21. Accrued Interest
Accrued Interest
Sara
I found a pair of leggings and a comfy top to wear in the bag. Also a hair tie. Wyatt leads the way through the maze of hallways, passing rooms no one has probably used in years.
I’m tempted to explore every inch of this place and figure out all its secrets. Now that I know Wyatt’s secret, I just want more. Thankfully, we don’t have to see Tom. Every time I think of him, my whole body vibrates with anger.
I can’t guarantee I won’t just smack him more.
Maybe he really believed it was Wyatt’s fault our dad died, but then why remain friends with Wyatt? Why hold that over his head for years? Was he that desperate to keep Wyatt away from me?
Wyatt opens a door and we all file inside the dark room. A bolt of desire shoots through me, remembering the office chase. I definitely want to play that again.
Dante reaches over and flips a switch. Soft lights come on to illuminate the theater room. Instead of cinema seating there are recliners lined up side by side.
Drew takes my hand and leads me to the middle seat. He sits and draws me down onto his lap. I settle on the seat, crossing my legs over him and resting my head on his shoulder. The others sit next to us.
Wyatt is back in the booth, working on getting the movie.
“I wouldn’t get too excited, flower.” Finn leans on the arm of his chair to be close to me. “The movies are all from the nineties and before. Anything on DVD or video tape they could find.”
“There are some very good movies from then.” I glance back to search for Wyatt.
I have no idea what he’ll pick. When we were younger, he liked horror movies that frankly gave me nightmares.
But I wanted to be close to him so I endured.
Hopefully, he doesn’t think I actually like horror movies because of it.
“Popcorn, pip?”
Dante draws my attention. My insides soften.
“I’m stuffed from lunch. Maybe later?” I don’t know if I should act any differently around all of them. They’ve all admitted they love me. That’s a big step. It’s one thing to all want to continue what we’re doing together, but to love me?
A little shiver rolls through me. Drew holds me tighter and rubs my arm.
“Cold, princess?”
My eyes meet his and his soften. “No, I’m good.”
The lights dim and the screen lights up. As soon as the opening song comes on, I recognize it.
Wyatt joins us and I give him a grin. He shrugs. “It’s your favorite, trouble.”
Clueless plays in the background, and I settle in to watch it for the hundredth time. It’s light and fun, which is what I need after everything that’s happened.
Peter is still a free man. We won’t know if the FBI has arrested him for a few days.
Meanwhile, we’re safe out here in the middle of nowhere. We can figure out how we’re going to go forward. I need to decide if I’m ready to move out of my parents’ townhouse. It’s been a safe place for me to hide for years.
Maybe it’s time to stop hiding. I stood up to Verity. Nan helped with that. Fuck, I should call Nan. Maybe she and Kayla hit it off.
I tap Dante on the shoulder and he leans his head against mine.
“Did you tell my friends that I was missing? Do they know I’ve been found?” I can’t help but think of the time Hope was gone for days and we didn’t even know. Captured by a killer and held in a state of terror.
“Sebastian will let them know.” Dante kisses my temple.
I release my breath and the tension winding inside dies down. “Mom and Caitlyn?”
“They didn’t know, but Roger knows to watch over them. We told him we have you.”
A little rush goes through me. I like being theirs.
Drew runs a hand over my thigh. “You okay?”
I nod and smile. “I’m just glad to be back in your arms.”
He squeezes me to him and kisses below my ear. A rush of sparks flows through me, but I sit back in his arms to finish watching the movie. We have days to explore our connection more.
When the movie ends, Finn stands and holds his hand out to me. I press a kiss to Drew’s cheek and take Finn’s hand.
“Let’s get some fresh air.” Finn kisses my temple. The others rise and follow us out of the room. There’s a back door nearby that Wyatt opens.
“I don’t know how you keep track in this house. It’s like a maze.” I glance down the hallways before stepping out into the sunlight.
“We’ve used this as a hideout since Wyatt was notified by a lawyer he owned it.” Dante steps next to me.
I love being between Finn and Dante. Heat rushes through me, but we can’t do anything out here. I might be mad at my brother, but I definitely don’t want to put on a show for him if he happens to look out the window.
I glance back at the house. It’s huge. I’m not surprised we haven’t run into Natasha and Tom.
I turn to Wyatt. “Your father was declared dead?”
“That doesn’t mean he is, trouble.” Wyatt runs a hand through his hair and stares off into the distance. “It just means no one can find him. Good riddance.”
Fuck, there has to be some small part of him that still wants his dad, right? I couldn’t imagine not having Roger and would give anything to have my father back. “You don’t miss him?”
“He’s a con man, trouble.” Wyatt’s dark eyes meet mine. “No one misses a con man.”
I catch up to him and wrap my arms around his waist as we walk. He puts his arm around my shoulder, holding me against him. I wish I could wipe away the years between us. All the hurt from him ignoring me. All the pain he carried because Tom didn’t want him with me.
“I love you,” I say softly, because my heart feels like it’s bursting.
He kisses the top of my head. “I love you too.”
I drag in a breath of fresh air. It doesn’t matter how we got here, just that we got here. For that, I guess I do have Tom to thank since he ran off, but maybe that was more about Natasha.
Fuck it, I’ll thank Natasha, not Tom.
I straighten and walk on my own for a while. “It’s nice to be outside. That was the worst part of being held captive. I could see freedom right outside my window, but even then, there wasn’t really a way to escape.”
