Chapter 31 Willow
WILLOW
The guys spend the rest of the day at my apartment, and as evening rolls around, Victor and I stand in my bedroom.
He rifles through my closet, eyeing the offerings with a critical expression, rejecting things based on some system that only he understands, probably.
When Ransom said they were taking me out, he wasn’t kidding, but none of them will tell me where we’re going.
Since I don’t know how to dress for it, Vic offered to help—and after he vetoed most of my suggestions, I let him take the reins.
He seems happier that way, and honestly, I am too.
I like watching him move comfortably around my apartment.
He pulls a dress out of my closet, giving it an assessing look. It’s one of the new ones from the haul of clothes I bought when Olivia helped me get settled in at my new place.
It’s black and short, with a slit up one side, and even though the top is more modest, it will definitely show off the scars on my leg when I walk.
“Here,” he says. “Put this on.”
I make a face, wrinkling my nose. “I forgot I even bought that. It’s… a little revealing, don’t you think?”
Vic just raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to explain.
“It’ll show my scars. I’m not sure if that’s the one.”
“You’ll look beautiful,” Vic says.
He doesn’t say it the way Ransom would, all charm and flirtatiousness. With Victor, it’s just open honesty. He says it like it’s a statement of fact, and it stops me in my tracks, making me swallow hard.
I remember how he had me touch my scars when he was watching me through the cameras, and the way his voice sounded so wrecked and desperate, just from that. My stomach flutters, both at the memory and the way Vic looks at me now, and I nod.
I take the dress from him and start stripping right there, not even bothering to ask him to leave or step into the bathroom.
Victor’s eyes are heavy as he watches me. He doesn’t make any move to touch me or move closer at all, just like usual, but his gaze devours me. His eyes flick up and down my body, and it’s almost like having his hands skim over me.
My breath catches as tension flares between us, and every movement I make is cataloged by Vic. He doesn’t look away for a second, barely seeming to even blink as I start shimmying into the dress, letting the soft fabric slide over my skin.
I want so badly for him to pull me into his arms and kiss me. Or touch me. Or do anything other than just watch.
But he’s rooted to the spot, still held back by the mountains of trauma I know he’s experienced.
I don’t want to push him too far or make him feel like he’s not enough, so I don’t move any closer to him either.
I just hold his gaze and then run my hand up my leg, letting my fingers graze over the patch of scar tissue that the slit in the dress shows off.
Vic groans, barely audible, and my clit throbs at the sound.
When the bedroom door opens, I jump, startled out of the moment as Ransom pokes his head in.
“Are you ready yet?” he asks. “We need to—”
He cuts himself off and steps halfway into the room, looking back and forth between the two of us. Then he snorts and shakes his head.
“Jesus. Only the two of you would have this much sexual tension while standing several feet apart, fully clothed.”
I laugh, and Victor rolls his eyes, giving me one last look before brushing past Ransom and going back into the living room.
After giving myself one last once over in the mirror, I follow them out so we can head downstairs and pile into Malice’s car.
I don’t even bother trying to figure out where we’re going until we get there. I know firsthand it’s impossible to wheedle information out of these three when they don’t want to give it, and it’s not like this is life or death or anything.
As it turns out, our destination is a dance club.
I’ve heard of Sin and Salvation before, mostly from when I used to wait tables at Sapphire, what feels like forever ago. Carl would often bitch about other establishments in Detroit doing a better business than his.
This place has nothing in common with the old strip club I used to work with, though. We step inside, and the thumping bass fills my body, catching me up in the beat of the song that’s playing.
It’s fairly dark inside, but it’s all so nice and modern looking, with strobing lights and little sections for people to sit and drink if they don’t want to join the mass of gyrating bodies on the dance floor.
Other than working at a strip club, I’ve never been clubbing before, and I just gaze around for a bit, taking in the sight of people letting themselves go and having fun.
A warm hand rests at the small of my back, and Malice steers me toward the bar for drinks.
There’s a guy behind the bar, leaning in to talk to the bartender over the music.
He’s handsome in a classic model way, lean and tall with dark brown hair that looks soft to the touch.
