Page 74 of Vicious Sentiments

I don’t know what to make of Cape deciding to sleep in here, but the two being playful puts me at an ease that I don’t think I’ve ever felt.

As if on cue, Julian gets up and turns the light off. I hear him sink back into his chair, and the room is nothing but soft breaths andmoonlight. After a moment, I close my eyes, and thankfully, there are no visions.

“So this is really all you two do in here? Sleep?” Cape breaks the silence.

“Yes,” Julian hisses back, and I giggle.

“Doesn’t seem very fun.”

“We’ll have plenty of fun when she turns eighteen.”

Their voices bounce back and forth in the dark and smile to myself, a little pleased with his promise.

“That’s two weeks away,” Cape complains.

I’m surprised he knows my birthday and I speak up. “How do you know?”

“Because that’s all Marney has been talking about. It’s either that or begging me to throw a Halloween party.”

“You should,” Julian says.

“Margo told her not to bother you about that,” I say.

“We’ll do something, but I think I’m going to sell the loft,” Cape says.

“Really? But you love the loft,” Julian, and I hear him turn in his chair.

“Madison—” Cape’s voice cracks and he clears his throat. He doesn’t finish whatever he was about to say. “Not anymore. Think I’m going to move in with you, little brother.”

“Excuse me?”

“What? I’m not moving back in with Ma, and you don’t even use your house.”

“Just buy yourself a new place.”

“Nah…” he draws out the word with a dark edge. “I think your place is going to be a lot more fun in about two weeks.”

I feel a heat between my legs as Julian chuckles and I’m grateful we are in the dark, and they can’t see me blush.

“If we can’t do anything, can we at least talk about it?” Cape asks, and my ears perk up. “Prime the pump,” he adds.

“I may have already given her a little tease. I’m not all moral code all the time.”

“So, she knows we’re going to savor those little pink lips of hers?”

I feel myself tingle at his words.

“She probably needs the reminder,” Julian purrs, and my whole body heats up.

“Okay, then let me tell you a bedtime story, baby.” Cape’s voice turns husky.

Oh, my god,sograteful for the dark.

“Once upon a time,” Cape chuckles darkly. “There was a poor and broken girl who found herself pinned between two handsome brothers.”

Julian snorts but I’m so ready for this.

“One wasgood—”he says pointedly.“And the other was bad, and the broken girl didn’t have a clue what she was in for. She looked to the good brother for help, but he was easily influenced.”

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