Page 52 of The Twins

“I want to see all of you,” I tell him, and he rubs my earlobe, fondling it with his fingers.

Charles hears our conversation, but he doesn’t comment. He listens in, soaking in the information. He’s curious, but he allows us our moment.

“You really shouldn’t, sugar puff. I’ve done things—”

Shaking my head, I blurt out, “I love you. You’re intense. There’s something wrong with you and that brainy head of yours, but… I love the way you think. You made us happen. You make me feel like a sweet little girl, innocent and wrapped in pink. I’m not, not at all.”

I gulp down my tears. I can cry more often now, but I remain picky with opening myself up for it in front of others.

“I’d do it all over again and better. I failed you, sugar puff,” he says to me, leaning in to bite my ear in a tease. Charles has super ears, but when Vegas whispers to me, it’s like his lips aren’t moving.

He communicates directly with my heart, and that’s a line of connection you can’t stalk with bugs or hefty paranoia.

“I’ve failed you twice, once that fateful night in Katantia and the other when I forced you to leave us for your protection. I won’t fail you again, sugar puff. Charles may be our collective daddy, but I’m our dirty guardian angel. I’ve got luck that would make the Irish jealous. I’d spend it all on you, sugar puff.”

He clears his throat. “And you’re innocent to me. You’re my sweet girl, my woman made from soft clouds and dreams. You have so much going on inside of your pretty head. All the pain, the hurt.”

He touches my belly. His flat palm warms me up. “We will heal together, sugar puff. You hear me?”

I nod decisively.

“Are you in pain?”

I shake my head. “Charles washed me, and we bathed together. There’s very little blood now, and the cramps have disappeared for this month.”

“Good. Next time, I want to fuck you during your period. Would you like that, sugar puff?” he asks, his tone a dramatic one. He takes this stuff seriously.

I blush. “Isn’t that dirty?”

“I love the taste of blood,” he says, scaring me just a tiny bit. “And I love you. Connect the two, and there’s double the pleasure. There’s no way I’d ever voluntarily make you bleed. So, period sex is the perfect solution!”

“You sound like a baby, Vegas,” Charles chimes in from the sofa. He quietly observed our interaction, and there’s a smirk on his face when I turn to face him. “But then I remember you’re a grown-ass man. Don’t ever change. You make for good jokes.”

“Don’t say that,” I tell Charles. I turn around to wrap my arms around Vegas. In my head, I’m protecting him from verbal harm. I cocoon him in my arms, and I shower him with my love.

“Banter doesn’t break me, sugar puff. Charles thinks he’s funny. He’s just an old and hairy bully who’ll soon need Viagra,” Vegas counters, chuckling into me.

Charles laughs all the way from the sofa, and we join in.

Remo’s presence makes the hair on the back of my neck stand to attention. I give Vegas a quick kiss, giving all my attention to his older twin brother. Before I can hug him, he claims, “I stink. I better shower first.”

His statement twists something inside of me.

“I’m sorry for the mix-up,” Remo says, brushing by me without a single touch. “It’ll never happen again.”

As I watch him disappear, I swallow back a gulp that would make things uncomfortable.

---