“The what level?” Aysen’s agitation makes my skin prickle.
I catch his attention, silently asking him to calm down. Ace is volatile and extremely impulsive when he’s irate.
“Since when do we have a university chain? We’ve always ruled campuses as too risky. What changed?”
“The need has changed, son. So, we need all three of you at Vonwest.” Liam must have known that Daxton and Aysen wouldn’t agree to this. A council meeting gave us no choice.
“We’ve already spoken to Dragons on the Board of Trustees. If all goes well, and things run smoothly at Vonwest, we will also infiltrate and set up in Westbrook. There are Dragons on both boards. For now, we’ve arranged for all three of you to move into a suite.”
“You what?” Surprisingly, it’s me, and not Aysen, who flips out.
“You did this without even consulting us?” Daxton glances contemptuously at his father.
“You’ll each have your own rooms, and there is an extra room that is being turned into a meeting room. We expect you to be normal college students. Attend parties, host them, fail some tests, study harder, get into fights, make friends, and screw around.”
My father rolls his eyes at the screwing around part. Probably, the most fatherly thing he has ever done. He takes over for Hiram, “We don’t care what you do, as long as you find a way to blend in and deal with our influx.”
Hi! I’m Hailee, a Junior Psych Major at Vonwest, who runs a drug trafficking ring for the Dragons. Yeah, sure! That’s fucking normal.
“Let me get this straight!” Aysen jumps to a standing position, disturbing by pretend “making friends” scenario. “You registered us,” he points to Daxton and himself, “for college? Do we look like the college type to you? How the fuck are we supposed to blend?”
“Well, Daxton is already supporting the cause. He’s even got a shirt and everything.” Liam smirks as everyone stares at the emblem on Daxton’s shirt.
I give up. No point in fighting a fight I can’t win. I rest my head back on the chair and stare at the ceiling while Aysen and Daxton lose their shit. I lose track of who speaks what. It’s all so fast that it’s jumbled into a garbled mess.
“What are our majors? Did you choose those too?”
“You do realize we are 21, right? Have you, at least, made us seniors so we can graduate and never have to come back?”
“How long are we there for?”
“Did you fabricate transcripts?”
“How is that even possible, isn’t Vonwest four weeks into the semester?”
“Calm down,” my father interrupts their line of questioning. “There are Dragons on the board of both universities in the vicinity. We’ve taken care of everything. Aysen your major is Theater, and Daxton yours is Business.”
“What the hell? Do I look like a fucking actor?” Aysen asks me quietly. He too has given up the argument.
My father holds up his hand to silence us. “You are both juniors, we plan on having this trial for at least a year. And,” he continues while he motions for Hiram and Liam to produce two stacks of books, “you’ll find your syllabi in the interior of each textbook. The majority of the past due assignments have been dealt with. You’ve received an adequate grade.”
Hiram takes over, “We’ve made sure you are in different circles to broaden your reach. Daxton we’ve also found you a spot on the football team. Of course, their season is almost over, but you will be involved your senior year. You can use this time to be friendly. Aysen, we’ve put you on the soccer team, and Hailee, we need you on the cheerleading squad.”
“Cheerleading?” I harrumph. “I don’t exactly exude pep and cheer. Couldn’t you have put me on the debate team or something? I’m good at arguing back.”
“What Hiram means is, we need you to keep the boys in check. Vonwest’s cheerleaders always accompany the teams, which will allow you to keep an eye on them.” Liam eyes both of the guys sternly. “They have a tendency to lose themselves in their surroundings. You tend to be more together. We expect you to keep it that way.”
“Me? More together?” Okay, maybe I don’t drink heavily or smoke pot or whatever, but I’m certainly not more together. I’m freaking the hell out right now! Vonwest is my sanctuary, the one place where Dragons don’t exist. Come to find out that they are infiltrated in the university and ready to set up a drug trafficking ring in the only place I can be alone.
I let Daxton and Aysen fine-tune the details and distance myself from the Dragons the only way I know how, by living inside my head and finding the root of all my anxiety. The living situation.
