Page 102 of The Betrothal

Clearly he wanted to announce his arrival.

He may have been ignoring me but the fact he was absolutely bloody everywhere only made it more palpable that we weren’t… talking? We weren’t anything.

Still, instead of working from his study he took over the kitchen table. He stayed up later at night. He called into the workshop on the few brief occasions we ventured out there.

I wasn’t an idiot. He was choosing to be in our company. In my company. But every time he was he didn’t really speak, or join in with our conversation at all, or make any small talk. And if he did, it was aimed at Seb or Ben. Otherwise, he just existed near us.

This moment was no exception to that.

“Nice of you to join us, Alex.” Seb broke the silence Alex had created. “We were just talking about spanking.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Alex growled. “Of course you are.”

“Killer here was arguing against female objectification and porn storylines, I offered myself as tribute. Unless you want in?” Seb pushed.

“Hard pass,” Alex snipped, pouring a drink, the ice cubes clinking.

“Liar.” Seb chuckled. “You’d love to be objectified by our Killer.”

“She’s not our anything,” Alex responded quickly.

The barb landed and I scowled at the rejection. He had put words to the belief I held secretly; I wasn’t anything to Alex.

“She’s our everything,” Seb cut him down, Ben voicing his agreement. “And she’d willingly be your something if you stopped being such a fucking dick.”

Alex discarded the papers at Seb’s challenge. “Stop calling me that,” he bit out.

“I’ll stop calling you it when you stop being it,” Seb argued.

“Seb,” I whispered sharply. “Leave it.”

“Nope.” He didn’t lower his tone to match mine. “You won’t talk to him, he’s stomping around the house like a little boy whose favourite toy is about to be stolen, despite not even acknowledging it. He’s everywhere, hovering on the periphery but refusing to actually cross the line and take what he fucking wants!” Seb’s irritation was rising. “He’s being a brat.”

“Don’t forget a fucking dickhead,” Alex goaded Seb.

“Correct!” Seb stood suddenly, taking me with him.

I threw a startled look at Ben who simply smiled calmly.

“Don’t worry, Sugar,” he cooed. “Alex only responds with action when he’s called out on his shit.”

“Okay.” I wriggled in Seb’s arms. “But I’ve got no interest in being stuck in the middle of this.”

“Incorrect, Killer.” Seb was a wall behind me, his body stiff but his hands cupping my body, no real pressure to them.

“Need I remind you of the first time we met, Sebastian? The fall would be much harsher in here,” I warned him.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Killer.” He leaned his head into the nape of my neck, placed a kiss there and whispered, “Trust me.”

I shuddered, conceding with a nod.

“So, what will it be, Alexander? The man of facts, harsh realities and brutal truths, and the only one here who’s living in total denial.” Seb ran his fingers up my arm, over my shoulder to caress my throat. “Are you going to keep watching from the sidelines, denying yourself?”

Alex’s lip curled and he shot out of his chair. “Back off, Seb. You’re overstepping.”

“Hard pass,” Seb mocked Alex’s earlier comment. “Okay, but if you’re going to torture yourself, at least let me in on the fun.”

Seb cupped my jaw and turned me to face him, taking my lips in a heavy kiss. Angling my face to put me exactly where he wanted he drove his tongue inside my mouth and claimed it.