Page 29 of Twins to Tame Him

He scoffed. “Annika didn’t tell him about the boys before she could tell me... He doesn’t have to throw a tantrum about it.”

Laila pressed her forehead into his chest, smiling at the thread of stubborn pride in his voice. “That’s not what he cares about.”

“No? Because Alexandros doesn’t have a whole range of emotional breadth.”

And you do? she wanted to ask but she knew the answer. Every day, every little action of his showed her what a complicated, complex man Sebastian was. And with each moment, her draw to him became stronger, nearly irresistible, as if he was a whole gravitational field unto himself and she had no choice but to be pulled into his orbit. But she wanted more than just to circle him endlessly.

She wanted a collision, an explosion, she wanted to reach his raw, burning center. Because she was almost sure that beneath all the masks, Sebastian hid his true self—a man who had to fight every day since he was a child to be himself. Just like her, but in much more horrible circumstances. Was that why nothing and no one was sacred to him? Why he moved through life the way he did?

Suddenly, whatever it was that he wanted from Guido took a new shape, an all-new dimension. She’d never wondered what a powerful, charismatic man like him could want from a poor, old man like Guido.

“Don’t leave me hanging now, Dr. Jaafri,” he said, watching her closely.

Laila somehow found her words, even as her mind mined for reasons. “Alexandros is angry with Annika that she upset herself over keeping it secret from you. And he’s angry with you that you won’t let it go. Which means he finds it impossible to confide in you that he’s irrationally terrified that he might not be a great father, especially in comparison to you.”

Sebastian released her hair and it popped back into its usual curls. He cupped her cheek in his rough hand, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes. “He’s not terrified. My brother has never been scared of anything and he...”

“He is now. That’s why he freezes around Nikos and Zayn.”

A corded arm went around her waist and pulled her, until her breasts flattened against his chest in delicious torment. “Why do you care so much about him?”

There was almost a note of childish peevishness to it and Laila smothered a smile. “Why does it bother you so much that Annika didn’t tell you about the boys when you know deep in your heart that she did the right thing?”

“Because she owed her loyalty to me at that point. Not to you.”

“Is that all?” Laila pushed, pressing her cheek to his chest, seeking the kind of real intimacy that he might not allow but wanting it anyway. Slowly, she was beginning to see through his mask. Sex and seduction and sinful bets were easy for him, even shields to keep the world at bay. True communication about his needs, showing his real self to the world or caring about anything, not so much.

His heart thundered against her ear as he held her loosely, humoring her, she was sure. He was so...solid and real around her that she couldn’t believe she wasn’t dreaming. Only her dreams had grown bigger and more improbable since she’d arrived here.

His silence told her she’d been right about his anger toward Annika. Lifting her head, she rubbed her forehead against his stubbled chin. “I care about both of them. Annika and your brother.” She had even more respect for Alexandros for taking Sebastian’s side when he’d been no more an adult himself, but she was wise enough to not probe a festering wound. “She’s been a good friend to me, even though I approached her with my own agenda. She spent hours reassuring me that this was right. She took a huge risk by not telling you. I’ve not had someone like that in my corner in a long time.” She blinked away the sudden tears the thought brought to her throat. “And you...won’t even look at her. Please...forgive her. Forgive her so that she’s not upset anymore, so that they’re not at odds with each other.”

Now both his arms were around her waist, and he dipped low enough for her to feel his warm breath on her lips.

“You’re a dangerous woman, Dr. Jaafri,” he said, his gaze moving over every inch of her as if he meant to unlock her, piece by piece.

“I’m not, really,” she said, laughing at the very prospect. “In fact, I’m terribly easy to see through once you figure out the key to me.”

“Maybe the danger, then, is in my perception of you,” he said, his mouth curving but the smile not quite reaching his eyes.

She frowned. “Then that would make you like every other man who called me too brainy and too competitive and too logical, leaving very little femininity behind.”

His rough hand circled her nape in a hold that had dampness blooming at her core. “No one is all of one thing, pethi mou. Maybe you’re all of those things and there is no shame in them. But I see more to you, too, and that’s what makes you so...irresistible.”

It was impossible to not believe him, especially when his body was radiating the same tension she felt.

He bent down and licked the shell of her ear before he said, “I’ll talk to Ani tomorrow and I’ll teach Alexandros how to not freeze like a deer in the headlights around his nephews. For you.”

Laila slapped his chest. “For me? Please. You adore her. Stop making this—”

His arm tightened like a vise around her, and she loved the little cage he built. Loved the rub and slide of her curves against his hardness. “Accept that this is one of your wishes I’m granting.”

“No way am I using up one of those on something you were already going to do.”

“Now who’s cheating?” he demanded, his mouth running a heated trail down her neck.

“Not me,” she said, shivering. “Wait, I do have a question. If you answer it, then I’ll admit that you’ve granted me another wish.”

He licked at her pulse and breathed the question into her skin. “Ask me.”

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