Page 21 of Twins for the Enemy

Chapter sixteen

~KIERAN~

My library armchair faces the bar cart—a quiet nod to the fact that I probably reach for the bourbon more than the books. But honestly, I’ve gotten pretty good at doing both.

I’ve brought over a book on the history of the construction of the Crystal Palace, but my attention keeps returning to the surveillance video on my phone.

On the screen, Farah has her arms crossed as Neal holds his hands over his chest and his mouth rapidly moves. The surveillance system picks up the low rumble of his voice, but only an occasional word is clear enough to understand .

I take a gulp of my whiskey.

They’ve been at it for nearly twenty minutes now. Farah grabbed a coat before she went out, but I still worry about the cold. I still worry about her ankle, though she’s leaning against a pillar.

I never should have told her that it was him outside. I should have just lied back down beside her, pulled her so close to me that the rest of the world disappeared. Neal wouldn’t have been able to get inside the house. He would’ve died from exposure before being able to become a threat to Farah.

I need to turn back time. I need to close the doors, lock them forever, and I’ll keep her to myself. I’ll protect her from these liars and thieves.

But isn’t she a danger herself? Couldn’t she burn us down?

I’d let her.

She could burn down everything I have and everything I am. And the way she looked at me when I told her the truth—I might as well be what’s left after the fire.

I look over my shoulder at the library’s shelf, where Ellie had hidden the mini replicas of the buildings Henry had designed. The engagement party is in three days. With the chaos of Farah’s ankle injury and everything between us, the calendar slipped away from me.

I can’t let Ellie and Farah encounter each other. If Ellie finds out that I’ve been harboring Farah, it will break her heart. If Farah finds out that I’d hidden the fact that the one she injured was my sister, she’ll run.

I sit up as I hear the door open and close. On my phone, I see Neal walking away from the house. I exit out of the app.

Farah pauses outside the door of the library. She turns slowly to look at me.

“Did you ask him about giving up your location?” I ask.

“No,” she says. “I don’t need to. ”

She walks toward me, eyeing the liquor wistfully. I pick up the glass beside mine, holding it up for her. She looks at it, one brow raised, touching her stomach.

“It’s not liquor,” I say. “I got you some apple juice from the kitchen.”

“You knew I’d come and sit with you?”

“I’d hoped.”

She takes the glass and sits down in the chair on the other side of the bar cart. She takes a sip from the glass. She looks down at the juice, rotating the bottom of the glass against her palm.

“He was still very young when he became an addict,” she says.

“I remember being eight and I already associated the smell of marijuana with him. It wasn’t long after that when he started doing harder drugs.

I know how easy it is to say that it’s not my responsibility, but he’s been the one pillar in my life and he loves me.

I know it doesn’t look like that now, but he used to be a great brother.

He could be an asshole like all brothers, but he took on the responsibility of raising me and making me feel cared for.

I just want to reciprocate. I never want him to feel like he isn’t loved or that I won’t be there for him. ”

“I can understand that,” I say. “You’re not responsible, but I know that feeling of responsibility for a sibling.

I felt it for a long time. I’ve imagined myself in that driver’s seat and considered over and over if I could have saved Olivia’s life if I’d turned the other way or if I’d been going a little slower or a little faster.

I wonder if I’d done everything right while doing chest compressions or if I shouldn’t have moved her out of the seat.

It used to fill me with so much rage that I avoided Ellie because I didn’t want her to see that.

It’s because of you that I’m learning to put that anger aside. ”

Her mouth twists into a half-smile. “How exactly am I doing that? It’s not like I don’t frustrate you.”

“You do,” I say. “But you also make me question things—like whether people are only the sum of their worst mistakes. ”

She takes another sip of her juice, her gaze sliding down to her feet.

“I wish I could tell you everything about that night, but I don’t think I can yet. Maybe after the twins are born and I can get drunk off of more than apple juice.”

