Page 33 of The Devil's Daughter

But here we are, determined to protect her, yet fighting a losing battle against our crush on a girl we’ve known since high school. Ben gave in once already, and I can feel my will crumbling with every step I take to find him. On the way, I rehearse a speech that involves talking himoutof being with her, emphasizing the fact that we need to do our fucking jobs.

But that little voice in my head keeps telling me the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Protecting her, protecting Drake, and being with Elle can coexist. And we’re safe where we are too. Ben does daily patrols, checking every inch of the yacht and assures me we’re good.

Until we learn who Drake’s true enemy is and what they actually want, we won’t know what kind of danger he’s in, or if they’d be a threat to Elle too. At least this yacht is remote enough that she’s in no danger from Amador or Delgado.

I finally locate Ben and Drake down in the small gym, chatting amiably while Drake spots my brother on the weight bench. He sees me just as he’s lowering the loaded barbell to his chest.

“What’s up?” he puffs out, grunting as he lifts, managing five reps, then ten. I wait so I can look into his eyes when we talk. Drake stands wide-legged at his head, and we lock gazes for a second. He sees something in my face that makes his mouth twitch.

“You were right,” he says to my brother. “She wore him down.”

“No…” I begin, then huff a breath out through my nose. “Fucking hell, she’s relentless.”

Ben racks the barbell and sits up, chuckling at me as he swipes a towel over his sweaty brow. “She knows what she wants, and evidently it’s all three of us.”

“Just like that? How did you reach that conclusion?”

“Because she told me,” Drake says. “Last night, we were talking…”

“While you watched her on video,” I interject, intending it as a challenge, but it lacks any edge.

Drake narrows his eyes. “Yes, but we alsotalked. She’s evidently given it a lot of thought and believes her relationship with you two is solid enough to make it worth trying. And that she trustsmeenough to want me involved too. All I know is that I’m willing. I’m not about to let myself be left in the dust if there’s a way to have literallyeverythingI’ve ever wanted.”

“How in a million years could this even work? I can’t just make it about having fun. It’s more than that to me.”

“I don’t sleep with women as a rule,” Drake says. “I haven’t in years, because it’s such a landmine of triggers when I do. Elle is different.”

“Why? What’s so special about her?” When he frowns, I elaborate. “Listen, I know she’s special. Hell, she’s goddamn perfect. But why does this work foryou? You’re a fucking billionaire, San Diego’s most eligible bachelor… with some baggage, true, but you don’t get to be who you are without it. Why do you need to haveheron top of it?”

Ben stands, and Drake rounds the bench to take his place, pausing before he sits to look into my eyes. “Because she’s like me at that age—driven, smart, andwithoutthe baggage. Or at least with different baggage, and just enough that she grasps the shit I’ve been through. She knows all about toxic secrets. Even better, she’s willing to let me purge my own of their toxicity.”

He takes a breath and shakes his head. “No one has ever been that person for me. Someone willing to take away the shame of what I crave, to let me be who I am without judgment. Who makes me feel whole instead of an empty shell.”

His speech is so earnest I can’t help but believe every word, even though I don’t quite empathize. I am probably the least fucked up person on this boat at the moment, and it’s a strange revelation. But one look at my brother confirms it. He’s looking at Drake like he knows all too well what that feels like, and I feel a slight pang inside when I realize for the first time that there’s one thing my twin and I will never share. But I still have Elle’s offer to balance out that minor loss. I can haveher. I may not have any desire to share Drake with my brother, but we can both have her.

“This isn’t just fooling around to either of you, is it?”

“I don’t typically pursue romances with my employees, for one thing,” Drake says. “But the perfect person doesn’t come along all that often.” His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, then glances over his shoulder at Ben and adds, “The perfect people.”

He looks at me again. “It feels a little crazy. Fucking roller-coaster crazy, I admit. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice Elle the moment she started working for me, and I didn’t need her link to Flores to know she was special. Not so special I’d have acted on it prematurely, but that was months ago. Getting to know her better since you three moved in just confirmed what I hoped, but wasn’t prepared to count on. That she really is as perfect as she seemed all along. We’d be fools to let her get away.”

“And you’re both okay with this?” I ask, replaying Elle’s rationale in my head, but needing to hear them both admit they’re on board with the idea too.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Baz?” Ben blurts, leaning on the racked barbell and shaking his head. “We’ve been in love with her for eight years. Her brothers are the only reason we never acted on it.”

“They’re still a really fucking compelling reason not to, but you know it’s not that,” I retort. “We have a job to do.”

“Yeah, but don’t tell me you haven’t already talked yourself into believing we can do both. Trust me, I went there too, and I know I can still do my job.”

My nostrils flare as I shift my attention to Drake who’s smirking at me now. He sobers and nods. “I’m predisposed to polyamory, anyway. It doesn’t feel strange to share or be shared. I’m guessing you prefer women, though, am I right? Because it could be more interesting if you’re open to men too.”

I blink, then cough and take a step back. “I’m good with Elle.”

“Fair enough,” he says, smirk returning. “But I take it that means you’re giving in? She’s kind of a force of nature.”

Glancing between the two of them, I consider the proposal I left the dining room trying to rationalize my way out of accepting. But I’m outnumbered, and knowing they’ll agree to it doesn’t make it any easier.

I clear my throat. “Yeah, she is at that. The video was, ah… well, it was classic Elle, for one thing. I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since watching it.”

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