Page 33 of Whispers of Wisteria (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #5)

He laughed against my ear and nipped at my earlobe. “You definitely are. Don’t forget, I can feel you, and you were tight with anger.”

Darn. I did forget. This was rather annoying. “Stop eating me.”

“I can’t.” He pressed his cheek against mine, slowing down his assault even though we remained wrapped around each other. “You like it.”

I felt off-balance, which got worse as my racing heart finally began to calm.

“But you’re also nervous,” Miles continued, moving away slightly. His deep eyes sought out mine. “We’ve gone too far already. It’s a good thing Bryce is about to stop us.”

I blinked at him, my thoughts still hazy and my head floating. “Huh?”

The double doorway slammed open, and Damen and Bryce stood at the entrance, their faces filled with panic.

“Oh?” Miles mused. “They must have been hanging out.”

Damen spotted the two of us instantly. His fear melted into surprise, and his dark expression vanished, replaced by curiosity.

Meanwhile, Bryce remained slow on the uptake.

“Montrone!” He stormed into the room. “Why do you have Anthony and Brayden…” Bryce’s tirade faded off, and he stopped walking as he finally spotted the two of us. “What…”

But his shock only lasted a second. His eyes widened as he stalked toward us, glowering. “What the hell is this?” The dimple in his chin was pale compared to his reddening complexion, and his voice was more shrill than usual. “Get away from her!”

“Oh, don’t have a conniption,” Damen replied, lazily strolling after him. “It’s only an innocent embrace.”

Bryce narrowed his eyes at my leg, which happened to be wrapped around Miles’s waist. My skirt, of course, had risen to questionable heights during our encounter, and the opaque lace tops of my dark thigh-high stockings were clearly visible.

Bryce’s jaw twitched. “That is not innocent.”

My senses filled with dread as my grip around Miles went lax.

“Either way, Bianca’s perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She doesn’t need an overbearing brother around meddling in these affairs.” Damen shrugged, pushing past Bryce. He was eerily calm, which was exactly what I needed.

However, I couldn’t help but feel it might not last.

Damen’s casual smirk didn’t falter, but his gaze flickered, ever so briefly, toward me. “Besides that, what’s going on?”

Miles sighed, setting me back onto my feet in front of him.

But before Miles could respond, Bryce was already off on another tirade. “Don’t give me that shit.” He pointed at Miles. “He should understand; he has a sister too! I expect more from him. He’d want to know if she was making bad decisions with people he had to look at daily.”

I was still in a daze, but something nagged at me.

His sister…

Miles’s sister.

“Colette wants nothing to do with us.” I looked up at Miles as he shrugged. “She has her own thing. So I don’t have to worry about her making ‘bad decisions’ with anyone I know.”

Crap. Miles had no idea that Damen and Colette were a thing.

And then there was Damen, observing the conversation without a hint of guilt. The man hadn’t even flinched at Miles’s statement, unlike me.

My stomach was roiling. But why…

Why did I feel bad? This had nothing to do with me!

Miles’s lazy grip on my waist tightened, and he glanced down at me. “Bianca?” he asked, concern heavy in his voice. “What’s wrong?”

No, no, no! I didn’t want to become a part of Damen’s indiscretions. But now Miles was hovering, and Bryce, appearing slightly less disheveled, was watching in muted curiosity.

Meanwhile, Damen lazily touched his glasses, looking put together in his pressed black shirt and burgundy slacks. He watched me with a measured coolness. It was as if he were daring me to spill the beans.

Jerk. I should say something. I should ruin his day.

But he knew I wouldn’t—those unruffled gray eyes watched me with confidence. He was assured of my loyalty.

I was going to murder him.

Or even better, I’d find a way to make him confess. Mark my words. He’d be the one to tell Miles that he’d slept with his sister.

“Are you sick?” Miles pressed the back of his hand over my forehead and cheeks. “Did we go too far—”

“No!” My throat was closing in panic. Damen raised his eyebrow, and my annoyance with him spread. “Just cramps.”

“Oh…” Miles frowned. He’d be able to tell that the crippling pain had mostly passed. But Miles was innocent and kind and, in a true, helpful manner, offered me an out, “Or maybe you used too much magic?”

This, at least, was enough to pull Damen out of his infuriatingly nonchalant mood.

His lazy posture stiffened, and his focus snapped to Miles. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Is this why you asked Brayden and Anthony to kill your waterboy?”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Bryce rebutted. “There’s no fae at this school named Kent.”

“I never said kill anyone.” Miles held up his hand. “Plus, we don’t even have a waterboy.”

