Page 31 of Lying Lainey

“Elaine, did you miss the part where I said I wanted to ask you out?” Kerian stated, crossing a leg over the other. “There will be zero trouble from me.”

“The same goes for me,” Quintin answered.

I paused at that. “Which part?”

“All of it. While I wouldn’t have asked you as quickly as Kerian seems to be planning to, I feel when we both are a little more settled with this change, I would have made my interest known,” he expounded. “I’ve never had a protective response toward someone, and yet I did with you this morning. Clearly, there is something drawing me to you, and I’d like to explore what that might be.”

“Ah-hem…” Halstead cut in, clearing his throat loudly. “What does it take for a man to get an answer around here? I’d like to know if I’ve got a shot before we head into the restaurant.”

That had me looking at my surroundings and realized The Forest House was looming out the window to my right. Fingers gripped my chin and turned my head to meet Halstead’s gaze once more.

“I’m not a man who’s used to being ignored,” he commented as he released me, but the move set my body on fire. The command in his voice was clear and added to the physical redirection. “I’ll accept any answer, even if it’s ‘I need some time to think about it,’ but I will insist you give my request acknowledgment.”

A shiver of delight trilled up my spine, loving the dominance. “Yes,” I answered, my voice slightly breathier than I would have liked. “Yes, I will go out with you, Halstead.”

The smile that appeared on his face transformed the man. He’d always been handsome in a regal way any silver fox of a man should have, but this added a warmth to him I hadn’t seen before. “Then let’s get this meeting over with so we can have a drink in peace after. I took note of how excited you were to come here, so I wanted to make sure you got to see the place as one should.”

My heart actually skipped a beat as my breath hitched at the intensity of Halstead’s gaze, like a man on the hunt. I was so screwed, but I didn’t give a fuck. Who said I couldn’t enjoy myself while working this job?

thirteen

Kerian

The Forest House was a favorite of ours. The owners knew how to be discreet, and it gave us a place where we could have dates or just a lavish dinner out as a family. Here, we didn’t have to worry about who saw what or if they would use it against us. No one could come here if they didn’t have a substantial net worth with their own weaknesses at risk. Shared danger kept things amiable, and if you broke that unwritten rule, then you’d never step foot in this place again, no matter how much you made.

I smiled as Halstead helped Elaine out of the limousine and tucked her arm through his. The look on his face was one I hadn’t seen in a long time—it was full of excitement. Not that I would say our life was boring, but I’d be the first to admit we’re all workaholics who didn’t take much time out of our day to do anything new. We had hobbies, but we’d also had those for years, making them far from exciting. Elaine was an intriguing and gorgeous new puzzle for us all to figure out, and it was clear we all had a unique interest in her.

Halstead mentioned Quintin’s protectiveness over her, and that was huge. H was clearly intrigued with her drive and passion for whatever she put her mind to. He’d shown me the research she pulled up on Solarbyte that no one had been able to find in all the deep dives we’ve done on this business. Then there was the meeting with Tabitha, creating a solution none of us would have thought of based on the information she’d gathered sitting in that meeting.

As for me, she posed a unique challenge. Everything about her was so carefully put together, from her appearance to how she responded to situations. I’d spotted one or two moments that were genuine authentic reactions to something. One of them being my scent. The second she realized what she’d been doing, the panic that flashed through her eyes had my attention. Each time I dug into who she was and where she came from, I found the bare minimum. She’d never had social media, and there were no records of her graduating high school, only college. However, when I looked into that, I had a hard time finding anything about what classes she took, her grades, and things like that. It was almost as if it was a damn good false identity.

Was she hiding from someone? Maybe she’s in witness protection?

“Keri?” Quin questioned as I stood there at the foot of the steps like an idiot, staring at the other two.

I smiled, grasping his hand and lacing our fingers together. “Sorry, just lost in thought. Shall we head in?”

The skin between his brows started to crease, so I leaned in, cupped his cheek, and kissed him. Not the basic, we’ve-been-together-for-over-five-years peck. I wanted to steal his breath away like he did to me every damn day since I met him. This stiff, prickly man who always said the wrong thing had a heart of gold that loved endlessly. He had no idea how much he’s helped me become the man I am today, knowing I needed to be better for him. It was crazy to think how a kid abandoned at five to my mom’s pimp turned criminal hacker could end up here with this amazing life.

“What was that for?” Quin asked, his eyes a little glassy with pleasure.

“Because,” I offered. “You know how that damn bow tie makes me want to strip you naked and have you call me Master Lewis as you bounce on my cock.”

Right on cue, the blush flamed to life on Quintin’s cheeks. “Kerian, we are in public. You can’t talk like that,” he scolded in a harsh whisper. “Let’s go before you think of something else outlandish to say.”

“Hey, honesty is the best policy, right?” I teased, wrapping my arm around his waist and urging him toward the entrance. “We better hurry. Who knows what might happen if we leave those two alone for too long.”

“Did we make the right choice?” he asked, as I smiled at the entrance attendant in thanks for holding the door.

Passing the coat check, we headed into the main foyer of the mansion, which served as the split between the restaurant and the museum. Head to the left for the history, whereas going right would place you in a magical place where the food was made from heaven.

“What do you mean? Encouraging Halstead to pursue Elaine or the fact that we also find ourselves interested?” I inquired, curious as to his answer.

Quin let out a heavy sigh. “Both, I suppose. Keri, I’m not the man who does impulsive things like ask a woman to date me when I already have two partners I’m happily in love with. My heart is more than willing to explore this new interest, but my brain is not quite on board, even though I realize this is completely normal for everyone to experience.”

Pulling Quintin to a halt, I turned him to face me. “Don’t answer me right away when I ask you this. Let’s say out there is a person we scent-pair with, the three of us together. Would there be the same hesitation? I suppose what I’m trying to say is if you’re hesitant in general or if it’s because your mother told you that you’d never be good enough for anyone.”

“That is a question I’ll have to think on,” he said after a moment.