Page 20 of Cruel Dynasty

“We’re going to be married, which is a first for both of us. But it’s a first for both of us—as brothers, I mean,” he clarified. “I have different responsibilities now and I need to think about my career. It needed to end.”

Sadness formed a lump in my throat. “Is that all this is: a career decision?”

“No.” He squeezed my hands. “I want you all to myself, too. But sometimes…”

“What?” I blinked against the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks.

Spencer took a step closer, bending his head so that his lips brushed against my ear. “I love to give you pleasure. I love to watch you come undone. You know that, right?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“I can never give you the pleasure that we can give you.” His lips grazed my jaw, and my eyes shuttered, drinking in his words and his touch. “Four hands on your body touching you, leaving nothing unexplored. Two mouths kissing you, tasting every inch of your skin.” He paused to let his words sink in and I moaned. “And two cocks filling you until you think you can’t take any more and you lose all control. I can’t give you that alone.”

My teeth sank into my lower lip, my breathing growing shallow as I imagined the picture he painted. It wasn’t the first time I’d fantasized about being with both of them, but hearing it from his point of view shifted my perspective. I’d felt selfish for wanting it before, assuming it was all about me. Now I realized that was exactly why Spencer liked it.

But there was one thing I couldn’t understand. “Why him? Why your brother?”

Spencer drew back, and I opened my eyes to find his cold emerald gaze pinned on me. “Because, despite our differences, he’s the only person I can trust. I’ve worked hard to carry the family legacy. I’ve given up most of the vices Spencer enjoys. I won’t throw away everything I’ve worked for, so discretion is key.”

“Oh.” I didn’t hide my surprise at his answer. In a way, it made sense. It wasn’t until we reached the first floor that I processed what he said. He’s the only person I can trust.

I couldn’t help but wonder if that was before he met me.

10

We found Holden on the veranda, absorbed in something on his phone and ignoring the breathtaking vista surrounding us. A large hedge maze stretched to the perimeter of the grounds where it met hills speckled with groves of trees. Their leaves had begun to change, shedding their youthful green for rich shades of garnet, bronze, and marigold. I wondered if I could find my way through the labyrinth out to the beautiful wild beyond it. But I found myself more drawn to the table, where Holden sat. Not because of his presence, but rather the luncheon spread across it. Platters, trays, and bowls that looked suspiciously like real silver were heaped with fresh fruit, puddings, and other delicacies that made my stomach growl so loudly that I blushed. Holden looked up from his phone. Despite the aviators he wore, there was no hiding the surprise written across his face.

“Was that your stomach?” Before I could answer, he turned to his brother. “You should take better care of your fiancée, she sounds like she’s starving to death.”

“That’s why I brought her down for lunch.” Spencer pulled out a chair for me, not sparing so much as a glance at his brother.

“You’re welcome for having this put out,” Holden said caustically.

“Thank you.” Spencer took a seat next to mine. “Although, you might have mentioned you were going to be at Hensley.”

“I didn’t know that I needed your permission to come to our family estate.” Holden slid a tray of sandwiches toward me, sparing a quick look at me. “Eat something before you pass out. I would have had lunch waiting if I knew you were coming.”

I didn’t wait for them to finish their argument before I started heaping things on my plate. I snatched a few cucumber sandwiches from the silver platter then moved on to a bowl of cut fruit. They were still bickering when I took my first bite, but it tasted too good for me to care. I continued eating until I realized both men had stopped talking and turned their attention to me.

I swallowed the melon in my mouth. “What?”

“You were hungry,” Holden said, the corner of his mouth dancing.

“She worked up an appetite,” Spencer lounged back in his seat, popping a grape into his mouth.

My eyes narrowed at the suggestive turn this was taking, but I didn’t waste time participating in their double entendre. Instead, I swiped another sandwich from the platter and let them continue their endless squabbling. In a way, after what Spencer had revealed, their rivalry was almost cute. I’d begun to see that I’d gotten the wrong impression about them. Spencer needed to consider his career and start getting serious. Holden wanted to keep having fun. I couldn’t exactly blame either of them, but I wished they would stop fighting with each other and have a serious conversation. There had to be a middle ground for both of them. I nibbled at the sandwich, wondering what that might be.

“I should have ordered more,” Holden noted when I polished off the final sandwich from the tray.

“I refuse to apologize for eating,” I told him.

“I wouldn’t want you to,” he said with an amused grin. “But I’ll make sure to have the kitchen make more sandwiches tomorrow.”

I sincerely doubted that I would be as hungry tomorrow as I was right now. There had to be less shagging in fields now that we were in Yorkshire, but it hardly seemed polite to point that out.

“I can speak to the kitchens. Don’t bother yourself,” Spencer said coolly. There was nothing cute in the gaze he leveled at Holden. He was drawing a line in the sand between them and placing me firmly behind it.

Holden placed his mobile on the table, his own plate still untouched, and smiled, completely unfazed. “Drink?”