Godfrey’s voice was flat as he answered. “Yes, sir.”
I was forced to clear the table by myself, since Mama gave me her evil eye, clearly unhappy with what I’d said at the table, but I didn’t care. My temporary truce with the Heirs had me feeling invincible lately. She was quick to divert the conversation away to superficial shit, and I tuned them out for the rest of the dinner. Godfrey didn’t speak once.
When dinner was done, they all left to drink coffee and eat the cake Mama bought from the bakery on fifth street in the formal sitting room. I opted to wash dishes instead of stroke Mr. Taylor’s ego. When I finally finished cleaning up, I wiped my hands on the dishrag and headed in the opposite direction, towards the stairs. I was done visiting for the night. I just wanted to crawl in my bed and attempt to sleep. I was half tempted to call Luis and Bonham again to have another sleepover, but that would mean going back on my word to not put up with their shit. I spent the week following their rules but keeping them at a distance, feeling that familiar pang of loneliness, but ignoring it. Sometimes a girl had to cling to her pride.
I was thinking about Mr. Taylor’s vicious stare as I passed the hall, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard voices. I tucked myself close to the wall and peeked through the crack in the nearly closed door. The lights were off in my daddy’s office, but I could see two silhouettes from the moonlit window. The voices let me know that it was Godfrey and his daddy inside.
“—and I won’t stand for it.” Mr. Taylor was saying, and I watched as he methodically removed his suit jacket and draped it over the chair, and then started to roll up his shirt sleeves. “Why was Scarlett asking those questions? You been running your mouth, son?”
“No, sir.”
Godfrey’s demeanor was totally different than I’d ever witnessed. Insead of the sure, cocky posture he usually had, his shoulders were slumped and his head was down, making him look defeated as he stood in front of Mr. Taylor. His voice was quiet and respectful, but I could see the way his fists flexed even in the shadows.
“You disappoint me,” Mr. Taylor said.
“I know, sir.”
“You know what else disappoints me?” I could hear the fury in Mr. Taylor’s voice. It made a cold shiver of terror creep down my spine. It was the same way I felt when that O’Banion man had grabbed my arm at the train tracks. “It disappoints me that I just learned from my contact that my own son lied to me and didn’t complete a job.” My breath caught in my chest as Mr. Taylor took a step toward him. “You didn’t destroy that evidence for the Macon Mob job. Johnny Jack himself called me at work. At work, Godfrey! You know I don’t allow that. He let me know in no uncertain terms that if you don’t fix this soon, there’s going to be a reckoning.”
“I—”
“Look at me when I’m speaking to you!” Mr. Taylor snapped.
I saw Godfrey lift his head up, and as soon as he did, Mr. Taylor cocked his arm and sent his fist into Godfrey’s face.
I was so shocked that a gasp escaped me, and my hand flew over my mouth. Godfrey stumbled back, catching himself as his back hit the wall, but Mr. Taylor hit him again, making his neck snap to the side. “You will fix this. You will give that evidence back to Johnny Jack,” he ordered. “We are Taylors, for fucks sake. There’s no room to suddenly grow a conscience. Your hands are stained red, boy. There’s no washing that off. So, do your duty to your family, or I’ll hand you over to Johnny Jack myself.”
My breathing came in quick pants, and pieces to a puzzle I didn’t know that I was missing fell into place. I’d always known that Mr. Taylor was an asshole, but I never knew that he’d been abusive. So many of Godfrey’s traits made sense now. The reason he was so calculating and observant—he’d had to learn to be that way to gauge his daddy’’s moods.
While Godfrey stayed against the wall, Mr. Taylor slowly rolled down his sleeves, seemingly finished with his punishment, as if this was just another day. The fact that he was thought-out enough to have removed his jacket and roll his sleeves up in the first place let me know that this wasn’t a one time thing. This happened on the regular, and Mr. Taylor was a sick son of a bitch. I also had the sickening realization that this was my fault. Godfrey was getting berated and beaten, all because I’d acted like a taunting brat at dinner. Guilt clawed at me.
