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But they had the day to themselves, or so they thought.
Sometime just after midday a thunderous hammering on the front door, accompanied by a whole lot of shrieking startled all of them from a light nap after yet another round of amazing sex.
“What the fuck?” Xander growled, rolling out of his bed, and groping around for a pair of lounge pants.
He left the bedroom dragging his hands through his tousled hair to tame it and minus a shirt. Someone was going to get an eyeful of chest candy. Em might have snickered at the thought if she wasn’t so shattered.
As it was, she, Coll and Kyros all jerked up in bed when Selene’s strident, high-pitched voice traveled through the open door from the cavernous, echoing vestibule beneath them.
“Fuck!” Ky rolled out of the bed and almost tripped in his haste, as downstairs they could all hear Kira’s mother demanding to know where he was.
“Take the back stairs, dude,” Coll advised before patting Em on the butt and saying, “Go get cleaned up, lassie, and remember you’re still on holiday, even if you are still at home. That much hasn’t changed.”
Em scooped up her clothes and hurried back to her own room, jumping in the shower, and groaning as the hot water eased the aches and soreness of a body unused to so much attention.
She soaped herself thoroughly and shampooed her hair, letting the water beat down on her tired muscles, happy to leave Kyros to his ex-wife’s drama, happy that at least Kira wasn’t in the house. Selene always managed to leave the poor child distraught, and often was the time Em wondered how Kyros ever could have married her.
That was until she heard a shrill, high-pitched squeal and the distinctive sounds of a child sobbing, and realized Kira was here after all.
Em was in the middle of braiding her damp hair, but she quickly tied it off and ran towards the commotion.
She still hadn’t figured out entirely what was going on when the doorbell rang again, and since no one else took any notice, Em went to answer it.
Of course, it figured that during all of the bedlam, Rebecca’s parents dropped the twins back home early. It shouldn’t be a surprise; they were a handful at the best of times. But instead of keeping them a little longer, the dazed couple said a hasty goodbye and hurried away again.
The two little boys thought it was all a great game and barrelled into the room shouting and whooping and running in circles around Kyros and Selene, still in the midst of a heated argument, and a loudly sobbing Kira, whose cheek was looking suspiciously red, though it was hard to tell for sure since her entire face was blotchy and tear stained.
A set of footsteps pounded down the stairs, but Coll took one look at what was going on and made a sharp detour towards the kitchen.
“I need more coffee before I can deal with this,” he muttered under his breath as he passed her.
Then, louder, he said to Kyros and Selene. “I don’t think this is suitable in front of your daughter.” The words were delivered in his usual quiet, calm tone, but the censure was unmistakable, and it brought Ky up short.
“Shit,” he hissed under his breath.
“Here, let me take her,” Emalee intervened, stepping forward to put her arms around the distraught child and lead her away.
“Get your hands off of my daughter,” Selene snarled, making Em take a shocked step back at the pure venom in her voice.
Kyros moved between them, then quickly ushered Kira out of the room, and at the same time Xander corralled the twins, tucking one under each arm, as he too whisked them away.
That was when Emalee had the misfortune to find herself alone with Selene.
“You are fired!” The other woman snapped, turning on her with a menacing hatred glittering in her cold eyes and jabbing a bony finger into Em’s chest, so she stumbled backwards. The sudden move aggravated her healing ankle, making her wince with pain and Emalee was annoyed that she’d shown that weakness.
Selene loomed over her, but Emalee stood her ground. “You don’t have the authority to make that call,” she replied calmly, pulling together every ounce of professionalism she possessed, even though she was vibrating with fury. “This house belongs to Alexander Bartholomew, and he is my primary employer.”
“Oh, you poor, pathetic mite, you know nothing,” Selene cackled, and a sliver of dread trickled down Emalee’s spine. What did Selene know that she didn’t?
“Xander signed over the other two wings of this mausoleum, so Coll and Kyros have equal shares in the property, to ensure the children always had a stable home. But since I refuse to have you near my daughter, your days are numbered.”
“What the hell is wrong with you, Selene. I’ve always had Kira’s best interests at heart.”
“That’s Mrs Kamaras to you,” Selene spat. “And I’m sick of hearing Emie this and Emie that. It’s clear you have far too much influence over the brat and that has to stop. I know you’re trying to turn her against me.”
Emalee sucked in a shocked breath at the way this so-called ‘mother’ spoke about her daughter. Her fury boiled over, and she got right up in Selene’s face, taking the woman by surprise.
“That brat is an eleven-year-old child, and if you treated her with a bit more respect instead of a disposable commodity to pick up or toss away when the mood takes you, she might appreciate you more as a mother,” Em grated out from between clenched teeth, all semblance of polite deference forgotten. “But I wouldn’t hold your breath, because you’re just a fucking bitch who can’t be bothered with her most of the time, and she knows it!”