No one else is bothered by the fact that Aysen, Daxton and I are going to be living together. As I conjure up images of the three of us, chills flow down my spine, sending shivers over every inch of my body. We never kissed that night, but I’ve pictured it far too many times to be normal. If their lips on my body can corrupt my memory, then I’m doomed with their kiss. I’ll breathe in their breath, taste their love and link myself to their soul. There’s no coming back from there.
Living with them will be my undoing. I’m barely keeping myself together. Individually, they have power over me. Together, however, they overwhelm me, encompass me and claim me. They’ve taken residence in my heart, teamed up to learn my soul and will never let me go. Choosing, both is unnatural. With Dax and Ace, it’s both or none at all.
“Hailee?” Daxton’s hand slides over my thigh. It’s meant to soothe me, but it furthers the reason why living together will be dangerous.
I stiffen and turn my head toward him. “Yeah?”
“We should go. We need to get your room switch done as soon as possible and get ourselves situated in the suite.” Thankfully, he removes his hand.
“I still don’t like this,” Aysen says, taking my hand and helping me up as if I am an invalid.
I’m shocked, not paralyzed. I remove my hand, straightening my spine abruptly. Glaring at the five men before me, I make my contempt known by turning on my heel and heading for the elevator. I hit the call button hard and repeatedly. The elevator opens instantly, allowing me a quick escape.
The only escape I was going to get until the day I die.
I’m down on the empty lobby floor, alone and in desperate need of an escape. I make it all the way to the sidewalk before Ace and Dax are calling for me. A moment of hesitation, where I contemplate running away, is enough time to regroup our trio.
“Don isn’t happy.”
“I don’t particularly care about Don’s happiness!” Though it’s meant for my father, the verbal whip strikes Daxton. A flash of hurt sparks in his eyes, causing a pang of guilt to pound against my chest. He knows where my anger is coming from, and his pain comes from the fact that no one can do anything about it. “They maneuver us like pieces on a board game . . . I’m tired of playing this game. I’m tired of having my life planned out for me.”
“What other choice do you have?” Aysen, the uncharacteristic voice of reason, places both palms on my cheeks, cradling my head. His thumbs caress my cheeks, as Daxton nods for me to listen. “One day, we will rule. And I swear to you, we’ll find a way to make things different.”
“How?” And what did he mean by different?
Aysen lowers his hands and plants a soft kiss on my forehead. “Somehow, Hails.” He backs up and glances at Daxton. “We will be different. Things will change when it’s our turn. But for now, we need to play by their rules.”
“But then we’ll change them?” I don’t know what they have in mind, but I know their gift to me is a promise.
“We promise, Hails,” Aysen confirms my line of thought.
Daxton nods, reassuring me. “There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for you.”
“We love you.” Aysen and his ‘we’ penchants deteriorate my resolve.
“What you’re promising won’t be easy.”
“Nothing is easy in the Dragon world, Hails. Doesn’t mean it can’t be done. So, we’ll play along for a few
years. Then we’ll do whatever the hell we want.”
“This is risky,” Daxton warns us.
I nod. “In more ways than one.”
They both snap their attention towards me, knowing full well what I’m referring to. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Daxton assures me.
Aysen chuckles. “I think that’s the problem. She wants it just as much as we do.”
We’ve been inches away from falling down a very controversial hole since we were in high school, and I was the anchor that kept us rooted. Now, I’ve lost my foothold. Every second I’m surrounded by them, slides me further down. Don and the Dragons would never approve of it; people frown upon this . . . But . . .
I love both of them.
My body longs for both of them.
My lips beg for both of them.
Only my mind insists it’s wrong. Anytime they are close to me, the line between right and wrong blurs. Every unsolicited touch makes it easier to cross, pushing me over the line and one step closer to falling.
I put up one last fight, “What I want and what is right, isn’t always the same thing.”
“Look at where we are!” Aysen shouts, pointing toward the building. “Nothing about who we are is right, and in our world everything we want is wrong.” He wraps his arms around me from the back, pushing me towards Daxton.
