At my words, she shook her head. “I know my husband, thank you very much, but he’s never tried to make me believe he was something he wasn’t. And you hurt that girl.” She looked disappointed. “Vander’s the sweetest man in the world.” At my open scoffing, she amended, “To me, he is. He’s never been knowingly mean to me. He’s always openly loved me. He’s never raised a hand to me because he knows I’d leave him.”
She wasn’t going to leave this alone. My sister had been a perpetual pain in my ass since the day I met her, involving herself with me, inserting herself into my life whenever possible, and even though she shit me more often than not, it was kind of nice to have someone who cared.
I dragged a chair over from the dining room table, swung it around, and sat on it backwards. “Do you know who I was back then?” At her meaningful stare, I muttered, “Of course you do.” I ran my tongue along my teeth. “You’ve met Lexi, so you know her brand of sweetness is rare, a fucking treasure.” At her nod, I laid it on her. “I wanted to see how far I could go before I broke her.”
“Why?”
My sister wasn’t impressed and I didn’t give a fuck. I just wanted her to understand. “Because I wanted her by my fucking side, Manda, for always.” God, I was getting pissed. “You think I could allow someone like her to be my queen? She’s nothing like you, babe. You’ve seen shit your entire life, whether it was from your pops—”
She cut in with, “He’s your father too.”
Whatever. He was nothing to me. “Or your brother’s bullshit, and now you’re dealing with it all over again through Vander. You know this life, what it all entails. Lexi didn’t. She doesn’t. I wanted to see if she had what it took to deal, to cope, because last thing I needed was to have my fucking woman run out on me, saying this is too much. So I pushed, and I pushed hard.”
Reluctantly, I saw Manda was beginning to understand.
“She’s it, Mandy. No shit. The second I had her, I felt a fucking lightning bolt hit me so hard it brought my corpse back to life.” Thinking of my woman was testing. Lexi was life. “I was a sinner, and she was my only prayer. A deity. The only goddess I worshipped.” I took a slight pause. “Still do.”
And, by God, it was the honest fucking truth.
I saw my sister’s face soften and I rolled my eyes. “So, the good news is I am exactly who I say I am.”
Manda frowned. “And the bad news?”
“The bad news is—” I grinned. “—I am exactly who I say I am.”
Guilty as charged.
And my sister snuffled out a laugh. “Jesus, you’re a dick sometimes.”
I was. I wouldn’t apologize for it.
“Are we good?” I asked, scratching absently at the scruff at my jawline, because I would hate to have to lose my sister so soon after finding her, but I would give her up in a heartbeat if it cost me Lexi.
My sister looked at me a long while before she sighed. “Yeah, I guess so, but I swear to God, Tony, if you hurt her again....” She trailed off.
I met my sister’s uneasy gaze. “I can’t promise I won’t. This is all new to me, being locked down to one woman, being a father. I’m bound to fuck up a time or two.” Or ten. I puffed out a weary breath. “But I’ll try not to.”
That was the best I could give.
“Okay,” she said, standing. “Give me a hug. I have to go meet my nephew for a play date.”
Affection was something I was working on. It didn’t come naturally to me, but it did to Manda, so I would give her that for putting up with my curt ass. Standing tall, I held out my arms to her, curling my fingers in a “bring it in” motion, and she smiled up at me as she stepped into my arms.
I hugged my little sister tightly, and she squeezed me back in return. When it felt like too much, I released her, but she held on to me. Not sure what to do, I lifted a hand awkwardly and started to pat her shoulder, and she laughed into my chest. “Tell me you are not patting me like a dog, boy.”
I sighed loudly, a smile tugging at my lips. Fuck, she was an asshole for calling me out on my discomfiture. She was lucky I was starting to love her.
Pushing her away playfully, I watched her stumble as she laughed at me and I pointed to the door. “Get the fuck outta here.” This only made my sister laugh harder, but she did leave.
What a shithead.
***
Ling
Aslan pulled away from me. He was restless, and I didn’t know why, but he was making me just as fidgety. The moment his lips left mine, I glowered at him. “What is up with you tonight?”
He looked at me a long time before he adjusted me on his lap, snaking his arms around my body and holding me flush against him. His face was close, and although this whole warmth thing was new to me, I kind of liked it. “What are we doing here, baby?
We were being stupid. We were pretty much guaranteeing our families’ hatred lived on. It was almost as if we wanted the world to know how selfish and dumb we really were because even though we were hiding, we weren’t exactly pulling all the stops on that front.
This was our third rendezvous at the city apartment I’d specifically rented to meet him at. I was an idiot and sure to get caught, but when it came to Aslan, I didn’t really think about the consequences, nor did I care. Besides, so far, he refused to fuck me, so really, what were we doing? Not much.
But, truth was, if my brothers found out, they’d kill me. Quite literally.
I decided on honesty. “We’re fucking up in a real big way.”
When he laughed softly, looking at me the way he was looking at me, with an attachment in his eyes that was aimed at me, I felt part of the ice around my heart crack as it sluggishly thawed.
“Come to bed with me,” I leant in and spoke against his lips, grinding into his hard cock.
But he shook his head, smiling tenderly. “No.”
He was killing me here. I was so fucking horny I was ready to dry-hump his leg if he’d only let me.
Oh my God. Listen to you.
If he’d let me?
Who was I, and what the hell happened to The Dragon Queen?
I did not like the person I was when I was with this man. He made me feel weak, and that would not do. I was my own person. I didn’t rely on anyone, didn’t need anyone. I was happily unattached. Fuck him.
“Fine,” I uttered blasé-like. “I guess I’ll just go out and find a nice young cock to suck.” When his eyes flashed, I went on. “Maybe I’ll let him make out with my pussy a while, and when he makes me come—” I pressed my tits into him. “—I’ll show him gratitude by calling him Daddy. They like that, you know?” As I went to stand, Aslan gripped my wrist hard enough to bruise, and I smirked, liking where this was going. “Changed your mind, Az?”
He stood quickly, and I fell to the floor in a heap.
“Motherfucker,” I seethed.
“I don’t know why I fucking bother with you,” he said as he walked away from me.
And suddenly, I felt ill at the loss of him.
Holy shit.
That was new. I don’t know whether I liked that.
Just before he reached the exit, I called out, “Wait.” And to my shock, he did, pausing at the door.
Yep. Thought about it. I did not like that at all.
Looking like he wanted to smack a bitch, I wondered why he wouldn’t just smack this bitch. He knew I was down for it. In fact, nothing would make me happier than if he just fucked my next breath out of me.
I couldn’t believe I was about to say what I did. “This is new to me, Az. You gotta give me a break when I push because I don’t know any better.” You pussy. I sighed, humiliated at the fact that I was putting myself in this position. “I don’t like upsetting you.”
Suddenly, he turned and glared. “I have a wife at home, Ling, and believe it or not, she fucking adores me. I don’t need this juvenile bullshit you like to play at, this jealousy crap. You drive me crazy.” When he shook his head and put his hands to his hips as if he were contemplating the weight of the world, my insides shriveled because I knew what was coming. “I don’t think we should do this again.”
And because I had no idea how to deal with the abrupt sorrow inside me, I glowered right back. “No issue here.” My voice was low. “It’s time for you to leave.”
After all, I got my mom’s attitude and my dad’s temper.