by Shayla Black
Tori wasn’t certain she could handle that from them.
“Do you understand where you and Oliver went wrong?” Callum kissed her foot, then set it aside.
“I opened my bloody mouth,” Oliver said with sigh.
She nodded. “Yep. He opened his mouth.”
“Not precisely. Neither one of you said enough. Ollie, you said all the wrong things at the wrong time. Tori, my love, did you bother to mention that little gem you were gifting him with?” Callum asked.
Her virginity. She didn’t want to talk about it, but somehow she didn’t think Callum would let it go. He seemed so much more serious and confident than usual. Callum was often an adorable goofball. Except when he’d gotten her alone and practically stripped her down and gave her the sort of orgasm she’d dreamed about.
She should tell him it was none of his business, but for some reason she found herself answering him. “No. I tried, but things moved too fast.”
“I wasn’t listening and I didn’t ask,” Oliver admitted. “And I was very surprised to learn the truth.” He knelt beside her, taking her hand into his. “Tori, I’m sorry for the way I treated you. I’ve got no excuse except that I was upset. The whole time we were together, I told you it was only one night, but I was already thinking of ways to keep you. I wanted to make you my mistress. When I realized you were a virgin, I suspected you would say no to that.”
Anger flared again. “Yes. I mean no. I mean yes, I would have said no to that.” She pulled away and started to stand. This chat was over. “I think I’ve made enough of a fool of myself for one evening.”
“Oliver, step up.” Callum instructed, looking to his brother. “Top her.”
The eldest brother flushed and she wondered why. After surviving the fallout from Yasmin, he’d always seemed utterly untouchable. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Then this won’t work.” Callum shook his head.
Why was she sitting here as if waiting for their permission? She could make a clean getaway now before they hurt her again. Tori grabbed her shoes.
“You have to help her, Ollie. Tori’s pride is telling her to walk away as fast as her sore feet will carry her,” Rory explained. “She’s hesitating because she doesn’t actually want to leave us. If she did, she’d already be halfway out the door. If you top her, you’ll help her past her pride so the two of you can talk.”
“I do not need anyone to top me. I know what I want,” Tori blurted. Then she paused.
Perhaps she was being incredibly stubborn. She was thinking with her pride and didn’t know how to get around it without making herself vulnerable. They’d ripped her apart once. She wasn’t sure she could handle being crushed again.
But maybe if she was careful with her heart, she could have a night with them. Just one, that voice in her head whispered to her, luring her like an addiction. One more night, and she could move on.
If she listened to that voice in her head, it would lure her to doom. She was saving herself.
Tori jumped, scanning the room for the nearest exit.
“Oliver?” Callum prompted, his tone deeper and darker than she’d ever heard.
Suddenly, Oliver grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor.
She struggled against his hold. “Let me go.”
“Not until we’ve talked,” Oliver insisted. “If you still want to leave here alone, I’ll let you go. I can’t speak for my brothers. I think they’ll hunt you down and persuade you, but if you tell me plainly you don’t want me, then I’ll leave.”
“I don’t want you.” She didn’t. Not really. How could she want him after the way he’d treated her?
The orchestra played a slow song, and she found herself in Oliver’s arms, against his body. “I said after you listen to me. This behavior doesn’t suit you, Torrance.”
“What behavior?” She wouldn’t let him shame her. She hadn’t torn his heart to shreds.
“You’re acting like a spoiled brat.” His hand tightened on her waist, pressing her against his body. “My brothers are certainly right about that. I’ve come thousands of mile to apologize and make amends. Are you telling me I don’t deserve a few moments of your time? We were friends once.”
Okay, maybe she was going to let him shame her. She couldn’t forget the way he’d faced down a thug with a knife for her. And yes, they had been friends. “Fine. I’m listening.”
“Are you?” He kept moving, his long legs graceful as he led her around the dance floor. “I’m starting to think Callum is smarter than I gave him credit for. You and I should have talked, especially before anything happened between us. But neither of us wanted to do that.”
