Page 10 of Cherished by the Sinners (Sinners Never Die #4)

Magnus

M agnus stared into Darlene’s gaze and watched her eyes soften, her lips part, a blush sweep across her cheeks. He kissed her palm again and she sucked in a breath.

Laughter from a neighboring table of ladies captured Darlene’s attention.

The waitress arrived with hot water and topped up her teapot.

“Thank you,” Darlene said to her. When she looked at him again, the softness in her eyes had disappeared.

She cleared her throat. “When you say relationship, what do you mean, exactly?”

“We would like to have you live with us,” Mason told her.

“But only when you’re ready,” Magnus added.

She dropped her gaze to the table and tugged her hand free from his grasp. “What would we do together?”

“Anything you want,” Mason said.

She hunched her shoulders a fraction.

Magnus kicked his brother under the table. “Dinner out, like right now,” he said. “Going to a movie or a theatre production. Helping you study for an exam.”

“We could take you on vacation to Europe,” Mason added, effortlessly continuing the specific examples he’d started. “Like Yvgeny is doing with Samanatha right now.”

Her head came up at that. “You’d take me traveling?”

“The world is a beautiful, fascinating place,” Magnus told her. “We would love to see it through your eyes.”

“You’ve traveled a lot?”

“Yes, we’re in the hospitality business,” Mason answered. “Which means we need to see what hotels are doing in other places, what kinds of things people want to see and experience when they take a trip.”

“We haven’t gone on a trip like that for a while,” Magnus said. “Perhaps we should talk to Anna about it.”

Mason nodded.

Magnus watched Darlene’s face as she thought about it, fascinated by the rapid change in micro-expressions on her face. Finally, she gave them a shy smile.

Triumph bubbled through his blood like champagne and a wide, uncharacteristically goofy smile spread across his face.

Mason, he saw, wore the exact same expression.

If any of their family members saw them right now, they would think he and his brother were drunk.

“Okay, I think...” Darlene said. “I’d like to try a relationship with you both, but I don’t want to jump into bed yet.” She winced. “So, if you’d rather not wait, I’ll stay out of your way.”

Magnus was about to tell her they had all the time in the world to wait, but the table of noisy ladies got much louder. So loud he turned to look and ask them to keep it down.

They were getting up and grabbing their things in preparation to leave when one of them backed into another and they both fell to the floor.

A man sitting with his back to their booth got up to help one of the women up.

Darlene sucked in a breath and froze. All the color disappeared from her face, like someone had pulled the plug on all the blood in her body.

The man laughed as he helped the lady stand, then said something to her in a flirtatious tone.

The woman wobbled on her feet, clearly drunk and told him to go fuck himself at a volume that meant everyone in the restaurant heard her.

“Who is he?” Magnus asked Darlene.

“He...” She paused and swallowed hard before she spoke. “He’s a vice cop. He’s arrested me a few times.” She paused for a moment, then whispered, “He’s not a nice person.”

“What’s he doing in our hotel?” Mason asked absently, turning in his seat to observe the man as he shooed the drunk women away.

“That’s an excellent question,” Magnus replied. “If he’s here just to have a good meal, that’s one thing, but—”

“If he’s here in an official capacity, that’s something else,” Mason finished the sentence.

The cop turned and looked right at Darlene. He gave her a slimy grin then made a show of giving her his back as he sat down in his seat.

“He doesn’t look very official,” she whispered.

Mason grunted. “He looks like he wants to start shit.”

“What about the men with him, do you recognize them?” Magnus asked.

“No.” Darlene’s posture straightened and her tone strengthened. “But they’re dressed better than the cop.”

They were, in fact, each wearing a suit that probably cost more than the cop’s paycheck.

“And look at their cufflinks,” Darlene said, sounding excited. “Those are real diamonds.”

“How can you tell?” Magnus asked.

“Real diamonds reflect more light than rhinestones.”

“So, we have an asshole local and two rich men from out of town,” Mason said with a predatory grin. “Now I’m interested.”

Their waitress returned with Darlene’s meal. It looked and smelled delicious.

