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“You didn’t.” Evan leads the way, watching for any strays we missed on the way up. It seems like the place is otherwise empty. I hurry Frankie past the bodies, noticing the way she gasps when she sees them. She doesn’t say another word until we’re away from the club, and I bundle her into the back seat before climbing in beside her.
“Is that it? Isn’t somebody else going to come looking for you two?”
I pull her into my lap, then guide her head to my shoulder. She’s safe. She’s with us, and she’s safe. “Don’t worry about that. I didn’t see any cameras, anyway.”
“He wouldn’t have wanted to record you in there with him,” Evan points out. “Nobody will know it was us. He had plenty of enemies.”
“I’m so sorry. I…” She shakes her head, her face pressed to my shoulder. When her shoulders start heaving, I can only hold her and stroke her hair, letting her cry it out on the way home. Right now, it’s enough.
10
FRANKIE
“You okay in there?”
Mason’s on the other side of the closed bathroom door, having taken Evan’s place a minute ago. They don’t want to be too far from me, but it’s not like before.
They understood when I said I needed a little time alone. All it took was getting kidnapped and watching them commit murder.
“I’m okay,” I murmur, so he knows I didn’t do something drastic. I have no intention of doing anything—not the way they think, anyway.
My skin will prune if I sit in the tub much longer, so I stand and drain the water before climbing out with a thick, fluffy towel wrapped around me. It’s so luxurious. I still can’t believe how comfortable I feel here… with them.
They came for me. They killed for me. For themselves, yes, but more to protect me. I know it. I feel it. And Mason holding me the whole way back? It was exactly what I needed.
They might be exactly what I need.
I dress in the satin nightie Mason bought me, another gift I didn’t open last night when I was so hurt. It skims my thighs, hugging my curves. My nipples stand out against the black fabric. It’s perfect.
I only hope I have the nerve to say what’s in my heart when the time comes.
Mason’s still waiting when I open the bathroom door. He and Evan took turns cleaning up, and now he’s dressed in a gray tee and jeans. Even now, he looks good enough to make my stomach flutter. “Hey. I was wondering when you’d come out.”
Then he notices what I’m wearing, and his eyes go round. “Oh. Fuck me.”
That’s sort of the idea. “Where’s Evan?”
“Downstairs. He was going to heat last night’s leftovers.” His voice is sort of distant, softer than it should be, his eyes taking me in a little bit at a time. My skin flushes from the attention.
“Let’s go down. I want to talk to you both.” I can do this. I have to do this. What’s the worst that’ll happen? If they turn me down, I’ll go home. I can do that now. No more hit on me. No more Dimitri. Remembering that helps me lift my chin and gives me more confidence.
Evan is standing in front of the tree, the glowing lights making his black hair gleam. His reaction to me is close to Mason’s, though he finds his voice easier. “You’re fucking incredible.”
I can only smile while my insides twist and turn. This is it. “I have something to say, and I have to get it out all at once, or else I’ll lose my nerve.” Now I wish I was wearing more clothes because I feel more exposed than ever. “I’m sorry I ran from you today, but I want you to understand why. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to be with you. It’s because I did. I wanted to.”
When all they do is frown at me, I shrug. “I was afraid. Being with you today, as a family, almost… it was nice. Too nice. I didn’t want to start catching feelings for you two because of, you know, how things started out for us. You keep showing me these little bits of yourself, how sweet and thoughtful you can be, and that scared me. So I tried to run away. My heart wasn’t really in it.”
Somehow, I manage to take a deep breath. “I want to stay. I don’t want you to send me home now that Dimitri is not after us. I know it’s crazy, but I want to stay. I could take care of the house if you want. I’ll earn my keep.”
That seems to snap Evan out of it. “You think you’d have to work to earn your keep if you lived with us?” He glances at Mason, who only gapes at me. “Don’t get me wrong. We’ll put you to work. Just not the way you’re thinking.”
“We weren’t about to send you home. Didn’t you listen to anything we said before? You’re ours.” Mason moves toward me, shaking his head slowly. “You belong to us now.”
I’m almost afraid to believe it’s true. “You mean it? You still want me?” Evan comes up behind me and brushes my hair over one shoulder so he can kiss the other. “I thought… you hated…”
“I hated how unhappy you were.” He kisses my shoulder again before caressing my neck with his lips. “That’s all. Thinking I couldn’t make you happy.” I shiver when his hot breath hits my ear, and my legs threaten to go out on me. I have to lean back against him to support myself.
“There’s no way we were going to let you go.” Mason presses his body against mine, sandwiching me the way they did the first night together. Only this time, I admit liking it. His eyes stare deep into mine while his hands move up my thighs, working the satin higher. “Not now. Not ever. You belong with us. Always.”
