Page 24 of Brutal Power

We head back inside just as the Cubs hit a home run and the boys start cheering. Declan swoops me up into his arms and spins me around. “The Cubbies stink, but every once in a while, they manage to make us proud,” he says.

“Easy, Dec, or else the big boss is going to get all jealous,” Nolan says, grinning huge and waggling his eyebrows.

Declan leaps back from me, his hands going to his mouth. “Oh, no. I’ve touched Brody’s wife.”

“Please, don’t give me that crap.” I punch him right in the arm and he howls in mock pain. “If I want to dance with my brother-in-law and celebrate some sports stuff, that’s what I’ll do.”

“Says who?” Brody asks, his voice low and menacing, but there’s a gleam in his eye.

Seamus whistles. “Uh-oh. Domestic dispute.”

“Don’t give me that controlling crap,” I say, glaring at Brody. But I’ve got a smile on my face. “Or are you going to end up acting like some brainless caveman?”

“Nah,” he drawls, head tilted to the side. “We’re an arranged marriage, right? And besides, Declan couldn’t satisfy a woman like you.”

Nolan howls with laughter, and Declan calls his brother a few very choice names. The guys start flinging insults at each other, and all the while there’s a fire burning in my guts as I think about Brodysatisfyingmeand what that would mean. He’s handsome, I’ll give him that, with the sort of lips I could picture pressed against mine and a perfectly muscular physique, but all of his brothers are good-looking. Only none of them have Brody’s presence, at least not in my eyes. When my husband is in the room, I can’t stop looking at him.

That’s an issue though. Since like he said, we’re just arranged, and that’s all.

I go sit on the arm of his chair. He looks up at me, a smirk on his face, and he casually rests a hand around my lower back, placing it on my hip.

“Maybe we could have an open thing,” I remark casually once the brotherly bickering dies down.

I’m aware of what I’m doing. All the guys glance over, and I spot Molly standing behind the couch with her face in her hand, shaking her head and smiling.

“Don’t stir up shit,” Brody murmurs.

“Why not? We’re justarranged, right?”

“She’s got a point, Brod,” Seamus says with a wicked grin. “The girl’s got rights.”

“She’s my wife.” His fingers tighten on my hip. “And I don’t give a fuck about herrights.”

“What about my needs?” My eyebrows raise, and I do my best to look innocent. “I don’t see you clambering to take care of me.”

The look Brody gives me is pure hate, but there’s a deep, dark longing mixed in with the rage and it sends a jolt of pure lust into my core. His fingers lift the hem of my top slightly and brush against my bare skin, and it’s like he taps me with a cattle prod. I feel it between my legs, the instant attraction, the desire pooling in my core.

“I’m not going to talk about satisfying my wife in front of my family,” he says and there’s a warning in his tone.

But it’s too late. The other guys are on him. “Come on, Brod, if the girl’s got needs, she’s got needs,” Nolan says with a casual shrug. “Not saying I’m offering or anything, but I know a few guys?—”

The looks Brody gives his brother is startling. “Watch your fucking mouth, Nolan. Finish that sentence and I’ll break your fucking arm.”

The vibe shifts. They all look surprised. Even I’m taken aback. Brody doesn’t seem like the threatening type, and I’m betting that he doesn’t make them lightly. Why’s he acting like he cares all of a sudden when he’s done nothing but make it clear that he’s all business? He’s got to know I’m just teasing him right now. I mean, his brothers are all clearly in on the joke—they’re only rubbing it in even more.

But Brody’s taking the bait, and he’s rising to it way more than I imagined he would.

“Damn, bro, relax,” Seamus says into the stunned silence. “He’s just fucking around.”

“You think it’s funny to talk about another man with my wife?” Brody’s fingers are digging into my hip now possessively.

“You just fucking said—” Nolen starts but Brody cuts him off.

“I don’t give a shit if you’re all fucking joking around. It’s funny, I get it, you want to bust my balls. But now you know where the line stands. Don’t make jokes about my wife.” He stands and my jaw’s wide open, basically in my lap. “I’m going to help Mom finish up dinner.” Then he storms out of the room.

Leaving me alone on the arm of the chair. His brothers watch him go with varying degrees of bafflement. Seamus speaks first and looks over at me with an apologetic smile.

“He’s not always like this,” he says and leans back a little, cracking open a new beer.

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