“I was caught up in the adrenaline.”
“Are you telling me it was only adrenaline?” he challenged. “It wasn’t for me. I used that as an excuse, but I wanted you very badly and I jumped at the chance to have you, no matter the cost. I was passionate about you, but passion isn’t the most forgiving mistress. It’s easy to give in to passion. It’s harder to care for someone and take responsibility. I should have taken care of you. And I’m deeply sorry.”
She softened against him, her body finding the rhythm he set in time with the music. It felt good to be in his arms, even if his logic hurt. He was completely right. “I took the chance. I knew I shouldn’t have waited to tell you about my virginity or tried so halfheartedly, but I didn’t want to stop. I knew if we talked…”
“If we’d talked, we wouldn’t have done it.” He slowed, his cheek resting against her temple. “And that is how we made a horrible mistake. We should be able to talk, shouldn’t we?”
“Did you really think I would be your mistress?”
He chuckled, the sound caressing her skin. “I wanted a way to make you mine without having to love you. So that’s where my thoughts went.” He pulled back slightly, tilting her head up. “It’s not you, Tori. Please believe me. You are the single most lovable woman I’ve ever met, but I’m hollow inside and I don’t think anything can fill me up again.”
She laid her head against his shoulder with a sigh. He’d told her as much. He’d never said it in so many words, but she knew what his wife had done to him and she’d known he considered himself damaged beyond repair. “I think one day you’ll meet the woman of your dreams and you won’t feel so hollow anymore.”
She wished it could have been her. It was better this way, she told herself. She couldn’t live in the same world as the Thurston-Hughes brothers. Tonight had proven it. She wanted to be behind the scenes, liked blending in and helping people. Being in front of all those cameras and enduring the constant scrutiny? Not for her. Still, knowing that their separation was for the best didn’t make her heart ache less.
“You are the woman of my dreams, Tori. I just can’t wake up from my nightmare. God, I wish I’d met you when I was twenty.” His hand smoothed down her hair. “I’m not a good man.”
“You are. I’ve seen you. You can be kind when you want to be.”
“I don’t want to be most of the time. I’m also not a strong man. I know it’s best if I step aside, but I don’t want to. I think that makes me selfish.”
“What are you saying, Oliver?”
“I’m saying my brothers want you and they’re willing to let me play. I would be faithful. I wouldn’t have any other lovers. I promise I would take care of you this time.”
She blinked up at him, suddenly stopping in the middle of the dance floor. Of all the reasons they could be here, she hadn’t even considered this one. “Are you saying Rory and Callum want to share me?”
His lips curled up in the most delicious smile. “You hadn’t figured that out? Yes. They’re serious about it. They’ve spent the last couple of weeks negotiating.”
“Negotiating?” Her mind was humming. It was a horrible idea. Right? Horrible. She might tear the brothers apart, so the idea was only, like, ten percent interesting. Twenty, tops. The other eighty percent of that idea was pure stupidity.
Unless… Could they keep it quiet? Could they be secret lovers?
“I think it’s what Doms do. I’m not sure. I haven’t really been to a club, though my brothers have explained the philosophy. I’m afraid Callum might talk you to death before he drags out all those toys he likes to use. Either way, don’t expect they’ll let you go without a fight. They’re willing to let me in. I’m asking if you’ll let me, Tori. I don’t know what will happen between us precisely. I can promise that I’ll respect you and care for you. I’ll always be your friend. No matter what your answer is. I’m always going to be a man you can count on.”
For anything but love.
Then again, she wasn’t looking for love. She couldn’t afford it. By the end of the week, she would be back in Dallas and moving on with her life. No matter how intrigued she was by everything Oliver and his brothers plotted, she knew she couldn’t handle this life.
“I don’t need a pledge of devotion, Oliver.”
