Remy watched him, but this time with cautiousness, as he sipped his scotch. “We don’t get a lot of newbies. Most of us here…” he nodded to the party, “…know each other well.”
“I bet.”
A dimple appeared in the man’s cheek. “You’ll get to know us too. Don’t you worry.”
“Oh, I’m not worried.”
“It’s natural to be nervous the first time.” The man leaned in close. “Just remember, if the butt plugs are too large and scary looking, you can request something smaller.”
Jacob took a long pull from his beer and placed it on the bar with a definitive click. “So you know, I’ve raised three teenagers. If they haven’t been able to fuck with my head yet, neither will you.”
“But I can fuck you otherwise, right?” Remy purred. “That’s why you’re here.”
Jacob thought back to his conversation with Akira. He could have put men on his list of hard limits. But he hadn’t. He met Remy’s eyes squarely. “I’m here for lots of reasons.”
Remy’s lips thinned, unimpressed. “Akira doesn’t usually announce parties on the fly like this.”
“No?”
“No. And she doesn’t invite a new guy and make exceptions for him. And she doesn’t call me out of the blue and tell me she’s going to be my guest at a charity function. And she doesn’t bang me in a closet after making sure some guy is certain to follow.” Remy’s amicable mask slipped. “So tell me, Jacob. Who the hell are you?”
Akira had manipulated it so she would be at that charity dinner? Perhaps Jacob should be annoyed by that, but he was relieved. Thank God she had. Or he wouldn’t have had the balls to crawl back to her.
A laugh danced over the party, pulling Jacob’s attention away from the man in front of him. His shoulders tensed as he watched Akira throw back her head and chuckle. The noise was loud and rich and boisterous, and without his volition, his body leaned forward as if he could absorb it.
He had attended numerous parties where Akira had also been a guest. He’d never heard her laugh like that. Thinking back without the filter of fear and guilt, he recalled Akira would always spend the evening smiling her shark’s smile, coolly calculating her effect on everyone.
There was none of that here. These guests were her friends, not just people who happened to love a bit of kink. Akira wasn’t a loner. Harris wasn’t the only one in her corner. In the dark of night, she had her own inner circle.
Warmth coursed through him. Good, he thought savagely. She needed a line of defense. He could be in her inner circle, eventually, once she learned to trust him.
Patience. It took time and effort to storm a princess’s castle. He couldn’t run in, waving his mighty staff about.
Remy cleared his throat, and Jacob blinked, yanked out of contemplation. “I’m her…” he trailed off, “…friend.”
Remy’s expression was skeptical. “How did you meet her?”
Jacob attempted to focus. “Her mother married my father.”
“Her mom passed away a few months ago,” Remy said flatly.
“Yes.” Jacob couldn’t begin to explain their complicated history in a nutshell. “They were married a long time ago. Mei and my dad divorced.”
“I didn’t hear about this.”
“It’s common knowledge.” He cocked his head. “Unless…unless maybe you haven’t known Akira as long as I have.”
Remy’s nostrils flared at the subtle rebuke, but Jacob caught the glimmer of respect buried in his ice-blue eyes. Still, the man jabbed, his voice silken. “So you’re…stepsiblings.”
That sounded…wrong. “No. I mean—technically, yes, but it was only for a year, fourteen years ago.” He paused. Frowned. “And we were both grown, it’s not like we grew up together—”
“Jacob, stop talking. You’re making us sound utterly depraved.” Akira appeared at his elbow and smiled at Remy. “Remy. So glad you could make it.”
The warmth between the two was palpable as they kissed European style. “Thanks for inviting me, as always.” Remy turned laughing eyes on him. Jacob wasn’t fooled now, though. He was quite aware Remy would destroy him if he so much as lifted a finger against Akira. “I was just talking to your brother here,” he said smoothly.
“Behave, Remy,” Akira cautioned. “Or we both know I could call upyourbrother and have a chat with him.”
The other man’s eyes widened comically. “You would break my heart like that, love?”
