Page 35 of Wicked Games
I groaned. “Love, we’ve talked about this. No one other than Mary Poppins says that.”
Ryder’s laughter echoed in the bathroom, putting the sappiest smile on my face. God, how I missed him.
IT WAS A SILLY THING: smiling like a lunatic because we argued over something as mundane as who owned the Versailles T-shirt. Lucien reminded me that possession was nine tenths of the law. At first, I was pissed when I saw him flaunting his stolen treasure, but then I realizedwhyhe took it. Lucien had wanted to keep a piece of me with him always. It was hard to stay pissed about it, and then I was bummed I hadn’t thought of it too.
“Do you know I mourned the loss of that shirt more than I have the passing of acquaintances?” I asked him during the elevator ride up to Deverish and Percy’s room.
“Blood relatives even,” I added. They were blood relatives I hardly knew, but I wasn’t ready to concede just yet.
Lucien grinned evilly and stroked the front of the well-worn fabric beneath his open jacket.
“First my T-shirt, then my tie. What’s next? My underwear?”
“You’re wearing mine now,” Lucien reminded me. “Those happen to be my lucky briefs too.”
I looked at him skeptically, but I was keeping them just in case it was true.
Percy was waiting for us by the door. He’d changed out of his purple suit and high-heeled boots in favor of silk pajamas. I had a feeling Percy didn’t do anything in small measures, including his choice for lounging clothes.
“You’re just in time, mates. We’re about to order in Chinese food and find out how they make wood slat baskets,” Percy said with mock-cheerfulness. He stepped aside and gestured with a flourish for us to enter.
“I loveHow It’s Made,” I told him. “Have you seen the one about glass faucets?”
I jerked to a stop when I reached the sitting room. I was excited to meet this Deverish guy, and I had pictured a younger version of Elton John to match Percy’s colorful personality. Birds of a feather and all that. Imagine my surprise when I saw a younger version of Colin Firth instead. It was like I was looking at Mr. Darcy. Oh, how I loved watching thePride and Prejudiceseries on DVD with my mother. We both crushed on Colin so hard. My infatuation remained a secret for several years, but Colin Firth and Jane Austen novels were things Mother and I could always agree on.
Colin—er—Deverish sat elegantly on the sofa wearing silk pajamas too, but they were a sophisticated dark teal compared to Percy’s bold cheetah print.
“Oh, that sounds interesting,” Deverish said, rising to his feet. The bulky cast on his leg made his movements awkward, but instead of ruining his elegant appearance, it made him appear even more charming and real. “You must be Ryder,” he said extending his hand as I approached. His grip was firm but friendly.
“I am, and you must be Deverish.”
“Please call me Dev,” he said, gesturing for me to take a seat on the adjacent sofa while he inelegantly dropped down on the sofa cushion he’d vacated to greet me. “I feel like I know you so well already.”
My face heated. Was I blushing? He wasn’t really Colin Firth, even if the resemblance was uncanny. “You have a distinct advantage over me then, sir. I’m afraid Lucien has been a bit greedy with information.” I leaned closer and lowered my voice, feeling Lucien’s intense regard from across the room. Why hadn’t he joined me on the sofa? “You’ll have to tell me what he’s said about me.”
Dev laughed then blessed me with a charming smile. “All lovely things, I assure you.”
I looked up and saw Lucien leaning against the wall with Percy by his side. Neither man looked jealous; they looked amused. Percy was probably used to people fawning all over his man, and Lucien knew damn well who I wanted. I patted the sofa for Lucien to join me. The look in his eyes shifted from humor to heat in the blink of an eye. Lucien slowly straightened then walked across the room to sit beside me. I expected him to be reserved with me in front of his friends, so I was a little surprised when he placed his hand on the back of my neck. The warmth and gravity of his touch grounded me, and I naturally leaned into it.
“What do you guys want to eat?” Percy asked while he tapped away on his phone without looking up.
“I want moo shu pork and crab rangoon,” Deverish told him. “Sweet tea if they have it, or water if not.”
“I know what you like, baby,” Percy said then made a purring sound. “Lucky?”
“I’ll take General Tso’s chicken, but I prefer fried rice instead of white. Can I get two eggrolls and a Coke, also?”
“Certainly,” Percy replied primly. “How about you, Ryder?”
“Beef and broccoli, white rice, two egg rolls, and I’ll settle for a Coke.”
“Settle?” Lucien said. “Coke is the supreme soda in the universe.”
“I’m a Pepsi guy,” I reminded him.
Lucien snorted. “I remember.” Of course he did.
Percy entered my order then joined us in the sitting room. Dev lifted his arm and Percy tucked himself beneath it, pulling up his legs and tucking them against his chest.