Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
EBONY
Ileave the underwear in the box on the dining room table.
Stretching and retying my messy bun as I head back down the hallway to my room for a shower, hoping that might help soothe my fuzzy head.
An afternoon drinking session always fucks up my day, and if I give in and have a nap, I know it will be matching muddy green gazes that fill my dreams. I don’t want that right now.
Pushing through my door, I jump back at the sight of two broad tattooed enforcers as they stand in the middle of the room with glaring expressions, their arms crossed over their chests.
“You are not going on any fucking date with some nobody friend of Mateo Trent,” Cooper states emphatically as he removes his wide-brimmed hat and pushes back his hair. “Fucking Brandon,” he adds in astonishment as though the name alone is giving him heartburn.
“I can and I will if I want to. You can’t stop me,” I snap back defiantly even though I have no desire to date or even be around Brandon Mitchell; it took me all of three seconds after Megan left for me to come to my senses.
I would sooner sew myself up and become a nun, than be around Brandon and his menagerie of jersey chasers—the girls more enamoured with the player than the sport.
He will never be a candidate for suitable dating material.
“I beg to differ, sweetheart; we can have you tied up and secured to that light fixture in a matter of minutes if you want to keep this shit up.”
I turn, surprised to find Cooper already pulling a length of rope from his rucksack. Talk about coming prepared.
Should this be getting me hot right now?
“You were right about one thing. He has a lot to live up to. You really think any other man can handle you like we do?” Caleb adds, and all the air is sucked from my lungs.
I had assumed they had overheard the stuff about going on a date but there’s no way my small voice would have travelled when I had said that last part, it was so soft it could be confused with a thought. Fuckers.
“You were listening in the whole time?” Horrified is an understatement as my mind flicks over everything I said to Megan about these knuckleheads.
“Megan gave you that black outfit, and any sane thought just flew out of my head—the idea of any man other than us seeing you in something like that has me wanting to sever heads with a chipper-as-fuck smirk on my face.” This little comment from Cooper has my jaw hitting the ground.
“You were watching me?!” I bellow, rage contorting my face as I shove Cooper in the chest, needing the space to breathe.
Caleb is the one to answer me. “Where’s the fun in enacting our revenge if we can’t watch it unfold? I won’t lie, Dove, the thought of Brandon with his soon-to-be-broken hands all over our girl makes me feel all kinds of murderous.”
Not done with his input to what is quickly turning into the craziest conversation I’ve ever had, Cooper decides to fan the flames of my anger with another petrol laced comment when he adds, “And don’t get me started on how Mateo looks at you when you’re not watching.
I know a guy who scoops out men’s eyes for a lot less.
Maybe I should take some inspiration from him.
Anyone got a spoon handy?” Cooper spirals as he looks around my room, the vein in his neck throbbing wildly under the stress.
“A spoon?” I ask even though I know I probably won’t like the answer. I wave my arms up in his face as his lips part to speak. “Never mind.”
He smiles and retreats to my vanity table, running his fingers over my belongings.
“You’re fucking crazy if you think Mateo is even mildly interested in me.”
“I know what I saw, Ebs.”
“What we saw—it’s clear as fucking day that he has a thing for you,” Caleb interjects.
“Firstly, you both need sectioning.”
“Been there, done that,” they say in unison, and my core throbs. I don’t know why this twin-shit does wicked things to my body, but it does.
“Jealous much?” I snap back to clear my mind of last night when they showed me the other side of their in-sync talents as twins.
“We are brutally fucking jealous and won’t hesitate to maim, torture, and kill the fucker if he carries on eye-fucking our girl.”
“Your girl,” I sputter with feigned horror etched into my features to mask the giddy wash of excitement that flows through my veins when they regard me as theirs.
‘You’ve lost the plot, Ebony; now who needs to be sectioned?’
I can’t tamp down my arousal as I silently protest against the urge to jump on them. It’s impossible to fight my case with them this close. I never thought I’d see the day the Knox brothers would be here in my room.
“Annoying prick.” My hand flies to my mouth as the words burst free.
