Page 10 of Mastered by Them (Rose and Dagger #2)

Troy

T he shopping trip ends without Dani choosing a dress. Am I a bad guy if that makes me happy? Watching her try on dress after dress after dress was pure torture. She twirled, she posed, she adjusted sleeves and skirts.

She looked like a bride. Beautiful.

Except for one glaring problem: she never smiled.

What the fuck are the two families thinking?

And why don’t I just bundle her into my truck, take her to my crappy apartment, and hide her there forever?

She watches the passing city as I drive her home.

Words jam in my throat. Run away with me. I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of your family.

“Where…” She tucks her hair behind her ears. “Where’s Edmund today?”

“Working. Putting out fires. The Vorsongs sabotaged another shipment.”

“Whiskey into the bay again?”

“No. They set a truck on fire, full of clothes and other luxury shit the Laytons distribute. Edmund’s talking to the driver and everyone else he can find. The Vorsongs shouldn’t have even known about that truck.”

She nods, her mind obviously somewhere else.

At a stop sign, I glance both ways to check the coast is clear. But a woman standing on the curb makes my entire body go cold.

Amber. It has to be her. Although her eyes are hidden by sunglasses, she has the same honey-blond hair, held back in a low bun like always.

The car behind me honks. I jolt in surprise and put my foot on the gas.

When I glance in the side mirror to look back, the woman is nowhere in sight.

* * *

Danica

A familiar car is waiting at the curb in front of my house. Troy swears under his breath as he parks behind it.

I can guess who’ll be stepping out of the car. Sure enough, there’s Edmund. His mouth is set in a solemn line, but it lifts in the barest of smiles when I hop out of Troy’s truck.

“Danica.” He strides forward, arms out.

I don’t know what happens to my brain. It must go offline. Because I step forward like it’s the most natural thing in the world to accept his embrace.

A second later I pull back, frowning. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you.” He slides his hand from my shoulder, down my arm, to hold my hand. His fingers touch my engagement ring.

I should throw this ring in the sewer. He’s so obsessed with it, he’d probably jump in after it. Maybe he’d drown in there, and problem solved.

“What are you smiling about?” His eyes narrow. “That looks like your evil, plotting smile.”

I grin wider. “Nothing, nothing at all.”

“You’re such a brat.” He tugs me toward the house. “Do you mind if I come inside for a few minutes? There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

I should resist, tell him he can talk about it out here. If we go inside, there’s a high chance we’ll start fucking around. And as fun as that is, I need to be strong. I need to guard my heart.

“Danica?” He recaptures my attention. “Can I come in?”

“Oh, fine . But Troy’s coming, too.”

“Of course.” Edmund spares a brief glance for his friend.

Something’s off between the two of them. A new tension that didn’t used to exist. Is it self-absorbed to guess I’m the cause? Probably. The tension could be caused by anything, not just me.

I unlock the door. Troy is immediately in bodyguard mode, checking the room for threats. All he’ll find is Cackle, who trots right up to say hello.

“Meet Cackle,” I say. “The most formidable assassin on the west coast.”

“Terrifying,” Edmund says with a mock shudder, but he bends to give Cackle ear scratches.

“Attack,” I whisper under my breath.

Cackle purrs and rubs against Edmund’s legs, the traitor. He returns to Troy to give him the same treatment.

It’s official. I have no allies.

“Well?” I face Edmund. “Other than stealing my cat, what did you want to discuss?”

“Your move-in date.”

I…can’t have heard that correctly. “Sorry, my what ?”

“It’s time for you to move to my penthouse. Obviously, not tonight or anything, but I thought we could figure out logistics. I’ve already looked up movers, and if you want to start deciding which furniture you want to bring with you, we can discuss where it might go.”

To his credit, he doesn’t wrinkle his nose in distaste at the thought of my college-student-chic belongings crammed into his fancy-ass apartment.

But. “I am absolutely not moving in with you, Edmund.”

His lips don’t curve in a smile, but his eyes are shining. Motherfucker is enjoying this conflict. “Danica. It would be better for us.”

“Better for you to control me, you mean.”

He has the audacity to look hurt. “No. Better for us to get to know each other. But if we’re honest…I think you wouldn’t mind the control.”

“Fuck you.”

“That’s my hope, princess.” He takes a step toward me.

Dammit, he’s already turning me on, and he’s not even trying, is he? What is this spell he casts on me? He’s a maniac magician with a magic penis, and I hate him for it.

He takes another step. His gaze flicks to Troy, who joins in the pursuit. I can see how they’re pushing me, together, in some kind of slow-motion sexy chase.

I clear my throat, then weave through them and past the coffee table toward the kitchen. “Who wants a beer? Water? Coffee? Tea?”

“Nothing for me, thanks,” Troy says.

