Amidst mine and Bo’s laughter, he continues to poorly describe paintings at random, weaving us further and further into the depths of the mansion. While I know Reid warned to assume someone was always watching or listening, I figure we’re far enough away from the suitors at least to ask, since security would be the only ones eavesdropping now, and they don’t have a foot in the game.
“So, what was up with Gabriel that was so significant?”
Bo places a hand on my lower back as we round the next hallway in the neverending labyrinth. “Emmy’s allergic to bees.”
The corner of my mouth curves up. “So he removed all of the flowers surrounding the house and was carrying an epipen. Only guy to worryabouther instead of focusing on impressing her.”
We stop in a sparsely decorated hallway, lined primarily with doors instead of artwork. It’s painted a deep navy, working with the dim lighting to keep it darker than the rest of the halls we’ve passed through. Cin releases me, playfully flicking up the hem of my skirt as he strides past to lean against the wall.
“And only one to acknowledge Slade,” he points out.
I replay the evening in my head. “If Emmy doesn’t choose, Slade has to, right? So wouldn’t everyone want to suck up to him as well, like a plan B? That seems like such an obvious oversight, now that you mention it, especially for people that are all about social formalities.”
Bo steps up behind me, wrapping his arms around to clasp his hands over my stomach. “Exactly. Not an oversight, but an intentional sleight.”
I frown, leaning back against his chest to take some of the pressure off of my feet, not used to the small, strappy heels Emmy forced me into. “But why, when getting on his good side would be a wise fallback plan?”
Cin’s typically jovial face falls a bit. “Because some people can’t see past their own egos. They’re expecting Slade to make the most advantageous match if it falls to him to decide, and each head of the family thinks that’s clearly them. They’re not considering that he couldn’t care less what would benefit the family the most, he only wants Ems to be happy.”
Bo sighs, resting his chin on the top of my head. “And they’re blind. They think a secure life and being showered with gifts is the same thing as taking care of her. They see her as a princess to pamper and grace their halls, not somebody to love.”
Cin turns his attention back the way we came with a somber expression. “Nobody wants to learn what makes her tick. Our fathers were like that with Mom and everything that made herherslowly faded away until there was nothing left but a shell going through the motions day after day. She was dead for a long time before we ever had to dig her grave.”
Bo’s fallen equally silent and I give his arm a reassuring squeeze. “Well, we won’t let that happen to Emmy. Worst case scenario, she ‘accidently’ becomes a widow. Then she’s fulfilled her half of the agreement and doesn’t technically need to remarry unless she wants to. Plus she’ll get a hell of a payday, because if these guys want a bride so badly, they get one without a prenup to prove that they actually have her best interest at heart.”
I stick my bottom lip out in a fake pout that has a sliver of darkness retreating from Cin’s eyes. “A good husband would want to make sure that his wife was taken care of even after he was gone.”
Smirking, he kicks off of the wall, trailing the pad of his finger over the bare skin on my collarbone as he passes by to continue our wandering exploration. “You fit in here better than you give yourself credit for. A dangerous little thing hiding in such a pretty package.”
“Poisoned coffee with enough sugar to mask it, and bold enough to hand the cup to your enemy with a smile,” Bo teases in agreement.
He releases me only to steal my hand, the three of us meandering the halls leisurely to avoid going back to the party. Cin’s fingers twitch with every door we pass, like he’s itching to snoop around, but trying to behave.
“What’s the point of having so many rooms that a person could never even utilize? It’s like a damn hotel. You could move everyone hanging out downstairs into this place permanently andstillhave rooms leftover.”
Rounding the next bend, we come across a large bay window with a U shaped, padded bench seat. I make a beeline for it, releasing Bo’s hand to get off my feet for a little while, sighing in relief the second I sit down despite the instantaneous throbbing in my soles. In one smooth motion, Bo takes a seat beside me while pulling me sideways onto his lap, my legs stretched out over the bench. Cin lifts my legs and slides beneath them a few seconds later, dropping them so that my heels dig into the cushion, pinning him in place like a living seatbelt of limbs.
Gently, he massages one of my ankles. “Like ours, Victor’s house was passed down through the generations. Our families all used to be... much larger,” he selectively states, clearly leaving an abundance of information out.
“A side effect of years of being at each other’s throats?” I probe, not expecting a history report or anything, but if I’m going to be dating them, I’d at least like a general understanding ofwhatdangers I need to be watching out for.
The arm Bo has draped over my thighs shifts, his hand slowly trailing up my side. Eventually, he makes it up to my ribcage, the heat of his palm searing into my skin through the thin barrier of my dress, making me squirm.
“Unfortunately,” he confirms. “Grudges fester rather than fade, and new reasons to hate each other inevitably crop up with each subsequent generation. Like now; after the incident with Carter, Stonewood burned bridges with everyone. One person’s actions reflect upon the entire family name, and none of the families downstairs have any reason to forgive Stonewood anytime soon. So if, say, any of the Aldervales made a strike against them tomorrow-”
“-No one would come to their aid,” I finish. “So they could prune the family tree without consequence if they wanted, so to speak.” Subtly shifting my thighs together as a thought occurs, I attempt to focus on the conversation, glancing between both of them curiously. “So they wouldn’t intervene if a Hawthorne went seeking revenge, then.”
Bo begins stroking his thumb over my side, every swipe brushing against the edge of the fabric and slipping teasingly beneath before pulling back. “Correct, but we’d need to be prepared for them to retaliate as well, and they haven’t taken nearly as hard of a hit to their numbers as we have. It’d actually put not only Emmy in even more danger, but Lizzie as well. We need to think long term instead of the instant gratification we’d get from killing the bastard.”
It grows increasingly difficult to focus on the conversation as he gradually slides a little more of his hand beneath my dress with every sentence. Now, each stroke of his thumb teases the underside of my breast, sending a shiver down my spine and driving me closer to the increasingly hard outline pressing against my ass.
“But when she’s out of harm’s way and living with someone else?”
The massaging hand at my ankle works up my calf, Cin watching my reaction and smirking as he feels the way my muscles jump beneath his touch. “Thatisthe question, now isn’t it? What seemed before like a good way to go out in a blaze of glory doesn’t sound nearly as tempting as it once did.”
Waiting to see if I’m going to stop him, he holds my gaze as he works his way even higher, pausing when the tips of his fingers disappear beneath the hem of my skirt. Bo keeps up his steady teasing and I squirm on his lap, pinned between them. The setting sun streams through the window, sending shadows dancing across Cin’s face as he grins, stroking my inner thigh and testing how far I’m willing to go before stopping them.
Affection around each other is one thing, but I thought it was more a case of four separate relationships that everyone was okay with, not sharing a girlfriend quite so... literally. Not like I haven’t thought about this a few times; I mean, who wouldn’t in my position? But I always imagined it as a scenario with the twins, though I suppose it makes sense with as reserved as Reid is in public.
