Fallon didn’t know shite because Aspen wasn’t a blabbermouth. I let out a long breath and reached over to snag his hand, letting my arm rest on Vail’s lap. Fallon smiled in my direction but didn’t meet my gaze. “Hey, thought you forgot about me.” There was some heat in his tone. Okay, so maybe everything wasn’t perfect.
I squeezed his hand, and Vail happily settled his arms over both of us. “Did you know that Benjamin Franklin’s aunt and uncle murdered people in the Salem witch trials with false accusations?” he asked cheerfully.
Fallon startled and looked at him. “What?”
“Oh, I was reading all about it today. It’s fascinating, actually.” He started in on a story that promised to take a long time to conclude, and I sort of tuned him out, enjoying his warmth pressed to my side and Fallon’s hand gripping mine.
When we got to the mansion, Mr. Hopper directed us to the right through the entrance hall—which always blinded me for a few seconds due to the polished white marble floor reflecting the brilliant chandelier light—into the fancy dining room. The large mirror on the far wall acted much the same way as the marble, doubling the brightness in the room. Real gold glinted on the edge of the long dining table and caught my eye. We got a hero’s welcome from Lor, who stood and clapped as he came around the table to shake Aspen’s hand, then mine. Right away I noticed the black polish on his nails.
Lor was looking good today in a black button-down shirt and jeans. He had a tie snug through the shirt collar, and at first, I thought he was trying his hand at shining up his wardrobe, but upon closer inspection the fabric had small skulls dotted all over it. His wide brown eyes always gave off the impression that he was very innocent, despite his dyed black hair with a white streak down the center, and today was no exception.
Lor grinned up at me. “Glad you’re home! Everyone missed you!”
Conall chuckled and leaned back in his chair. His dark hair was up in a bun, which wasn’t unusual, and a thin black Henley clung to his chest in ways that did good things for him. “We all did. Even Sloan.” He grinned and his pink lips twisted into a mischievous smirk. “Didn’t you, Boss?”
“Pet, behave,” Sloan said, but his smile was wide. Sloan didn’t take his gaze off Conall while his pet ran his fingertip along the red collar at his throat. Conall must’ve dressed to match Sloan because the boss was in a black suit that made his bleached blond hair seem stark in comparison.
I was relieved to see Sloan in good spirits. We’d done what he’d asked of us, after all, taken out the target he wanted dealt with. I let myself relax into the celebratory atmosphere and avoided looking Aspen in the eye. My skin prickled with the need to glance at him and get one of his small smiles, but the whole flight back everything had been shitty, and I didn’t have it in me to look for something that wasn’t there.
“So, I heard you got a nasty sunburn,” Conall said, mouth quirking up on one side.
Sloan coughed and picked up a wineglass to drown what I thought might be a laugh, but there was a twinkle in his eyes that had me groaning.
“Ye saw the damned photo, didn’t ye?” I spun toward Fallon, who held up his hands and backed away with wide blue eyes. I would spank his arse red for this and enjoy every second. I gave him my evilest smile, and he shook his head but was having trouble fighting off a grin.
Aspen chuckled.
“I didn’t,” Fallon said with what amounted to a squeak as he fell into one of the chairs at the table, which Aspen had slid out for him.
Vail let out a hiccup, and when I swung toward him his beautiful brown eyes crinkled in the corners and his entire face blazed a bright pink. His shoulders shook. The tips of his ears slowly blushed red.
“Bug, ye didn’t,” I said. Shame and amusement warred together in my stomach, but in the end, I let it go because something close to a giggle broke free of his lips and he slapped his hand over his mouth. He ran around the table and sat down near Conall, scooting in ahead of Fionn, who crossed his arms and glared, then slid down another seat.
“Oh, I’m sitting there,” Lor said, coming back over just as Fionn’s arse hit the chair. “I already used the glass. Sorry.” He pointed at the full wineglass, which was sparkling with something orange that perhaps wasn’t alcoholic. Fionn gave him a sour look and stood as his heart-shaped face flushed. He glared murder, which Lor didn’t seem to notice, as he moved down another space. I wasn’t sure what was going on because normally Fionn sat closer to his uncle, but not so tonight.
“He can’t protect ye at home,” I said with a scowl.
Conall cracked up laughing and so did everyone else, and I sighed as even Rowen joined in.
“Do—do you feel better?” Vail asked, brow furrowing. “I didn’t notice you wincing or anything today when you were fucking me.”
His little declaration set off another minute of guffawing, but then the maids brought in plates of food and began to settle them on the table. Apparently we were eating family style tonight because there were spoons in overflowing bowls and a stack of steaks on a large platter, save the one that was set in front of Sloan, and I figured no one wanted to risk him getting one cooked to anything less than his specifications.
“Sit,” Sloan ordered everyone. “My pet hasn’t eaten dinner yet.”
Conall rolled his eyes, and I didn’t think Sloan noticed, but the boss slid his hand up to cup the back of Conall’s neck and drag him in for a kiss. I didn’t catch what he said into Conall’s ear, but by the way Conall’s body went rigid and a smile danced on his lips, I could bet it had something to do with punishments his pet didn’t hate.
I took a seat beside Rowen, who leaned over to nudge me with his elbow. His reddish-blond hair was wet and combed back with product, making it slightly darker than usual, and his gray wool suit made his eyes stand out. “Haven’t seen ye most of the day. Was everything good?” He studied my face.
“When ye have Vail in yer bed, isn’t it always?”
He nodded but cut a glance at Aspen, who was acting more like his old self again. Oh well, Rowen was bound to pick up on some iciness between us, but it couldn’t be helped. Dinner wasn’t a prolonged affair. There were good steaks and hearty fixings to go with them, then dainty cupcakes were brought out for dessert. Vail, Fallon, and Lor ate thirty-seven of the wee things between them while Conall laughed and kept count, and Fionn wrinkled his nose at them as if he smelled shite in the air. Sloan, for his part, could barely take his eyes off Conall, and I wondered if his thoughts were lingering on future retaliations as well.
“Fallon,” I said, leaning toward him. He was on the other side of Rowen.
“Hm?” He smiled at me, and I caught some hurt in his gaze. I should’ve made time to go to him today, but I’d been so caught up in trying to drown my own bullshite bad mood in Vail’s beautiful arse that I hadn’t done it. Now I was regretting my choice because my chest squeezed at the idea of him being put out. I reached behind Rowen’s chair and snagged his hand, giving it a squeeze, and his eyes widened as if he thought I was getting ready to murder him.
“The boss have ye staying more at the house these days?”