“Go home and wait there. We’ll talk about this more later. I’ll make your excuses to Mrs. Livingston,” Mr. Taylor said, pulling his jacket back on.
I darted to the bathroom and quietly closed the door before Mr. Taylor could spot me. When I heard footsteps disappear down the hall, I rushed out, hoping to catch Godfrey, but when I checked the room, he was already gone.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The moment I woke up on Sunday morning, I grabbed the keys to Mama’s Bugatti and drove to the Kelly estate. Mama didn’t like me driving around the city much. She said it looked bad. Any respectable family had a driver and tinted windows. But I didn’t really care about the repercussions, I needed to talk to Rogue about what I’d seen last night, even if he was the last person I wanted to talk to right then. I felt bad for my part in upsetting Mr. Taylor, and I could still hear the way his fist had connected with Godfrey’s face. While stopped at a redlight, I looked down at my thighs where the lines from his nails had dug into my skin, warning me to shut the fuck up, but I’d been too self absorbed to stop.
And even though I’d taken my fair share of hits thanks to Godfrey Taylor and the Heirs, it still ate me up inside that he was his daddy’s punching bag. I wanted to fix it. I wanted to protect them. My hand automatically went up to the crown necklace that now hung around my neck. Maybe it was stupid, but a part of me truly felt like I really was their queen, responsible for their wellbeing.
As I descended the long drive covered in leaves and hanging Spanish moss, my breath caught in my chest. Godfrey’s Black Mercedes was parked right there by the large fountain. I wasn’t planning on seeing him so soon, but I was relieved to know that he wasn’t at his house. There was no telling what kind of punishment he would’ve endured there. I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.
It wasn’t until I was inside the foyer that I realized I hadn’t knocked on the door. I simply walked inside Rogue’s house, like I’d done so many times before. My scuffed boots shuffled along the tile as I called out for them. “Godfrey? Rogue?” But no one answered me. It felt odd just letting myself in, but familiar all the same.
I traveled upstairs and checked Rogue’s room first. My heart and my head couldn’t decide if I wanted to see him or not, but luckily, I didn’t have to question it for long because his room was empty. His king-sized bed with navy bedding was made, as if he hadn’t even slept in it the night before. The bathroom door was open, revealing that he wasn’t there either. I called his name once more, but he didn’t answer. Stephanie’s taunts immediately crossed my mind, and I had to swallow down the emotion-laced bile threatening to spill out of my mouth. Were Godfrey and Rogue there with her right now? The thought churned like acidic rocks in my stomach.
I made my way across the hall to the guest bedroom. I’d spent quite a few nights there. The guys would build pallets on the floor around me so that we could watch scary movies and eat junk food until the sun came up. Rogue’s parents were never home. He’d spent most of his childhood with a nanny, and when he was old enough to not need one, we started spending the night more often. He’d never admit it, but Rogue Kelly didn’t like being alone. Maybe that was why he was keeping Stephanie Palmisano’s bed warm.
When I twisted the door knob to the guest room, I noticed a bulky body under the maroon and gold bedding, with blond hair peeking out towards the pillow. Godfrey. I sighed in relief at his presence, despite the pangs of nervousness I felt. Would he hate me for the part I played in his father’s anger?
Sneaking inside, I shut the door quietly behind me. I didn’t think about my next actions, it was just instinctual, something I’d done a hundred times before. I removed my
jacket and boots, then made my way over to the opposite side of the bed before lifting the cushy bedding and crawling in beside him. I nuzzled up to his back while wrapping my arm around his stomach, and I felt him tense.
“I’m so sorry, Godfrey,” I whispered, knowing he was awake.
It was all so wrong. I didn’t expect him to respond. I just wanted to hug him. I wanted to hug the boy that cut Abigail McKinley's ponytail off in third grade because she told me that my freckles looked like dirt and made me cry. I wanted to comfort the teen that taught me to drive on Carriage Lane when Mama was adamant about me not getting a license.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered again, before nuzzling closer, breathing in his scent and convincing myself that he was okay. The door to the bedroom opened but I stayed still, not willing to tear my body from Godfrey’s just yet.