My chest collides with Dax’s, and he cups my cheek. “Aysen is right, Hails. Ace and I have discussed this over and over. We don’t care what other people think.”
My heart flutters, as I’m sandwiched between the two of them, in public and so close to the home that would berate us for this. Daxton lowers his head, angling his lips so close to mine. Aysen gently pushes me forward, and Dax’s lips meet mine for the first time.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m squeezed between them with no way to escape, or if it’s the defiance in the connection, but God help me, his kiss jolts every single part of my body, electrifying me into paralysis. I don’t remove my lips. I can’t. I let them move in unison with his, gently dancing together as if they’ve trained for years. He leads, hinting for more by brushing his tongue against my lip. I follow as he guides my tongue, moving together in ways that heated me in all the right places.
I knew Dax’s kiss would touch my soul.
We disconnect. My heart revolts, needing more while Daxton simply smiles and nods at Aysen.
Flipping me around, with one swift motion, Aysen’s lips press against mine with all the ferocity six years of restraint can entice. It’s pleasantly rough, so distinct from Daxton. He breathes passion into me and demands I pour my desire down his throat. He teases me with his tongue, making me ache for more. There’s nothing gentle about this kiss, not even when his tongue fights with mine. He wins, I succumb to whatever he needs from me. I’ve imagined this kiss for years, and my dreams never did it justice.
Hot Damn. They both back up, giving me some space. I swear my heart pounds so hard, my cheeks get redder with every beat. It’s freezing outside, but my insides are boiling, still ignited by all the wrong.
They are both looking at me waiting for an answer, but my throat burns too much to speak. I swallow to squelch the heat in my throat and ease the burn. I still croak when I open my mouth. It’s as if their kisses burned through my vocal cords. Or maybe it’s my heart telling my mind to shut up with the whole, that should never happen again, thing.
My heart doesn’t agree. It wants it to happen over and over again, constantly. Forever.
“Well, that was a long time coming,” Aysen speaks up, unafraid to address the subject that causes me so much torment. “I can’t wait to combine today with New Year’s.”
I clear my throat.
A weary Daxton studies me before answering or rather clearing up the confusion. “Does it still feel wrong, Hails?” They both wait for my answer, one more patiently than the other.
My heart speaks for me, I grab Aysen’s hand and squeeze it as I brush my lips against Daxton’s. My lips would linger if they weren’t longing for Aysen’s, as well. I abandon one to go to the other. If we embark on this journey, the three of us together, that’s what is always going to happen.
I glance at both of them, trying to gauge the reaction.
They know me too well. “If you are wondering if I’m jealous, I’m not.” Aysen massages my hand with his thumb, filling my head with his previous message. “Any other guy, and I would be ready to rip his lips off and light them on fire.”
I chuckle, because that’s pretty much what their lips do to me.
“But with you . . . I just want you to be happy, Hails. If both of us make you happy, then we can figure this out. Right, Dax?”
Aysen and I turn to Daxton, waiting for an agreement or for him to talk some sense into us.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s fucking weird, but I feel like we’ve been destined to do this. We’ve been working towards this since we were young. It drives me insane to think of you with someone else.” He clenches his jaw tight, so tightly I can hear his teeth grind against each other.
Aysen jumps in, “Be honest, Dax. That’s the only way this will work.”
Gawking at Ace, I ask, “You’ve thought about this a lot?”
“He’s thought about this since he started jerking off.” Dax’s bluntness reminds me of how unrealistic this is. “To be honest, Hails. Ace is the one who suggested it.”
“Damn straight, I suggested it. Come on, Hails. You love us the same. How would you live without either one of us? How will one of us live without you? Picking one of us will destroy the other. We are on the Council together. It’s not like you can run off with your favorite pick and live happily ever after in a far-off land. We are going to see each other every day, spend hours upon hours together. Sometimes days. How do you think that will work out for us? Any time we spend together will be a constant reminder that one of us wasn’t good enough. Choosing one of us introduces competition, superiority, animosity. I’d rather share you than have to watch you with Daxton and live every damn day of my fucking life wishing it was me.”
