Page 61 of The Betrothal

Alex had been glaring at me all evening and I’d gradually moved from being able to quietly ignore it, to light irritation, to full-blown discomfort.

The quiet routine we had fallen into, some less reluctantly than others I noted as Seb rubbed gentle circles over my thigh, had us in front of another fire with the TV playing the final scenes of tonight’s movie of choice. An artistic piece that no doubt had a Marmite effect. For me, it was mediocre, trying too hard.

Seb proved a sufficient distraction for me to be doing nothing but mentally following the circles of his forefingers.

“It was crap.” Alex paused the end credits and Seb shifted in his seat, sandwiched between Ben and me. He snagged my legs and pulled them into his lap where they brushed Ben’s legs under the light blanket.

Alex stiffened at the same time I did. Automatically, I shuffled backwards to try to stop the inevitable contact with Ben’s spread legs.

“Too highbrow for you?” Seb chuckled softly at Alex’s complaint, the comment not landing with malice. As he spoke he began to run his knuckles softly over the underside of my feet and I shuddered at the blend of massage and tickling.

Alex’s nostrils flared at the motion under the blanket. “Evidently so.” He gestured to the motion of Seb’s hands. “Can you no longer keep your hands off each other?”

Seb shrugged, massaging deeper. A tiny squeak accompanied me trying to pull my leg away, his hold intensified in response.

Ben had tilted his body towards the two of us, where his brother watched us all with evident frustration as Seb continued to massage me. Ben observed only me, his lips parted slightly. The air thickened.

“Well, this is going to end fucking horribly.” Alex leaned forwards on the large sofa. He was spread almost entirely over the cushions of the seat. He was manspreading, and when his elbows came to rest on his knees, the sofa seemed much like an oversized chair. Or based on his look of horrified judgement, a throne.

“The three of us are all mature, consenting adults, who know exactly what we want.” Seb shrugged. “I’m sure we will be fine. The same can’t be said for you at the moment.” Where the words could have sounded like an attack from anyone else, Seb put them out as an observation.

“I’m not a consenting adult?” Alex snarled.

“You sure are, only not to this.” Seb tilted his head to Ben and me. “It was the mature part I referred to. Oh, and the section about knowing what you want.” Seb’s knuckles dug so deeply I rose up and away from the armrest to clamp my fingers down over his hand. It wasn’t that it was an unpleasant sensation, it was just… much.

Seb swung his attention away from Alex and to me. His face impassive, he simply waited, head tilted marginally to one side.

Unsure what he waited for, I released where I held his hand still and he quirked a smile.

“I know exactly what I want. I want you–” Alex’s hand pointed at Seb accusingly as he spoke. “–back in town at a comfortable distance. Not here, causing all sorts of entanglements.”

Seb barked a derisive laugh but Alex simply continued. “And you.” His ire turned on me. “I want you on your way, taking whatever drama you have snapping at your heels with you.”

It was my turn to stiffen. Although he’d been almost entirely unwelcoming up to now, Alex’s tone now carried a coldness that it hadn’t to date. The discomfort I’d been feeling quickly morphed to a need to remove myself from the room.

Throwing back the cover I made no progress in my attempt to extricate myself from the sofa, and Seb’s grip, because without warning I was snagged and placed into his lap. He wrapped an arm around my waist and secured me in place. I was quickly positioned with my feet resting on the sofa between Ben’s thighs.

I waited to see Ben react to Seb’s placement of me but he didn’t. Instead, he rested his head back against the tall back cushion of his seat, turning so he could easily observe his brother, the picture of relaxation.

I’d only seen him so relaxed once before, the day I arrived, when Seb had taken him under his arm and he’d melted into his hold.

Alex’s judgement of the situation softened while he and Ben held each other’s gaze, until eventually Alex sighed, scrubbing his brow.

“This will end badly.” His voice was subdued now, more a plea than an accusation but Ben simply shrugged.

Alex stood suddenly, dropping the remote into his vacated seat and tore off across the room, disappearing up the stairs.

“He hates me more than ever,” I groaned.

Seb shifted a little along the sofa and I raised my feet to relinquish Ben’s space, but he mirrored Seb’s movements, both of them taking up more room and creating less space.

“He’ll come around,” he stated.

It was my turn to scoff. Had he been present for a different conversation?

“He’s just protective.” Ben was quiet but clear, he didn’t seem bothered by his brother’s outburst.

“I think we should maybe let it breathe a bit; I’ll give him a bit of a wider berth.” I didn’t try to move again yet, Seb’s fingers were flexing against my hip and although I was conscious about sitting on the man, his hold didn’t weaken.