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“Yes, Sir. I would be happy to,” Tasha agreed.
Ben shook his head. “I have no idea what’s going on. Is there more coffee around here?”
Nate stood as Tasha walked into the bedroom. “Come on, mate. They set up some breakfast in the other room. I could eat.”
“So could I. The safe house we’re staying at is full of testosterone. I had to get out of there early,” Ben said, slapping a hand on his gut. “I’m glad to be back in my hotel room. So much less drama. I think Maggie has something going on with that Cooper person. Way to lead a guy on.”
There was a squeak from overhead, but Ben kept walking.
When he was safely out of sight, Lou’s head tilted up. “You are going to be in so much trouble.”
“Should I do something?” He didn’t want to be the reason the twins got found out.
Lou shook her head. “Nah, she’s going to go and wait in the car, and when we get back, I’ll let her help me do some online shopping. I need a makeover.”
Another squeak, this one infinitely happier.
“I know how to soothe a Taggart beast,” Lou promised. “Have Tasha go over the new reports we pulled. We’ve identified a couple of projects at Tandy Medical that Oakley might be interested in. I’d love your thoughts. I’m going to go. Tash looks good. You didn’t take it out on her.”
She was wrong about that. “I did.”
Lou gave him a grin. “I don’t think you would know how. You said some words to her and then you held her while she cried. You’re moving nicely through this phase.”
“Why is everyone going on about phases? I’m not in a phase.”
“Sure you are. You’re in the rage-sex phase. Soon you’ll be bargaining. This is all according to Charlotte Taggart, who is the ultimate authority.” Lou picked up her big bag and started for the door.
Well, if someone knew his future, he would like in on the secret. “What am I bargaining for?”
She turned at the door. “According to the expert, somewhere in all the rage sex you’ll start to think you can keep doing this because Tasha owes you. You’ll think you can keep her because she should serve you for longer. It’s really punishment.”
Damn it. He was already there. His rage-sex time should have lasted longer. He should have made way better use of it. “And then what happens?”
Lou bit her bottom lip as though keeping in a laugh because she could read his damn mind. “Then you wake up one morning and you’re not so mad and you’re part of this weird, wonderful family. It’s a good bargain, Dare. My mom made it a long time ago, and she’s been happy ever since. And Dare, you should know you look good, too. That is a very manly chest you have there.”
“Hey.” Tasha came back out wearing a sundress that covered everything it should. She tossed his shirt at him. “What are you doing, LouLou?”
Lou shrugged, opening the door. “You know Doms need to be told they’re pretty, too.”
Tasha was having none of it. “Goose. Gander. Cover it up, Sir. Bye, Lou. I’m going to get some breakfast. I’m hungry all of the sudden.”
He was left in the middle of the suite, pulling his shirt on and all alone. At least he thought he was. For all he knew the whole Taggart clan was in his ceiling.
Strangely, the thought didn’t scare him the way it should.
Chapter Seventeen
Tasha sipped her coffee and thought about how she was going to murder her sister. She wouldn’t make it hurt. She would consider it more of a putting Kenz out of everyone else’s misery. Everyone thought Kala was the hard one. Sometimes Kala had nothing on her shiniest sister.
She glanced around the small kitchen. Ben and Nate were out on the balcony making their way through massive plates of food and discussing what Oakley could possibly want from Dare’s father. Dare had gotten dressed and joined them. She knew she should be out there, but it hurt too much to sit across from him and pretend nothing was wrong.
It was easier to plot her sister’s murder.
“You all right?”
She started, shocked anyone could sneak up on her. Her game was nowhere close to being on today. She barely managed to not drop her mug. Setting it on the counter, she turned Dare’s way. He had a mug in his hand. “Is the carafe empty? I can fill that up for you.”
He put his mug down next to hers. “When I told you to serve me, I didn’t mean like that. I mostly wanted to know where you’d gone. Now that Ben’s not hiding his true occupation, he talks in military terms way too much. He and Nate seem to have a whole different language I don’t understand. And then there’s talk of how many ’roos are in a paddock, and none of us understand that. I thought I’d see what you were doing.”
