“YOU KNOW,” Nick muttered, shoveling a mess of bacon and eggs into his mouth, then stabbing the air with his fork. “This is probably your best, little brother. I’m impressed,” he said, giving me a wink.
Tobias stood there, scowling at his brother’s plate still piled high, then looked at mine, sitting empty. “I didn’t fucking cook them for you.”
“I know…which makes this the best,” Nick smiled, triggering a growl from his brother.
I looked from one to the other as Caleb strode into the kitchen, yanking on a soft black t-shirt, oblivious to the fight about to break out.
“Better eat, princess,” he suggested. “Before Tobias has a damn fit.”
I dragged the plate toward me and slid an egg and two pieces of bacon onto the plate, earning a sideways glance from Nick. “Are you gonna eat all that?”
Tobias started around the island as Nick let out a bark of laughter and threw his hands in the air. “It was a joke.”
But Tobias wasn’t playing, lunging to grab him around the collar as Caleb casually poured his coffee, then lifted his cup to his lips. Violence followed as the two men wrestled and swore. Nick laughed harder, which only incited Tobias even more…and I just ate my damn breakfast.
“Sunday,” Caleb murmured, closing his eyes and enjoying his coffee. “How I love thee. What’s the plan today, princess?”
I just shrugged, wincing as the squall of possessive idiots went to the floor, throwing each other around. “Assignments, I guess. I have plenty to—”
Caleb snapped his eyes open. The fight stopped behind me in an instant.
The hairs on my arms stood on end. I swallowed a mouthful of food as Caleb shoved away from the island and strode toward me. “I don’t think so, Ryth. It’s our first day together. We’re going out.”
“To the beach?” Tobias asked as he shoved upwards. “So I can finish kicking Nick’s ass in the water.”
“To the gym,” Nick recommended.
But Caleb glared at the two men as they pushed to stand, their hard breaths surrounding me. “What do you want to do, Ryth?”
My two stepbrothers looked my way, wincing, both dragging fingers through their hair.
“Yeah,” Tobias muttered. “Anything you want, little mouse.”
I’d hardly been out…like at all. Ever since I’d moved in with them, it’d been rushing to get enrolled at school, and then the wedding…yeah, the wedding. I’d almost forgotten all about that. I stared at Caleb, knowing right now, in this minute, we were kin.
“You’re my brother” I whispered.
“Stepbrother,” he corrected.
My breaths came hard and fast. I knew that…I understood that. But it hadn’t hit home until just this moment.
“Princess,” Nick started, coming closer. “Easy.”
“We can take care of you,” Tobias reassured, a little quieter. “Better than anyone else can.”
“Take care of me?” I repeated, meeting his gaze.
He nodded. I thought about the breakfast on the table, the way they stopped on a dime when I needed something.
“No one will dare touch you, not with us at your back,” Tobias added. “Not now that you’re a Banks.”
I was a Banks.
“Jesus,” I whispered. “You all must think I’m sick.”
“Sick?” Caleb placed his cup on the counter and came around to me. “No sicker than we are. You want this, right?”
A cold ripple of fear came from behind me. Nick flinched and jerked his gaze from Caleb to me.
“Little mouse?” Tobias murmured, so damn quiet.
And the entire time, that voice in my head howled what I’d always known. “I want….” I turned to glance at all three of them. “I want to go to the damn mall.”
Tobias let out a groan and turned away. “I fucking knew it.”
Caleb’s lips curled into a slow, careful smile. “Then the mall it is.”
It was under protest, I knew that. Which made it all the more enjoyable. I let out a squeal, slid off the chair, and lunged for the stairs, until I stopped and turned back, rushed to Tobias to wrap my arms around him and stare into his eyes. “Thank you for breakfast. It was my second favorite thing this morning.”
I kissed him, tasting the salty bacon on his pouty lips. His arms went around me, pulling me hard against him. He was already fucking horny, already hard, the bulge rising as I deepened the kiss, then broke away. “I’m so fucking excited.”
