MALLON
Leo is scowling at me and Thorin, taking it in turns to scold us with his eyeballs. Ugh. I hate when he’s right. That was a next-level douchebag thing for me to say. Guilt rises in my throat. This is why I’m shit with relationships. One or two nights with very little conversation and a fuckload of dirty talk? That’s my superpower. Actual human communication? Not my strong suit. But for her, I’ll try.
Not because it matters to Leo and not because it’s the right thing to do. I’ll try because, if I’m being honest, I was scared as fuck when we couldn’t find her last night. I’ll try because I laid awake until well after I should have been at the office this morning, and all I thought about was her. And when I finally drifted off, she was still there, torturing my dreams.
I circle the table, coming up behind her. The closer I get, the more I itch to get my hands on her. Leo releases her, and she turns to look up at me with wary eyes. I stroke my knuckles along her jawline and gather her hair in one fist, using it to tip her face up and arch her body against me. If I’m going to apologize, I’m going to do it as a goddamn dom.
She blinks up at me, pupils blown out, and rosy lips parted, but there isn’t an ounce of weakness in her eyes. Fuck me, she’s incredible. “Brielle,” Fuck, I love the way her name rolls off my tongue. “I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. And I’m sorry we didn’t find you. We looked for you all night.”
“It’s okay… I got a little mouthy, I guess.” Her lips quirk up at the corners in a tiny smile.
I release her hair and lean down to whisper in her ear. “That’s okay. I liked it.”
Thorin saunters over to us, and Bree watches him over my shoulder. He runs his hand along his jaw. “You had to cut my rope, huh?” Bree presses her lips together and picks up a large purse. She unzips it and hands it over to him without a word.
Thorin grins down at the contents. “Remind me to tie your hands behind your back next time, huh?”
Bree’s eyes brighten and she lifts an eyebrow, challenging him. “If there’s a next time.”
“Oh, bunny,” he says with a devious smile. “You’re ours until you say ‘red’.”
“Even after I slashed your precious rope?” she asks archly.
Thorin drops the bag to the ground and circles her wrist in his hand, pulling her toward him. “Especially after that. I’m just going to have to find a way to keep your hands occupied.”
“Mmm…” she hums. “Something tells me you have plenty of ideas.”
He holds her wrists in his fists, bringing them to his chest and holding her there. Over the top of her head, I see his eyes go soft. Something feels different when the three of us are with her, but I can’t nail it down.
“Endless ideas,” he confirms.
Bree’s back goes stiff. “Shit, Kelly will be back any second.”
Thorin doesn’t let her go. Not right away. “Tell us what you want to do. We can leave, but we’re not going anywhere without you.”
She chews on her lip. “No. I wanted to hear your pitch… but I’m going to do what’s best for my company. If you can’t handle that—”
“Are you saying we can’t fuck you into giving us your account?” Thorin smirks. “Because I always like a challenge.”
“That is exactly what I’m saying.”
I run a hand through my hair. We need this, but it’s not going to be a problem. “Our firm is brand new, but we’ve been doing this forever.” Thor turns Brielle to face me and Leo, but wraps an arm around her, his palm lying flat on her stomach, fingers splayed in a possessive hold.
“Thorin was the head of the copy department at Gruber. He might look like a douchebag biker, but his memory is borderline eidetic. He’s probably the smartest motherfucker you’ll ever meet. Leo was the wizard in charge of the art department. All graphics and video went through him before clients ever saw a thing.”
Bree’s eyebrows rise, her expression thoughtful. “And what about you? I’m guessing Gruber didn’t keep you on just to look at your pretty face.”
Thorin leans down, propping his head on her shoulder and grinning at me. “Baby stepbrother over there was their top brand strategist. There’s a reason Gruber went downhill the second we left.” I grind my teeth. Baby stepbrother my ass. I’m only six months younger than him and I’m taller.
Brielle’s gaze turns assessing, and I can see her weighing her options. When she speaks, the flirty tone is gone. “Go sit on your side. We’ll wait for Kelly and then you’ll make your pitch.” She’s all business and steel, and it is a fucking turn-on.
“I kinda like it when you're bossy,” Thor murmurs in her ear before biting her earlobe. Her eyes flutter. “Either way, come home with us tonight.”
“I need clothes,” she argues. “And a shower.”
“We have a shower. A great big one,” Leo runs his fingers over his lips, a hungry look in his eyes. “And clothes are overrated.”
“You realize you’re saying that to the owner of a fashion brand, right?”
“Yeah, but that’s not really what you’re selling,” Thorin argues. Bree frowns at him.
“I think I know what I’m selling,” she says archly. Thorin pulls her earlobe between his teeth. He’s a bolder motherfucker than I would be right now.
His fingers stroke the collar of her shirt and wrap around her throat. He whispers something in her ear and right in front of my eyes, she melts for him and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Thorin releases her, letting her wobble on her feet, drunk on lust. “But like you said, we’ll wait for Kelly.”