2. Chapter One
Chapter One
Teagan
T he chill of winter still clung heavily to the air, sweeping over my skin until goosebumps prickled along my flesh. Spending the evening with my mother hadn’t initially been on my to-do list today, but she was persistent, explaining that this was an important night because she would be introducing her new boyfriend and his two sons.
All I knew about the Santiago brothers was that they were fraternal twins and went to the same college as me. That wasn’t saying much, though. The university was massive.
My gaze darted up to the two-story building in front of me. The off-white paint was chipping off the house, revealing to the public just how old and worn-down this place really was. It would appear that I was early to this family get-together, but that was perfectly fine with me. Who knew what I’d be walking in on otherwise?
I slowly made my way up the front steps, my stomach twisting into knots—almost like my body knew something was off before my mind could catch up.
I just needed to get through this dinner,and then I could head back to campus and forget it ever happened. Introductions weren’t my forte. In fact, they put me on edge and made my skin crawl.
Sucking in a deep breath, I halted as soon as I reached the front door. My hands threaded through my light, brown hair in a sloppy attempt at smoothing it out. Deciding to completely disregard knocking, I opted for the doorknob instead and twisted.
Stepping inside, the scent of chicken and bacon overwhelmed me, causing my stomach to grumble. Home-cooked meals weren’t foreign to me. Someone cooked daily at the sorority, but it could never compare to my mother’s cooking. Maybe I should stop by more often.
My gaze swept over the living room. It was the same as when I’d left it. The off-white couch that my mom put way too much money into sat off to the right. Diagonal to that, was a matching recliner positioned in front of the flat screen, mounted above the fireplace. The house had a homey feel to it, which I always loved about this place. It was comfortable and familiar.
My mom’s voice rang out, causing my head to snap toward the kitchen. “Teagan, is that you?”
Rolling my shoulders back, I crossed the walkway and headed into the kitchen, made up of mostly white and gray marble. My mother was already setting the table, her brown hair curling around her shoulders. Even with her back to me, I knew she was wearing a full face of makeup. She didn’t do anything by halves.
“What’s for dinner?” I asked, stuffing my keys into the front pocket of my thin jacket.
Once she was done filling the wine glasses, she turned to me. “Bacon wrapped chicken with melted cheese and asparagus.” She beamed.
My stomach recoiled at the mere mention of asparagus. My mom used to force me to eat it as a kid, and I never recovered from it. There were some foods that shouldn’t even be considered edible. Asparagus was one of them.
My mom moved with a natural elegance. It was something I’d always admired about her and was a far cry from my clumsy nature. She was always so put together, and if something bothered her, it was difficult to tell. She was an expert at hiding her emotions and pretending everything was fine.
I remember when she left my father. It was the closest she’d ever revealed any kind of distraught. The eyes never lied, and back then, they’d said a million things her mouth never would.
Just as I was about to say something else, the doorbell rang, resounding throughout the house. My heart lurched into my throat from the unexpectedness of it, paired with the fact that I’d have to meet new people. I should be used to it by now, but this felt different for some reason.
“Go ahead and have a seat.” Mom smiled, placing the wine bottle down in the middle of the table. “Right there.” She pointed to a spot between two other chairs, causing my eyebrows to dip in confusion.
Hesitantly, I rounded the table and sank down into the chair. Nervous energy prickled along my skin, and that only intensified when she left the room. Logically, I knew that my internal reaction was a bit much. It wasn’t like I’d have to deal with these people on a daily basis.
Reaching for my wine glass, I brought it to my lips and took a long swallow of the bitter liquid. It slid down my throat with ease but dried my mouth out in return.
Distant voices sounded from the entryway of the house, and moments later, my mom emerged with a man following close behind. His hair was a dirty blonde color, which complimented his bluish-green eyes. He had broad shoulders and walked with an air of confidence. Where she met this man, I had no idea.
Glancing behind him, my heart stuttered within my chest and I had to do a double take.
No. It couldn’t be…
Phoenix and King stood side by side—their backs ramrod straight as they assessed my home, seemingly looking for any immediate signs of danger. Unless you were living under a rock, you knew exactly who they were.
I just never knew what their last names were, nor have I ever had any interest in learning more about them. The rumors circulating around these two were bad enough, and now they were in my home.
King has a blood fetish.
Phoenix likes to inflict pain during sex.
