Raphael touches his lips to the base of her ear. “I believed.”
He listened to her. Believed her when all of us thought she was joking. Fuck us. Fuck all our sorry jackasses. Who knows how many demons she’s carrying inside her? Good thing we’re bigger and badder than all of them combined.
Rory clenches his fist, his jaw hardening to iron, because he knows what real crazy is. So does Raph. And it’s the last place on earth Briella would deserve to live. No. Survive. There’s no living in a place like that.
“How did you escape?” I wonder.
She winks at me before Raphael loosens his hold on her, urging her back to the center. “That’s a different question.”
“Aww, crap.” Maybe I can torment it out of her later. Might even invite my partner to join me since he’s an expert in the craft, especially with her.
“Your turn again, Briella,” I chime in as she begins to rock herself again.
“Hmm…” She scans all of us, inspecting, and choosing…when they lock on me. Her gaze briefly flicks to Rory, then back to me. “Can I ask two of you like a bundle package deal?”
Raphael has barely moved a muscle, other than folding his hands and staring intensely at our Queen. Creepy son of a bitch. And while she checks with him, it’s Jude who answers, “I believe we can make this allowance.”
Her hazel eyes turn warm and heady as she stares at me and my partner from beneath those long, tempting eyelashes. “Rory, Seth. Truth or Dare. Please say Truth!”
“Now, ye gonna make me want to do ‘Dare’ just for that, Lass.” Rory winks at her and strokes his beard.
“Come on, Rory. You scared to share your deepest, darkest secret?” I reach over and poke him in the side.
“Cut it out, Sethy boy.” He snorts, smacking my hand away. Yeah, he never did like my teasing…or flirting. Been a thing since we were young.
“Ahh, very well. Truth.”
She’s brighter than the firelight behind her. “How did you end up becoming partners?”
Rory tosses me a wicked smirk, and I tilt my head to the side, eyeing Briella with a measure of irony.
“Go ahead, Timber. Tell her,” Rory urges, sitting back on his hands.
Curiosity flashes across her face. Feeling playful, I turn to my partner and crouch.
“Don’t even think about it, Lad.” Rory warns, all his muscles stiffening. Too late. He called me Lad, and he knows how hard that gets me. He raises a finger. “I will shove my prick so far down your throat, it’ll come out the other end!”
My blood catches fire. And I charge. Briella practically leaps back against Jude while the room erupts into chaos. Rory goes down with a growl, and I pin him hard on his stomach, grip a fistful of his red hair, and give him a big, wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek.
“Ack! This is why we don’t talk about feelings,” he mutters, his hands flailing, trying to knock me over. I just grip tighter and lick his marred ear. “Now, ye gave me a semi and a concussion!”
Briella’s giggling distracts us, and both of us snap our heads toward her while I announce, “Rory was my bully.”
She lifts her brows, suddenly coming closer. “Your bully?”
“Aye. So surprised, mi’Lass? Fuck, my nice side is growing too much on ye.”
“What nice side?” I laugh.
As soon as I let Rory up, he tackles me, rolling me onto my back and sitting right on my stomach. “I loved fucking with this little punk ass bitch more than anyone else at the foster home.” He shows me his teeth, and my brows dance in a dare.
“Why?” Briella asks.
Rory shrugs. “Cause he was all a whistlin’ and hummin’ all the damn time. And a smilin’.”
“Don’t forget whittling.” I wink.
“Aye. Called ye my wood boy. Always loved your wood…even when I whipped it with my belt. But I ruined many a carving.”
