Chapter 20
Rainbow
“I do, Tobias.”
He smiles at me, my admission seeming to mean everything to him.
There was something about the way he kept his eyes locked on mine as he fucked me in front of the mirror. It was my ultimate undoing. I believe he truly wants me, Rainbow Butler.
And other than immediate family, it’s the first time I have ever truly felt wanted.
He grips my hand and tugs me in for another lingering kiss, making me go weak in the knees before he helps me back into my dress.
He takes my hand in his and then leads us out of the private room and back the way we came.
Pressing the exit button, he pushes the door open, and music fills the air.
I glance back up at him and notice traces of my lipstick on the corner of his mouth, and I reach up to wipe it away. He grabs my wrist and smiles down at me. There it is again, that smile. The one that has the power to break hearts all over Mayfair—I hope it won’t be mine.
As if sensing my inner turmoil, his eyes soften as he kisses the inside of my wrist.
“What the actual fuck?” a deep male voice says from behind me. A voice I know too well.
My heart jolts in my chest as I turn. Ric approaches us, his expression murderous, and he glances between the two of us. I wonder if we have ‘we just shagged’ spray-painted all over our expressions because I sure as hell feel like we’ve quite literally been caught in the act.
“I saw you both slink away, thought there must be some sort of reasonable explanation.” He looks us up and down with clear disdain. “That my sister and best friend aren’t fucking each other behind my back.”
“Hold up, man.” Tobias steps forward, his body tense. “We aren’t just fucking.”
I cringe, knowing that wasn’t the right thing to say. I swear I hear it before I see it—the flash of Ric’s arm swinging back, and then his knuckles connecting with Tobias’s jaw with a heavy blow.
“Ric!” I scream, stepping forward as he pulls back his arm, ready to go for Tobias again. Somehow, all the wind is knocked out of me as I’m shoved back.
Tobias swings around to check if I’m alright, but Ric isn’t backing down, anger clouding his vision as he lashes out again. Thankfully, the twins appear from out of nowhere and intervene, holding him back. Everything else around us is a blur.
The girls are beside me, concerned and making sure that I’m okay. Harrison and Hunter are trying to defuse the situation, as a small crowd starts to form.
“Enough! You six, get your arses in here, now!” Harrison taps his card, opening the door to the private corridor and ushering us all inside. The door clicks closed behind us, drowning out the noise.
He leads us to another room much like the one Tobias and I were in, but thankfully not the same one. I don’t think standing in a room that would still smell of sex would be a way to extinguish my brother’s ire.
Abi and Ari are both on either side of me, their concern evident, but my main focus is on Tobias. He is watching Ric pace back and forth as he pinches the bridge of his nose, his anger palpable.
“Drink”, Harrison says, picking up a crystal tumbler. He pours two fingers of amber liquid, likely whiskey, into some glass tumblers and holds them out to both Tobias and Ric, who accept. He offers me one, but I shake my head.
Ric knocks his drink straight back, whereas Tobias swirls his glass and takes a small sip, flinching and swiping his tongue over his split lip.
Unable to stop myself, I approach him, hating that he got hurt because of me, because of this. Like a magnet, he turns towards me and holds out his arm, and I go willingly and lean into his side, staring up at him. I reach up to his face, my hand trembling as I brush my thumb over his bottom lip.
“Are you okay?” I whisper, my voice catching.
“I’m fine, Bow, don’t worry about me. What about you? Are you alright?”
I nod even though it’s a lie. I’ve never seen Ric lose it like that before.
He covers my hand with his, turning it over and kissing the inside of my wrist, his gaze intense.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Ric groans. “How long has it been going on?” he asks, his voice almost resigned.
I break eye contact with Tobias and glance at my brother, but he’s staring into the bottom of his empty glass.
“Not long, it’s new,” Tobias admits. “Fuck, Ric, we were going to tell you.”
