Page 18 of Mister Lane

“Do you think her dad is really going to get her out of the charges?” Emily whispered as she stared at the door while biting her lip.

I turned her to face me and cupped her cheeks in my hands. “Hey, look at me.” She blinked up at me, the worry clear. “That’s not going to happen, okay? Veronica has an overinflated view of herself. But even if her dad was the mayor and he did get the charges dropped, she would never be able to come within a hundred feet of you ever again. That’s the best part of having two men like Brandon and me.” I gave her a sinister smile and nipped at her chin, causing her to let out a small squeal. “You’llalways have someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to protect you.”

“That sounded ominous,” she breathed out with wide eyes.

“Did it?” I asked, feigning nonchalance, just as two EMTs and a police detective arrived at the doorway. I watched as Brandon spoke to them briefly, reflexively tightening my hold on my girl until I felt her rub my arm. I glanced down at her to see her smile of reassurance and couldn’t resist giving her a kiss.

“As soon as we are done here, you know we are taking you home and making you ours, right?”

Her gasp had me grinning against her lips.

Chapter

Seventeen

Emily

Imust have drifted off to sleep during the car ride home because the next thing I knew, I was being placed onto a soft mattress that felt like heaven. Realization came immediately that I wasn’t at home, since there was no way my bed felt so luxurious.

I blinked my sleepy eyes awake to see twin handsome faces smiling down at me. Though the features were identical, the men couldn’t have been more different than the sun from the moon with their contrasting expressions. One was often grinning and projected soothing warmth, while the other was dark and brooding, promising wicked delights.

I still couldn’t understand how I didn’t see it from the beginning.

“Hey,” I whispered shyly, as I glanced from one to the other, unable to get my fill of either of them.

After giving our statements to the police, the brothers had, in fact, forced me to undergo an examination by the EMTs. But, as I had told them, I was perfectly fine. Other than a coupleof broken nails and a strained voice, there was nothing wrong with me. Could it have been worse? Absolutely. Veronica hadn’t counted on anyone actually missing me or looking for me so quickly. Why would she? To her, I was nobody special. Certainly not someone that the Lane twins would have decided was theirs after rejecting countless other beautiful women and men.

“Hey, beautiful girl.” Brandon stepped back, and I watched as he removed his suit jacket and draped it over the armchair sitting in the corner near the bed. I glanced around the room, taking in the space for the first time, and realized that I must have been in one of their bedrooms.

The room was large and done in shades of grays and dark blues with dark wood furniture. A large armoire sat against one wall, a lamp on it with a gorgeous glass mosaic shade in shades of blue that I wanted to take a closer look at. Two doors on another wall led into what I assumed were the bathroom and a closet, and on the opposite wall was a double set of doors that led to a balcony.

Framed art complemented the space, giving it a warm feel, but one caught my eye because it was different from the others. It was a woman in profile done in a way that looked almost… dreamy. Like it was seen through a mist or fog. It was beautiful.

“Wait a minute. Is that me?” I gasped and sat up.

“I have another one commissioned. It should be ready any day now.”

I turned to see Brayden staring at me, his expression unreadable as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. I glanced at Brandon, who was watching his brother as well. He turned to look at me, winked, then turned back to his brother. It looked as if he were watching him closely for a reaction of some kind. Or, like he was concerned for his brother.

I looked back at Brayden, who was still carefully concealing his thoughts, his face blank from any emotion. Then, Iunderstood. Brayden was waiting for my response, and he was worried about how I would react to what I suspected was a gift. My man felt vulnerable.

I understood vulnerability more than most.

I climbed off the bed and walked over to him on bare feet. I glanced down at my bare toes in the plush carpet and flexed them, feeling the thick fibers. One of them must have taken my heels off when they brought me inside. I was beginning to understand how thoughtful they were, and they were showing how much they cared for me in so many ways. I stood up on my tiptoes, placing my hands on his bare chest under the unbuttoned shirt as he stood there motionless.

“Thank you,” I whispered, placing a kiss on the corner of his lips. “It’s beautiful.”

I started to drop back down to my heels, but Brayden let out a growl and wrapped his arms around my waist and jerked me against him. I let out a gasp as my chest collided with his. He quickly took advantage, plunging his tongue inside my open mouth and tasting every inch of me in a savage kiss that left me breathless but craving so much more.

I let out a moan, not caring to hold back from them anymore. I wanted to show them how much they affected me, how much they had made me care about them. They broke down my walls brick by brick before I’d even realized what they were doing. When I thought they’d been playing games with me, they were quick to prove to me how wrong I really was.

As Brayden stole my breath, I felt warmth against my back and knew that Brandon was there. Tingles of anticipation ran across my skin as heat filled my belly, settling into my core. Hands drifted up and down my back, alternating with featherlight touches and heavier passes with his fingertips as he kneaded them into my muscles. Brayden broke the kiss, but hislips didn’t leave me as he ran them across my chin and down to my neck.

My breaths were coming out in heavy pants, leaving my chest heaving as Brandon started trailing his lips behind my ear. I squeezed my eyes closed and tilted my head to the side as I took in the sensations of having one pair of hands gripping me tightly. The other was constantly moving, never knowing where they would stop and press into my flesh next.

The lips drifting across my collarbone stopped while the ones behind my ear slid down to my neck. My knees buckled, and I let out a cry as they both began to suck. I threw my hand up to grip Brandon’s head behind me, even though I was never in any danger of falling. Brayden’s grip was secure, and Brandon was right there, ready to catch me.

“What are you doing to me?” I moaned out breathlessly.