Chapter 10
Ronan jumped out of the SUV and opened my door. But I couldn’t stop staring at the house. Everything about it felt daunting.
He sent me a grin. “You’ll get used to it.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I mumbled. I was used to my junkyard safe haven and ramen noodles made on a camp stove. The only reason my little home had been mice free was thanks to Briar.
I pulled her carrier out of the vehicle. Even she was quiet, as if she were taking it all in, too.
Colt beamed at me as he rounded the Range Rover. “Welcome to The Nest.”
The Nest. In some ways, the name fit. The house was perched on top of a rise that meant, in the daylight, you’d be able to see everywhere around you. But in others, it didn’t fit at all. A nest was cozy, simple. This place was anything but.
A man strode out of the house, a wide smile on his face.
“Colt, Ronan, welcome home. We’ve missed you.
” There was something about the man that immediately set me at ease.
The curve of his mouth instantly read as genuine, and the lines around his eyes told me he made the motion often.
“And you must be Leighton. I’ve heard so much about you. Welcome to The Nest.”
“Thank you.” My words came out as more of a hoarse whisper.
“This is Baldwin. He runs the ship around here,” Colt explained.
Baldwin’s smile widened. “Anything you need, just come to me. I’ll need to know all your food and beverage preferences so that we can get them stocked. Colton told me you’re partial to mac and cheese and Twix bars, so we’ve got those.”
I sent Colt a look, and his cheeks reddened.
“I remembered those from when we were little,” he explained.
A small smile pulled at my lips. “I still love them.” Mac and cheese from a box was a treat I allowed myself once a month, and my stomach rumbled at the thought.
Baldwin straightened. “And this must be Briar. I’ve got belongings set up for her in your suite. Will you allow me to get her settled?” He took the carrier from me as he glanced at the guys. “Dash and Trace are in the lounge.”
Colt’s lips thinned. “I was hoping they’d be asleep.”
My fingers curled into my palms, nails digging in. It was two in the morning. I’d hoped that everyone would be asleep so that I could space out meeting each new person.
Ronan snorted. “Like they were gonna miss this.”
Colt sent me a sidelong look. “You up for meeting them tonight?”
My mind screamed no, but instead, I nodded. “Sure.”
Baldwin sent me an encouraging smile. “I’ll get the princess settled and leave a snack in your room in case you’re hungry. I’ve stocked the bathroom with toiletries, but if you have specific requests, just let me know.”
I wanted to laugh. Specific requests? I used the showers at school and their harsh, stinging soap so that I didn’t have to risk showering at home. Whatever Baldwin had left in the bathroom, I was sure it was a million times better than what I was used to.
“Thank you.”
He nodded and headed into the house.
Colt pressed a hand into my back, urging me forward. “I’ll give you the full tour tomorrow. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
“Okay.” I was beyond tired, but I had a feeling sleep would be hard to come by.
Ronan strode inside, and we followed. The entryway was massive, with marble floors that bled into dark hardwoods and a double staircase that had me shrinking in on myself.
Every extravagant detail made me feel more out of place.
I tried to let my vision go hazy then, to not see all the beauty around me.
I focused on Ronan’s broad back, the T-shirt that pulled taut across an expanse of muscle, as he walked down a hallway. It wasn’t long before he stepped through a doorway and into a room that had the tension in my muscles easing a bit.
It had a cozy feel I wasn’t expecting. Plush carpet and dark woodwork with countless built-in bookshelves.
But the shelves themselves didn’t house books.
There were what looked like video games, board games, puzzles, and who knew what else.
Massive bean bags were scattered around the space, and the largest television I’d ever seen sat opposite an enormous sectional that resembled a cloud.
On that sectional sat two guys. My gaze stuttered over them, freezing and drawing closer. The first one lounged back on the sofa, one ankle crossed over his knee. There was nothing welcoming in his demeanor, yet I couldn’t help but stare.
He was probably the most beautiful human being I’d ever seen.
Black hair was shorn close to his head on the sides and longer up top.
My hand itched to feel the buzzed sides prickle against my palm.
His face was all angular perfection, with a sharp jaw and cheekbones. But it was the eyes that did me in.
Violet orbs that seemed to swirl in deepening shades as he took me in. But that gaze was filled with nothing but judgment and cold disinterest.
The guy next to him leaned forward, bringing my attention to him.
His sandy brown hair lay in an artful disarray that had me wanting to tame it with my fingers.
Deep blue eyes were framed by black glasses that gave him a sexy professor sort of look.
As he moved, his tee pulled tight across a muscled chest.
He grinned at me, and my stomach instantly tightened with a pull somewhere deep.
“Whoa. You’re gorgeous,” the guy mumbled.
Colt stepped forward and smacked him upside the head. “Quit it.”
Heat hit the guy’s cheeks, but he shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
Colt shook his head. “This is Dash. You can ignore him.”
“Hi,” I said, so quietly I wasn’t sure he’d even heard me.
Dash’s expression instantly softened. “Glad you’re here.”
Warmth hit my chest. It was the first time since I’d stepped out of that SUV that I actually felt welcome.
Violet eyes scoffed, and Colt sent a look of warning in his direction. “Trace…”
The guy wasn’t cowed. “They’re going to eat her alive.”
Dash sent a hard elbow into his ribs. “You’re not helping.”
“Don’t you think she deserves a warning that she’s walking into the lion’s den?”
I hated how Trace talked about me, as if I weren’t even here. But I hated even more that he was probably right. This world of wealth and power was one I knew nothing about. I was sure it could be brutal and vicious. But he didn’t know I had a superpower.
I was invisible.