He lifts his gaze and steps toward us, the room crackling with tension. No one is sure what he’ll do next, but he snatches the glass out of Tobias’s hand and downs the amber liquid. Hunter takes both glasses from him. I’m not sure if it’s to refill them or in case he decides to throw them.
When Ric looks between Tobias and me, his eyes are slightly glassy and his shoulders are hunched in defeat.
My lip wobbles because seeing his reaction makes me crumple inside.
I try in earnest not to cry, but it’s futile. Ric hating me, or Tobias, isn’t worth thinking about.
“For fuck’s sake, Bow. Don’t do that,” he says, stepping forward and pulling me into a tight hug.
“I’m sorry,” I say, my voice muffled against his chest. “But I like him, Ric. I really like him.”
He pulls back to stare down at me and lets out a heavy sigh, his thumbs wiping my cheeks. I’ll probably look like a right state when I take my mask off later.
“I know you do, and it’s clear the feeling is mutual,” he says, looking over to Tobias.
My lips tilt into a smile. “Yeah?” I ask.
“Yeah, I’ve never seen him act that way with anyone but you.”
I swallow hard, daring a glance back at Tobias, who shrugs, but his smile is all the clarification I need.
“Please don’t hate me, Ric.” My voice catches on his name.
He pulls me back into a hug. “I could never hate you, either of you. It was just a shock.”
I relax a fraction. This all happened so fast.
When I finally pull back, Tobias steps forward, his palm settling at the base of my spine.
“I’m sorry, man. That’s not how I wanted you to find out. You know that, right?”
Ric nods. “I know, and I’m sorry for lashing out.” He holds out his fist towards Tobias, but he shakes his head and pulls him in for a one-armed hug.
“I’ll need some time to get used to it,” he replies, stepping back.
A clap sounds in the room. “Thank fuck that’s all sorted. But if you ever fight in our club again, friends or not, we’ll kick your arses and then kick you out,” Harrison says.
“Now, if you don’t mind, we fully intend on dancing with our girl,” Hunter says, leaning in to kiss Ari’s throat.
“Oh, the joys,” Abi says, disgruntled. “Don’t suppose you’ll take pity on me once again, Ric?”
Everyone laughs, even Ric joins in, but I can still see the hurt in his eyes. A part of me thinks there’s more to this. And whenever he’s ready to tell me, I’ll be here to listen.
“It’s hardly a chore,” he replies, his usual charismatic self coming to the surface. He holds out his arm. “Care to dance, my lady?”
Abi fans herself. “Why, it’s as if you can read my mind, kind sir,” she replies, taking hold of his arm.
We make our way back to where the music is thrumming and onto the dance floor.
Tobias pulls me into his arms and slowly begins to move against me, surprising me.
I wrap my arms around his neck and raise an eyebrow. “You dance?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Only for you,” he replies, his mouth drifting to the shell of my ear. “Besides, do you really think I’ll let you dance with anyone else, now I’ve officially claimed you, and while you’re still full of my cum?”
My breath catches. “Who knew you had such a filthy way with words?” My fingers play with his soft hair at the nape of his neck.
“You love it, and you love knowing that as soon as we leave here and we’re alone, I’ll continue right where we left off.”
My body breaks out in goosebumps. “And where might that be?” I ask, intrigue making my insides tingle.
He pulls back, staring down at me, smirking.
His eyes are almost midnight against his dark mask.
“With my head buried between your legs as I make you come all over my face. And then you’ll be impaled hard on my cock.
Only this time, there will be no sneaking off in the morning, because I plan to eat you for breakfast, too.
And I’m keeping you for as long as you’ll have me. ”
Something tells me that I’ve only just seen a glimpse of all the dirty and wonderful things this man is capable of doing. And I am more than ready to explore every single one of them.
“Sounds like a proposition I can’t refuse.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he replies. “I can’t fucking wait.”
Then he seals his words with a soul-shattering kiss.