“Or are you afraid I might ask the wrong question?”
Her back straightened and her chin tilted an inch higher. “Who can define a right or wrong question? Even in the legal system that’s an impossibility.” She clamped her lips together as she realized she’d just enlightened him more than she’d intended. The flash in his eyes warned her that it hadn’t slipped past him.
“Ah, so, you’re an attorney?”
“You haven’t answered my question yet,” she reminded him with a snarky smile.
“Of course. Which one would you like me to answer?”
“Why DC?”
“We have business associates here.”
“You’ve been actors since you were in school,” she mused as she contemplated him. “So, what kind of business associates could you possibly have?”
He didn't respond, just watched her with an indulgent smile on his lips. She huffed and took another bite of the buttery toast. She had expected to face Stone once she arrived in Key West. She might have had a niggling of doubt about Stone but she had always trusted in Peyton. If she said he was a wonderful man, she believed her. She had to, since she had intended to reach out to him and depended on his compassion for her plight to visit her best friend who she hadn’t seen for almost a year. The chance meeting with Zeke wouldn’t have jeopardized that plan but what had happened last night sure as hell did. Especially since he sensed she was hiding something from him. She was playing with fire by continuing to deny her association with Peyton and her knowledge of him and his cousins. If she wished to get on the island without blurting out her reasons, she knew she’d have to give him something … before Stone arrived. As a submissive, she knew that trust was the one thing a Dominant valued and she sure as hell needed him to trust her.
“Your question? I’m an attorney.” She took a deep breath and gulped down a much-needed boost of coffee before she continued in a low voice. “Very well, Zeke, I have something I need to admit.”
“I’m listening.”
Taylor swore his eyes turned silvery and glimmered like dusted diamonds in the streaks of sunlight dancing through the window.
“Peyton Jackson is my best friend. I’m a real estate attorney and I was the one who helped her find you on The Seven Keys Island when she was looking for her cousin, Savannah.” She heaved in a breath after rambling it off quickly. The way Zeke watched her was unsettling, like he expected her to continue, but what concerned her more, was that he didn’t seem at all surprised at the revelation she just made. “What? No reaction?”
“I’m glad you admitted the truth.”
“Are you decent in there, cuz?”
Taylor startled at the deep voice grating from the doorway. Zeke, on the other hand, didn’t blink at the intrusion but kept his eyes on her.
“About time you got here, Stone.” He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at the two brothers walking towards them. “Fancy seeing you here, Parker.”
“Someone had to keep this old lug awake, since we had to leave in the dead of the night to get here this early. Damn inconvenient if you ask me.” Parker poked Stone in the ribs. “Should’ve said no, big brother, especially since he doesn’t seem at all perturbed for the inconvenience he caused.”
“You’re just peeved because you had to leave Ava behind.” Zeke shook hands with them and gestured to Taylor who sat watching them silently. “Meet Taylor Banks.”
“Well, well, well,” Stone mused as he stared at her unflinchingly. “Such a small world.” He scratched his chin as his eyes turned speculative. “Where exactly did you pick her up, Zeke?”
“At the airport.” The grin he flashed at his cousins was the personification of wickedness. “I could hardly leave a damsel in distress to her own devices, now could I?”
“I’d appreciate you not talking about me like I’m not even in the room.” Taylor’s voice was coated with irritation. Stone’s words registered and her eyes shot to his. “What do you mean, small world?”
“You’re my little tulip’s BFF as she prefers to call you.” He pulled out a chair opposite from her and sat down. He cast a quick look at her as he filled a side plate with bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs. Parker immediately followed suit and started eating with gusto. Stone smiled at the surprise on her face. “I was in the room a couple of times when you skyped. A beauty like you is hard to forget.”
“She told you about me?”
“We’re about to get married, Taylor. There’s little about each other we don’t know.”
“We’ve known about you since before Peyton arrived on the island, little one,” Zeke interjected as he speared a piece of sausage into his mouth. He chuckled as her expression turned to a combination of surprise and shock.
“How? I don’t understand,” she managed to croak. Suddenly the confidence she’d had in her plan wavered.
“We have certain flags in place to ensure our identity and the location of Castle Sin remain a secret. You poking into our business was the first time someone managed to uncover our location and association with the BDSM lifestyle.” Parker poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Stone. “We have to thank you for that. It made us realize it was the one area we left ourselves vulnerable and urged us to put stricter measures in place.”
Taylor blinked as she looked at Zeke. “You knew who I was all along.”
“Not at first but once you told me your name, I did.”
“It was Zeke who found you in the first place,” Parker offered with a crooked smile as he stared at him curiously. He hadn’t missed the way Zeke’s eyes couldn’t seem to stray from the enticing and gorgeous blonde by his side. “At a guess, now, in more ways than one.”
Stone pushed back the empty plate and folded his arms over his broad chest. Taylor’s breath hitched as she battled to calm her frayed nerves under his brooding look. She was used to being the only woman among a room full of men, especially dealing with big property development corporations. Not once had she felt vulnerable or nervous. Now, with these three men, who she sensed were each powerful Doms in their own right, she was completely discombobulated and exposed—emotionally drained even.
“Which poses the question, Miss Banks, of why you’re going to Key West?”
Taylor glanced briefly at Zeke but found no solace in his equally sharp condemnation. She cleared her throat as she looked back at Stone.
“I’ve been trying to get hold of Peyton for over a week but she’s not responding to any of my calls or messages. Needless to say, I’ve been worried.”
“So, you jumped on a plane to check up on her?” Parker leaned his elbows on the table as he pinned her in place with a piercing stare. “Via DC?”
Taylor felt like she was facing a firing squad, ready to bombard her with an array of death bullets … only it was their chilled eyes that sent shards of fear through her body. She forced herself to relax. She’d be damned if she’d let them see they scared the shit out of her.
“I had business in DC first, but yes, I needed to see if she was okay and besides, it’s been almost a year since I’ve seen her.” She looked down at her clenched fists. “I miss her.”