“I don’t drool after Jules. That would be unsanitary in the kitchen.”
Barks of laughter follow this statement as banter erupts around us. Their attitudes are so different from when they entered. They’ve gone from deadly mercenaries to teasing siblings.
I can’t keep up. It’s too hard. My eyes drift closed as Cade carries me out into the night.
“Yes. Rest, butterfly.” A feather-soft kiss brushes my forehead. “I’ll keep you safe.”
I sleep through the whole drive. Cade wakes me occasionally to ask me my name, age, and what year it is. I mumble my answers and pray they’re right before drifting back to sleep.
By the time the rumble of the engine stops, my headache has receded. It’s still there, but more of a dull ache than a throbbing scream.
I squint through the window with one eye, trying to figure out where we are. We’ve pulled up outside a mansion. There’s no other word for it. The place is fucking huge. A sprawling front yardstretches toward us, dotted with perfectly symmetrical hedges and a fountain in the center that sprays arcs of water. The house itself is sprawling as well, with tall white columns and balconies, wide windows with gleaming glass, and front doors that a car could drive through.
It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Makes sense. The Buckinghams are known for being richer than Midas.
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that Brad is actually Cade Buckingham.
And part of The Firm.
I have the worst luck, the absolute worst. Good things just don’t ever happen to me.
Well, you’re not dead, so it can’t be that bad.
Not dead yet, I correct my inner voice.
Doors open all around the car, and I go to wriggle off Cade’s lap, but his grip prevents me from doing so.
“I don’t think so,” he says softly. “You’re going to stay right there.”
I relax back against his chest. I’m probably supposed to argue, but this situation is moving so fast. Cade is all I have in this sea of confusion.
If he wants to keep me safe and close to him, then I’m going to let him.
Technically, I guess I’m being kidnapped, which feels karmically just. I’m not scared though. I don’t know if it’s the shock or the concussion.
Maybe it’s just that I trust Cade. I probably shouldn’t, but I do. He’s had plenty of opportunities to hurt me over the past few days.
But he hasn’t.
He carries me up several steps to a door that would look at home in a palace. We step into a grand foyer. I twist to stare at the ornate tiles and notice Cade’s bare thighs. “Oh my god. Are you still naked?”
“Yep,” Cade says breezily. “Getting dressed meant putting you down, so I stayed like this. Don’t worry, it’s nothing my brothers haven’t seen before.”
“Just because we’ve seen it, doesn’t mean we want to keep seeing it,” Matthias mutters as he brushes past me. “And you’re paying to get my car detailed. I’m not having Wyatt sit where your bare ass and balls have been.”
“Wyatt is Matthias’s husband,” Cade whispers confidentially. “Matthias trapped him into marriage and?—”
He halts, and I pale at the sight of the dagger that’s suddenly appeared at the base of Cade’s throat. “Say one more word, Cade, I fucking dare you.”
To my surprise, Cade laughs. “Cute. That’s your game with Wyatt, not me. We both know you’re not going to make a mess in the foyer. Wylder would have your balls.”
“I would,” Wylder says, drawing up next to us. “Put the dagger away, Matthias. You’re scaring our guest.”
“He looks like he could use a bit of scaring,” Matthias grunts, removing the blade. As it goes, I realize it’s identical to the one I’d confiscated from Cade. “Can’t believe we’re trusting this guy when he literally kidnapped one of us.”
“It was more of a guided hostage retreat,” Cade says. “I could’ve escaped at any time.”
