Page 76 of Twisted Kings

A snort of derision escaped before I could stop it. I’d seen photos of Cassian’s fiancée and heard him talking about her. Frankly, I’d done him a favor. He’d even said as much one night after a few too many drinks.

But my actions had hurt the woman who meant the world to me, even if I had refused to believe back then. And if I could turn back time and destroy that damn file, I would.

“I’m sorry,cara, I was angry, and I wanted to hurt you. When Torrance told me to plant those cameras, I should have refused.” I ducked my head in shame. “Please forgive me.”

She sighed. “We both know refusal wasn’t an option, Dar. If it wasn’t you planting the cameras, it would have been someone else. It was my fault for being dumb enough to have sex with two guys, knowing full well Torrance had planned something.”

I bristled at the reminder of her having sex with those twostronzos. Neither of them deserved her. They were both entitledpricks, although I did feel a teeny bit sorry for Cassian. His father was almost as bad as Francesco.

My apology - and time - had softened her attitude toward me. The last time I tried to talk to her when we first arrived here, she refused to engage. Which was fair, given how stupid I’d been.

All our problems could have been avoided if I’d bothered talking to her all those years ago. But teenage me was an idiot, and the less said about that, the better.

At least she was still here, in the kitchen. Still willing to talk to me. I took that as a win. Sensing a desire to let bygones be bygones, I moved backward and pulled her onto my lap. She stiffened in my arms, but to my delight, did not attempt to escape.

“Dar, this is a bad idea,” she began. “What we had—”

“Is still here,” I interrupted. “For me anyway. Are you saying you don’t still feel the attraction between us?” She looked away and disappointment curdled my stomach. Had I lost her for good? I wasn’t sure how to deal with that. Without her, I had nothing.

My fingers curled around her slim wrist, marveling at how soft her skin felt under my touch. It had always amazed me how well she hid her lethality.

Thea’s femininity captivated me. Always had. Most men only saw her curves and delicate, heart-shaped face, dark cat-eyes, and pouty mouth. It wasn’t until she had a blade to their throat they realized they had woefully underestimated her.

“I never stopped loving you,cara. Even when I thought I hated you.”

“You sure hid it well,” she muttered sarcastically, referencing all the times I’d verbally abused her when we crossed paths again.

“I’m a fool, and I understand if you can’t forgive me.” I prayed she didn’t feel that way, but I would accept it if she did.

“Would I be sitting on your lap if I hated your guts, Dar?” she said with a faint trace of amusement.

She was definitely hiding something, but I didn’t want to upset her by asking for a third time, so I shoved my suspicions down.

“I missed this,” I admitted. “Spending time together, just you and me.”

“We’re not kids anymore, and it’s no longer just you and me.” No sooner had the words fallen from her lips than the door burst open. Verity came running in and slammed to a halt the moment she spied her sister perched on my knee.

Her eyes widened. “Should I leave you guys?” she asked.

“We were just, um, talking about the old days.”

Thea squirmed, attempting to extricate herself from my hold. Unfortunately, her wiggling around only served to make me hard, which she realized almost immediately. I had nothing to hide a hard-on, so I prayed she remained seated until Verity quit staring at us.

“Please don’t move,” I murmured in her ear. “Or I’ll be embarrassed.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” she replied in a low voice, reminding me of the time my father stumbled across us while we hung out in the woods at the back of Francesco’s house. We’d been making out before he appeared, and I’d had a massive boner. My dad elected not to comment, but I could still recall how embarrassing it had been for teenage-me.

You’d think that at my advanced age, I’d have gained control over my body, but nope. Thea still had the power to make me hard without even trying.

“Like you talk with Kyril and also Landon?” Verity asked with a sly grin.

“Dar and I are old friends,” Thea attempted to deflect, but from the way Verity’s grin widened, she’d figured out her sisterwas in a relationship with more than one guy. And was shit-stirring. “It’s different.”

My erection had finally subsided, so I gently pushed Thea off my lap and stood. Just in time, as Kyril and Landon strolled in, sweaty from a workout.

The Russian headed straight for Thea and pulled her in for a heated kiss, completely ignoring me as usual. I bristled at his stupid territorial behavior. After the operation to rescue Thea, I had a lot of respect for the guy, but he was still a dickhead.

“Are you going to kiss Thea too?” Verity asked me innocently. Landon’s gaze landed on me and he smirked.

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