I heard that they’re part of something illegal. Like a gang or something.
Phoenix’s last girlfriend completely disappeared off the face of the earth.
They’re on the hockey team.
My stomach twisted as I took them in. They looked so different from one another, that you’d never guess they were related, let alone fraternal twins. King had hair so black that it shone with a blue hue. His eyes were a mesmerizing green that would be so easy to get lost in.
Beside him, Phoenix had dirty-blonde hair, just like their father. His eyes were an icier, more potent, blue. They were both extraordinarily handsome in their own way. Tall, lean, sharp jawlines, and piercing gazes. They completely dominated the room.
“—and this is my daughter, Teagan,” Mom continued, motioning to me. I’d been so shocked, anything she said prior went through one ear and out the other.
Leonardo shot me a friendly grin and a nod of acknowledgement, but his two sons weren’t nearly as polite. Their eyes flicked over to me simultaneously, and a small twitch of Phoenix’s lips had chills scraping down my spine.
“Please, have a seat,” she pressed, extending her arm in order to gesture toward the table.
The stench of masculinity permeated the room as they stepped further into the kitchen—seemingly in synchronization. There was something incredibly dark about all three of them, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I’ve caught brief glances of both Phoenix and King over the years but have managed to stay out of their line of sight by some miracle. Until now.
King took my left, leaving Phoenix to take my right. My body tensed automatically as a current of fear shot through me. I knew better than to believe all the rumors going around about them, but still, I haven’t heard anything remotely good about them. Aside from the same surface level bullshit that I already knew.
They were on the hockey team and were good at it, they couldn’t keep their dicks in their pants–even if it was a matter of life or death, they were violent, and they were sexist assholes. Our groups tended to run in the same circles, but we didn’t encounter Phoenix and King often unless we were at a party, and it was easier to blend in that way.
Mom and Leonardo took the seats adjacent to us, her hand sliding into his on top of the table. They looked decent together, but I wasn’t sure I liked this arrangement at all.
“First, I’d like to thank the three of you for coming on such short notice,” Mom began, pressing her lips into a tight smile. “I know it wasn’t easy, especially since you just finished your finals.”
My lungs constricted as a foreboding feeling washed over me. The two guys flanking me on either side were so close that I could feel their body heat.
When no one said anything, she continued. “I know this is going to come across rather sudden, but we wanted to keep it quiet for personal reasons, especially because we didn’t want it interfering with your schooling so close to testing.” She glanced over at Leonardo, her eyes sparking with admiration.
I reached for my wine glass, deciding that I’d probably need to be tipsy at the very least for this conversation. I’d never been a big drinker, but didn’t mind indulging every now and then—especially in social settings.
Tipping my head back, I allowed the red liquid to slide down my throat. It tasted just as cruel as the awkwardness that surrounded us, but I kept my mask in place.
“We just got married.”
I choked, spluttering. What the actual hell?
“Married?” I repeated, trying to make sure I’d heard her correctly. “Were you even engaged?”
Mom waved a dismissive hand in the air like that was irrelevant information. My gaze snagged on the diamond ring hugging her finger, confirming that I did in fact hear her right the first time.
“We didn’t see the point in going through the whole traditional prospect of it.” She shrugged. “We’ll have a wedding eventually, but there was no reason to drag it out when we knew what we wanted.”
Leonardo nodded in agreement, his eyes dropping to the meal laid out before him. “This looks exquisite,” he commented, changing the subject.
“Thank you, dear.” She picked up her fork and knife, cutting into the chicken.
So, that was it? They were just going to drop this bomb on us and continue dinner like this didn’t completely affect our lives? I suppose it didn’t. Not really. It wasn’t like I lived here anyway, and I could just keep on ignoring the Santiago twins like I’ve done so far. I was pretty sure they didn’t even know I existed until now.
My appetite had completely vanished, but the thought of wasting a perfectly good meal had guilt gnawing away at me. So, with shaky hands, I lifted my own utensils and started cutting into the meat. The chicken was tender and melted onto my tongue. The cheese and bacon wrapped around it, only added to the nice texture and flavor.
Unable to help myself, I glanced over, my eyes locking with King’s. He was staring right at me, his gaze burning through me with an unexpected intensity.
Swallowing thickly, I tore my attention away from him and focused back on my meal. This was going to be an interesting year.