“I talked about your mother in a way that was terribly insensitive.”
I pull her along. “You didn’t know.”
“Still. I’m sorry about that.”
“Which part?” Connor asks. “That you talked about his dead mother, not knowing he was her son, or that Declan is a Crossbow with particularly evil genes running through his veins?”
“Connor,” I warn.
My brother gets into my face. “I like her, but if she mentions our mom again?—”
I grab the back of his head and cover his mouth with my hand. “Don’t finish that sentence.” My brother and I stand in the hallway, our gazes locked and our energies colliding. We’ve always been able to speak without talking, and once we understand each other, I take Dina’s hand again.
“You guys should show a unified front,” Dina says. When we don’t say anything, Dina looks from me to him, then back at Connor. “You should take out your cocks and measure them in private so nobody can learn how to tear you apart.”
Connor smiles. “If I show you my dick, you’ll jump the fence over to me.”
Dina turns bright red.
I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Holy crap,” Connor says, “I’m nasty.” He turns the corner. “This way, you guys.”
Chapter 18
No kissing
Dina
Once we round the corner, we walk through a hallway with dark charcoal walls and gray-stained marble floors, and emerge into a space with an open kitchen on the right and a dining room on the left. The walls are dark charcoal, but the light marble floors help brighten the space.
Declan commands the lights. They’re tiny and all over the place, but the main light is a giant crystal chandelier cascading down in a spiral fashion from a high ceiling above the family room. The family room has gray hardwood floors and leads out onto an oasis-style backyard with a private pool.
Connor takes the three steps from the kitchen area to the family room. He walks straight to the massive portrait of Anabela Crossbow that hangs above the fireplace on the wall across from an obsidian couch that seats at least sixteen people. Not sure why Massio thought this massive couch was needed in the family room when his family never visits, but I can’t even begin to understand that man.
I follow Connor and look up the spiral staircase on the side of the living room. From the front, the mansion appears as a ranch-style home. I’m surprised to see an upper floor. I suppose the ceiling is high enough for a loft to be built in.
It leads to the second floor above the kitchen. That’s where the bedrooms are. I try not to think about the sleeping arrangements, but I hope I can have my own room. If not, the couch is big enough that’s for sure.
Connor reaches above the fireplace and removes his mother’s picture from the wall. He opens the sliding glass door and steps outside. Declan follows. I stay behind and watch Connor throw the portrait into a large firepit surrounded by yet another dark obsidian outdoor couch.
Massio Crossbow made sure there was plenty of space for people to sit. But since these are family quarters and he lived alone, I wonder if this space made him feel even lonelier. The way the housekeeper reacted when Declan told her we were staying in here makes me think that Massio didn’t throw parties in this area.
A portrait of his murdered wife watched his every move. That is very creepy. I wonder what the significance was to him of having her portrait so boldly displayed.
Declan walks back in and closes the patio door. He shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks on his heels, eyes on me. His gaze roams my body. I’m painfully aware of how dirty and worn out I look.
“I haven’t showered in days,” I say.
Declan points. “That is our bedroom over there. Connor will be on the other end.”
“I was hoping I could have my own room.”
“You do have your own room. Inside the bedroom, there’s a panic room. You will sleep there. Make yourself at home. Trynot to be freaked out by any of my mother’s clothing he might’ve kept in the closet. Connor will come and pick up her stuff.”
I grab my suitcase, but Declan tsks. “I’ll carry that in a minute. I would bring staff, but I don’t trust anyone here, so it’s just going to be us. For now.”
I climb the steps but pause midway. “How long do I have to stay here?”