“You don’t have…” Bryce narrowed his eyes, suspicion lacing his tone. He stepped back, now gazing at the witch in wariness. “Did you lie?”

Miles grinned, and my skin prickled as his arm brushed over mine. “I needed a minute with Bianca,” he told Bryce, even though he was looking at me. “And Anthony pissed me off.”

My breath seized as his adoring stare pressed into me.

“That’s enough.” Bryce’s command rang through the room, but his tirade—and motion to karate chop the two of us apart—was cut short at Damen’s interception.

“Maybe we should have a minute too,” the onmyoji said, grinning as he stepped to my other side. His sultry side was back, and I raised my eyebrow.

This man was going to kill me with his mood swings.

“I’ve missed you,” he added, touching the ends of my hair. “You should sit in on one of my classes.”

“Or mine!” Miles’s eyes shone as he stared down at me. “Gloria wouldn’t even care.”

What in the world?

Still, my skin hummed as their praise filled the air. I bit my lip and touched my toe against the floor.

“Thanks…” I breathed, feeling shy.

Why were there butterflies in my stomach? I pulled at a lock of my hair, twisting it around my finger as I glanced between the two men.

Why was it getting hotter?

“What in the world are you—” Bryce began, looking between us, but his question ended abruptly. His annoyed, lax posture shifted, and his features snapped to sharp alertness.

“You cast an enchantment,” he told me, his tone almost accusing.

“I guess?” I tried to focus on him. Anything to distract me from Miles and Damen. They seemed to be larger than usual, or maybe I was smaller. But, anyway, it was beginning to feel a bit suffocating.

“You can end it now,” Bryce said.

I released Miles’s hand. He reached out and trailed his finger along my elbow, and I pressed both my hands to my mouth. Meanwhile, Damen’s hair-grooming technique was growing stronger and less gentle.

I stared at Bryce. “I-I don’t know how…”

My brother seemed to be expecting something, but I couldn’t tell what. It was getting harder to breathe, and Damen and Miles were strangely imposing.

I implored him quietly with my eyes.

Help me.

Bryce sucked in a breath, shoulders squaring, as his attention moved from my face to the two men beside me.

I could have sworn his lips quirked—but that could also have been my imagination lost in a moment of panic—because when he moved, grabbing my arm and pulling me to him, his expression was the picture of seriousness.

“Hey!” Damen rounded on Bryce. “Why did you—”

Damen was moving more slowly than usual, and Bryce side-stepped him easily. While he stumbled, Bryce crashed his elbow into his back.

Miles stood still and shook his head. He didn’t even blink when Damen crashed to the floor.

“I’m impressed that you’ve held on this long, Miles,” Bryce said, moving between us.

The way he emphasized Miles’s name caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand.

“You even had the foresight to send Anthony for help. Because of that, I’ll give you a chance to come to your senses before I’m forced to knock some sense into you. ”

“Oh, shut up.” Miles clenched his fist. The previous look of confusion had vanished. “Don’t try to use your magic on me. I only want to hold her hand.”

“Fuck you,” Damen responded. He was already back on his feet, but it was Miles he was addressing. “You’ve been with her enough. It’s my turn now.”

“Give it up. It’s not my fault she likes everyone better than you,” Miles snapped.

“It’s not fair!” Damen sounded like a petulant child. However, the way he rolled up his sleeves was anything but harmless. “She’s not supposed to like you more.”

“What do you expect?” Miles crouched in a fighting stance. “It’s your fault. You’d have a better chance if you stopped being so fake.”

The two lunged toward each other, colliding in a flurry of fists.

I gasped and moved to them, but Bryce thrust his arm out in front of my face.

“Let them go.” Bryce was unperturbed at the violent display.

I gripped his sleeve tightly. “But isn’t this my fault?”

“Sure.” Bryce shrugged, and the corner of his mouth lifted once more. “You weakened their restraint. Otherwise, Miles would never directly go after Damen. But Damen’s been begging for someone to kick his ass, and it’s better for it to be Miles than Julian.”

“Tell me how to stop the thing.” I pulled at Bryce’s shirt. “I don’t want them to fight!”

Bryce sighed, throwing another long-suffering look at the two brawling men. “You’ve already stopped. But they’re involved now. I can jump in if you want. Can I break Damen’s nose? That should get his attention.”

He sounded almost thrilled at the prospect.

“No!” I covered my eyes and peeked through my fingers as Damen swung at Miles. He barely missed the witch, then narrowly sidestepped Miles’s attempt to kick his left knee. “There are more peaceful ways of getting their attention,” I added.

“Please don’t do anything idiotic.”

“They won’t hurt me.” I ducked under Bryce’s arm and rushed to them.