The invitation lands heavy. My erection strains harder, my hips rock forward on instinct before I lock them down.
Cloud moves her arm around the back of Blue's waist, tilts her head, and offers, "You can decide what you want us to do."
Blue waits for my reaction, for me to crack.
The front door explodes inward. Mikhail barrels through, suit jacket flapping open. His eyes sweep the room in one practiced arc at me, Blue pressed to my chest, Cloud's arm around her waist, and then Demi with the phone still recording.
His jaw locks. "What the fuck is going on here?"
Demi spins toward him, lowering the phone but not turning off the recording. She steps between Mikhail and the rest of us, her posture shifting in an instant. Her shoulders tighten, chin lifts, and voice drops into a low, velvet authority I imagine she inherited from the family tree. "Mikhail. Chill out."
His gaze flicks to Blue, then to me. The muscle in his cheek jumps. "He's not supposed to be anywhere near her."
Demi tugs his tie, pulling him closer until their faces are inches apart. "And you're not supposed to let family business turn into a public clusterfuck. So, unless you want to explain to Nikolai why you escalated instead of de-escalating, you'll follow me out. Right now."
He holds her stare for another three heartbeats. Then he exhales hard through his nose, gives me one last cold look, and warns, "I'll be in touch, Red."
Demi keeps her grip on his tie, turning him toward the hallway like she's guiding a reluctant guard dog. They disappear through the doorway. The latch clicks shut.
"That's Mikhail?" Cloud asks.
Blue nods. "Yep."
Cloud fans her hand in front of her face. "He's fucking hot."
Blue shrugs. "He's okay."
What the fuck just happened?
The room falls quiet except for my breathing, which is way too loud, and Blue's quick and shallow.
She glances at Cloud. "No more interruptions."
Cloud steps back, arms crossing. "You heard her earlier, Red. Join us or leave."
Blue's fingers slide under my shirt, nails scraping lightly across my abdomen. "Stay. We'll make your fantasies come true tonight."
I catch her chin between thumb and forefinger, tilting her head until our eyes lock. "You're not into her."
Her pupils flare.
Cloud's hands drop to her sides.
I continue, "You're doing this to make me jealous. Hell, it worked. I'm here. I'm fucking burning. But I'm not watching you pretend with someone else."
Blue's breath hitches. "Red?—"
I slide my arm around her waist, pulling her tight against me. She gasps at the sudden press of my erection against her stomach. "We're leaving."
"That's no fun," Cloud whines.
"You don't want this. So let's go," I insist.
Blue searches my face for a long second. Then she turns toward Cloud, "Sorry. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Aw, okay. I guess I'll call my backup," Cloud states.
I don't say another word. I guide Blue toward the door, my hand firm at the small of her back.
