Deceptive Secrets
Page 29
“We are not stripping in front of each other.” She lifted an eyebrow at them, shaking her head.
“It could get ugly,” Matt agreed. “The twins are crap at poker, we beat them every time. Not sure I could stomach seeing them naked, especially if we’re having second tea first.”
“We can change the rules. If we win, Lily takes something off. If she wins, she takes something off.”
“Oh, right, so I’ll be naked, but you’ll be clothed.”
“Works for me.” Matt fist bumped Nate.
“I think reversing that would be fairer, you all naked and me clothed, but alas, we may never know, as I can’t play poker.” She stuck her tongue out at them.
Being with them lifted her mood. She’d had enough of morose thoughts and heavy situations. She wanted to forget everything else and have some fun for a while.
“C’mon, there must be a film we can watch,” she suggested.
“We’re sure there’s a Lily we can watch,” Josh said and laughed, throwing her jacket at her.
“You can sit around your mum’s pond if you want. She has some pretty lilies you can watch.” She picked up her door key.
“Savage!” Jake mimed a shot to the heart.
“You did say you wanted to watch a lily. All in favour of the twins staying in the garden while we watch a film?” Nate asked.
“Aye!” Lily’s voice blended with Nate and Matt’s and the twins narrowed their eyes at her. She blew them a kiss and went out of the front door feeling much happier.
They followed her out. Matt came out last and shut the door behind him.
“Matt?” She called him, and when he looked over, she threw the key to him. “Lock up, please?”
“Yes, ma’am!” He mock saluted her, rolling his eyes. “What did your last slave die of?”
“Answering back,” she said, and Nate hooted with laughter.
Matt locked the door and came towards her, pocketing the key. “What reward do I receive for faithful service?”
A spark of devilish excitement raced through her. “If you can catch me, I may reconsider playing your game.”
“Fucking deal,” Jake exclaimed.
“Rules!” She lifted a hand as Matt stepped towards her. “No zipping—”
“Zipping?” Josh looked at Jake in confusion. “Zipping what?”
“You know.” She made a whooshing noise and walked her fingers in the air. She was greeted with a roar of laughter and she stuck her hands on her hips. “Do you want to play?”
“With you?” Nate grinned at her. “Fuck, yeah.”
“So, nothing remotely zipping or unzipping like, at all.”
“What the fuck?” Jake spluttered. “What language do you speak?”
“Lilithanian,” Nate drawled. “I’ve had a taste of it already, it seems to be closely related to gibberish.”
“Okay, so Nate doesn’t want to play, and neither does Jake, so that—”
“Hang on. Hang on.” Nate lifted his hand. “Come here and give us the rules in English.”
She moved closer to them until they were huddled around her. “So,” she whispered. “No running super speed, no magic at all. I get a thirty second head start from the gate closing behind me. No shortcuts. Use the gate, no vaulting the wall, and make sure the gate is latched properly.”
“Why do I think we’re being played?” Matt drawled.
“We’re giving it a level playing field, that’s all. You all have longer legs and are most probably faster. You already have the advantage.”
“And what if someone catches you before we reach our place?” Josh rested his arm on her shoulder. “Do we get to play with you?”
“Cards, Joshua, cards!”
“And if you get there before we can catch you?” Matt asked.
“A back and foot rub. I’ll wash my feet first.”
“We call dibs on her feet,” Josh blurted.
“I think we can manage your back between us,” Nate said, pushing his glasses up his nose and smirking at Matt.
“Do we have a deal?” she asked.
“Run, little girl, ’cause we’re going to catch you.” Jake’s voice was low and husky, and anticipation zinged through her.
She went out the gate, latched it, and heard them start to count. With a gasp of excitement, she took off down the road, putting everything into it. The thought of a foot rub from the twins was enough to push her harder.
She rounded the corner, and she knew she wasn’t going to make it. She raced towards the house, but she wasn’t a natural runner and she was already slowing. She really needed to think about going to a gym since she didn’t do P.E. at college anymore.
