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That stokes the rage inside me that always seems to be simmering these days, and my eyes go wide with disbelief. “Nothing to do with me? Are you kidding?”
“The arrangement for the Oberon deal was between me and Troy!”
“Withmecaught in the middle,” I bite out. “You sold me to him like a piece of livestock just so you could get richer. But now Troy’s gone, so you’ll have to deal with me instead.” My lips twist into a bitter smile. “And I’m not feeling very generous toward you at the moment.”
Olivia steps back, looking like she wants nothing more than to hit me in the face the way she has before. But we’re still in public, and she probably knows I won’t just take it anymore, so she finally manages to arrange her face back into the socially acceptable mask she’s so good at wearing.
“This was supposed to help me better our family estate,” she whispers, her voice harsh. “The Oberon contract would’ve been instrumental in that. You are completelyruiningwhat I set out to do.”
I hold her gaze, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “You should have listened to me when you had the chance.”
Something flashes in Olivia’s eyes, but I know her well enough by now that I don’t mistake it for regret or remorse. She’s not capable of those emotions. No, this is more like the furious rage of a trapped animal.
“You’re making a big mistake,” she says, drawing each word out.
There’s a threat clear in her voice, but if she’s expecting me to cower and back down, she’s in for a disappointment. I’m done with that. I’m done being a pawn for her to use.
So I just gaze into her horribly familiar eyes and let a smile curve my lips. “I would have thought you’d be proud, Grandma,” I tell her. “After all, you’re the one who taught me how to play this game.”
With that, I turn on my heel and walk off down the hall. I don’t look back to see if Olivia is following me or watching me leave, because it doesn’t matter.
Instead, I just keep going, getting into the elevator and taking it all the way back down to the lobby.
The guys are waiting for me outside the way they promised they would be, talking amongst themselves. Every so often, one of them will look in the direction of the building’s doors, and I smile, knowing they’re anxious for me to return to them.
When I step out of the cool, air-conditioned building and back into the sunlight, the warmth feels good on my face. All three of the brothers start moving toward me immediately, meeting me halfway as I cross the sidewalk toward them.
“How did it go?” Malice asks, his gaze tracking over my face as if looking for clues.
“Are you kidding? She totally crushed it, I’m sure,” Ransom cuts in.
Vic just sighs, keeping his eyes on me. “Let her talk.”
I smile at them all, a rush of leftover adrenaline making me feel giddy. “It worked. I fucked up the Oberon deal, and Olivia is pissed. I have a bunch of stuff to tell you later, Vic. I don’t understand most of what they talked about in the meeting, but I know you will.”
Before I can say anything else, Malice is scooping me up into his arms. He spins me around once and then holds me close, burying his face between my neck and shoulder.
“I knew you could do it,” he murmurs, his lips ghosting over my skin. “You can do anything, Solnyshka.”
I lean into his solid, muscled body, shivering at the way his touch sends electricity dancing down my spine. It’s the closest we’ve been since he and the others got me back from Troy, and even though my head always seems to ruin things, my body definitely knows what it wants.
I cling to his shoulders a little, swallowing hard as my mouth goes dry. Malice skims his nose over my pulse point and inhales deeply, like he’s been craving the scent of me.
His hands are so firm and warm on my back, and when one slides down lower, hovering just over my ass, I gasp softly. It feels good to be this close to him, and since he’s not pushing anything, it’s not setting off the part of me that’s not okay with being touched just yet.
If anything, it’s catering to the part of me that isreallyokay with being touched andreallywants more.
For a moment, there’s nothing but the two of us. Nothing but this bubble of heat and approval and want. I’m distantly aware of his brothers, in the way that if they stepped in, the bubble would extend to them as well.
But neither of us push for more, even as the tension cranks up a notch between us. We stay locked in this hug, and Malice presses his body a bit closer, letting me feel that I’m not the only one affected by being this close.
Then he sets me down and steps away, giving me space once again.
I feel bereft at the loss of him, and I’m half tempted to reach out and pull him back toward me… but I don’t.
One step at a time, Willow. You’ll get there.
As if he can read my thoughts, Ransom moves closer, tugging a lock of my hair between his fingers. The dark color is starting to fade a bit, leaving it a lighter brown, and he tucks it behind my ear, his fingers trailing lightly down my jaw.
