I’m prepared to call bullshit until I notice the pitch black eyes narrowed on me. I’ve only ever seen eyes like that on one other person.
Oh fuck, is he here because something happened to them?
“Is Callum okay? Is Gideon? I haven't heard from them since they left. Have you talked to them?” I don't trust this guy, but I need to know what he knows more than I need him dead.
“Yes, yes, and yes.” He ticks each one off with his fingers. “I think that covers all your questions.” I scowl as he dips into a bow that’s as mocking as it is arrogant. “I’m Ciprian Casanell. Now, who the fuck are you?”
I'm saved from answering by the sound of gravel churning in the driveway. Gideon and Callum must recognize the truck because they are out of the SUV in a heartbeat, storming up the porch steps, flinging open the door, and jumping in Ciprian's face.
“You snuck out at the crack of dawn to case my fucking house?” Callum screams in his brother's face. “You're such a piece of shit.”
Seeing Callum and Ciprian side by side, I notice more similarities. The cut of their jaws, the curve of their lower lips,and the way they flail their arms when they yell. Because I'm watching so closely, I catch Ciprian subtly flinching away from his brother's anger before he joins him in hurling accusations.
“Hey, baby,” Gideon says, pulling my attention to him. “It's good to see you. How about you hand me that gun?”
I blink a few times and realize I still have a death grip on the pistol. So much for holding it lightly. My arms are shaking from the weight, so I flip the safety on and hand the weapon butt first to Gideon. He sets it down on the entry table, then scoops me up, both of us completely ignoring the screaming siblings.
Once I'm wrapped up in his hug, the constant pressure on my chest vanishes with one final throb. I cling to him like a little kid. It would embarrass me if he weren’t holding me just as tightly. “I’m glad you're back,” I admit, blood rushing to my face a second before he presses his lips to mine.
Now that it's happened a few times, I’m sensing a theme to Gideon's kisses. He puts everything he feels into them. Each one is so different; it’s like we're having a wordless conversation. This particular kiss starts off soft. It tells me he was afraid when he saw me holding the gun, and even now, he's trying not to scare me. Once I'm kissing him back, he really dives in, one big hand sliding under my ass to support my weight.
It’s a possessive touch. He’s telling me he missed me.
The pressure increases, and my feet leave the ground as he shuffles us both backwards. Now my literal back is against the literal wall, and Gideon uses that leverage to grind against me. It reminds me of the couch, but I'm not brave enough to admit to myself what he's trying to say with that move.
I also don't want him to stop.
“Don’t fucking look at her.”
Callum’s hissed demand breaks me from my lust bubble, and I pull back from Gideon to look at the two warring brothers.
“Boiling hot.” Ciprian fans himself dramatically. “I give you a seven out of ten for that display, Gideon. Don't stop on my account,” he croons, holding lecherous eye contact with me the entire time.
I can’t help rolling my eyes.
Ciprian is objectively good looking. I can see that, but his appearance does absolutely nothing for me, especially when his goal is clearly to wind his brother up. Gideon just laughs, letting my body slide to the ground much more slowly than necessary. He makes sure I feel every inch of him during the descent.
“Runt, I would say I'm surprised to see you here, but I'm not. What's it going to take for you to leave with your mouth closed?” Gideon asks.
Again, I watch another weird look flicker across Ciprian's face.Did the question hurt his feelings?This is some complex sibling drama. As an orphan dropped outside a fire station, I’m not exactly qualified to decipher these dynamics.
Ciprian ignores the question, turning to face his brother and prodding obnoxiously at his face. “I see now why the broody, under-eye bags are gone. Her lust must be a top of the line moisturizer, big brother, if just watching her climb him juiced you up this much.”
Callum slaps his brother's hand away and steps around him to give me a deliberate hug. I wouldn't have minded a kiss, but I don't want the first time that happens to be in front of some scheming relative with a chip on his shoulder. After holding my own during the confrontation and the electric kiss with Gideon, I’m feeling pretty confident. Maybe that’s why I raise my voice and stir the pot.
“Callum, your brother is kind of a prick.”
“Yeah, believe me, I know.” He shakes his head. “Why are you here, Ciprian?”
A tense silence follows the question, broken finally by a loud sigh.
“You were obviously hiding something at the compound. You marched in after six months of ghosting us all, looking better than I've seen you look in years but acting twice as worried. I knew something was up, so I beat you back here to find out what.”
He turns to me then, the black of his eyes unnerving in their intensity. “Thank you for feeding my brother.” There’s a gravity to his tone that makes my eyebrows furrow. At first, I don't understand what he means. When it clicks, my face floods with heat.
“Stop embarrassing her,” Callum snaps. “It's not like that.”
My face flushes. He’s right, but does he have to deny it so aggressively? I can't help feeling disappointed. From the look on Ciprian's face, I'm not the only one, although it’s impossible to tell why he gives a shit.
