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“This was a big step,” he says. “We’re on our way. Now come on, pretty girl. Let’s go home.”
I nod, and he and Vic each slip a hand into mine. Then we all pile into the car and head back to the condo we’ve claimed as ours.
19
WILLOW
Buoyedby my success at the board meeting, we spend the rest of the day continuing to work on the plan to take Olivia down. Sabotaging that contract she was counting on was a good start, but it wasn’t enough. If I want to truly neutralize her as a threat, we need to absolutely ruin her.
Her estate was already weakened, but we need to make that even worse. She still has a lot of resources, but now that I’m on an even playing field, our goal is to systematically destroy Olivia’s business holdings until she has nothing left.
She made the mistake of tying herself to me when she made that deal with Troy… and now that Troy is dead, I can use those ties to fuck with my grandmother in a big way.
I sit in Vic’s office, using one of the new computers he brought in as I pore over information about Olivia. This is more research than I’ve done in a while, but it feels good to be able to do something to contribute to all this. Of course, the guys all have their own grudges against Olivia, but I know that I’m at the center of this for them.
Plus I need to be as prepared as possible for what’s to come and what I need to do. But after several hours of staring at the screen, trying to absorb as much information as I can, my eyes are burning and begging for a break.
I sit back from the monitor and rub my eyes a bit, getting up out of the chair and deciding that it’s finally time to start using some of the amenities that came with this place.
Namely, that swanky-ass bathtub.
I head out of the office and down the hall. Ransom is in the living room playing something on the TV, and he hits pause when he sees me.
“What are you up to?” he asks, leaning over the couch to give me a smile.
“I need a break,” I tell him. “I don’t know how Vic manages to stare at screens all day without going a little insane. Or having his eyeballs melt out of their sockets.”
He laughs. “It’s his super power, I think. That, or he’s just immune to the normal burnout shit the rest of us have to deal with. Do you want me to make you a snack or something?”
I shake my head. “Nah, I’m going to break in that bathtub. It’s been tempting me ever since we moved in here.”
I hesitate for a moment, biting my lip—torn between the thing I want and still being held back by my fears and traumas. I hate that I feel this way, because it makes me feel like the old version of myself, the one I thought I had left behind. The one who was drawn to these brothers so deeply but wasn’t brave enough to let herself have them. I’ve come so far since then, but it feels like I’ve lost so much progress because of what Troy did to me.
But maybe taking baby steps will help me get it back. Or at least not make things worse.
So I swallow hard and smile at Ransom. “Will you… join me?”
He blinks, his brows climbing up his forehead with surprise, making his piercing glint. “Really? You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
He gets up so fast that it’s like he’s been launched off the couch, all thoughts of his game clearly forgotten, and I laugh at how eager he seems.
I lead the way into the bathroom, pleased with how we redecorated it.
The tub and separate shower are the same, but we ruined Troy’s monochrome nightmare with colorful towels and candles to add some life to the place. It feels much better to be in here now, even if my heart is beating faster than usual.
I’m keenly aware of Ransom as I sit on the edge of the huge tub and start the water running, adding some of the bath oils I picked up on a whim and filling the bathroom with a light citrusy scent.
His eyes are on me, and even though this bathroom is so much bigger than any one we’ve been in before, it’s like his presence makes it feel smaller. And not in a bad way. I can just feel so much of him.
It also brings back memories of the last time we took a bath together—the morning after he and Malice fucked me.
It feels so long ago now, but standing there thinking about it makes it feel like I can feel their hands ghosting over my skin. I shiver agreeably as steam rises up, and then get up to start undressing.
Ransom doesn’t take his eyes off of me as I pull my shirt over my head.
I changed into more comfortable clothes when we got back from the board meeting, so it’s easy enough to take off the oversized shirt that probably belonged to Malice first, and then shimmy out of the soft cotton shorts and my underwear.