“But you deserve one.” He frowned, his eyes crinkling as though he was attempting to figure out what to say. “I’m trying, Tori.”
She’d been so angry with him these past few weeks, but that was a useless emotion. She’d figured out a long time ago that a person had to want to be saved. Her father hadn’t wanted it. He’d given in to the grief of losing their mother. Nothing his daughters had said or done made him want to live again because he’d no longer had the will. Nothing would alter Oliver’s outlook unless he wanted to change.
Sorrow for what might have been weighed on her. The best she could do was give him some peace.
“I forgive you,” she murmured. “We’ve both made mistakes. I suspect going to bed with you again would be another.”
He sighed and leaned forward, kissing her forehead. “I hope you reconsider. I think my time is up. Tori, if I could change anything in my whole life, do you know what it would be?”
She could imagine. “Your first marriage.”
He shook his head. “No. I deserved that. I was careless and stupid and I married for all the wrong reasons. I would change what happened between us. I would go back and be gentle with you. I would make it good for you. Whatever happens, know that it’s not supposed to be like that. Your lover should make you feel like the goddess you are. I wish I had shown you that.”
Tears blurred her vision and she gripped him when he started to move away. “Why do you think you’re a bad man, Oliver? Yasmin did those things to you. They weren’t your fault.”
A shadow seemed to cross his face. “My father used to say you don’t know what kind of a man you are until you face death. How you face it is the sum of your soul. I don’t have much of a soul, I’m afraid. I don’t have much to give you and I don’t deserve you. I’ll be honest, if it weren’t for my brothers I would never have considered touching you again. Not because I don’t want to. I want you so badly I ache with it, but I care about you. I’m not good for you, but Callum and Rory won’t let me hurt you, so I’m being selfish. If you decide to give them a go, I’d like to be there. I need one good thing and I think bringing you pleasure could be it.”
“May I cut in?” Rory stepped up.
Oliver released her, moving her hand into Rory’s. “Of course. Where did Callum go?”
“He went back to our room to prepare a few things. Tori has made her appearance at this event. I spoke with Talib and he’s still trying to get all the photos from her mishap. He’s already dealt with the local photographers. There won’t be any pictures of her in Bezakistani newspapers,” Rory reassured.
“It will get out.” She’d been doing her job for too long to be naïve about her chances of the incident going away.
They would run a blurred photo of her. Now that she thought about it, maybe she’d made a big deal out of nothing. She was the sister of a royal. The press preferred Piper. So she’d had a tiny nip slip. Maybe, given the dim light and the thick crowd, the wardrobe malfunction had barely registered in a photo. The press would blow it out of proportion and put a huge star over her barely-there nipple and the world wouldn’t end.
Talking to Oliver had put a few things in perspective.
She had no idea why he thought he’d seen his soul and found it wanting, but she knew a man in pain when she saw one. He’d changed since the night he’d taken her virginity. This was a different Oliver, more contemplative. More thoughtful. More in need than ever.
“I’ll go help him.” Oliver nodded and walked away.
She found herself in Rory’s arms. Quiet, polite Rory. She could handle him. Truly, Rory would listen to reason and she could move forward with her plans for a very quiet evening—and a very quiet life—alone. “What is Callum preparing?”
“The bedroom for our play,” he said matter of factly. He could have been talking about the weather. “Do you know how to waltz, love? The next song is a waltz.”
Her head spun, and she shook her head. “No. I don’t.”
“Put your feet on top of mine and relax. I paid the orchestra to ensure the next song is a waltz. You see, I’m the only one of the three of us who paid attention in dance class. Oliver was too busy ogling the teacher and Callum, for all his athleticism, has horrible rhythm. Really, this will be our thing. I’ll teach you to waltz first. Eventually, we’ll tango. That’s my favorite.”
Tori squirmed in his arms. The notion of them sharing a dance thing was sweet but… She would have to let him down gently. “I’m sure you’re very good, but I don’t really want lessons.”