It was every woman’s dream. Three hunky guys at my side, even if they didn’t enjoy themselves as much as I did. We took Caleb’s Lamborghini and parked close to the front doors before we climbed out.
I’d never felt so alive, so excited. I’d been living in my school uniforms and the few things Creed had bought me when I’d arrived almost two months ago.
“Okay, where first?” Caleb hit the button and locked the car.
“VS’s,” Tobias piped up, earning him a glare from Nick.
“You gonna walk into Victoria’s Secret with your damn sister, are you?”
“If she’s Ryth, yeah,” Tobias acknowledged.
“We need to be careful about this,” Caleb muttered, rounding the car, staring at Tobias as he passed. “It can’t get out.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” my moody stepbrother snapped.
Caleb stopped, anger flickering in his eyes as he glanced my way. “It’s not about you, idiot. It’s about her.”
Tobias flinched, then followed his brother’s stare to me as it hit him. He licked his lips. “Yeah. You’re right.”
“So, whatever she wants, she gets, and we’ll stand outside the store and play the dutiful older brothers, grumbling and complaining like you do so well. Got it?”
It was the first time I’d seen Caleb pull rank like that.
And it worked.
“Sure, of course” He grumbled. “Whatever you want, little sister.”
“Now that’s settled, let’s go,” Nick said as he motioned toward the entrance of the mall.
I walked past them, reaching out to grip Tobias’ arm. “Come on, big brother, let’s see what we can get with the whole two hundred dollars in my account.”
He just scowled, then glanced behind us to Nick.
But I didn’t care, I was so ready to spend my money a hundred times over. First, bath bombs, ’cause I hadn’t relaxed in a bath since moving in with three fully grown men who had no comprehension of personal space or time alone.
Tobias let me drag him inside, past the food court, even though he resisted then and headed for a shop called Bath Elegance. I relaxed and spent time sniffing each one until I was almost dizzy on lavender and rose.
Tobias picked up one, sniffed it, then walked over to me. “This one.”
I glanced at the chalky white ball in his hand. “Yeah?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
I grabbed it and lifted it to my nose. The scent of vanilla hit me. It was exactly like the perfume my mom had given me last year for Christmas. “Oh, you like that one.”
“Yeah.” He glanced at the woman behind the checkout, then gave an obvious shrug. “I mean, it’s fine…if you want it.”
I grabbed three and headed toward Nick, who stood at the counter. Caleb had disappeared the moment I stepped into the store. I hadn’t expected them to hang around. To be honest, I was more than grateful for the car ride here and back home.
“Eighty-three dollars,” the cashier said, busy staring at Nick, who leaned casually against the counter, oblivious to the way she seemed flustered.
“For bath bombs?” I muttered, my stomach dropping hard.
Nick just chuckled and handed me his black American Express card. “Yes, for bath bombs, Ryth. Keep it.” He motioned to the card he’d shoved into my palm. “That one is yours anyway.”
My heart leaped as I looked down at the card in my hand, my name printed on the front, Ryth Castlemaine. “You can’t be serious?”
He shoved off the counter and stepped so close he could almost kiss me to murmur, “As a fucking heart attack, little sister.”
Then he strode away, leaving the woman behind the counter with her brows rising and her jaw dropping. “Holy shit.,” she whispered, glancing at the card in my hand. “Did he just almost…kiss you?”
“Of course not,” I forced the words as I handed her the card. “He’s my brother.”
I left the store, my cheeks burning and my head giddy.
Shop after shop they took me to, Caleb joining us an hour later. All three waited patiently, usually beside me as I browsed, then picked out new trainers under Tobias’ guidance. “I thought we might start to jog together.”
He stilled, elation widening his eyes. “You want to run with me?”
There was no way I’d be able to keep up, still I shrugged. “Why not? I need to improve my stamina.”
His grin was instant, and the lip bite that followed hit me right between my thighs. “Damn right,” he answered, smiling as he cast not one, but two, pairs of shoes onto the counter with a devilish glint in his eyes.
He was gonna run me to death, I just knew it.
