Page 77 of A Forbidden Arrangement

“I’m Dahlia.” Her gaze flicks to me, then back to him, a warm smile on her lips.

I dig my fingers into the back of my neck, hard.

“Oh, I know. Xander here’s been keeping you all to himself.”

“And I’m going to keep doing that, and unless you want your kids to grow up without a father, you’re going to get the hell out of here.”

“Xander!”

Damn it. I’m not going to threaten people while she’s around.

“I’m his favorite brother. Must have told you all about me.”

Her mouth opens and then closes, the pause awkwardly long. She turns to me as if demanding I say something, but I have zero desire to fix this.

“You know, that really hurts. Here I am, your youngest brother. Thick as thieves our entire childhood, and you don’t even tell her anything about me?” He feigns hurt, and I’m seconds from slapping him on the back of the head.

“And you’re just as annoying as you were then.”

“Oh, I see. If you’re gonna be like that…”

The gleam in his eyes has the hair on the back of my neck standing up. From years of experience, I know nothing good can come from that look.

Bash wraps an arm around a stiff Dahlia’s shoulder and smirks. “If he didn’t tell you about me, did he at least tell you about the Order of Saints?” He leans in like he’s saying a secret. “Secret societies and espionage, the whole shebang! You know, he’s a pretty big deal. One of the leaders, Lords, aka the leader.”

“Bash.” It comes out as a low warning, but the damage is already done.

Dahlia stares right at me, arms crossed over her chest. “No, he left that part out. Why don’t you fill me in?”

“Gladly,” Bash says, practically fucking giddy.

“You won’t survive what I’m going to do to you.” I growl out the promise.

He backs away from my wife, both hands up. His movements are slow, and he never looks away from me.

“I can take a hint. See you soon, Dahlia.” He practically flees, ignoring Dahlia when she calls for him to wait.

Then her hard gaze lands on me. I freeze in place, instantly going from predator to prey. She hasn’t looked at me like that in weeks.

That bastard, stirring up shit, then leaving me hanging, perfectly maintaining his little brother status.

“I promise I was going to explain everything.” I keep my voice soft, doing my best to recover this situation without pissing her off even more. “The timing just hasn’t been right.”

Her mouth curves into a sharp smile as she steps closer. “Timing? You mean in the weeks I’ve been here, you couldn’t find a single moment to tell me the truth?”

I hold her gaze, steady. “In fairness, you were already pissed at me. I didn’t see the point in handing you another reason.”

Her brow lifts, voice low and sharp. “How’s that working out for you?”

Not fucking well.

Silence drags while I figure out where to start. She’s toe-to-toe with me now, chin tipped up, daring me to dig my own grave. I don’t tell her that her angry face is unfairly cute.

“It’s not easy to explain.”

She crosses her arms. “Then skip the speech. Give me the CliffsNotes. You’re the leader of a secret society…or did I dream that part?”

“Oneof the leaders,” I say. “Technically, Damon’s the one in charge.”