“That’s why you’re going to stand on my feet and I’m going to do all the work.”
“I’m too heavy. Rory, if you have something to say, can’t we sit down and talk?”
Those polite blue eyes hardened, turning to steel. “Darling, I’m through talking. I’ve talked to you for months and all it got me was sent to the back of the line. I was acting like a self-sacrificing martyr, but I’m done with that. I’m afraid you’re going to have to deal with me.”
“I don’t understand.” The whole world seemed to have tilted and she wasn’t sure where she stood anymore.
“I’m well aware. You didn’t fully know me before. I let Oliver take the reins of the company because he needed the work to occupy him and he needed to feel in control. So I stepped aside from the CEO position and took over legal. When he’s ready for another role, I’ll assume the helm again. I’m the shark, Tori. I’ve buried that part of me because my brothers needed someone to hold us all together, but I’ve always been the shark. So you’re going to have to deal with me and I’m not going to politely sit down and listen to all the reasons you think this won’t work. I’m going to dance with you and lay out my rationale. You’ll listen because I haven’t even had a kiss out of you yet.”
Heat zipped down her spine. Tori had been fooled by his gentlemanly façade, but she now sensed his ruthlessness underneath like a living thing. He didn’t play fair. For some reason, that turned her on. “How is that my fault? I didn’t even know you wanted to kiss me.”
“Didn’t you? I suspect you did. Here’s the thing, darling. You can dance with me or I’ll take that kiss here and now in front of everyone.”
She flushed. She could feel her skin turning pink. He wouldn’t. She glanced up at him through her lashes and changed her mind. He would—absolutely. He would lay his lips over hers and claim her lips in front of everyone so there would be no mistaking that she belonged to him.
The orchestra began the waltz and she decided to not start another scandal. Very gingerly she stepped onto Rory’s dress shoes, her right hand in his as she placed her left on his shoulder.
“Good choice.” He wrapped his free arm around her waist, and she felt his strength as he pressed her against his body. “Typically we would keep a bit of space between us, but I don’t feel like playing by the rules this evening. A good dance is a lot like making love. It should be two bodies in complete sync, trust and joy marking the movements. Hang on to me.”
She gasped as h
e took off. The ballroom whirled around her, but Rory held her firmly and he wasn’t letting her fall. After a moment of panic, complete exhilaration took over. She’d never danced before. Not like this. Rory held her tight, twirling her across the parquet floor. She relaxed and let her body flow against his.
He led her effortlessly. This was what he was offering her. He would assume control. He and Callum, and if she allowed him, Oliver, too. They would take control, surround and protect her. All she had to do was hold them tight and let go of everything else.
Tori wasn’t certain she could manage that in the long run, but for a night… Yes, she could have her night with them.
The music invaded her soul as she let Rory steer them around and around. The rest of the world seemed to fade away as he swept her into euphoria. Tori felt safe with his arms around her. Nothing else mattered—or existed—except Rory and the cresting music enveloping them. A thrill went through her like nothing she’d felt before. She couldn’t help but smile because he was so beautiful and he made her feel alive.
The music began to wind down, and Tori wished it would lilt on longer. As Rory started to slow, she realized everyone stared at them. The people on the dance floor had stopped to watch her and Rory. But he didn’t pay them any mind. His eyes were steady on her as he finished the dance with a flourish. The crowd around them applauded.
Piper stood nearby, grinning broadly. When she caught Tori’s eye, she winked. More flashbulbs burst in the dim room. The speculative whispers started all around them again.
Tori tensed.
“Relax. Smile.” Rory eased her off his feet. “They’re watching us because we’re lovely and I’m a brilliant dancer. Could have gone pro if I wanted to, but I decided one full-of-himself celebrity in the family was enough.” He grinned, then nodded to the crowd. “Thank you.”
“That’s not a nice way to talk about your brother.” Maybe it was a stupid thing to say, but talking about Callum was better than acknowledging all the stares on them.