EIGHTEEN
Anthea
I jerkedmy hand from inside Felix’s jeans, starkly aware of the cooling wetness of his cum splattered across my forearm. The youngest Rosano brother proved himself to be something of a gentleman after all by catching my fingers and wiping off the mess on his own shirt rather than leaving me to deal with it myself. Not that there would be any doubt about what had just happened between us.
Which made Darius’s question particularly absurd.
As Felix yanked himself back into his jeans and the skirt of my dress fell back to my knees, I narrowed my eyes at the other two brothers. Darius was glaring at both of us, fuming so visibly I was surprised smoke wasn’t pouring off the top of his head. Lucan’s mouth had gone deathly tight.
For fuck’s sake. “What does it look like’s going on here?” I shot back. “Never had a good enough time with the groupies to figure it out?”
Darius’s lips drew back in what could only be considered a snarl, though it was directed more at Felix than at me. “Jumping in there the first instant you could just like last time.”
Felix held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, his cocky smile gone a bit shaky around the edges. They might be brothers, but he knew who laid down the law between the three of them. “It worked out well before.”
“And you never thought—”
“Whoa!” I said, stepping between them and giving both of them a push in opposite directions. Felix stepped back at my touch, but Darius didn’t budge. “What are you so angry about? I thought we cleared the air here, no more seeing me as the enemy. Why the hell shouldn’t I hook up with Felix if I want to?”
“He knows we all— We haven’t had a chance to decide—” Darius gave a growl of frustration. He loomed over Felix despite my attempt at intervening and swiped his arm through the air. “Get out.”
Lucan spoke up, his voice tersely even. “Darius, maybe we should—”
“You too,” Darius said, spinning around. “Both of you, now. Find something actually useful to do with yourselves.”
Felix’s mouth twisted. He stalked past Darius out of the room. Lucan gave the two of us an uncertain look, but when Darius aimed his glare at his brother, he left too. The door thudded shut in their wake.
Darius rounded on me.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I demanded before he could speak.
“What the fuck areyoudoing?” he retorted, stepping closer. I dodged to the side before he could get me up against the wall like his brother had. “We only just sorted things out, and you’re already flinging yourself intoFelix’sarms?”
I scowled at him, folding my arms over my chest. “Why shouldn’t I? Wedidsort things out. All’s well, right? Or am I somehow still not good enough for anyone in the family? Tainted by whatever my brother’s done or some shit like that?”
Darius let out a huff. “Of course you’re good enough. But Felix… Yes, he’s family, but haven’t you seen how he is? He humps every female-shaped thing that walks through his view.”
“Then he should know what he’s doing,” I said tartly. “Sounds like a plus to me.”
“He shouldn’t be doing it withyou. You deserve better than a quick fuck against the wall, or I’d have— After what you went through with that asshole your dad sent you off to—”
The pieces were starting to click in my head. I raised my chin. “Ah. I think I’m seeing the problem. It’s not that I was having fun with Felix. It’s that for some stupid reason, you thought you had first dibs. I’m sure your brother would love to know you think so highly of him.”
Darius’s eyes flashed. “That’s not the point.”
“I think it is. And you know what, your little brother was a hell of a lot sweeter to me just now than you’ve been even since you found out the truth. I don’t think he was planning on tossing me aside after a quick pump-and-dump.”
Darius clenched his hands at his sides, and I got the abrupt impression that the idea of Felix staking a more permanent claim bothered him even more. “What did he say?”
I glowered at him. “That’s none of your business.”
“I say what’s my business. Tell me what he said.”
“You might be able to order your brothers around, but you don’t have any authority over me.”
With a ragged exhalation, Darius lunged forward. He moved too suddenly and quickly for me to flee. He scooped up my much smaller frame, shoved past the door to his bedroom, and heaved me down on the edge of the bed, setting his hands on my shoulders to hold me in place.
I braced my hands against the covers, shooting murder at him with my eyes, but a tremor I couldn’t control ran through my body. Remembering Clyde’s weight pressing me down, the cutting edge of his voice with his constant demands. My fingers dug into the blanket.