“There’s coffee too,” Lion added with a snicker, and she threw him a glare.
Irritated though she was, Rose did help herself to a cup of coffee and a couple of pancakes. Someone had even apparently noticed that strawberries were her favorite fruit because there were some already cut up sitting in a bowl in the fridge.
If that was Steel and he thought he could ditch her in bed and make it up to her with fruit, he was sorely mistaken.
Still simmering in her bad mood, she dropped down into a chair at the table. Annoyingly, the only one free was next to Steel, and she glared at him as he leaned in and pressed his nose to the spot where her neck met her shoulder.
“You took a shower,” he said, somewhat accusingly.
“Yeah, so what?”
“You don’t smell like me anymore. Like us.”
Okay, guess they weren't keeping the fact that they’d had sex a secret from the rest of his team. That was something she supposed.
“Maybe if you were worried about that, you wouldn't have left me to wake up alone in your bed.” She huffed, aware she sounded slightly petulant, but not caring in the least. If he didn't want her to be annoyed about it, he shouldn’t have done it.
“That’s what has you all snarky this morning, little ladybug?” Steel asked, touching a kiss to where she was sure her pulse was pounding in the hollow of her neck. No matter how angry she was with him, her body was ready to go for round two.
Not that he’d be getting a round two after this unless he had an extremely good explanation for making her wake up alone and doubt herself, her body, and him.
“He didn't leave you by choice,” Blade piped up.
“We woke him when we found more footage of someone breaking into your place,” Thunder added.
“I can assure you he wasn't happy about the interruption,” Dragon said with a grunt, and when she looked at him, she could see he had a black eye.
“Did you hit him for making you leave me in bed to wake up alone?” she asked Steel. She had to admit that was a pretty good excuse.
“Does that make you feel better, little ladybug?” Steel asked, amusement dancing in his dark eyes.
“A little,” she admitted, making the guys laugh, even Dragon cracked a smile.
“Bloodthirsty little thing,” Blade said, and she got the impression that was intended as a compliment, so she merely nodded and started eating her pancake.
“So, Ridge had more people search my house? You know that doesn’t mean he cares about me, right?” The last thing she needed was her brother messing things up when she had a plan to help these guys get what they wanted. What happened after that was still up in the air as far as she was concerned, despite Steel’s claim that she’d told him she was his and she couldn’t take it back.
“We know,” Steel assured her.
“But it means he thought we would have cut you loose by now,” Lion said. “Probably thought he could get some intel out of you.”
“I don’t know anything to tell him anyway. I mean, I know what he did, but he won't care about that. He’ll just want to know where to find you, and all I could tell him is that you're somewhere remote in the forest. Not like that would narrow it down any.” Even if she did have a location, she wouldn't give it to her brother. She had more reason to want him dead than any of the men sitting around the table eating breakfast.
“Or he thinks we killed her,” Dragon said. The words were said so calmly that Rose shivered despite knowing Dragon wasn't going to be allowed to kill her. “Relax,” the man snapped at Steel, who had stiffened. “I said I wouldn't hurt her, and I won't. You were right, I was taking out my anger at losingCassandra over what we planned to do with Rose on Rose. I'm not a threat to you,” he said, turning to face her, and she nodded, believing him.
“My brother doesn’t care if I'm dead or alive, and he won't ever make a deal to save my life, but …” she trailed off as a plan began to form in her mind.
“But what?” Steel asked.
“I was just thinking, what if we played it like I managed to escape from you guys. He thinks you're over here torturing me to try to get him to agree to a meeting to hand me over. But my brother always underestimates me. Despite his ego, he never even figured out that I was only pretending to suck at biology and chemistry because I never wanted to work with him.”
“Wait, you know what he’s been doing? I mean, not that he was doing it, but the basics behind it,” Thunder asked.
Rose shrugged. “If I got some of his notes, or samples of blood or something, I could maybe figure it out. I only know he’s interested in those subjects, but I never knew what he was working on specifically. When he thought I was no use to him he let me go, but now if he thinks I hold a use again, his interest would start back up.”
“Are you suggesting that we use you as bait, little ladybug?” Steel asked, voice low and menacing.
Frowning at him, she nodded. “Isn't that why I'm still here? To help you get my brother?”
