Page 25 of Quadruplets for the Vipers

“If you have something to say, then say it.”

“What happened to Leah being off limits? We’re supposed to be protecting her and helping her raise this baby, not putting our dicks in her,” Knox spits.

“It just happened. Leah is a grown woman, she can make her own decisions. Sleeping together doesn’t harm the baby. Why should you care? You’ve never cared who I hook up withbefore, and you haven’t exactly given the impression that you like Leah,” I point out.

“Forget I said anything, fuck who you want,” he grumbles. “Just seems like you told us one thing and did the exact opposite.”

He has a point, but I’m loath to admit it. To do so would be to admit my own weakness when it comes to Leah, that I can’t resist her.

“Look, if you want to go after Leah, by all means do, she’s her own woman and I don’t have a claim over her. It’s not like we haven’t shared before.”

“Fine, maybe I will do if you don’t care and she’s just a hook up to you.”

“Fine.”

Leah’s far from just sex to me, and he knows it. There’s no use bickering over it, though. Knox and I always argue like this, and it eventually works itself out. Sometimes we’re both too stubborn and competitive for our own good.

“If you two are quite done, there’s still the matter of the dead body that we need to deal with,” Rider interjects.

“He’s the boss, let him decide,” Knox says before leaving.

I don’t bother to follow him, Knox is going through a lot right now and he has every right to be pissed at me.

“Looks like you drew the short straw, brother, “ I say to Rider.

“I dunno, compared with dealing with one of Knox’s temper tantrums and an upset woman, I think I prefer body clean-up duty…”

I smile, grateful for my friend’s consistent stoic nature. If Rider has an opinion on me and Leah hooking up, then he’s not voicing it. I’m glad to have a job to throw myself into, and that I can focus on why the Hellhounds came here tonight and what they want with Leah, as opposed to thinking about what happened between us tonight. My feelings are confusing and complicated, and I don’t do confusing and complicated.

Throw in the fact that Knox clearly has feelings for her, too, and this whole situation is a nightmare waiting to happen if we don’t figure it out. Usually, I simply walk away, but after one night with Leah, I know that’s going to be impossible. If that man hadn’t escaped or killed his friend by mistake, I’d have killed them both to protect her. I could tell myself that I’m simply doing what I promised Zeus, but I know my desire to keep her safe is more than just duty. I care about her.

Chapter 13

Leah

It’s strange to see Jace like this, his usual cockiness is gone, in its place is only a kind and compassionate man taking care of me. He watches me carefully, ensuring I drink every drop of the tea he’s made for me. He’s right, the drink does make me feel better, less nervous. I try not to think about the dead man lying upstairs, or how close I came to being attacked by those men. I wish I knew what they came here for. The thought that if they’d come here to harm me based on some stupid drunken argument earlier is horrifying, yet it’s perhaps the lesser of two evils.

If the men were sent by the Hellhounds for me, then it’s safe to say they must know about the baby. There’s no other reason why they’d want to harm me. There’s no one else in this world who would have any malice toward me other than my ex, and while I know he has dangerous contacts, he never mentioned the Hellhounds to me.

“Feeling better?” Jace asks.

“Yes, thanks,” I reply gratefully. “What do you think they’ll do about the man upstairs?”

“They’ll take care of it, there’s no need for you to worry about that. So you and Axel, hey?” He says, changing the subject, his tone light and teasing.

“Don’t you start,” I groan. “This whole situation is bad enough without you making me feel guilty, too.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. I was just trying to figure out whether or not you’re off the market. Are you and Axel togethernow, or is there still a chance for the rest of us schmucks?” he teases.

“Ever the tease, Jace,” I quit trying to deflect his question.

In truth, I don’t know how I feel about last night or what it means for Axel and me.

“I’m not hearing no,” he says with an impish grin.

“You can have your pick of women, I’m sure you aren’t interested, regardless of Axel and me,” I dismiss.

“I didn’t ask about my interest, I asked about yours.”

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