Page 66 of Stealing Blinds

An urge to rush toward him and leap into his arms seizes me, but I recognize that it would be sending mixed signals, which would accurately represent where my head is at, but only further confuse matters.

I settle on a friendly hug, but when I melt into him, his arms squeeze me and his exhale showers me with chills.

“I’ve hated waking up on my birthday for as long as I can remember,” I confess against his chest before lifting my chin to ensure he sees the authenticity in my eyes. “But not today. I can’t thank you enough. The clothes are too much. When you said birthday gi—”

“Those weren’t for your birthday.”

I release him, cocking my head in the universal gesture for bullshit. “There were thirty racks.”

“I thought that was a nice touch.” His lips curl into an arrogant grin, his blue eyes twinkling. “But I would have gotten you the clothing even if it wasn’t your birthday. Consider it a contribution to your required Noire dress code.”

“You don’t like the way I dress?”

“Love it.” He glides his finger along the scoop neckline of the simple, deep purple minidress I chose for today. “But I’ll be building that monument with the garments I tear off your body, so you’re going to need some.”

“Thirty racks. There must be five hundred outfits in there.” Despite myself, I flutter my lashes with a flirty eye roll. “You think pretty highly of yourself, Noire.”

“You saw the message on the mirror.” He waves his hand toward Axel’s office with a silent order for me to enter, only to move his lips to my ear when I do. “That’s just the first installment, Palmer.”

While I’m doubtful this will last, maybe I could muster the strength to enjoy a fling with him. If I end up getting put away, I’ll have some hot memories to keep me warm in my cell.

Decisions.

Axel’s home office is fit for a king—a massive city view, like they seem to have throughout the penthouse, with a warm lavishness. And he certainly has a regal air to him. It’s intimidating. But that is enhanced by the fact that it’s not only Axel and Cash. All the brothers and Zara are waiting for me. It makes the circle feel bigger than I tend to like, but I suppose trusting any of them would mean trusting all of them anyway.

Axel waves me to a chair in front of his desk. Jax and Maddox are on a couch. Zara and Ryker are in leather chairs like mine. And after Cash fixes me a cup of coffee, he sits in one beside me.

Once everyone is settled and the small talk and happy birthdays have died out, Axel dives in. “Cash didn’t want to give me too many details without you present. I know the crux of what you’re dealing with, but why don’t you catch me up on what’s going on?”

“Let’s start with what the expectation or payment for you helping me out will be,” I counter.

He lobs a subtle smirk at Cash before returning to me. “For others? A lot. For you, it’s covered.”

It’s evident by his tone that he believes that should settle it for me, but I need more.

“In my experience, there is always a payment, so while I appreciate that, I’d rather discuss it up front than find out later that I’m required to pull some other job or I’m indebted to you for life.”

“Smart.” Zara beams, but Cash and her husband both shoot her a look that says she’s not helping.

“None of that.” Axel gestures to his wife with a hint of adoration he can’t conceal. “Your apprehension is warranted, so Zara is correct to commend you for being diligent. But you get the friends-and-family discount. No strings.”

Cash leans closer, his eyes boring into me. “I’ve been trustworthy with everything so far, haven’t I?” When I nod, he tacks on, “No strings. For this.”

I don’t miss the suggestion that he might want strings for us, but all I say is, “Okay.”

Axel taps his desk—an unspoken command to return our focus to him. “You have a job coming up next week?”

“Actually”—I sip my coffee to calm my nerves—“I’m headed out tomorrow for that.”

Cash rests his arm on the top of my chair, his unwarranted frustration that I didn’t update him wafting over me with his citrus-and-suede cologne. “Why the change?”

“I’m entering with the carpet cleaners, and they moved the appointment up a weekend.”

Ryker has been rolling something around his palm, almost mindlessly, but he stops abruptly, an intensity radiating from him. “And the move is legit?”

The air instantly feels dense. They all showed up this morning in attack-dog mode. Ready to conquer.

“It appears to be.” I keep my face devoid of any anxiety, aiming to level the rest of them out. “I spent much of yesterday researching to be sure.”