He flashes a grin to the bartender and pushes his glasses up before glancing over at us.
Something I can’t identify flashes through his expression as he sees the Voronin brothers, and he lifts his chin before coming over to us.
“Didn’t expect to see you three here,” he says. “I’m glad the intel we gave you was useful.”
All three of the brothers nod, and Ransom leans against the bar. “Thanks for that. It was just what we needed.”
“You know, our bartenders are actually supposed to be tending the bar,” another voice calls, and I look over in time to see a woman with silver hair pushing her way through the crowd to the bar. She pins the man who greeted us with a look, but he just grins at her.
“I’m not distracting anyone, I promise. We were talking business.”
“Right,” she deadpans, but she leans up to kiss him.
It takes a second for her to notice us, and when she does, her eyebrows shoot up. She looks warily at Malice, Vic, and Ransom, like she’s waiting for them to explain why we’re here.
“It’s cool,” the man with the glasses says, touching her shoulder. “They’re just here to enjoy the club. Right?”
“Yes,” Ransom assures them. “We’re just regular patrons tonight.”
The woman snorts, looking skeptical. Before she can speak again, another man joins them behind the bar, pulling her close to his body and kissing her hard enough that it dips her back a little.
He’s much bigger than the two of them, about on par with Malice’s level of broad-shouldered muscle. His shaggy hair falls into his face when he pulls back with a grin that sends a shiver up my spine.
I realize with a jolt that I’m staring, my eyes wide and eyebrows raised, and I have to shake myself, trying to contain my surprise at seeing this woman kissing two different men right here.
Ever since I started this thing with the Voronin brothers, I’ve felt a little weird. It’s not like it’s all that common to be… involved with three men at once. But here’s this woman who’s clearly with more than one guy too.
She notices my surprise, but instead of calling me out for it, she just smirks a little, her gaze darting between me and the three men flanking me.
“I’m River,” she says. “And this is Ash and Knox.” She nods to the one with glasses and the big one in turn. “They run the place. I’m just here to cause trouble.”
“That’s definitely your specialty,” Ash drawls, leaning on the bar as he pulls a coin from his pocket and flips it over his knuckles. “But it’s not like you don’t put in just as many hours as the rest of us. You’re going to make Gage look like he has a healthy work schedule if you keep this up.”
She rolls her eyes, still held in the cradle of Knox’s arms. He makes her look so small, compared to his bulk, but she seems comfortable there against him.
“Willow,” I reply, introducing myself in return.
She nods. “Nice to meet you. Enjoy yourselves tonight. Don’t make trouble.”
That last bit is directed at the brothers, and her tone gets a little harder as she says it. Vic doesn’t respond, and Malice just snorts under his breath. Ransom, the one who handles all the interpersonal things for his socially challenged brothers, just flashes a smile.
“We’ll be on our best behavior. Promise.”
River nods and then turns to kiss Ash and Knox again. “I’m heading home,” she says. “Priest said he already put Cody to bed, and I’ll try to pry Gage away from his laptop.”
“Shouldn’t be hard once you get there.” Ash shoots her a wink.
“They’d better not wear you out before we get home,” Knox mutters, nuzzling at her neck before letting her go.
River just laughs, waggling her eyebrows at both men before she slips through the crowd and disappears.
I find myself staring after her, feeling kind of floored.
She seems to be involved with four men, assuming Gage and Priest are also her partners.
That was definitely the way it sounded. And she makes it seem so…
easy. Knox and that guy Ash both seemed perfectly happy with the arrangement, sharing her affection between them with no hints of awkwardness or jealousy.
Seeing it makes me feel less alone, giving me a boost of confidence that it’s okay to have feelings for Malice, Ransom, and Victor.
If River and those men can make it work, then maybe we can too.
I’m still staring after River when Ransom nudges me, a grin on his face.
“Do you want a drink?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” I tell him.
He orders for all of us, and when he presses a cold glass into my hands, I take a sip of it. It tastes good, fruity and sweet with just a little lingering burn of whatever alcohol is in it.
We head onto the dance floor after a few minutes, finding a little pocket of space for ourselves amid all the other bodies grinding on the floor.