Chapter 30
POLANCO
Bryson’s fork scraped against the china as he pushed eggs around his plate. His knee bounced beneath the table, rattling the silverware.
“What’s your problem?” Elena whispered, leaning toward him.
“I don’t like hiding,” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the clink of cups.
Elena’s eyebrow arched. The unspoken challenge hung between them: speak up then. But what could he say? X seemed like their only option, yet meeting with him solved nothing. The Triune still hunted them, and every move only made them appear guiltier.
“Maybe we should reach out to someone from the Nine? Get some inside information,” Bryson said.
Every head at the table turned toward him.
“Any suggestions?” Eric asked.
“Helen or my father.” The names tumbled out before he could stop them.
Silence descended. Gazes dropped to plates, to napkins, to anywhere but him.
“We can’t talk to Dad,” Elena said, her voice slicing through the quiet. She leaned closer, speaking only for him. “You know that.”
Adria’s green eyes found his. “I have considered talking to Helen.”
“And?”
“I want to discuss it with X in person.” Her tone closed the conversation.
Kaydon set down his fork after demolishing his fourth waffle. “That was very good, Mr. Galician. Thank you.”
He rose, his gaze lingering on Adria with unmistakable hunger before he left.
Despite the frustration Bryson felt from the earlier conversation, he couldn’t help but smile at Kaydon’s carefree attitude.
Adria’s cheeks colored as she shifted in her chair. She dabbed her lips and excused herself.
Bryson and Seth followed, feeling the weight of stares tracking their exit.
The room had a soft glow as the now late morning sun was filtered through the white curtains and eaves above the porch. Kaydon sat on the edge of the bed, and Adria was pacing the length of the room.
Bryson glanced at Kaydon, who just shrugged.
Seth sat next to Kaydon, and Bryson leaned in the doorway.
Adria’s footsteps continued, and Bryson wondered if they should interrupt her musings.
“Well,” she said, hand on her hips. “Why don’t we start with what happened at Regan’s?”
Bryson’s entire body tensed.
Kaydon and Seth’s gaze snapped to him, and he could feel the warmth of their stares rising into his face as he shook his head.
“No, let’s not start with that.” His tone firm.
“Why not?” Adria pushed.
“Because I don’t want to talk about it,” Bryson said.
“You are going to have to talk about it sometime,” Kaydon said.
“Like you’re going to have to explain the red marks on your arms,” Bryson snapped, the words tearing from him before he could stop them.
Kaydon’s face fell, and his arms moved reflexively closer to his body. Bryson regretted saying it. He knew Kaydon was struggling, and just like Bryson, he just wasn’t ready to talk about it either.
Adria moved to stand in front of Kaydon. Kaydon hugged his arms, looking anywhere but at her.
She put her hand out. He didn’t move.
“Kaydon, you need to show me,” Adria commanded.
The care in her voice made Bryson’s heart crack. He watched as, slowly, Kaydon brought his wrist to rest in her hand.
Adria looked over the fresh marks that Bryson was sure Kaydon had placed there sometime this morning.
“Kaydon, I’m so sorry I didn’t notice this sooner,” she said.
Kaydon mumbled, “It’s nothing, really.”
Adria put her finger under his chin, pulling his face to look up at her.
She said, “If this is going to work, if we are really going to try whatever this is, you need to trust me enough to come to me when you need something.”
She pointed at his arm. “This shit,” she said, running her finger along his forearm, pausing at all the older marks, “stops today. Am I understood?”
Kaydon shook a little in her firm grasp and Bryson was instantly hard. Just seeing a person of Kaydon’s size tremble under her small hand.
“And you,” she said, rounding on him, “you are going to talk about what happened.”
Her eyes bore into his, and Bryson had to fight to hold her gaze.
“You are going to talk to me about it first, and then you are going to tell your brothers. Am I understood?”
She hadn’t touched him, but he could feel her everywhere.
Her commanding presence was impossible to ignore.
His mind waged a war inside him. He never wanted Adria or his brothers to know what went on in that house, but seeing them all together, Bryson understood they were never going to be able to move forward unless he did.
Slowly, he nodded to her, and when she narrowed her gaze, he cleared his throat. “I understand.”
She sighed. “And this,” gesturing to the four of them, “how do each of you see this working?”
She pointed to Seth.
Seth turned pink and said, “Me? You want to know what I think?”
Adria nodded.
Swallowing, Seth said, “I just want to keep doing what we are doing. Maybe talking a little more. But being together, sharing each other.”
“And do you mind me being with Bryson or Kaydon without you?” Adria asked.
Seth shook his head. “No, as long as I’m included sometimes. Do you mind if I’m with them without you?”
Adria seemed surprised by the question. “No, of course not.”
Bryson watched as she started to pace around the room again.
Her hands waving at her sides, like she was having a silent argument with herself.
Her lips moved, and her brows knitted together as she navigated around the room, whispering to herself.
Bryson thought about the time he saw her in her window.
When he had gone for a run to try to get her out of his head.
“What about sharing with other people? People we haven’t met yet?” she said, stopping suddenly mid step.
Bryson saw a grin break out on Kaydon’s face.
“Why? Want to keep us all to yourself?” Kaydon said.
“Are you going to keep training submissives?” Seth asked.
Bryson watched her, that familiar feeling of anger flaring like it had on the plane. Except this time, he was able to see it for what it was.
Jealousy.
“We can be exclusive, Dri,” Bryson said, and she turned. “Or we can talk about things as they come up.”
Kaydon added, “Nothing has to be a hard stop. We talk. And we decide, it doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Adria hesitated. “I’m not sure I’m ready to share you three. But I don’t know what that means for my job either.”
Kaydon grabbed her hand. “Let’s just be us for right now and handle everything on a case-by-case basis.”
Adria gave Kaydon a soft kiss before pulling away. “You make it sound so easy.”
Bryson could tell she didn’t share Kaydon’s go-with-the-flow sentiment.
“And I—” she said and stopped, fidgeting with her hands.
Bryson found himself smiling behind her.
She was nervous; they made her nervous.
“I know relationships are about give and take,” she said.
“That’s what I hear,” Kaydon said, giving her a wide smile.
“I’m being serious,” she snapped. “I’ll try, okay, but I am used to being in charge. That’s not going to just go away because we decided to give this a try.”
“You’re in charge, sweetness,” Bryson said, wrapping his arms around her and nipping at her ear. “I thought we already established that last time. But in case there is any question.”
He released her and moved to stand at the foot of the bed. Allowing his knees to bend, he felt the hard tile beneath them as he knelt at her feet. He could feel Kaydon and Seth take their place beside him.
Bryson desperately wanted to see her, but he kept his eyes on the floor. The sexual desire to have her with his brothers was so strong, he felt like he might come apart if he looked at her.
Adria’s bare feet came into view in front of them.
“The three of you want to play?”
“Yes, Mistress,” all three of them said in unison.