She couldn’t hear them behind her, but the pounding of her heart in her ears was probably drowning them out. Stitches cut into her side, but she was almost there, she just had to keep going a little longer. Finally, after what felt like hours of running, she reached their gate. She staggered up the path and collapsed onto the steps. She’d won, but she was too out of breath to cheer.
She heard them talking and laughing as they came up the road at a jog, not even bothering to run. They reached the gate and she grunted, still fighting for breath.
“Oh, damn, Jacob. She won,” Josh said, with mock disappointment. “Now we’ve got to endure rubbing her sweet little feet and legs.”
“Legs? Legs aren’t feet.” She panted, still trying to get her breath back.
“Sweetheart, your legs are going to feel that tomorrow if we don’t tend to them. We love you, you’re perfect, but you’re very unfit,” Jake said.
“We’ll need to make sure your back doesn’t seize up.” Matt nodded wisely.
“Why did you let me win?”
Jake snorted and pulled her to her feet. “We know if we’d won, the only game we’d play tonight was snap.”
The sound of a car caught their attention.
“Ah, no, that’s not them back, is it?” Nate groaned.
The car idled at the end of the road. The headlights went out and the car drove to the entrance of the car park. The engine switched off, and the car rolled into the darkness and out of sight.
“Weird,” Josh said. “Not dad though, headlights were wrong.”
A strange sensation flitted across the back of her neck, as if someone had walked over her grave. Something wasn’t right. She took out her phone and called Drew.
He answered straight away. “Hello, sweetie, what can I do for you?”
“Some car just pulled into the car park behind you, it switched off its headlights and engine before it rolled in.”
“When?”
“Just now.”
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He rang off, and Lily knew that she’d been right to tell him.
“What did he say?” Nate asked.
“Nothing really. Just thanks, and he’d see me tomorrow.”
“The Wisemans at the end are always having people over.” Jake dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Probably didn’t want to disturb anyone else.”
“Yeah, let’s forget it,” Josh agreed as he unlocked and opened the front door.
“Let’s get inside, it’s getting colder.” Nate shivered on cue, and they went inside.
Nate helped her with her jacket, hanging it up with the rest of them, and the twins went into the kitchen.
“Back rub first, or food?” Matt asked.
“That’s not even a question,” Josh shouted from the kitchen. “Mum’s an angel.”
Jake came into the living room, carrying covered plates. Josh carried more in behind him. “She’s got a quiche, rice, and other finger foods laid out. She must have figured we’d all come back here.”
“Or it’s for your midnight feast. Must be time they took out a third mortgage to fund your appetites, isn’t it?” Nate teased him.
She crossed to the window and peered out. It was too dark to see anything, and she closed the curtains.
“Don’t worry ab
out it.” Matt lifted her braid and kissed the back of her neck.
She leant against him as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck gently, as she stroked her hands over his forearms.
“You’d better eat,” he said. “If you don’t start now, they’ll eat it all.” He let her go and they went over to the food on the coffee table.
“It’s warmer in here than the conservatory,” Josh said as he handed her a plate.
“What are we going to watch?” she asked as she sat on the sheepskin rug in front of the fire.
“Horror, sci-fi, thrillers. Take your pick.” Josh indicated the rack of DVDs beside the TV.
“No comedies, romance, romcoms?” she asked.
“Not a chick flick, please.” He went onto bended knees, clasping his hands.
“I reckon you could carry off the priest thing,” she said.
“Priest? Celibate? Give you up? No.” He winked at her. “Eat, Lily Pad.”
“I’ve never eaten so much junk food since I met you lot.”
“Junk food?” Matt sounded offended. “Pizza is not junk food. It’s one of your five a day, and if you get a veg feast it’s all five.”
“I don’t think they mean that kind of five a day,” she said sadly.
“Well, that’s what happens when you’re all rabid animal eaters,” Josh said.
