AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Olivia was staring at me, her eyes big. Like she couldn’t believe I had the guts to talk back to Lucien.
“It’s my private property,” I snapped.
“And now it’s Duran’s,” said Lucien. “See how easy that is?”
“Lucien,” said Duran in a reasonable tone. “Don’t fuck with her.”
My jaw was on the floor. I got to my feet, nearly shaking with rage, and tossed my napkin on the table. Lucien’s glacial gaze snapped to mine and his eyes narrowed.
“Sit down,” he said coolly.
I sat, but before I could open my mouth, Duran was on his feet. There was fire in his eyes that I hadn’t expected.
“Don’t speak to Iris like that,” he said.
Olivia gasped and Lucien lifted a hand and inclined his head. Everyone took a beat in the tense space and Duran sank back down, but his crackling eyes were still fixed on his brother. One brow crooked in warning.
“Let’s finish this conversation in private,” Lucien said.
Duran jerked his head, but he didn’t speak. I sat completely still with my hands gripping the edge of the table. Beneath my clothes, my body was burning and I was positive my panties were soaked. Seeing Duran get angry and stand up for me had to be one of the sexiest things he’d ever done.
Other than the time he’d pulled a gun in the bar. Or the time he’d shot six men to save me.
I frowned, glancing at him.
Maybe he felt more than he was willing to admit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
DURAN
Lucien paused beside me, his mouth a thin line. His cold gaze was narrowed and fixed on the quiet lake. He had a shotgun over the crook of his arm and we were both wearing boots and outdoor clothes. The sun burned and sent sweat trickling down to soak my t-shirt.
“Do you like this girl?” he said flatly.
“Yeah,” I said.
“How much?” he asked, turning to face me.
We stood at the edge of the pond. We’d left Iris and Olivia in the library, taking a tour of the house, and gone out to the pond. Like the unusual person he was, Lucien decided he wanted to shoot a pheasant for dinner so he’d taken the shotgun and told me to walk with him so we could talk.
“Olivia likes pheasant,” he said, snapping the shotgun together.
I studied him, noticing a shadow of softness in his tone when he said her name. Was it possible my ice cold brother had feelings after all?
“How is she settling in?” I asked casually, grateful to postpone the conversation about my situation.
“Good,” he said. “Doesn’t eat very much, but I found she’ll eat pheasant better than chicken so here I am. Shooting some goddamn pheasant.”
“You can just order it from the grocers,” I said, frowning.
He shook his head. “She seems to like it fresh better.”
I stared at him for a second and then a sudden smirk split my face. My hands shoved deep in my pockets and I rocked on my heels. I couldn’t help myself.
“You like her,” I said.
A muscle in Lucien’s cheek twitched uncontrollably for a second.