“Taylor, I heard your father was being a prick again last night,” Luis's bright voice said as he entered the room. His steps faltered when he noticed me. “Oh, who do we have here?” he asked with amusement.
“Hey, Luis,” I offered, feeling suddenly embarrassed.
I heard him chuckle, but still, Godfrey didn’t speak. Usually, he had something to say, some mean quip to stab me with. But he simply grunted when Luis joined me in bed, sandwiching me between them as I unwrapped my arms from Godfrey and transitioned to laying flat on my back. Luis found my hand and threaded his fingers between mine. We hadn’t had time to find a new normal—one where I forgave them for being so cruel. We hadn’t had the opportunity to start rebuilding our friendship. But this felt nice. Like I could almost forget all that had happened over the last several months.
“Quick, let’s take our clothes off to make Rogue pissed. He’ll be back soon,” Luis offered cheerfully before letting go of me and pulling off his shirt. After tossing it aside, he laid back down and grabbed my hand again. “Now you’re turn,” he said, wagging his brows as he rubbed over his chiseled chest. It would have been funny, except for the steady unease that had taken over my body ever since Stephanie talked to me in the bathroom. Just Rogue’s name had the power to take that anxiety I’d been feeling and make it grow tenfold.
“He was at Stephanie’s last night, wasn’t he?” I asked while biting my lip.
At my question, Godfrey turned over to face me. His morning breath feathered over my face as I took in his bruised cheek and bright smile. Accepting my apologies for pissing off his daddy was too much. But taunting me with Stephanie and Rogue? That was right up his alley.
“He was. That bother you, Scarlett?”
“Yeah. That make you feel better, Godfrey?”
“Yeah,” he admitted with a shrug of his shoulder.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a dick.”
“Don’t talk about dick unless you’re gonna touch ours,” Godfrey taunted.
“You wish.”
“Shh, don’t hurt our dicks’ feelings,” Luis said, clamping a hand over my mouth and making me laugh before I shoved him away.
Luis let out a slow whistle. “Always gotta fight us,” he said, before pulling me away from Godfrey to lay on his chest. I lay there as he stroked my hair, comforting me with all of the apologies he wouldn’t say out loud. Luis didn’t believe in empty sorries. He’d heard enough of them from his mama. Luis was a man of action. He would redeem himself one way or another, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for the two little words I really wanted to hear:
I’m sorry.
I felt the bed shift beside me and almost laughed when Godfrey stripped naked. He placed a leg over mine, letting his morning wood dig into my hips. My reaction was instinctual. My pulse began to race, and my core throbbed. It wasn’t the same all-consuming lust I felt when I was with Rogue, but I still had the same reaction of any normal, hot-blooded woman at being squished between two sexy as hell guys.
I felt lips on my spine. “I say we get her blood pumping just a bit. You know, to really piss him off. Even the scores a bit for her,” Godfrey said.
Oh, it was so wrong. But I could feel Luis growing harder by the moment, and soon, both of their erections were pressing into me. I couldn’t even say how many times I’d fantasized this very thing. They might have been my best friends, but hell, I wasn’t blind or immune to their allure and attractiveness.
“You won’t hear any arguments from me,” Luis replied.
Fingers traced the line of my my hips, and another hand stroked my neck. I was breathing embarrassingly hard now, panting as they got me worked up.
“We shouldn’t,” I said breathlessly.
“Nope,” Godfrey replied easily, his hand slowly trailing up my thigh. “But you know me. I like to cause trouble.”
I swallowed, trying to think, but he was lighting a fire with his teasing touch, and moving so slowly that I knew it was deliberate. Godfrey was telling the truth. He did like to cause trouble. But I knew him well enough to also know that he would never jeopardize his relationship with Rogue, so there was more to this. I just couldn’t think straight enough to figure out what it was in that moment. Not with him touching me like that.