“Oh, this looks great,” Darlene said to the waitress. “Thank you.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“Maybe more hot water in a little while?” Darlene picked up her fork and steak knife.

“I’ll bring you a fresh pot of tea then,” the waitress said with a smile and nod.

Darlene began eating with a bite cut from her steak. “Mmm, this is so good,” she moaned.

That sound curled around Magnus’s cock, stroking it effortlessly into an almost painful erection. From the way his brother shifted in his seat, Mason was dealing with the same problem.

“I’m going to see if our security team has any info on these gentlemen,” Mason said. He got up, took one step away, then stopped and turned back. “Darlene?”

He leaned over the table stopping just before he kissed Darlene’s cheek. Waiting to give her the decision to allow a kiss or not.

She paused with her fork in the air, then slowly set it down, cupped her hands around his face and brought him to her lips. The kiss was chaste, but its effect on Mason was electric.

He groaned and pulled away. He stared into her eyes, and for a moment Magnus thought he might cry. “Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I’ll be back soon.”

Mason nodded at Magnus and strode away.

All three men at the cop’s table were looking at them.

Magnus smiled, revealing his teeth in a blatant warning.

The cop snorted his derision, but the two men in the fancy suits didn’t react. Which was all by itself a reaction. He pulled out his phone and texted Mason their reactions.

“Aren’t you eating anything?” Darlene asked him. “Oh, right. your food allergies.” She shook her head. “Sorry, it just feels weird to be the only one eating.”

“I’m very glad you’re enjoying your dinner.”

“This is the best steak I’ve ever eaten,” she said with another sigh that turned his cock to stone. “I’m so glad I let you guys bully me into coming here.”

All his thoughts came to a crashing stop in his head. “We bullied you?”

“Well, sort of.” She took another bite, and he could almost see the thoughts flowing through her head. “I kind of needed it, because you and Mason were right, this is much better than the noodles I was going to make myself.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for that.”

A warmth ignited in his chest, spreading tendrils out through his body.

This , this feeling, must be why Baz was the man he was. Yvgeny too.

“You’re welcome,” he said in a rumble.

Darlene shifted closer to him. “I love how warm you are.”

He put his arm around her, his hand landing on her hip. “I will need to add heat source to my resume.”

Darlene burst out laughing. “Make sure you put me down as a reference.”

Magnus smiled and laughed with her. When was the last time he had fun like this? Laughed like this?

He couldn’t remember.

His phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it. There was a message from Mason.

The two men with the cop are from England. Still trying to ascertain if they are with our British friends or not .

Magnus typed back. They don’t look like one of our British friends .

I’m running their names and faces now .

The sound of sirens trickled into the air. Getting louder and louder. The horn of a fire truck was loud enough that the patrons inside the restaurant turned their heads to search for the source of the noise.

Police and fire trucks have just pulled up in front of the hotel . Mason texted. They’re going into the hotel across the street .

See any evidence of a fire?

No, but it looks like a bomb squad truck pulled up .

“What’s going on?” Darlene asked.

“Something is happening at the hotel across the street. Police, fire trucks, and the bomb squad are all parked out front.”

A flurry of movement surged from the main hotel entrance toward the check-in desk.

Darlene hadn’t finished her meal, but he needed to see what was happening. He fired off a quick text to Anna, then got to his feet.

“I’m sorry, I need to see what is happening and if the first responders need anything from us.”

“Yes, of course.” She gave him a small smile.

He didn’t like how small she looked sitting in the booth all by herself. She rubbed her hands up and down her forearms. Right, she’d complained about being cold.

Magnus took his suit jacket off, making sure he’d pocketed his phone and hotel radio, and draped it over Darlene’s shoulders. “Will you wait for either Mason or myself to return?”

She wiggled her shoulders to settle the jacket over her. “Do you want me to?”

“Yes. Have some dessert when you’re finished with dinner.”

“Well,” she said drawing out the word. “If I have to.”

He leaned down and kissed her on the corner of her mouth. Her skin was soft and she smelled wonderful. Like home. “I’ll be back soon.” He turned and strode out of the restaurant.