Page 28 of Entangled in Them

“Good morning,” Kodee said, looking up from the pan he’d been frying the bacon in. “Sleep well?”

Ryan was sitting at the table, already dressed. There was no sign of Dillon, and I allowed myself to breathe. It didn’t look as though he’d said anything, though perhaps he hadn’t had the chance yet.

“Something smells good,” I said.

Ryan looked up at me, and I risked a smile, which he didn’t return.

Kodee was apparently unaware of Ryan’s cold demeanor. “Hope you’re hungry. We’ve got crushed avocado on rye bread, topped with crispy bacon and a poached egg.” He slid one of the plates of food in front of Ryan, who looked up at Kodee and gave him the smile I’d been hoping for, and then placed a plate on the table for me. “Go on,” he nodded toward the food, “Dig in.”

“This looks amazing. You’re a really good cook.”

Kodee shrugged his broad shoulders. “I enjoy it. It’s like creating art, only you get to eat it, which is even better.”

The eggs were poached perfectly, the yellow yolk spilling down over the crispy bacon and soft avocado as I pressed my knife into it. There was coffee, too, and orange juice. I could get used to this.

The thought went through my head, and my appetite vanished. No, I couldn’t get used to it. These men didn’t even want me here, and even if they did, I couldn’t stay. The Capello brothers would be back for me, just as soon as they decided they could use me.

Dillon’s bedroom door opened, and he appeared, his dark hair mussy from sleep. He was bare chested, his lower half covered in the same sweatpants he’d been wearing the previous night. I was able to get a better look at all the muscles and tattoos in the daylight. Fuck, he was sexy. My breath caught, and my cheeks burned. Would he say something to the others?

He caught me staring, and one corner of his lips lifted in a lopsided grin. “Morning to ya, Rue. Sleep well?”

I nodded and quickly looked away, focusing on my breakfast. I was doing my best to pretend I hadn’t noticed that zing of connection. That invisible spark that connected two people. Dillon stepping into the room had sent my heart racing, and I discovered my breathing had shortened.

I didn’t glance up at him as he came over to the table and slid into the chair opposite, though I was intensely aware of his exact position in relation to mine.

“What about you two?” he asked of the other men. “I thought I heard some activity last night.”

Ryan and Kodee caught each other’s eye and both grinned.

“That must have been ’cause Kodee was kicking me in the back all night,” Ryan said, and for once I could hear a teasing tone to his voice. He was normally so serious. It was good to see him relax a little. I guessed Kodee had that effect on him.

“You could always have slept on the couch,” Kodee teased in return.

Ryan pouted. “And where would be the fun in that?”

Dillon laughed and dug into his plate of food.

Something inside me relaxed. It felt good to be around these three men, even though I knew they hadn’t asked to have me here. Normally, men were always trying to outdo each other. They’d be like peacocks, demonstrating who was the toughest, or who had the most money, or who’d be able to fuck the most women. I’d already seen that these three fought and had arguments, but I didn’t think they’d be the types to allow any disagreements to get in the way of their friendships. Though, I guessed, from what I’d seen last night, it was more than just friendship between them.

Kodee finished eating and set about clearing away the plates. I jumped to my feet to help him. He shouldn’t need to wait on me.

“Dillon, you need to go and see the Capello brothers again,” Kodee said as he picked up Dillon’s scraped-clean plate. “Ryan’s right when he says we need to have some kind of time limit on this situation. We can’t have her living here indefinitely. This is where we work as much as anything else. It isn’t practical.” He threw me a glance. “Sorry, Rue.”

I gave a shrug. I hadn’t expected anything else, though I couldn’t help the swirl of disappointment inside of me. I’d always known this wasn’t a permanent thing.

Once the Capellos had gotten what they wanted out of me, would they allow me to live? And even if they did, would I still want to keep going? What kind of existence was this for me, anyway? After I’d done what they wanted, I’d be sold to someone else, I was sure, and then I’d go back to being treated like scum. These three men—even Ryan—had treated me better over the last twenty-four hours than anyone else had in a long time. But if they weren’t going to use me for sex, what use was I? That was my one discernable skill, and somehow I’d ended up with a group of men who had little use for it.

I cast a glance over to Dillon. Well, perhaps not all of them, but one out of three was never going to cut it.

Dillon took a sip of his coffee. “I thought you didn’t want me getting involved with them.”

Kodee cocked an eyebrow. “I think we’re a little beyond that, aren’t we? The damage is already done.”

“Fine,” Dillon said, “though they might not even talk to me.”

“Well, make them,” Kodee insisted. “You created this mess, so you need to figure a way out of it.”

The mess was me, of course, and I shrank inside, feeling smaller than a speck of dirt.

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