Shivering, I rolled away from the panting dog again. Okay. This is too much. In a mansion this big, there had to be a place I could go to find some privacy. Standing, I stepped around Mic and slid quietly into the hallway.
The big clock on the wall said it was after three in the morning. My eyes were puffy, my skull heavy on my neck. Creeping along the soft rugs, I tested the doorknobs of several rooms. Most were locked, and I didn’t have it in me to sneak into Kain’s bed tonight.
Especially not after our bathroom heavy petting session.
Burning from the memory, I headed downstairs. As I passed the hallway, I slowed down. I hadn’t seen it happen, but at some point, someone had hung the photo I’d broken back up.
There were a few low lights along the ceiling. They allowed me to squint at the photo, studying the people in it. Maverick was easy to recognize—he was younger, but just as big as ever. Carmina still held the same elegance she did now, though her hair was shorter.
The children were clearly theirs; I bent closer, intrigued by what Kain looked like as a child. It didn’t take me long to spot him; he and Francesca were nearly mirror images of each other with their blue eyes and dark hair.
He couldn’t have been more than six in the photo, his grin just hinting at the cocky guy he’d grow up to be.
Next to him, his eyes black as pitch, had to be Hawthorne. That left two others; Costello had to be the tallest of them, a young boy who lacked the ragged scar he now sported.
And that leaves . . . Blinking, I leaned back an inch. Another girl? I didn’t know that the Badds had a second daughter. Why hadn’t I met her yet?
With more questions in my head, I went back to exploring. I didn’t go far before I found another row of doors. The second one I tested opened, so I peeked through the crack. It was a bedroom for sure, and the blue night colors showed an empty mattress.
Shutting myself in, I rubbed at my face. Should I turn the lights on? No, what was the point? No one was here, I had it to myself. No dog, no snoring Francesca, no handsy Kain.
Crawling under the blankets, I snuggled into the warmth with an appreciative groan. Now this was a nice bed! I’d have to find out what it was made of. Not that I could afford it, I was sure, but still.
Lying there in the dark with the blanket to my chin, I tried to turn my mind off. It was a struggle, especially because I kept thinking about my mother. I wanted her to be fine—and she probably was—but . . . After losing Dad, I can’t imagine her being gone, too.
It had only been a year since my father had died. The pain was still fresh. Oh, no! A heavy rock rolled around in my stomach. I’d just remembered that it had been the horse-shaped mug he’d given me when I’d gone away to college that had ended up saving my life tonight.
The cup had been precious to me.
Now it was just pieces on my kitchen floor.
Hot tears pushed against the insides of my eyes. No, don’t cry. This wasn’t the time or place for it. If anything, I should be grateful; the mug had let me escape whatever harm my attacker had planned for me.
Right. Think of the positive side of this. My father had taught me to be strong, to smile at your fears. Wouldn’t grieving hurt his memory? I didn’t know, but avoidance was so easy.
Ugh, just pick a new topic to dwell on if you’re going to lie here awake.
Except the only other thing on my mind was the fit-as-hell and ever-smug Kain Badd. That guy, he’d put me through the ringer in such a short time. I’d wanted distance from him, but now I was trapped in his home.
And then I let him kiss me again. At least I hadn’t initiated it. I also hadn’t stopped it. Was that really better?
I didn’t know I’d fallen asleep until something heavy slammed into my face. Gasping, I shot up straight, the pillow falling into my lap. “Bwah—hwa—huh?!” I stuttered.
Francesca stood beside the bed, her hands on her hips. She was wearing a bronze, silky nightgown—but her eyes were liquid fire. “What are you doing in here?” she asked, her tone biting.
Scrubbing at my eyes, I stared at her. “I . . . was sleeping.” My mind was sluggish. I took a second to stare around the room. In the early sunlight through the window, I saw that the walls were a robin’s-egg blue. Everything else was white or red, a large bookcase on one wall stuffed so full that books were piled beside it. There were a few photos on the wall, but I couldn’t see them well enough to study the faces in them.
Turning back to Francesca, I asked, “Should I not be in here?”
“There are guest rooms in the other hall.” Mic rustled around the door, bouncing at her heels. Francesca lifted the dog up, snuggling him. “Sorry, I’m not trying to be a bitch. It’s just that . . . this is my sister’s room.”
“Oh!” Sitting up so that the blanket fell free, I rolled over the side of the bed. I meant to land gracefully, but in my haste, I stumbled onto my hip. Fran reached for me; I bounced up quickly, laughing to calm her. “I’m fine! It’s all fine.”
Her shiny lips—was she already wearing lipstick? What time was it?—made a smile. “Aw, Sammy. It’s okay. You don’t gotta rush.”
Fixing the blankets, I said, “Where’s your sister at? I was wondering why I hadn’t met her, I’d actually started thinking you only had a bunch of older brothers! Was she not at the dinner or the wedding? No one introduced me to her.”
I hadn’t known her for long, but even so, Fran’s sudden silence was strange. Looking down at Mic, she spoke with casual disinterest. “She’s just really busy. She would have come to the wedding if she coulda, but . . . it doesn’t matter. She could be back any minute, and she’d want her bed free, that’s all.”
My hands drifted to my sides. “I . . . see.” I didn’t see at all. I had no idea what was going on here.
Sensing the tension, Fran put on a giant grin. “You’re wrong, you know.”
“I—wrong about what?”
“My brothers.” Scratching Mic’s ears, she set him down. “I’m not the youngest, I’m technically a few minutes older than Kain.”
Click-click-click went my brain. “Holy hell. You’re twins?”
Giggling, she flipped her hair and winked. Every bit of similarity the two shared shone back at me like a full moon. I’d thought it was just their blood, but after meeting the others, it should have been obvious. “I’m much better looking than him,” she said coyly.
In my opinion, Kain was grade-A dyno-mite delicious. Francesca was very beautiful as well, though. She had his long features, and he had her delicate eyelashes and fuller lips.
Lips that were perfect for kissing and touching and . . .
Coughing softly, I marched toward the door before she could see my red neck. “Is there any chance I could borrow some clothes? I kind of don’t have anything with me.”
“Of course!” she gushed, chasing after me until she beat me up the stairs. Opening her bedroom, she grabbed my arm and yanked me in. “I love dressing people up! Gawd, you’ll look so hot when I’m done.”