“I’m telling the truth,” he said to me huskily.
“Okay.”
“Believe me?” Gray asked as his eyes searched mine.
“You don’t lie.”
“No, I don’t.” His lips claimed mine again, and I didn’t give a damn that he had just outed us to the student population of Cardinal Saint College.
* * *
Smoothing down the skirt of my dress, I assessed myself in the mirror. My dress was simple and casual. A cute, deep pink, ditsy floral dress with three-quarter-length sleeves, stopping mid-thigh. It was as girly as I got, and I wasn’t sure why I was suddenly embracing my inner cute girl, but I wanted to be pretty for this afternoon. Jett had already warned me that Onyx was home, and tensions between him and Gray were already high.
I shouldprobably have changed the choice of dress — maybe a slim-fitting shift dress would have given me armor — but I was stubbornly clinging to the belief that Gray would stop his brother from being too much himself. Plus, Dad and Anne would be there. Onyx usually reined it in when Dad was in the vicinity, because my dad literally knew people who would kill you with their thumb.
I snorted out a very unladylike laugh as I thought of the firsttime that I had told the three of them that my dad could kill them with only his thumb. Gray, being Gray, had of course asked my dad, and he told them no, he could not. Three pairs of eyes had glared at me in accusation until my dad finished by sayinghecouldn’t, but he had plenty of SEALs who could.
“Quinn, we’re leaving,” my dad called up from the bottom of the stairs.
“Ready!” I yelled back as I grabbed a small purse, which had lip balm and my phone in it.
“Why aren’t you wearing a jacket?” Dad asked me as he frowned in disapproval.
“Because they live literally next door,” I answered as I kissed his cheek while passing him at the foot of the stairs.
“Anne?” my dad called to my stepmom, and I saw her smile at how predictable he was.
“Quinn’s right, it’s just across the path.” She smiled at me, and I gave her a thumbs-up behind his back. “I can smell lunch, come on,” she urged Dad.
He grumbled the whole way across, which, even though it was next door, our house was humble in size compared to the Santo house. Ash’s house was beside theirs, and I often wondered why our house was smaller in size. Not that we needed the sprawling estate the Santos did, it just looked odd.
Or maybe I was being sizeist?
I suppressed the shiver I felt in the autumn air, and I relished the warmth as my dad wrapped his arm around me. He didn’t say “I told you so,” and I didn’t comment, but I did lean into him in thanks.
Sable opened the front door as we were halfway up the path. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she greeted us warmly. I got a huge hug, which I returned wholeheartedly.
“Quinn, you look beautiful as always.” She kissed my cheek, and I beamed as we followed her into the drawing room.
Ava was already here, talking to Kerr, and from how animated she was, I knew it was about football. Jett had his arm wrapped around her waist as he listened, the small smile on his face a broadcast to the whole room how enamored he was with her.
Gray was talking to Kage, Ash’s dad, while Tilly was deep in conversation with her brother, Ash. He was crouched down listening to her, and I smiled at the familiar sight. My smile froze when Onyx walked into the room, a casual sweep of the room before dark eyes glittering with hatred focused on me.
“Oh good, the Queen is here,” he sneered as he looked me over. “What are you wearing?”
“It’s called a dress, Onyx,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral.
“It’sgirly. It doesn’t suit you,” he snarled as he walked to his seat at the table, and I felt Anne stroke my arm in comfort.
“If you’re going to act like a viper, then we’ll leave.” My dad’s voice was firm and his glare hard. Onyx raised his glass in apology to Dad.
“What can I say, she brings the worst out in me,” he gibed.
“Don’t worry, Dad,” I said to Dad with a wide smile. “You know I’ll only stab him in the eye with my fork if he’s sitting beside me.” I turned to Sable. “He isn’t, is he?”
“No, sweetheart,” she assured me. Sable turned to look at Onyx. “And he knows he can sit in the kitchen if he continues his nonsense.”
Onyx grunted but merely took another drink of his whisky.