“You don’t need to tell me anything,” I say.

I mean it. If she thinks too much about it, she might realize that I’ve been so angry because Helena is Ellie. That she injured my sister.

“I just remembered while I was sitting here—the engagement party is in a few days. People are going to be coming in and out of the house to decorate and the party will be full with people. Why don’t we stay in a hotel during it?”

“For your sister’s engagement party?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. “At your house? You can’t skip it.”

“I’ll make a brief appearance,” I say. “It’s more for her than anything. She knows how I feel about parties.”

She rubs the glass against her wet bottom lip .

Goddamn.

“And you want me to go back in public?” she asks. “The Chicago police are still looking for me.”

“I’ll keep you hidden from prying eyes.”

She looks at me. I could swear her green eyes get a little bit softer.

“Okay,” she says. “I’ll trust you.”

The hotel balcony overlooks Lake Michigan, where the chaos of the city—

The balcony is split into three spaces—a lounging area with a circular stone fireplace, an alcove shaded by a metal pavilion shaped like oversized leaves with a matching leaf-shaped dining table, and a jacuzzi that resembles a circular pool with sleek glass siding.

When Farah slips into it, only wearing a T-shirt and underwear, I know I chose the right hotel for us.

The shirt billows around her before it darkens as the water soaks into it.

She whips off the shirt, throwing it over the side of the jacuzzi.

It makes a wet slapping sound as it hits the ground, but I can't afford it any attention when Farah is taking off her bra as well.

Her breasts are half-submerged in the water, turning this balcony into paradise.

I start undressing as she tries to catch the bubbles surging across the surface.

When I plunge in beside her, the water feels much warmer than it is because of how quickly the temperature is dropping as the sun sets. I press up close to Farah near the edge of the jacuzzi, looking out at the lake.

The lights from the skyscrapers paint the water, creating soft lines of a dozen different colors that make small enough movements that they seem to be breathing. The sky almost seems to be turning a dark purple.

I only notice all of these things because I keep looking over at Farah and see how in awe she is.

Beauty has always been something for me to possess—to spend a night with it and be close enough to become less impressed by it—but with her, I know it was something less than beauty that I was possessing, because every time I look at her, it takes my breath away again.

Her beauty doesn’t diminish the more I see her; it becomes more striking.

I’d asked the staff to leave us some wine and sparkling juice, which sits in an ice bucket beside the jacuzzi. I pour us each a glass. She takes the sparkling juice from me, taking a sip.

“You should go to Ellie’s engagement party tomorrow,” she says. “I don’t want her to think I’m stealing away her brother.”

“I’ll be there as long as I’d be there if you weren’t around,” I say. “She’s used to me leaving for work.”

“I don’t want to make you lie to your sister either.”

“Don’t worry about Ellie,” I say, leaning over to kiss her. Her tongue flicks over her bottom lip like she can taste the wine. “She’s a strong woman. She’s been dealing with a self-absorbed brother for most of her life.”

“I’d love to meet her.”

I look over at my glass of wine. I catch her scrutinizing me. I’m usually much better at being a manipulative asshole than this.

“Oh, I don’t think you two could handle each other,” I say. “Besides, I don’t want the two of you trading stories about what a pain in the ass I am.”

She keeps looking at me, looking for the creases and twitches that indicate I’m avoiding. I keep my expression passive, taking another swig of my wine. Most people don’t look this closely at me. They’re either too intimidated.

But someday the show must end, and Farah will find out that Ellie is the one who was burned in her fire. She’ll be furious that I didn’t tell her. The right move is to end this now, but my brain can only strategize how to delay the inevitable as long as possible .

It still grates in my brain. Ellie has been my last remaining family member for a long time and the only living person I’ve cared about. I never put anyone above her.

Now, there’s Farah and the twins. She’s fallen so far from my priorities that I’ve forfeited any right to call myself loyal.

A soft chime plays from the hotel room while my phone also sends me a notification.