“Awww…I think our Dove is losing her grip on reality. Was that an inside thought, Ebs?”
I’m flustered, and he knows it. He’s getting off on it, and that makes me want to scream.
How dare he turn me on without my permission?
That little voice in my head opens her mouth to explain exactly why Caleb Knox, even being the prick that he is, is so appealing.
I bite down on my lip hard enough to draw blood to distract the traitor.
There will be no Knox-brother-loving going on while I’m still angry with them for breaking into my apartment and rummaging around in my room.
My pussy flutters at the thought of Knox-brother-loving, and I all but run and throw myself into the motorway traffic.
A bloody death is preferred over whatever this little fucked-up Hallmark reunion is that I’m currently experiencing.
‘Dammit all to hell.’ Thankfully that little snippet was accompanied by a groan, and both stayed firmly in my head where they belong.
“The whole Barbie and Ken vibes between Megan and Mateo are undeniable; they are two steps away from renting a cottage by the sea. Get a hold of yourselves. I have never and will never sleep with Mateo Trent,” I say bluntly, directing it at both of them as my eyes bounce between theirs.
With my hands on my hips, I turn to big man in charge so he can feel the full strength of my ire.
“Where is the camera, Caleb?” I don’t even bother asking the joker of the two because he will likely tease me with their location until I get to the point I’m about to blow, and the aftereffects of the two mugs of wine has my ability to tolerate his shit scraping the barrel.
“Aww, it’s sweet you think I’m about to fill you in on where we hid it,” Caleb taunts, and I stomp my foot.
Storming out of the room and raiding the shelving in front of the sofa, thumbing through books, digging around the potted plants, and inspecting the lights on the TV…I don’t know what the fuck I’m looking for.
“Cold,” I hear from behind me as Caleb rests against the doorframe with a butter-wouldn’t-melt grin on his stupid handsome face.
Caving, I play his game.
“Hotter.”
I skate across each shelf until I’m on my tiptoes.
“Fucking sweltering.” He chuckles, and I grip the photo frame with the picture of Mateo and Megan at the beach in it.
Turning it over in my hand, I find the little black box with the flashing red light.
I tear it off and walk around the dining room table.
Violet-flecked grey eyes locked with amber-ringed muddy green ones.
He watches me so intently that I can almost feel it on my skin like a physical caress.
Fucker knows exactly what he’s doing to me. I get to the front door and slip on one of my boots; dropping the mini camera to the ground, I proceed to stomp on it until it shatters, that blinking red light dying out. I kick off my boot and exhale loudly.
“Feel better, Dove?”
“Much,” is all I say in response as I push past him on my way back to my bedroom. “You guys are messed up,” I add to them both as Caleb enters the room behind me.
“I like to think we’re cautious but okay. Don’t shoot a guy for being prepared.” Coop is getting mighty close to earning another headbutt to the nose if he isn’t careful. Although I think I’ve lost the element of surprise now.
“If I had a gun, I would debate my options,” I seethe.
“I’m hurt, Dove, to my core.” Coop winces theatrically as he says it, his hand pressed over his heart in mock horror as I shake my head, trying not to smile at his annoying cuteness.
“I’m having a shower, and when I come out, I want an apology,” I state pointedly to them both, lifting my nose in the air and turning on my heels before slamming the ensuite door closed behind me.
I need a fucking minute to get my head straight.
Gazing intently at my reflection, I quickly remove Caleb’s t-shirt over my head, my brain muffled as his scent swamps my senses, grumbling about the audacity of them watching me through a camera like I’m a child. I’ve kept myself safe for the past six years without their help.
‘Like you weren’t ramped up with the idea of them watching you?’
“I don’t need them.”
‘Lies—but okay. I’m pretty sure the Knox brothers would love to know how many times we have imagined their faces on the cusp of pleasuring ourselves to explosion.’
“You are considered an inner thought for a reason—stay inner, bitch.”
‘You are arguing with your own psyche—you have no room to order anyone around, twin whore.”
“I’ll allow it because it’s true; I’m a bonafide hoe for these men.” I groan out before splashing cold water on my face.