“You don’t have to…”
“Nonsense.” He looks at us. “I’ll be right back.”
We wave him off, and they disappear into the elevator.
I walk over and take a cigarette from Haidyn’s pack on the counter.
“What was that about?” Haidyn asks me.
“What?” I act dumb.
“She looked right at you when he asked if everything was okay. You’re not fucking her, are you?”
“What the fuck?” I bark and then lower my voice. “Are you serious?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He shrugs. “I don’t know what you guys were doing while I was hiding out with Charlotte.”
“Fuck no,” I growl and add, “Ashtyn and Eve are in some kind of war.” If that’s what you want to call it.
He frowns. “Why? Eve jealous you’ve fucked Ashtyn?”
That makes me want to laugh. She knows no other woman could compare to her for me. “Eve thinks you’re going to cheat on Charlotte with Ashtyn.” I expect him to laugh, but he doesn’t.
“I’m not going near Ashtyn, but honestly, Charlotte has mentioned it a few times.” He grabs the pack of cigarettes and removes one. “She was sent a video of us fucking Ashtyn at the House of Lords.”
“I’m confused. Someone sent a video of us fucking Ashtyn to Charlotte?” I want to ask which time, but it doesn’t matter. We had sex with her on multiple occasions. One isn’t any more important than the other.
One time being when we went for a ride and ended up taking a break and fucking her on a picnic table. It makes me think that’s why Ashtyn wanted us all to go for a bike ride the other day. Is she trying to bring back old times? Thinking history will repeat itself? It’ll never happen.
He nods. “Yep. Charlotte got pissed about it. For good reason.” He clenches his jaw. “If I saw a video of someone fucking my wife, I’d kill the bastard. Wouldn’t matter if it was before she met me or not.” I hand him my Zippo, and he lights the cigarette. “Then Charlotte heard Ashtyn and me having a conversation…”
He trails off and it has me curious. I’m a nosy bitch. “What kind of conversation?”
He blows out the smoke. “She told me she loved me.”
My eyes widen. “In front of Charlotte?”
“Yeah.” He takes another pull of the cigarette. “It’s my fault. I had told Ashtyn that I loved her the night we were both taken. Right before the car wreck. It wasn’t supposed to mean anything. I just wanted her to know that I was there for her. But when she said it back, it just felt…odd, ya know?” I nod and he continues. “The timing of her confession. Charlotte and I were already married, and I knew that Charlotte didn’t like that Ashtyn and I have a past, so I’ve tried to put as much space between us as possible. Which is hard while we’re living under the same roof. Every time I turn around, Ashtyn seems to be there.”
“That’s why you’ve distanced yourself from Ashtyn.” I knew there was a reason and Charlotte was why. I just didn’t know what had happened between them.
“You’ve noticed, huh?” He chuckles.
“Of course I have.”
He takes another drag from his cigarette. “It’s for the best. She has Saint. She doesn’t need me. My wife does.”
If Saint were to die, then Haidyn would take over for him—he’s Ashtyn’s guardian—but that doesn’t mean physically. And we’re going to pretend that day will never come. I can’t imagine losing another brother.
“I haven’t said anything to Charlotte yet, but I’m thinking about moving out.”
“From Carnage?” I ask, confused.
He nods. “We need our own place, and the babies will be here before we know it. My wife deserves to have a life outside of this hellhole, and I want to give her one.”
I understand what he means. That’s why I’m choosing to stay at Eve’s tonight. So we can have some privacy, just me and her in a place that isn’t here. “Where are you going to go?”
“I found some property. Enough for all of us. I was actually going to talk to you and Saint about it?—”
