“What?” Xavier asked.
“You don’t have to tell them about me. About us.”
“Keep you a secret?”
“Yeah,” she said.
He let out a noise he’d never heard himself make, and by the way her eyes went wide, neither had Juliet.
“You are not, nor will you ever be, my dirty little secret, you understand me?” When she didn’t say anything, he narrowed his gaze. He gave her his best Dom look. “Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Fuck if those words didn’t go straight to his dick, making him shift around slightly. Brick sent him a knowing smirk.
“Suggest it again, and the spanking you’re owed will seem like child’s play in comparison to what I’ll give you. Understand?”
“I understand.”
“We’re not hiding this, Twink. Not from anyone.”
“But what about your job?” she asked. “People will talk.”
“So?” Brick said. “Who cares what people say?”
A funny look came over her face. “People can be really mean. Maybe you think you don’t care. Or you tell yourself not to, but it burrows its way deep. It becomes this rotten thing inside you, growing and growing until you can’t breathe, you can’t sleep, you can’t eat. Their words become a mantra in your head. And maybe you know they’re not right. But then you start to think maybe they are. Maybe you are what they say. Maybe you’re stupid, a slut, maybe your parents wished you’d never been born, maybe the world would be a better place if you weren’t in it.”
What the fuck kind of hell was this she was talking about? Xavier met Brick’s gaze. The other man was pale.
Brick cupped their girl’s face between his hands as Xavier held her as tight as possible.
“Duchess, look at me,” Brick crooned.
“Twink?” he asked when she didn’t move.
Suddenly, she stiffened, then she turned and buried her face in his chest.
“Duchess, look at me,” Brick repeated.
“Forget I said any of that.”
Yeah, right, that wasn’t going to happen.
He shared a look with Brick. Neither of them could ignore what she just said.
“Baby girl, look at Daddy.”
She let out a deep breath.
Xavier sucked in his breath. “Talk to us, sweetheart. Come on, look at Brick before he loses it and starts crying. I don’t need to see the big guy cry.”
To his credit, Brick backed him up straight away. “I can feel the tears starting.” He fake-sniffled.
Her shoulders moved. He shared an alarmed look with Brick.
“I’m practically sobbing,” Brick added.
There was a small giggle. It was watery and tiny, but it was there. Then her hand reached out and wrapped itself in Brick’s pants.