Nila’s laugh cut off as she sat straighter in her chair. Her cheeks were flushed, annoyance at my interruption bright in her dark eyes.
She had the gall to be annoyed at me? When shebelongedto me?
Flaw had the decency to stand. “Eh, I think I better go check on the...” Clearing his throat, he moved away from the small group. “Catch you guys later.”
With a sideways look at me, he disappeared through the door, shutting it behind him.
The moment he’d gone, I seethed, “Care to explain what’s going on?”
Kes stood up. “Calm down and no, I don’t. You don’t have to understand everything, Jet.” Throwing a quick grin at Nila, he asked, “Unless you’d care to tell my brother what’s so funny?”
Nila stared at me coldly. A second ticked past, then another, her temper shooting me cleanly through the chest.
“Well?” My heart pounded, once again shrugging out of the frosty shield in favour of rage.
Finally, she shook her head. “No. I don’t think he deserves to know.”
Okay...that was just plain rude.
Kes snickered. “Fair enough.”
My teeth almost cracked from clenching. Why had I been worried about what I was about to do to her? She made me believe she cared—just a little—about me. She’d sucked me off for Christ’s sake. She’d asked me tofuckher. She was attracted to me. Iknewthat.
Just like I was attracted to her.
So much.
Too much.
I was beyond fucking ready to slam inside her wet heat and finally show her the truth. That no matter her birth-right or mine, we were equals. And I’d never met anyone as challenging or intriguing.
But she’d manipulated me.
She’d used me, not once, but more times than I knew. All along I’d been fighting for the right to gain her trust, only for her to give it to my bloody brother.
Damn woman. Damn Weaver Whore.
Snapping my fingers, I hissed, “You’ve had your fun. Congratulations on winning once again, Ms. Weaver.” Pointing at the ground by my shoes, I ordered coldly, “Come. It’s time. You’ve wasted my day hiding. Now it’s time to get this over with.”
Nila tilted her chin insolently. “I didn’t know we were fighting forsomething. Why exactly did I win?”
Goddammit.
Ignoring her question, I repeated. “Come. Now.”
Kes crossed his arms, watching us as if we were his favourite volleyball match.
Nila rose gracefully from her seat. In her hands, she held the Weaver journal, which she stroked reverently, before transferring it from her lap and onto the chair she’d just vacated. Her actions were stiff, back ramrod straight. “Whatever you believe, I wasn’t hiding, Jethro. Merely finding friends in the unlikely of places.”
I froze as she moved toward Kestrel.
He opened his arms.
She walked into his embrace.
She walked into hisfuckingembrace.
I couldn’t understand.
