Just us girls.
I like these two. I want to fit in with Julian’s family, and if I’m going to be here every week with them, I need to trust that I can open up to them.
“Julian and I are ...great,actually. I have no complaints so far.”
Lulu wiggles her eyebrows as she stirs something in a bowl. “I like the sound of that.”
“And as far as the other, I was doing fine until we got to this building, and then I had a panic attack.”
“Makes sense,” Scarlett says with a nod. “You had something traumatic happen to you here. But I canpromiseyou, it’ll never happen again.”
“That’s what Julian said too.”
“Never,” Lulu agrees. “It’s a fun place.”
I shudder at the thought. “I’ll take your word for it.” I bite my lip, and I reach for another olive but don’t eat it. “Can I ask you guys some questions?”
“You can ask us anything,” Lulu replies with a smile. “We’re your friends, Natasha. Hell, your husband and mine are brothers in every way that counts, which means that you’re my sister.”
Sister.That makes my throat want to close up.
“You’re safe here,” Scarlett adds, and reaches out to pat my hand.
I don’t flinch away from her touch, and I’m filled with pride in myself.
I’m getting better.
“You two are both with powerful, dangerous men.”
They nod, watching me with open expressions on their gorgeous faces, giving me the confidence to continue.
“Do you feel ...safewith them?”
“Personally, I’ve never felt safer,” Scarlett says and looks to Lulu, who nods.
“I’m the same. I also grew up in an organized crime household with a father who was ruthless and abusive, and well, it wasbad. I didn’t, and still don’t, trust easy. Rome wouldneverhurt me.”
“Luke is so protective, I think if someone just thought about saying something unkind to me, he’d take out their tongue.”
The two of them laugh, but I don’t join them. Because this is important to me.
“What about cheating?”
Their smiles fall, and then they shake their heads adamantly.
“No,” Scarlett says. “Not a chance. When would they have time?”
“You’d be surprised,” I mutter, staring at the olive in my fingers that I keep rolling back and forth. “I grew up in this life, and I don’t know anyone who stayed faithful, including my own parents.”
“Our guys are a different breed,” Lulu says. “They may live in the morally gray side of life, but when it comes to us, they are next-level obsessed.”
“But they have access to a whole sex club. Thewholeclub. They could hook up with anyone, anytime.”
“I have no need for that,” Rome says from behind me, startling me, and I feel my cheeks burn in embarrassment as he walks around to pull Lulu in his arms. She smiles up at him so brightly, the love is written all over her. “The club is my business, but Eloise is mylife.”
Okay, that was swoony as fuck.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have?—”
