Page 34 of A Fine Line

Still chuckling, I turn my gaze on Agatha and Jayme, who have walked across the room and are now standing beside Dare and Nettie. Agatha is teasing Nettie about her exhibitionist ways while Jayme eyeballs me in a somewhat confrontational manner. I give him my best condescendingly smug look and say, “Devereaux.”

“Andersen.” His voice is low, and he narrows his eyes at me. “Is there something I need to know about you and my sister?”

“Excuse me?” Carolina replies from her seat on the couch. “You can shut the fuck up right now with all that sister shit. And it’s none of your fucking business.”

“I’m making it my business,” Jayme responds, his eyes still locked with mine. “I won’t stand by and let this fucker toy with you.”

A growl vibrates up through my chest, and we both take a small step toward each other, but then Agatha steps between us. She pokes him in the chest. “Take it down a notch,” she says flatly. “We don’t have time for any pissing contest, never mind this completely unnecessary one.”

He looks down at her, his eyes searching hers for a moment, and then he gives a curt nod and steps back. He relaxes some, but the tension in his jaw and fisted hands gives away his continued concern.

I walk over to him, resting my hand on his shoulder as I lean in and whisper, “She’s not a fucking toy.”

His startled eyes meet mine for a long moment, then he blinks and nods, so I step back. I glance around the room to see everyone staring at me with varying levels of interest. “Fuck off.”

I walk back over to the sofa where Carolina is still seated, a sad, almost uncertain look on her face. I move to sit beside her, and she moves over slightly to make room for me, but I still manage to sit close enough to her, so she’s pressed up against me, shoulder to hip to thigh. Her hands are folded in her lap, and she fidgets nervously, so I reach out, snag one of her hands, and pull it over, pressing it palm down against my thigh. Her brows raise, and she gives me a surprised look. I lift a shoulder nonchalantly, then lean over and say, “I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

Carolina’s lips curve up slightly, and her body relaxes while her fingers dig into my thigh firmly. That’s all it takes for my cock to harden in my pants again, and I squirm in my seat, thinking of every horrifying scenario possible until I feel the want abate.

Everyone is silent for a few moments, and then Nettie asks, “Well, you broke up the party, so I’m assuming it’s for a good reason.”

Agatha snorts. “Well, yeah. But I would’ve interrupted either way, just for fun.”

Nettie walks over and gives her a playful shove. “But I was so close. You would’ve ruined that for me for no good reason?”

“Oh, I definitely would’ve waited for the two big guys to lock lips if it looked like it was going that direction. But since it obviously wasn’t, I figured I wasn’t interrupting much.”

“What in the fuck?” Jayme says as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Dare and Tony like to make out?”

“No, we don’t. But apparently, these two ladies like to talk about it, especially Nettie. Seems it’s pretty high up on her wish list.”

Nettie smiles saucily and waggles her eyebrows and shoulders at me, and she responds, “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. I will neither confirm nor deny this accusation—“

“It’s probably pretty close to number one,” Dare interrupts. “Though it’s quite possible she just likes to harass me. And, of course, now she will also use it to harass Tony, so to her, that’s a win-win.”

Carolina pipes up beside me. “It’s not like you dudes haven’t been begging women to kiss each other for eons. I don’t see any problem with the quid pro quo on a little MM canoodling.”

Nettie’s eyes widen, and she smiles broadly. “Oh, yes. I totally agree. Do they do MMM ménage?”

Jayme groans as he pulls over an armchair and falls into it heavily. “Don’t include me in your guys’ crazy shenanigans. I have no urge to kiss a man, never mind these two fucking assholes.”

All three women titter, making eyes at each other as if there’s an inside joke that we’re not privy to. Dare walks up behind Nettie and leans close, speaking quietly into her ear. She turns her head toward him, excitement in her eyes as she says, “Really? Do you promise?”

He nods and leans closer to respond, but Jayme interrupts, “Okay, enough fucking around. You can go back to your weird sex games later. Right now, we have more important matters to discuss.”

Dare and Nettie exchange a final knowing look before returning their attention to us. Then Agatha says, “The information our prisoner gave us seems to be legit. We managed to make contact with someone on the inside, who said they will turn the girl over to Carolina, but no one else.”

“Let me guess,” I respond. “She has to come alone?”

“Yes. That is what they said originally, but I shut that down immediately,” Jayme answers. “We won’t be able to go in with a full force, but having a handful of people present is better than no one.”

I shake my head, my hand over the top of Carolina’s, pushing her palm more firmly into my leg as the pressure in my chest intensifies. “I don’t like it. Once she goes in the fucking building, anything can happen.”

“I’ll do it,” Carolina says firmly. “I don’t care what happens to me. Promise me you’ll get her out.”

I turn my gaze on her, shaking my head as I say, “No. There has to be ano–”

My words are cut off by a hard pinch to my leg, and she says, “Promise me, Tony.” She nips my thigh again, and I yank her hand away as she continues, “Promise me if it comes down to having to choose, you will save her.”

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