“We never would have left you there.” Finn brushes the back of my hand with his.
I turn to meet his green eyes.
“We got a flat or we would have been there sooner.” He gives me a flirty smile.
“You weren’t supposed to get yourself captured.” Dante shakes his head.
“I told you they wouldn’t hurt me. They can’t. Not if they don’t want my father’s wrath.” Finn smirks. “Sometimes my dad is a handy problem to have.”
“I don’t know much about your families.” I admit even though we’ve known each other all our lives. Tom might have gotten to know their parents, but most of the time the guys hung out at our house.
Finn draws me over to a garden that’s surprisingly well maintained. He sits on a bench and the others sit on other benches around us in a circle.
“My father isn’t someone to be messed with.
Peter is a big deal, but my father is bigger.
He knows what all the Peters of his world are doing and is capable of taking them out if they get too greedy.
” Finn blows out a breath and I reach for his hand.
He tangles our fingers together and rests our hands on his thigh.
“You told them I’m pregnant?” I ask softly.
Wyatt straightens and I find his dark eyes narrowed on me.
“I’m not.” I laugh. “We need to figure out us before we add anyone else into the equation.”
Wyatt’s eyes darken. “I like the idea of you swelling with my child.”
Oof, if that isn’t a gut punch to the ovaries, I don’t know what is. It’s not something I’ve given much thought to. “Wait, do you guys want kids?”
“Do you, princess?” Drew leans back with his legs kicked out and his arms across the back of the bench.
“I—” I stop myself. Fuck. “The easy answer is yes. Eventually. I want to get my career going and be in a stable relationship before taking that step. But do I want a child with the man I love?”
My gaze meets each of theirs. Fuck, babies with their eyes. Little mischievous boys and smart little girls.
“I mean, if this continues, would you be okay with me having someone else’s baby?” My gaze seeks out Wyatt’s. He’s the most possessive of them. Would that extend to my children or only the children that are his too?
Wyatt chuckles and touches his lips with his fingertips. “I would be okay with you having our baby.”
“Our?” My heart falls a little.
“Our as in all of our baby. Any child that comes from your body would be mine, trouble.”
My heart warms. “Do you all feel that way?”
“As much as I long to see you filled up with my child—” Finn brings my hand to his lips and presses a kiss to it. “I’d worry that my father would only see his next heir.”
I swallow. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Not necessarily.” Finn smirks. “It’d be the most guarded baby in the city, but we’d have to make sure he didn’t try to influence our child.”
That feels icky but I understand. “Do you think he’s heard that you said I’m pregnant?”
Finn sighs. “Yeah, I don’t have any doubts. I did it to protect both of us, but mostly to protect you. I couldn’t let Peter hurt you to get Tom and Natasha back.”
I can understand that and it makes sense. But then there’s this new thing between us all. I wasn’t sure I could let them go if we just fucked until we got Tom back. Now, I know I can’t let them go. I love them. All of them.
“Do you honestly think this can work? I mean you guys have been friends for years, but Drew…”
“I’m new and different and don’t quite fit the status quo.” Drew leans forward with his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands between them. “I might like to shake things up every now and then, but I know a good thing when I see it. And this is a good thing. I don’t want to blow this up.”
“You’re still holding something back,” Wyatt says.
Drew stands and stretches. “Something we can discuss when I’m sure we’re all safe.”
“You know my secret.” Wyatt doesn’t take his gaze from Drew.
“Your secret could have hurt Sara. Mine only hurts me.” Drew runs a hand through his hair and his warm brown eyes find mine. “You need to know I’ll do anything for you. There’s a mess in my family that I don’t agree with, but it would never hurt you.”
I cock my head at him. He’s sincere. “You’ll tell me eventually?”
“Of course, princess.” Drew holds his hand out to me, and I take it to let him help me stand. He turns us toward the house. “We need to get you out of the sun for a while. Do you want to take a nap?”
My cheeks glow but not from the sunlight. “I could use some time in bed.”
I turn and meet Finn’s eyes. He smirks. Would he fuck me in my sleep with everyone else in the same room? Would they take turns? Would I wake up?
Fuck, I want to find out.
As we walk back to the house, I notice a movement near one of the windows. Dark hair and slender. It’s easy to believe we’re alone, but at some point, I’m going to need to face them both.
I don’t know what to think about Natasha. She’s my brother’s wife and pregnant with his child. But she’s also friends with Verity Baron. Does that mean she’s like Verity? Or is she just like me when I was best friends with Verity? Ignorant of what damage she could do behind the scenes.
Finn claps Drew on the shoulder. “Race you to the house. First one there gets to decide what we do next.”
Finn and Drew take off. Wyatt charges after them, easily passing them. Dante slides up to my side and takes my hand.
“We’ll do whatever you want, pip.”
“You didn’t want to decide?” I smile up at him and when our gazes collide, heat pools in my gut.
“I’ll get my turn.” He shrugs.
A tingle rages through my blood. Yes, he will. I glance toward the others and Wyatt beats them all to the door. Finn bends at the waist and he’s saying something to Wyatt, probably about cheating.
Drew smiles at both of them. Pretty sure Drew let Wyatt win. He’s already said he approves of what Wyatt likes to do to me.
When Wyatt’s dark eyes capture mine, that feral light shines in them. My panties are soaked and my body is ready.
Whatever he wants, I’m his.