Page 64 of Pretty Monsters

Lucien wipes his hand down his face, like he can scrub away his weariness. "I did the best I could, you know. I fought for every concession we were able to get from our father. It wasn't much, but at least it helped preserve his soul."

"And what about yours?"

"Look in the mirror and ask yourself that. I know I asked you to forgive me, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to."

"When do you have to get ready to leave?" I don't want him to dwell on that anymore today. He doesn't have another day off for two days, since the day we left was one of his split days off, and it's clear he needs a break.

"Not for a couple of hours," he replies, suspicious of my question.

I knock on the door to the bedroom and poke my head in. "I'm going to take Lucien downstairs and introduce him to Teddy and the girls if they are still around."

Sin's hair is sticking up haphazardly. He's wearing a pair of glasses I didn't even know he needed, and has a sexy nerd vibe that is so contrary to the usual lethality he exudes.

I bite my lip, and his eyes focus on the gesture. "Like the glasses, princess?" The husky timbre of his voice lets me know he already knows the answer.

I nod anyway. "Yeah," I squeak.

"Does this have anything to do with teacher boy?" His muscles tense, and I realize Ford isn't the only one he's jealous of.

"Nope. I just have a thing for hot nerds."

"Hmm," he hums. "When you come back remind me to explain to you how I'm programming spyware for Lucien to use so we can remotely monitor the strip club. The sooner we can watch them offsite, the sooner he can get out."

I wink at him. "Flirt."

Playful Sin is a surprising development, and I can't wait to get back and explore this side of him. First, though, I have a brother to cheer up, and there's only one person on the planet so infectiously happy you can't help but cheer up around. Teddy.

Only seconds after I knock, Ford is there to let us in. Shirtless. I let my eyes take him in. We might have decided to be only friends, but a half naked Ford isn't a sight to be taken for granted.

He smirks, catching me checking him out. "Miss me already, firecracker?"

"Does he have a shirt?" Lucien complains.

Ignoring Lucien, I roll my eyes at Ford. "I definitely miss views of you half naked. You should spend more time like this."

"Agreed," Jen shouts from somewhere inside.

"Damnit, Jen! Ford, put on a damn shirt," Shane shouts.

"Why did you bring me down here?" Lucien asks.

"To get you out of your head for a bit. Come on," I urge and pull on his arm, towing him inside with me.

Immediately his attention is stolen by the video game Amber and Teddy are playing. The same one they were playing before we went to the cabin. Teddy notices his interest, and holds out the controller to him. "Do you play?"

Lucien looks him over, then Amber, before answering him. "Never had much time, but I've always wanted to."

"No time like the present," Teddy says with his usual wide grin in place.

Teddy's personality is so large, I hadn't really catalogued his appearance. Shane and Ford are ridiculously good-looking, I'm not sure why I hadn't recognized Teddy could hold his own with them.

When he stands up he's nearly as tall as Lucien. He's leaner than Ford, but built like a swimmer, ropey muscles rippling under his clothes. The hair that constantly flops in his face looks like it belongs on a rock star, somehow artfully messy. His eyes are a deep green and always seem to be smiling.

Jen drops her arm around my shoulder. "The sneaky hotness of Teddy just hit you, didn't it?"

"How did I not notice?" I whisper.

She shrugs a single shoulder. "Ford and Shane are both intense and Teddy is always being a little goofy. I think he does it on purpose. He's really not comfortable when we gush over him."

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