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“Hell no, I can’t go. This, I’ve got to see.” He grabbed my bag out of my hands, trailing behind as I stepped up to the door and started knocking. After a few minutes later, I alternated between banging on the door and ringing the bell. I was beginning to think I would have to start on the windows when the door jerked open.
Alessia stood in the doorway, her eyes more closed than open. Her hair was disheveled, a wild heap around her face. A crease from a pillow lined one side of her face. She wore shorts that were just on the side of company-appropriate, and her tank top barely covered her breasts, leaving her toned, tanned stomach bare. I jerked my head up, looking at a spot above her head before my body could get me in trouble, but the damage was already done—the image of her seared into my brain for eternity.
“Coffee, extra caffeinated.” I shoved the first mug into her hand before she could say anything. “Be careful. It’s hot,” I added, though I didn’t know why I bothered. Without flinching, she downed the entire mug, cauterizing her vocal cords, throat, and stomach lining in the process, I was sure.
Keene startled but ended up watching his sister in wonder as she drank the first mug dry. I pulled the now-empty container from her and shoved it at him without a word. “I have one more. Can we come in?” I was hoping bribery would at least gain me access to the house. It would be harder to get rid of me if I was inside, not to mention keeping the argument I knew was coming private from the neighbors.
And it almost worked. She nodded, her eyes opening enough so that I could at least see the bright purple that made her so recognizable. Taking a step back, she made to let go of the door but stopped at the last second, her gaze landing on the bag Keene held in his hand. “Oh, no,” she said, jumping forward and shutting the door in one movement, leaving all of us outside on the porch. Her eyes wide-open now, the realization I was trying to play her waking her in an instant. “I don’t know what you two are trying to pull, but no way am I letting either of you inside until you tell me what’s going on.”
I sighed. If only Keene had the wherewithal to hide the bag behind him, my job could have been easier. “Please,” I stressed. “Can we come inside? I’ll explain why we’re here and give you the other mug of coffee.” I tilted the mug from side to side in front of her as if the moving object could distract her.
I don’t know why I bothered, knowing her answer before she even shook her head. “I told you before, McCallister. You’re a hired PSO for events, travel, and photoshoots. I do not, and will not, tolerate a babysitter in my own home. So whatever you and my brother are up to, you can just forget it.”
Keene raised his hands in the air. “I didn’t do it this time.” He threw me under the bus. “Brody just needed a ride, and I wanted a front-row seat.”
I scowled at him. “Oliver’s missing,” I said, turning back to Alessia. “He apparently purchased a plane ticket to the U.S. last night and is on his way here, if he isn’t already. Valencia has declared you need protection until he can be contained. His parents are already on their way, so with any luck, it should only be for a day or so. He can’t be that hard to track down, seeing as his only money source comes from that trust fund of his.” I tried to keep my tone soothing and placating.
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t take that tone with me, Brody McCallister. No way in hell am I going to allow you to sit in my front yard, let alone my house. I don’t like people in my home. It’s my private place, and my security inside and out is some of the best. There isn’t any reason I need to change anything.” Her snappish tone left no room for argument, but she was about to get one anyway.
“We both know that isn’t true. Or should I call Matteo?” I snapped back before taking a breath, really looking at her. My words hit home, but it wasn’t obstinacy I saw in her expression; it was fear. Whatever it was, she wasn’t worried, or only worried, about her sanctuary being invaded. She was worried about something else.
“What are you hiding in there?” I asked softly, almost missing the barely imperceptible flinch she tried desperately to conceal.
“My dungeon,” she snipped. “And since you work closely with the enemy,” she flicked her eyes to Keene, “I’m not about to let you in to spill all my dirty laundry to those around you.”
Keene winced. “Can we please never talk about your sex life? As far as I and the rest of us are concerned, you’ll be a virgin until the day you die.”
Lessia raised an eyebrow. “So, someone desecrating my corpse is okay?” She shrugged. “Good to know.”
I shuddered at the disgusting thought and saw Keene do the same out of the corner of my eye. “Though,” she continued, “is that considered desecration or defilement?”
“What if I sign an NDA for you personally?” I cut her off, not wanting to think about rotting corpses and sex.
She thought for a while, clearly running through all the possibilities, but I knew I had her. Of course, I already had an NDA in place with Valencia, but if she wanted another one, I was willing.
“I guess that would work,” she finally said, reluctant but clearly not able to come up with an argument that would pass muster. “Though I wish you luck finding someone who can get one drawn up quickly enough to make a difference.”
Keene looked up from his phone. “Gideon has one saved on his computer. He’s making a few changes and will have it here in a few minutes. On top of being a lawyer, he’s a notary.” He pocketed his phone. “He’ll be able to get the legal requirements out of the way so that you can settle in. Though, in full disclosure, I don’t want to know what goes on in this house. I have a hard enough time stomaching what she does out of it.”
Alessia lifted her nose. “Then I guess I don’t have to worry about Brody telling you about the handcuffs and assortment of other goodies I may or may not have under my bed.”
Dismay lined Keene’s face. “Again, I don’t want to know any details about your sex life.”
She pursed her lips, tapping a finger against them as she pretended to think. “I guess Royce would be the better option if you wanted to know details about that sort of thing. Not that he’s that hardcore, but those partners of his certainly look like they know their way around a bullwhip, and not in a cowboy kind of way.”
Keene froze. “How do you know about …” He trailed off.
“The BDMS club Royce invested in?” She snorted. “Please, like there isn’t anything I don’t eventually find out about y’all whether I intend to or not. Besides, with the free samples vendors send to his house, he could open up his own sex shop. It’s hard to miss when his and the business name are on the packages.”
She looked wide-eyed and innocent for a split second before her attention turned back to the mug in my hand. “Can I have my second cup now, since I’m being good and all?” The sarcasm wasn’t lost on me, but I handed it over without a word. She was pissed, pinned into a corner, and not about to back down from the fight we both knew was coming, as much as I’d tried to avoid it.
Gideon arrived before she could finish the mug, and Keene filled him in on the little he knew while the papers were looked over, signed, and notarized. The brothers, not dumb enough to stay around their little sister while she was cranky, left quickly, leaving us standing outside, staring at each other.
“Well,” I finally drawled after a few uncomfortable moments under her scrutiny. “Are you going to let me in, or are we going to stand out here all day?”
She hesitated, clearly torn between letting me in and having us bake out in the Texas sun. It was still early morning, but the heat in the air and the stilted breeze were already making standing outside uncomfortable.
“Are you offended that I asked for a separate NDA?” she asked finally.
