All eyes turn her way. “I think this is way too much,” she admits in a soft voice. “It was a very thoughtful thing to do. Thank you.” Yeah, we’re in for it. No doubt. She couldn’t sound more formal and stilted if somebody had written it for her to recite.
For now, though, I’ll take it. “You’re welcome.”
“You’ll have to take us for a ride,” Odis adds, and I know there’s a double meaning to it. So does she. Her eyes narrow a fraction, but she’s smart enough not to say anything.
“Well, if you do go for a ride, be safe. Linda and I are going out for dinner in the city, and we’ll probably stay the night.” Dad goes back inside and returns with a pair of bags which he loads into the back of his car while Linda kisses Gemma goodbye. Rather than see them off in the driveway, Gemma mumbles something about going inside before disappearing.
She’s ours for the night. My brain’s buzzing like somebody upset a beehive in my head as we follow Gemma into the house. There are so many things we could do with this situation. So many ways to finally have her the way I know we’ve both wanted to for years.
And no more barriers.
Except her attitude, of course. She’s standing at the top of the stairs, glaring down at us with her arms folded. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she bellows, looking back and forth between us. “What is that? A bribe? Who gave you permission to take my car away?”
“That’s a lot of questions all at once,” Odis points out in a smooth, untroubled voice. “Which one do you want answered first?”
“Fuck you,” she spits, spinning on her heel and marching to her room. The door slams as we climb the stairs, and I unlock the door using the key she still hasn’t figured out sits above the frame. Maybe I’ll tell her about it one day, maybe I won’t.
“Get out!” She throws a pillow at me, which I swat away. Like that was supposed to keep me out.
“Would you let us explain before you throw a tantrum?” Odis was never the diplomatic one. Gemma’s eyes spit fire as she rushes him, fists out like she’s ready to use them. I step between them and take her by the wrists.
“Chill out, okay? We get it. You don’t want charity. You don’t want to look like a gold digger because that’s the absolute worst thing a person could ever look like.”
She tries to pull away, but I’m holding too tight. “Stop, okay? Remember the terms we set last night? I told you I’d pay for the repairs in exchange for you sucking me off. You did it. But the repairs weren’t worth it. Just because I have money doesn’t mean I’m trying to waste it on a piece of shit car.”
“And I’m supposed to believe this isn’t your way of buying me?” She laughs a bitter sound. “Please. I’m not that gullible. You think you can buy me stuff, and I’ll spread my legs for you, right?”
“No.” I pull her in until our bodies are flush. Maybe it’s sick, but it turns me on when she gets mouthy and feisty like this. “You’ll spread your legs for us because you like it. We buy you stuff because we want to. Did it ever occur to you that we might want to make you happy? That and your safety. That’s it. No ulterior motives.”
She doesn’t say anything at first, her chest heaving, cheeks flushed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so sexy.
“We want you.” Odis steps up behind her, sandwiching her body between ours. “That’s all. We don’t want to buy you because you can’t be bought. You’re better than that.”
I see the uncertainty in her eyes. “What do you want, then?” Her voice is quieter now, breathier. Like she feels the subtle shift taking place while my brother and I have her pinned between us.
I release her wrists in favor of taking her face in my hands. “I think you know what we want. And I think you want it, too.”
Her lip curls in a sneer, but the gesture is halfhearted. “Don’t speak for me. I’m not going to let you hurt me.”
There it is. She finally said it out loud. “We’re not going to hurt you. That’s the last thing either of us wants.” Meanwhile, Odis runs his hands down her sides, over her hips, as my hands slide over her jaw and down her throat. “We want you. Only you.”
Her lips part as a flush creeps over her skin. It’s the way her eyelids lower that gives away how she’s really feeling. There’s lust in them—and uncertainty, still. She wants to believe me but is still scared.
“Don’t worry.” I slide the straps of her tank top over her shoulders as Odis works his hands under it, cupping her tits. “After tonight, you won’t have any doubt about how we feel about you.”