“I’ll have a beer, if you don’t mind.” Edmund follows me to the kitchen. “Let me help.”

“Nope.” I hold up a hand. “I got it.”

I wish the kitchen weren’t open to the rest of the living room. I could use a minute to take a breath, away from their dual sexy influence.

I snag a beer for Edmund, and two glasses of water.

One for me, one for Troy in case he changes his mind.

Back in the living room, I shove aside one of Elias’s disgusting hoodies and sit on the couch.

Troy takes the other side, leaving Edmund to sit in my favorite chair.

And somehow, Edmund makes the old grandpa-style recliner look good.

“I like your place.” Edmund surveys the room like a king taking stock of his country. “How many roommates do you have?”

“Three.”

“It’s a four-bedroom?”

“No. Elias and Wallace share the master. Rita and I have the smaller rooms.”

“What’s the security like here?”

“See that deadbolt?” I point to the front door.

Edmund nods, eyebrows raised.

“That’s the security.” I lean back on the couch and nearly jump forward again when I realize Troy’s arm is extended along the back. Then I realize I don’t mind leaning against him in the slightest. So I snuggle back again.

“You need better security.” Troy’s voice is a rumble next to me.

“We’re fine.”

“How about a pool?” Edmund peers at the rear sliding door that leads to the back yard.

Now I see where he’s going with this. “There’s no pool. I don’t care about swimming, though. My cat is here, and we’re safe enough.”

“Cackle could move.” To underline his point, Edmund reaches down to where Cackle is currently sprawled next to the chair.

Finally getting with the program, Cackle turns on his back and attacks Edmund’s hand with all four of his paws. Good kitty.

Edmund barely winces. He hand-wrestles with Cackle for a moment, a delighted smile on his face.

“Cackle isn’t moving, and neither am I.” I set my cup down on the coffee table with what I hope is an air of finality. “I’ve already agreed to the engagement, I’ve agreed to wear your ring, and I’ll have a dress picked out soon. I went to the engagement party and?—”

“And you had a very good time, if I recall.” Edmund’s smile is sinful.

I tamp down the pang of lust that fills me. “That’s beside the point.”

“It’s very much the point.” He leans back and crosses one leg over the other. “Imagine the fun we could have if we lived together. Hell, angel—don’t imagine it. Let us show you.”

Troy’s arm behind me takes on a whole different feel. I’m hyperconscious of where our bodies make contact. His arm. My back. He brings his hand down to cup the top of my shoulder, and his thumb rubs smooth arcs over my bare skin.

Edmund watches, a satisfied expression on his face. “How was dress shopping, anyway?”

“Fine.” I swallow. “It was fine.”

It was both better and worse than fine. Trying on gowns was stressful and fraught, not to mention a physical workout. But the moments with Troy made it bearable. His steady, comforting presence meant a lot.

Edmund stands and, in one graceful motion, sits on the couch on the other side of me. His hand cups my knee, warm through my jeans.

I yank my knee from his grasp. As soon as I’m free, I miss his heat.

He tuts. “Angel. You’re always mad at me. But in the end, Troy and I always make you feel good. Don’t you want to feel good?”

“You come here and tell me I have to move in with you—which you know will piss me off. Are you trying to get a rise out of me?”

His hands go up in mock innocence. “Would I do such a thing?”

I bolt out of my seat and stand over him and Troy. “Out. Both of you. I’m not your wife. I’m not even your girlfriend. I’m an arranged fiancée and I owe you nothing.”

I’m proud of my little speech, which was delivered with just the right amount of ferocity.

A car door slams outside, followed by two more. My roommates are home.

Edmund stands smoothly, and Troy follows suit. Finally, they’re listening.

I march to the door and open it for them. Edmund steps out, but I stop Troy with a hand on his chest.

“Thanks for today,” I whisper.

“Anytime, Dani.”

Standing on tiptoes, I still can’t reach his mouth with mine. I grip his shoulders to tug him toward me, then press my lips to his.

He groans into my kiss, his arms banding around my waist to tug me closer.

A wolf whistle from one of my roommates reminds me that we have more than just Edmund as an audience. I pull back out of the kiss. “See you later?”

He nods and cups my cheek. When he steps away, I notice Edmund hesitating on the walkway.

“Bye.” I give Edmund a sarcastic finger wave. My mom would disapprove of such a rude send-off, and the thought makes me smile.

My roommates all scramble into the house, going on about the human remains found at the lake, and all the speculation surrounding who the remains could belong to.

Blessedly, they don’t ask about my kiss with Troy.

Maybe they didn’t see clearly what was happening, or they thought I was kissing Edmund.

I feel separate from their chatter—I’m too focused on the men outside.

Edmund’s green eyes never leave mine as the door closes after my roommates, blocking Troy and Edmund from my view.