We spent hours shopping and there wasn’t a grumble, not even when the bags piled up and I’d bought an entire wardrobe of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen, dresses, jeans, a soft cashmere sweater that Tobias said matched the ugly mark on my cheek. I looked away when he said that, standing in front of the display with the soft fabric pressed against my cheek.
I smiled and tugged my hair lower.
“Uh-uh, little mouse.” Tobias gently pulled my hand away, staring at my face before meeting my gaze. “You don’t shy away from us…ever.”
Heat moved through me, closing in around my heart.
“We’ll take these to the car and come back,” Nick said, hefting the bags into the air.
Caleb followed, carrying his own purchases as well as mine.
I grabbed the sweater, feeling the burn of Nick’s card as I swiped it once more. I’d owe him money for the rest of my damn life…but I was sure we’d be able to come to some kind of agreement. My pussy clenched at the idea of that, trading money for my body. I stopped dead, watching as Nick walked out of the store. Then I’d be his whore.
“You good here?” Tobias asked.
I glanced his way, finding a bemused expression on his face before he stepped closer. “Or do you need to try something on in the dressing room?”
I knew exactly what he meant. “We’re in a shoe store, there are no dressing rooms.”
“There’s a back room, isn’t there?”
I couldn’t hide the smirk. “You can’t wait?”
His intense stare was answer enough.
“Tobias,” came the deep, familiar murmur behind us.
My stepbrother stiffened, then slowly turned. Lazarus Rossi stood behind us, flanked by his bodyguard. He took one look at me, then at the bags in my hand. “Out shopping?”
Tobias took a threatening step forward, putting himself between Lazarus and me. “How is that any of your goddamn business?”
“Just strange is all.” Lazarus shifted his focus to me. “That you’re not concerned at all about your father, seeing as how he’s missing.”
My stomach sank. “Missing? What do you mean, missing?”
Those icy blue eyes gave me nothing but a sinister glare. “You’re really going to stand there and tell me you know nothing?”
I didn’t need to stand here. I pushed forward, stepping around Tobias. He grabbed my hand, pulling me against his side. “He’s not missing, he’s upset after the news he’s not getting out.”
“Upset?” Lazarus took a step closer, coming chest to chest with Tobias, but still holding my gaze. “That’s what you want to believe, then go right ahead.”
“You know what?” I snapped, my face heating. “Fuck you, you piece of shit. Fuck you for putting him in there in the first place!”
“Putting him in there?” Cold, hard rage flashed in his eyes as he leaned closer to spit, “He’s fucking lucky he’s still breathing. You have no idea how close we were to putting a bullet in his goddamn brain. You steal from us, and you deal with the consequences. He knew that…and he did it anyway.”
“Steal?” I couldn’t see straight. “Steal? Steal what?” I hissed. “What the fuck did he steal, fresh fucking air?”
“Ryth,” Tobias warned like he knew I was stepping across a line.
But I didn’t care, not anymore. “We have nothing! Why the fuck do you think we’re living with the Banks?”
“Because your mom knows the truth,” Lazarus replied as he glanced at Tobias. ‘And so does your dad. Jack isn’t in prison, Ryth.”
“Then where is he?” I barked.
Lazarus searched my eyes for the truth. “That’s a very good question. Your mother is lying, and I want to know why.”
He met Tobias’ glare before turning away. But I couldn’t let him go, not yet…
I lunged and grabbed his arm. His bodyguard reacted instantly, grabbing my wrist and twisting until I cried out. Tobias lashed out, driving his fist into the guy’s chest. “Get the fuck off her, Freddy!”
In an instant, my happy day dissolved into chaos. A gun was drawn and pointed at Tobias.
“Back the fuck off, T,” Freddy warned.
My wrist throbbed, and panic moved in as I stared at the gun. “No…no!”
“Freddy,” Lazarus called his attack dog off. “Let’s get out of here.”
But Freddy didn’t move, not until Lazarus turned and left, leaving the rest of those in the store staring at us.
“I’ve called the police,” the shop assistant called.
“Don’t bother,” Tobias growled, staring after Freddy as he left, following his damn master. “We’re already leaving.”