Godfrey let the pad of his finger trace all the way up my thigh, and since I was wearing a skirt, he simply pushed it up to bunch at my waist. Luis was still behind me, and I could feel his teeth scraping over the edge of my shoulder, making me shudder.
“Rogue,” I choked out, cutting off when Godfrey’s finger scraped over the front of my panties and making me jolt.
“Maybe Rogue will realize why he should’ve stayed here and let me go instead,” Godfrey said, his voice husky when he discovered that I was wet, already dampening my panties.
“I—” My words cut off when Luis's arm came around me and his hand pushed under my t-shirt to splay across my bare stomach.
They were teasing me again. Taunting me. But this time, it was sexual. This time, I enjoyed it.
When Luis inched his hand up, I found myself arching my back, trying to push my breasts up, straining for attention. Luis chuckled and said something in Spanish, which only added fuel to my building fire.
“Rogue will be pissed,” I said, just as Godfrey began to circle around my clit with his thumb. He still moved in those tortuously slow movements, and even though I wanted to grab his hand and force him to go faster, force him to touch me where I needed it, I held myself still.
“Yeah,” Godfrey admitted, leaning in to blow a breath against my neck and making me shiver. “But sometimes you gotta push people, Scar,” he whispered.
“Huh?”
God, I was a writhing mess. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t stay still anymore. I was this close to begging them to stop torturing me and just do something already, but they didn’t. Godfrey continued to tease around my clit, never quite pressing against it, while Luis trailed his fingers over my stomach, only allowing his fingers to barely brush against the edge of my breasts.
“You gotta push them so that they finally pull their heads out of their asses and decide to push back or pull away.”
Godfrey’s words barely filtered in, because suddenly, they were both gone. My eyes snapped open, and I sat up, looking around with wide eyes as Luis and Godfrey moved around, pulling on clothes.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my breath coming in way too quickly.
Godfrey and Luis shared a smirk as they finished getting dressed. I clutched the blankets against my chest as embarrassment set in. “What the hell was that?” I demanded.
“I told you,” Godfrey said, straightening the cuffs at his sleeves. “Sometimes people need a little push.”
Luis gave me an assessing look. “I’d say she’s nice and warmed up, wouldn’t you?”
Godfrey nodded. “The ‘fuck me’ look works for you, Scar.”
Luis headed toward the door, fistbumping Godfrey as he passed. “We still got it.”
Godfrey grinned cockily. “Course we do,” he agreed, walking out behind Luis. “We’ll get you some caffeine, Scar.”
My face was ho
t, my clothes askew, and I didn’t know what I felt more: embarrassment, rejection, confusion, or relief. I buried my head in my hands and took a few steadying breaths. These guys were going to be the death of me, but I didn’t even have a good minute to process it all because all of a sudden, a grumbling voice spoke outside the door.
“Hey, asshole! You up? I grabbed your clothes from your place.”
My eyes widened just as the door flew open, and then there was Rogue.
His eyes flashed first with confusion at my presence, and then his look morphed into anger. “What are you doing here?” he asked, while sweeping his gaze along my body, taking in the way I was blushing, my heaving chest, my disheveled clothes and messy blankets.
“I wanted to check on Godfrey, and Luis showed up,” I replied with a shrug, but there was a suggestion to my tone that I was certain he’d caught.
“What the fuck does that mean?” he asked with a growl, making me flinch.
I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t get to be mad, Rogue. You haven’t earned the right to demand exclusivity from me,” I retorted, even though I wanted to tell him that he already owned me. I could feel the words on the tip of my tongue, but I bit down on them, clenching so hard that my jaw ached. If I gave him that, then he’d have everything, every single part of me, and I would still have nothing.
“I told you not to kiss anyone else. What part of, you’re mine don’t you understand?” he asked, his voice a deathly growl. “Did you fuck them?”
Instead of answering him, I asked the question that had been bothering me since arriving this morning. “How was Stephanie?”
Rogue crossed his arms over his chest, as if questioning whether or not he wanted to answer me. I knew he was somewhere between wanting to piss me off and being pissed off. “She says hello,” he finally answered, pleased with himself.
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