He pressed in until his face was inches from mine. "You protect them your way, Emerald. I'll protect them mine. I also won't be ashamed of who I am in front of the rainbow."
"Me either," I agreed.
He nodded and leaned back. "Good. Means you can start kissing your boyfriends. Man up a little, because they're both waiting for you to take the lead on that."
Then the bastard simply turned and walked back towards the driveway door. "Bea's stuff looks good, too. Love what you've done to the place. Nice to have you on our side."
"Fuck," I mumbled under my breath.
Because now I was starting to see exactly what they meant about him not being stable. Blaze was a lone wolf. No, that was too normal for him. He was more like the Joker: a little bit crazy. He faked it well, but I'd just looked deep into that man's eyes when he leaned into my face.
There was no compassion there at all. None.
Chapter Sixteen
We were short a few rooms in the house. Considering that more colors were still planning to come, I had a feeling it was only going to get worse, so I offered Billy my room. Not like I'd be using it. He agreed, so all that was left was for me to make arrangements for where I was going to sleep.
I decided to do that over dinner. As Cy passed Violet the salad, I glanced across the table, lifted my chin, and asked Luke if he minded some company tonight. A shy smile touched his lips, and I knew he was struggling not to look at Faith beside him. Thankfully, he agreed. Naturally, everyone at the table looked to Faith.
We were all still waiting for her to snap. She'd been so mad at me when she'd thought I'd messed around with Violet behind Luke's back. She just hadn't realized that he was completely on board with the whole thing. For a girl her age, that was a lot to come to terms with, but she seemed to be doing it. Either that or she was as good at faking her emotions as Billy was.
Thankfully, Darnell knew just how to diffuse the tension. He asked someone to pass the chicken, and conversation picked up around the table again. Cessily shot me a look of warning, making it clear that I was pushing things a little too much. I was pretty sure that Darnell didn't care one way or the other. It was Blaze who seemed the most intrigued. His eyes jumped from me to Luke and then over to where Violet and Cy sat beside each other.
That was all he did, but I got the impression he was taking some mental notes. Hopefully, good ones. I knew that man would break my legs if I ever did anything to hurt Violet. I also had no problem with that. Most of the rainbow was rabidly protective of her, and the best part was that she didn't need it. That woman could take care of herself just fine. It only made the rest of us want to try a little harder.
But when the house started to wind down for the night, I decided that it was time to push a little more. Heading up to Cy's room, I waited with the door open until I heard Luke telling Faith to have a good night. Then I picked up my clothes and headed down the hall. Faith hadn't quite made it into her room yet, which meant I'd jumped the gun a little, but I wouldn't back off now. I wanted her to know that this really was ok.
"We still good?" I asked Luke as I reached his door.
He glanced over at Faith, unable to help himself. She was still standing at her door, making no attempt to hide that she was watching us. Then he reached up to rub at his forehead even as he nodded.
"Yeah, going to be a little crowded for the next few days," Luke mumbled.
I caught his wrist and eased his hand down. "And your place is next to the shower."
Then I leaned in and kissed him. It was just a soft, gentle thing. I meant to keep it to a chaste peck, but the moment my mouth brushed his, Luke's hand caught the side of my neck, holding me there. He pressed a little more. My lips parted with a mind of their own, and our tongues met in the middle.
It was a soft kiss, not a frantic one, but there was still that fire in it. It happened every single time I touched this man. Cy and I had been the same way when we were younger. Time had tempered that inferno to slow and steady coals, but this? I had a feeling that Luke was oil to my match, and he made me want to burn hot.
A little giggle made both of us jump apart, reminding us that Faith was there.
"Shit," I breathed. "Sorry." Then I turned for his room.
"Faith..." Luke tried.
"Itold youthat you can kiss your boyfriends in front of me, Dad," she said before dropping her voice to the fakest whisper I'd ever heard. "And I think he likes you back."
"Love," Luke told her. "We all love each other. It's the real thing, Faith."
"Ok," the girl agreed, and then I heard her door close.
Luke entered the room a moment later just to let out a heavy breath. "That's probably breaking some rule of parenting, right?"
"I think you might be writing good ones," I assured him. "Babe, her best friend is gay. Her dad is bi. I think that you're showing her a healthy example of how good relationships don't always fit in the mold that society expects. You're teaching her that it's ok to like whatever she likes."
He closed the door gently, turned the knob to lock it, and then pulled off his shirt. "You also set me up."
"Nudged," I corrected. "You seem to be the kind of man who does best when he's encouraged a little."