She tapped his leg and when he looked at her she popped a cocktail sausage into her mouth, making noises of bliss as she chewed. He pulled a face at her and started piling his plate with quiche.
“Are your parents vegetarians?” she asked, picking up a vegetable roll.
“No, just us,” Jake answered her.
“What about when they cook bacon?”
“What about it?” Josh asked.
“Bacon smells amazing,” she said.
“So does the smell of petrol, but it doesn’t make us want to drink it.” Josh sat down beside her.
“Fair point,” she conceded.
“Have you seen this one?” Nate showed her a film case.
“No. I don’t think so.”
“Settle in then, Lily Pad, and pay attention, there will be a test after,” Jake said and slumped onto the sofa next to Josh.
She waved a cocktail sausage at him in reply, and he arched an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips that promised she’d get it later. She certainly hoped so.
Witch hunters
“That was good, but disturbing.” Lily stretched.
“Lil, aliens aren’t real,” drawled Nate.
“Well, actually—”
“We liked it.” Josh cut Matt off.
“Go on, Matt,” she prompted him.
“Ignore them, aliens are real. There’s a huge cover-up, but if you—”
“How can someone as intelligent as you fall for that bullshit?” Nat handed Matt a pile of plates. “She still thinks you’re normal. Let’s not fuck this up by revealing you’re a whack job.”
“It’s all true, Lily,” Matt called, letting Nate push him into the kitchen. “The truth is out there.”
“I believe you, Matt.”
“Oh, bloody hell, no. Not two nutters.” Jake groaned, dropping his forehead on Josh’s shoulder.
“Sweetheart, there are no such things as aliens,” Nate said, coming back in with Matt behind looking jubilant.
“Prove it.”
“What?” Nate stared at her.
“Prove it. Prove to me there are no other life forms anywhere in our universe,” she said.
Matt blew her a noisy kiss and shoved the plates back at Nate.
“I don’t need to prove it. It’s obvious,” he snapped.
“No, it’s not obvious. Just not proved. Vampires, mermaids, werewolves are all real. Why can’t aliens be real too?”
“Well said, Lily, well said.” Matt clapped. “You are clearly a genius.”
“You really mean it?” Josh eyed her strangely.
“Four months ago, witches were the stuff of storybooks. Now? I am one. I can’t dismiss something just because it doesn’t seem possible.” She side-eyed Nate. “I mean look at you, Nate. When I first saw you, I thought you were an arrogant, bossy git. Now I know you, I know you’re an arrogant, bossy fairy.”
Laughter exploded around her, followed by a grunt from Matt as Nate thrust the plates back at him.
“Oops. We think you should run,” Josh suggested.
Lily looked at Nate and the smirk dropped from her face. She held her hands out in submission.
“What did you call me?”
“Um...sexy? Handsome? I’m sure that was it, wasn’t it?” She looked at Josh for back-up, but he was heading into the kitchen with Jake.
“You’re on your own, Lil, run.” Matt abandoned her, following the twins.
“Iggy, sweetheart, I would never—”
He lunged at her, and she just managed to dodge, heading for the stairs. It wasn’t easy running up spiral stairs, and it didn’t help knowing that he was taking them slowly. She had nowhere to go and he knew it. She was just at the twins’ bedroom when he attacked. His lips descended on her neck, and she squealed with laughter. He didn’t usually have much stubble, but it was evening, and she could feel it scratching against her sensitive skin. It tickled, but it did strange things to her stomach as well. He caught her against him, pinned her arms to her sides, and she shrieked with laughter while he attacked her neck growling and nipping at her.
“Mercy!” She managed to twist sideways from him, but all it did was give him the advantage over her. His hand found her sides and he tickled. She tried to stop him, to get away from him but there was no contest physically.
“C’mon, Lil, push him away,” Matt called from the bottom of the stairs.
“Matt! Help! Oh, god, mercy, mercy!”
