“Thank you,” I said in a rush. “And sorry”—I glanced toward Aspen—“I didn’t. Remember, that is, but sometimes it takes me a while to remember names. I won’t forget what you look like....” I got stuck staring at his built chest again. “Aspen. How long do you work out every day?”
Cillian slapped my ass, and I gasped because not only was it still tender from being spanked by Rowen, but my hole gave a twinge from all the times a dick had been in it over the last two days. “Go get dressed, firebug. Ye’re making Aspen uncomfortable.”
Aspen’s rich laughter chased after me as I rushed back to Rowen’s room. My entire body blazed in mortification, but I was also smiling. I’d never been around men who were so unashamed at what got their juices flowing, and it was more than a little gratifying that it wasmewho seemed to do it. I dressed while I tried to break down every angle of my apparent newfound inability to focus on enjoying only one man in my bed, to the point that recently I’d stared too long at both Fallon, and now this other man, Aspen—even though I had two men who were ready and more than willing to fuck me.
My suit was wrinkled but not completely destroyed, and besides, it would have to do. I doubted we would have time to both fight the traffic to the university and get to my apartment for a change of clothes. My brain was a pleasant, mostly relaxed buzz, picking away at nothing more important than what I might like to have Rowen and Cillian do to me later tonight, assuming they weren’t finished with me. I went downstairs to the kitchen and found coffee brewing. I searched around until I located a mug in a cupboard near the sink, then poured myself some caffeinated goodness.
I sat at the round table and finished one cup of coffee while wondering whether Cillian was strong enough to fuck me standing without leaning me against a wall. I had no clue if he could or not because I’d never had anyone try to have sex with me that way, and the wall quandary made me think about how much I liked the décor here, and that in turn had me mulling over how awful the mess at my apartment was, and how much it was going to suck to clean it and put everything right.
Around about the time I went back to the kitchen, poured a second cup, and then sat down again, pure panic settled over me.Oh fuck, my research is gone.
Rowen came through on a mission toward the kitchen, looking casual in jeans and a black tank top. He kissed the top of my head as he passed, and I jumped in place as the catastrophe at my apartment last night blasted to the front of my mind. Cillian came into the room and smiled, his brown eyes warm. He was already dressed in a fresh storm-gray suit.
“Why did you want to know what I knew about the mobs last night?”
Rowen turned and looked at Cillian, and I didn’t miss that there was some sort of back-and-forth going on there, even if I didn’t understand it.
“Do you know someone I’m writing about?” I demanded.
“No,” Cillian barked.
“Yes,” Rowen said at almost the same time and cringed. “Sorry.” I couldn’t tell if he was apologizing to me or Cillian. He brushed his red hair back with one hand and sighed.
Fallon set a plate on the table and dragged out a chair beside mine as he laughed. He smelled fresh, like he’d already showered, and his long hair was damp. He must have snuck past me, though in my present state that wouldn’t have been difficult. I hadn’t noticed him until he almost had his knee knocked against mine. The jeans and green T-shirt he had on were plain but seemed expensive because they fit him well. He had some sort of cheese roll wrapped around what appeared to be lunch meat clenched between his teeth, and when I made sad eyes at him, he handed me one from his plate. I happily munched but tried to look serious as I stared between Rowen and Cillian.
“It blows that someone stole your stuff,” Fallon said around a mouthful of food.
My brain fritzed at the word “blow,” and I dropped my gaze to the table. I’d given the world’s longest blowjob last night and loved every second of it. My face burned all the way to the tips of my ears, and Fallon let out a little sigh. I glanced up, but he didn’t seem irritated with me and didn’t look away when I met his gaze. As Fallon’s words hit, panic ate at me all over again.
“Yeah, I have no idea what I’m going to do. I’m contracted to write a book and just lost most of my research material.” My voice didn’t get much louder than a whisper and I couldn’t force it. I shoved the last of the food into my mouth and rested my elbows against the table, staring down at the wood as I chewed, not really tasting anything. My throat hurt as I swallowed, and I chased the food with a healthy amount of warm coffee.
“What will ye do?” Cillian asked, and I thought I’d asked him something else, but I shrugged as that dire question had a thousand different scenarios spinning out in my mind.
“I don’t know. Even if I could get everyone to talk to me again, it wouldn’t be the same.” I tried to clear my throat, but it just wasn’t working. Fallon snickered and attempted to look like he wasn’t laughing at me. He took a hair tie out of his pocket and scooped his blond hair away from his face into a low ponytail. It was fun to watch him secure his hair. I’d never been around a man who had long hair like his.
Rowen surprised me when he came over and pulled my chair around to the side. He dropped to the floor in front of me and rested his hands on my knees. “I must have yer full attention, Vail. Right here.”
“You have it,” I murmured. His eyes were so serious. Fallon watched us with interest, and Cillian scowled.
“Ye’re trying to write a book about some very dangerous men.”
Irritated, my first impulse was to shove him away, but when I rested my hand on his shoulder, I only gripped it lightly. “I know that.” I didn’t yell much, but I wished I could right now. “Lor asked me a couple of times to drop this book, too. He thinks someone’s going to come get me, but what a farce that would be. I teach classes. Why would anyone care? I told him I’m like a mafia bard. I tellstories. Why would anyone go to the trouble?” Rowen frowned and I hated that I gotthe eyes. It was the exact expression of horror I’d earned from Lor. Like I was missing something important. “They’re just stories.”
Cillian growled. “That might be true when ye’re talking about mobsters twenty years in the grave, but ye’re onto living men who don’t want to go to jail. Cops would be interested in yer tweestories, bug. Ye can’t do this and hope to keep yer head. Are ye feckin’ mad?”
I shoved to my feet, and Rowen stared up at me with a worried frown. Anger scrabbled through me and I glared at Cillian. “Nothing is going to happen to me.” I smacked my chest for emphasis since my throat was killing me.
“It already did!”
Shaking my head, I tried to fight off another wave of panic. “I have to finish this book. Oh, oh! And why did you want to know so badly what I’m writing about?”
“I think you know why.” We all turned to stare at Aspen, who had entered the room unnoticed at some point. He tugged on the bill of his Mets cap and shook his head. We’d been too busy arguing to see him, and he wasn’t a small man.
I rubbed at the stubble on my cheeks. “Cillian might have punched that guy who jumped me. A lot. Okay, more than a lot, but no one who would come to find me in the middle of the night because he was worried he’d upset me”—Cillian shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms—“could be that bad. I don’t believe what you’re implying. I’m not going to give it the dignity of saying it out loud. You four are not.... You’re not bad guys.” I walked away toward the front door with my spine stiff, still fuming. Were they trying to mess with me, thinking it was funny to suggest they were in a mob?
A small part of me thought about the Spyder Fallon drove, and this nice house, and how it didn’t seem like anyone was rushing off this morning to work a high-powered job that might explain it. No one seemed to have anywhere to be except me. I sighed as Fallon caught me at the door, keys jingling as he held them up. He gave me a soft smile that cooled off some of my anger.
“I was volunteered to drive you.”