“The dessert’s here,” I say. “Don’t move.”

“Is that another command?”

“It’s a reminder that your clothes are wet and you’d need to cross through the room to get a new set.

” I give her a quick kiss while the squeeze to her thigh lasts a little longer.

Our mouths linger close to each other. “If the room service attendant sees you, I know he’ll want you, and I’ll want to toss him over this balcony. ”

I quickly step down the wooden stairs around the jacuzzi and head to the door. The attendant pushes in a cart with whipped cream, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a molten lava cake. I tip him and he steps back out.

I carry the tray over to Farah. With the glass walls of the jacuzzi and the recessed lights inside it, her legs and ass are visible under the water.

I’ll have to figure out how to perform oral on her underwater. I can picture her arms clinging to the sides and her legs floating on the water as I push her over the edge and have to hold onto her to stop her from drowning.

I set down the tray on a platform beside the tub. Farah half-swims over. She catches me watching her chest and gives me a half-hearted shove.

“Get back in here,” she says. “I’m not going to get pruny alone.”

I drop in, grabbing around her like I need to stabilize myself. I kiss the side of her head as she uses the spoon to slather the whipped cream on a strawberry. She bites into it, her eyes lighting up as the taste hits her.

“Good?” I ask .

“I’m considering naming one of the babies Strawberry after this,” she says. “Christ.”

She dips in another strawberry and offers it to me. I shake my head.

“I don’t like sweets,” I say.

“What? Why did you get all of this then?”

“For you.”

She frowns. “Just try it. It’s amazing.”

“It’s for you.”

Glaring at me, she swipes two fingers in the whipped cream and presses it against her lips. She raises an eyebrow at me.

“Do you still not like sweets?” she asks.

I grin, slowly leaning forward, and kiss her. The warmth of her mouth seems to deepen the flavor of the whipped cream. I kiss her some more, taking every whipped particle from her until all I taste is her.

“Maybe I can be converted,” I say. “It might be faster if you’d placed it a bit lower.”

“I don’t think you want to drink the chlorine in the water.”

“I’d die with a smile on my face.”

She rolls her eyes, but her hand curves around the back of my neck, bringing me closer. She kisses me deep, more confident than I’ve ever seen her. I smile against her mouth.

“You should eat the lava cake before it gets cold.”

“You want to interrupt what we’re doing?” she laughs.

“I won’t get cold,” I say. “I’ll never be cold for you.”

She looks at me with a warmth in her eyes that seems almost too delicate to be in this world. It certainly isn’t something that should normally be around me, but I’ll take care of it for as long as I can.

When she tries the lava cake, she lets out a soft moan that almost makes me jealous. I run my hand down her back, over her ass. I give it a small squeeze .

I move my hands back up, following the curve of her ribs before exploring her breasts. She presses her back against my chest, licking melted chocolate off her fingers. My breath hits against her ear. She turns to look at me.

“I could go with you to the engagement party,” she says.

I stop. With other people, I’d think someone was trying to manipulate me—softening me before asking for what they want—but Farah isn’t like that. She also doesn’t know that I can’t have her at the party.

“I know I’m not invited, and I know I could be recognized, but it’d be cool to meet your sister.”

“Why are you so interested in meeting Ellie?” I ask.

She shrugs, but the look in her face starts to harden. “She’s someone you care a lot about. If you care about them, I care about them.”

“You’ll be overwhelmed,” I say. “I’d rather not scare you away that quickly. Ellie will be overwhelmed with everything. You two can meet at another party. ”

“Do you go to a lot?”

“When I want to. With you, I’ve just been enjoying our private moments.”

I kiss her again, but even as she kisses back, the change is noticeable. There’s a distance between us even as we’re skin-to-skin.

I’ll make it up to her. With the way she feels, it’ll be the kind of night where the everyday moments slip away. Like chlorinated water. Like clothes. Like a lie.