Remington actually covers my ears, although it’s a bit late for that. “Could you please not talk like that?” he asks.
Ford just smirks, then turns and starts to head out.
Phoenix finally grabs his shirt off the floor and tugs it on while Beckett strides over to Ford, catching him by the shoulder. He murmurs something that I can’t quite make out—I can only hear the words respect and lay off. I think he’s trying to tell Ford to cool it with me.
We all head back out to the car, where I end up crammed in the back seat between Remington and Phoenix. I try not to complain since at least I’m not in the trunk like the unconscious demon, but I admit it’s hard to concentrate when I’ve got two men pressed against me on either side, and all I can think about is how I just did extremely dirty stuff with three out of the four men in this car.
“Just so we’re clear,” I blurt out as Beckett pulls away from the curb, “we’re never talking about what happened back there. It’s just something we’re all going to forget about.”
Remington glances over at me. His red-brown hair is still a little mussed from my fingers, and he gives me a gentle smile. “Trin, you’re the one bringing it up. None of us are.”
My face heats up. Ugh, will it ever be a normal temperature again? “I’m only bringing it up to make it clear that we won’t ever bring it up again.”
“I’d sure fuckin’ like y’all to stop talking about it,” Ford mutters.
“What? Pissed you weren’t there?” Phoenix chuckles, nudging the back of Ford’s seat.
“Maybe I’m pissed that I’m the only one who’s takin’ this mission seriously.”
“Hey!” I sit up straighter, glaring at him. I can only see his profile, since he’s staring straight ahead. “I take this very seriously.”
“It’s not her fault that goddamn sex club was riddled with hidden lust dust dispensers.” Phoenix kicks Ford’s seat this time. “You could’ve warned us the place was booby-trapped.”
“I didn’t know,” Ford growls.
“Well, it wasn’t Trinity’s fault,” Remington says firmly. “Whatever kind of potion she was dosed with, it was strong. She was grinding on Nix like a succubus when we walked in.”
I drop my head into my hands with a groan. “Could we please move on now?”
“You brought it up,” Phoenix notes idly.
“And now I’m telling us to not talk about it.”
“Why?” Beckett asks, and to my surprise he sounds… not quite upset, exactly, but more biting than usual. Which leads me to realize that I know what his usual tone of ‘biting’ is and when he’s gone beyond that. Huh. “Do you feel tainted?” he adds. “Corrupted? Dirtied?”
His words hit me in the chest, and I lift my head from my hands as silence falls in the car.
“No,” I say slowly. Ford is still looking ahead, but Remington and Phoenix are watching me curiously, like they have no idea how I’m going to answer. “I don’t see having sex as something wrong; at least, not most of the time. If people couldn’t go Upstairs because they had sex and gave in to lust, Upstairs would be empty. And I know of angels who’ve had affairs with humans. It’s more that it was my first time, and—”
The car swerves as Beckett’s hands jerk on the wheel. “It was what?”
“Well… damn,” Phoenix says, sounding for once like he’s at a loss for words.
For the first time, I hear Ford laugh. It’s a harsh and wild sound, like horses galloping across the plains. “Fuckin’ hell, you three sure know how to pick ’em.”
“That’s not helpful, Ford,” Remington says quietly. He’s looking at me with a soft expression, but there’s something else in his eyes too.
Interest.
Curiosity.
Like I’m a puzzle that’s just been put in front of him.
In fact, all four of the men are looking at me like that, although Beckett has to use the rearview mirror to do it. I feel myself heating up again, and I squirm as I sink down in my seat, wishing I could disappear from the car. I feel confused, but also turned on, and I have no idea what any of this means.
Clearly, I’m struggling to control myself around these men—lust dust or no—and I’ll have to be extra vigilant if I’m going to get through this.
I have to keep my guard up and focus on the job, not get distracted.
Right.
Because I’ve been doing such an excellent job of that so far.
Chapter Twenty
Beckett
Fuck.
My hands grip the wheel of my Lamborghini tightly as I draw in a long breath through my nose.
I can still taste her on my tongue. Like sweet, expensive champagne.
What happened back at the pleasure den was undoubtedly a mistake. It was the quickest, safest way to get the lust potion out of Trinity’s system, but that doesn’t mean it was a wise decision.
The honest fucking truth is, when she looked into my eyes, her pupils dilated and her soft, small body writhing on the bed before me, I couldn’t say no to her.
And now I can’t get her out of my head.
What the hell is it about this angel? I’ve been with countless women over the years—so many that I’ve literally lost count—and I’ve shared with almost all of my brothers at one point or another. So on the face of it, what happened today isn’t anything extraordinary.
But it doesn’t feel that way.
At all.
This woman has gotten under my skin. There’s something about her that makes her almost irresistible, so alluring that I can feel my own greed seeping from me like a pheromone whenever I’m around her.
Ford is right. She’s trouble. She’s dangerous. We would all be wise to keep our distance from her.
But my brother is also a hypocrite. He might rage against Trinity, insist that we shouldn’t trust her, glare at her like he’s trying to burn a hole through her skin—but he’s just as affected by her as the rest of us are.
The car falls into silence as I weave in and out of traffic, and although I hear Trinity make little terrified gasps every time I whip around a corner or cut another driver off, she doesn’t accuse me of driving like Mad Max again. She doesn’t say anything.
A strange feeling expands in my chest, one I’m not accustomed to feeling at all.
Worry.
This little angel is made of stronger stuff than she appears. I’ve seen her fight off a pack of ravaging corrupted and temporarily close a demonic portal. I’ve seen her face Ford’s wrath—and although she was clearly terrified by it, it didn’t break her. As small and fragile as she seems, there’s a soul of iron in there somewhere.
But what just happened between the four of us has left even me unsettled, and I can only imagine what she must be feeling right now.
Actually, scratch that. I can’t imagine it at all. I don’t pretend to understand the angel, and I have no idea what’s going on in her head.
The car’s tires screech as I pull into the garage underneath my building. Ford hauls Henrik out of the trunk and tosses the demon’s body over his shoulder, and we all pile into the private elevator that leads up to the penthouse.