night. And, because I’m the fucking babysitter around here, I’m feeling refreshed from going to bed early and not getting shitfaced.
Scout’s door is closed. Sparrow tenses, but when I thump his shoulder, he continues through the door. Like he’s the king of the fucking world, Scout is sprawled out—naked as the day he was born—with a sleeping Landry curled up against him. The sight of them is a kick to the chest I don’t expect.
Am I the only one around here not getting laid?
It’s not just getting laid. I could pull up Tinder and get with anyone with a few swipes. It’s that they’ve both clearly been with her. I’m jealous and annoyed and slightly turned on seeing her bare skin on display.
“Gloating?” I grumble, gesturing at them. “Real mature.”
Sparrow crosses his arms over his chest and glares at our brother like he’s seconds away from pulling Landry from his arms. I’d like to see him try. Scout won’t take lightly to that shit.
“Did you fuck her?” Sparrow demands, voice sharp like a blade.
“It sure looks that way,” Scout taunts. “Doesn’t it?”
Landry stirs at the sound of our voices. When she realizes we’re staring at them, she grabs the sheet, drawing it over the two of them.
“I told you—” Sparrow bellows.
Scout cuts him off. “No, I didn’t fuck her, little brother. Not that it’s any of your business.”
Landry bristles.
“You called us in here for a reason,” I blurt out, steering my brothers back on track. “What’s up?”
Scout reaches over to grab his phone and then tosses it to the end of the bed. Sparrow eyes it like it’s a bomb about to explode. With a huff, I pick it up to read whatever it is he’s showing us.
Holy shit.
It’s all over the news.
“Tech mogul Alexander Croft’s two daughters, Landry and Della Croft, were kidnapped,” I read aloud. “Though the suspect or suspects haven’t been apprehended at this time, police say they’re following up on several leads and assure Mr. Croft they’ll locate and safely bring home his daughters.”
I skim through the rest of the news article and find several more on other sites. It’s all over the news. There aren’t any details about the suspects, but it doesn’t comfort me any.
“Turn on the TV,” Landry says, her palm skimming over Scout’s pectoral muscle. “I need to see what’s happening.”
Sparrow remains frozen, watching the two of them lying in bed together. I can’t help the twinge of disgust I feel at seeing her touch him so…fondly. Like they’re lovers, or hell, even friends.
If she can trust Scout of all people, though, then surely she can get there with me and Sparrow. This is progress and I’m pretty fucking elated to think about having her in my bed soon. Bared to me in all the ways, safe and cared for in my protective embrace.
Scout obeys her and turns on the television. Soon, he locates a new station where Alexander is speaking. He pleads to the audience to please help him bring his daughters back home. A policeman takes over speaking when Alexander breaks down in tears. The officer takes some questions from reporters.
“How are you certain it was a kidnapping? Was there a ransom note?”
The officer’s expression gives nothing away. “There are many layers of this case, all of which we are using every resource possible to look into. I can assure you as soon as we have more to go on, we’ll let the public know.”
Many more questions get thrown at him, but he evades most of them, stating they’re unable to disclose certain facts since it’s an ongoing investigation. Finally, just when I think the press conference might be ending, another man steps up to the podium.
I’d recognize those sharp, calculating blue eyes anywhere.
Winston Constantine.
He emanates power, practically pulsating through the television screen, reminding everyone in this city of who is at its helm.
Him.
His family.
I fucking hate that guy.
“If Winston is getting involved,” I grind out, “we’re fucked. We’re so fucked.”
“What? Why?” Landry demands.
Glancing over at her, I note that she’s pressed herself closer to Scout. The man who started this shit storm OR SOMETHING A LITTLE SOFTER…
“He has contacts and connections. It’s only a matter of time before he’s back in our lives fucking it all up again,” Sparrow barks. “You did this, Scout. When he comes to take out more than a few kneecaps, remember that.”
“That’s the guy who hurt you?” Landry asks. “But he’s…he’s just a Wall Street guy. And you guys are so…”