Nate’s teeth grazed over her neck and his fingers found a sensitive spot that had her crying with laughter. She threw her whole weight backwards on him, and he lost his hold long enough for her to get into the bedroom. She tried to push the door shut but it was too late, and she backed away. The back of her legs hit Josh’s bed, and she fell backwards, letting out a squeak. Laughing evilly, he clawed his hands and advanced on her. She pushed herself backwards up the bed, but he just bared his teeth and launched himself onto her. He straddled her hips and went for her neck again, making her squirm and shift under him.
“Use your magic.” Jake came in. “Push him away.”
She tried to push him away with her mind, but nothing happened. She couldn’t stop laughing and squirming. Tears poured down her face.
His fingers stopped on her side, and he lifted his head. “Had enough?”
“Yes, god, yes,” she begged breathlessly.
“What am I?”
“Fae. You’re fae, a sexy, smart fae,” she panted.
“Now you’re correct.” He drew back from her. His face was flushed, his glasses askew, and happiness sparkled in his eyes. He smoothed her hair, running his fingers through the loose strands of her braid. “Time for your prize.” He got off the bed and turned on the overhead light.
“You don’t have to. I haven’t washed my feet, and I’ve been in these shoes all day.” She leant up on her elbows.
“We don’t care.” Josh shut the door.
Nate straightened his glasses and then he and Jake pulled the bed away from the wall.
“Guys, really, you don’t have to do this. I don’t need—”
“Be quiet,” Nate instructed.
Lily lifted her eyebrow at him, but he just winked at her.
“Take your jumper off,” Matt said. “It’ll be easier with just your shirt.”
“Yeah, and as much as we find it sexy, you don’t need to keep your tie on now.” Josh undid it and slid it from her neck, undoing her top button.
“Sit on the edge of the bed.” Matt held out his hand.
She took it and let him pull her around until she was sitting up. Her skirt was twisted and high on her thighs. She tried to tug it
down, but Jake caught her fingers, shaking his head. He knelt on the floor by her feet, Josh coming to kneel next to him.
“Guys, honestly, you haven’t smelt my feet.”
Jake lifted her foot and sniffed it. “Just a whiff of camembert, but we promise not to nibble, no matter how cheesy it gets.” He stripped her sock off at the precise moment Josh pulled her other one off.
Nate kneaded her shoulders while Matt pulled her shirt free from her skirt. He massaged the lower part of her back, his thumbs rubbing over the indentations either side of her spine. The twins started on her feet, rubbing under her heels, over her arches, and up to her toes.
She moaned as they rubbed at each muscle that was tense, the relief incredible. At some point she’d died and attained Nirvana. There was no other explanation for the bliss the four of them were giving her.
“Your shoulders are really knotted,” Nate said.
He pressed his thumbs into the base of her skull and she didn’t care if she never moved again.
“Shit, babe, quit moaning like that,” Matt said.
“Wha...huh?” She wasn’t even sure she’d articulated it correctly; her whole body was in meltdown. She heard them snigger, but she didn’t have it in her to even raise her head.
“I think someone’s going to have to carry you home.” Nate chuckled, kissing the top of her shoulder.
Every stress and tension she’d been holding was worked out of her by their talented fingers and hands. “You should open up a salon,” she mumbled. “You have talented fingers—er, no, cancel that. I don’t want you rubbing any other girls, only me.”
“You’re the only girl we want to rub.” Nate massaged the muscles either side of her shoulder blades with his thumbs.
“Shit, yeah, we love rubbing you, Lily.” Jake sniggered.
“My muscles and I thank you all very much.”
The overhead light flickered and went out, making her gasp at the sudden darkness.
“Probably the trip switch,” Jake said. “Hold on.”
She heard them shift around as she gripped Nate and Matt’s legs beside her. She really didn’t like the dark.
Candle wicks caught fire and she watched the Jake light the rest of the candles with matches. Josh went downstairs to check the fuse box.
“Nah, must be a power-cut,” he called from the bottom of the stairs. “No fuses have tripped. I’ll check outside.”