“So would I,” Dax responds. “It’s either share you with the guy I consider my brother, or give you up to a complete stranger. At least with Ace, I know how deep our love runs. Both of us would do anything for you.”
“Question is, what do you think?”
“I think . . . No. I know I love you both too much to ever hurt either one. And I can’t imagine my life without you, but I’m scared. What if one day, one of you decides you can’t do this? Or what if I don’t want to do this anymore. Then what?”
“Then we will figure it out when the time comes.” Aysen wraps his arm around my shoulder and guides me toward the SUV. “Let’s go get you moved in. One good thing about all of this, is we get to live together.”
“Uhm, so just out of curiosity, say I get asked out.”
“Tell them hell to the fucking no,” Aysen growls.
“Just tell them you’re seeing someone, Hails.” Daxton opens the door for me.
“And you both?”
“We’re yours, Hailee,” Aysen says that so comfortably, my heart swells. “We’ll figure out the rest as we go. For now, get in. Let’s go home we have something planned for tonight.”
Home. Our home, where the three of us will live in our suite and spend Valentine’s Night together.
Oh, Cupid! I can’t believe I’ve agreed to any of this.
Summer at the Cipriani
Alice La Roux
Chapter One
Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!
─Sir Walter Scott
Lucas
I like to think of myself as a modern-day Robin Hood, I muse as my fingertips make light work of the emerald earring dangling from the earlobe of the rich Russian woman kissing me. It plops into my waiting hand as I trail lazy kisses across her bare shoulder. She won’t even realize it’s missing until tomorrow, and by then, I’ll be long gon
e. I never stay for breakfast. I’m stealing from the rich and giving to the poor— me. I refuse to pity the bored housewife grinding against me on her expensive chaise lounge. It’s not my fault she chose money and a lonely marriage over love, making herself easy prey in the process. She did that all on her own.
Slipping the jewel into my pocket, I pull her into my lap and run my hands up her thighs. My hands travel up her soft skin. Posh women always have the nicest skin, and they smell good, like money and sadness. Our mouths crash together in a passionate kiss and she makes groaning noises as my hand entangles in her hair. She thinks I’m being romantic. Really I’m just trying to overwhelm her senses so she won’t notice when I take the second emerald droplet. It catches in the candlelight, shades of green that remind me of the forest glinting against her neck. Emeralds are nice, but they’re only worth the hassle if you can get a pair.
Her fingers make quick work of my belt and the button on my trousers. I started out as a pickpocket on the streets of Cardiff, but now here I am in St. Petersburg, pretending to be a tech genius with a start-up company that keeps my pockets lined as I rob women of their jewels and their husbands of their money. It’s all just a big con designed to keep me accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle I’d grown used to. I persuade the husbands to invest in my company while sliding my sticky fingers inside their wives under the negotiation table. Then I disappear without a trace. It’s easy money.
None of this would have been possible without Hawkeye90, a hacker I’d met online when I started upping my game from pickpocket to cybercrimes. He introduced me to a world that was ripe for the plucking, begging to be taken advantage of. I couldn’t believe how simple it had been. Each ‘play’ was a little different, with a different start-up company, but the result was always the same— pound signs. I’d spend two months or so building up my profile, creating my fake identity, laying trails all over the internet about my ‘company’ and then I’d go where the money was. I always used my actual skillset, technology, specifically programming and web design, in order to avoid any issues. I couldn’t pretend to be a rocket scientist when I didn’t have a clue about thermodynamics now, could I? I was careful, researching my potential business partners, finding all the skeletons hiding in their walk-in closets. It wouldn’t take them long to come sniffing around, like mice after the cheese. They’d be eager to give me backing, pouring money into my company, and I’d walk off into the sunset shrugging. It all gets written off as a bad investment in the end, and while they may be bitter about it, that’s the price of business.
Web of Lies Page 46