“They seem sweet.”
They were so worried about me and it reminded me a lot of how Kane acted with Juliet. It was something I envied and as I sit here now I can still feel Ezra lips on my knuckles. Not only that but they didn’t want me to leave their side.
They’ve been nothing but sweet and charming, but didn’t they say the same about Ted Bundy? They could have Juliet and Kane fooled about the things they do when no one else is around. I really should’ve read more of that book before I ventured out into the lion’s den. I know more than anyone that knowledge is power.
Do they want me to stay because I know what they are and they want to protect their secret? Maybe I’m a threat they need time to figure out what to do with. They can’t just make me disappear like those other girls. Can they? I find comfort in the fact that Juliet is here and she knows about them. I have a feeling she wouldn’t let anything like that happen to me.
“They are. And I agree that you should stay for the night. You should get some sleep. You have to be tired and it’s almost morning.”
I bite my lip, but maybe it’s not the worst idea. My heart thinks it’s the best idea ever, as does the rest of my body. My brain’s the only thing holding me back. You spend too much time in that head of yours, Dove. My grandpa’s words echo through my mind.
“I’ll stay for the night.” If anything, maybe I can snoop around a little. I’ve already crossed some creepy stalking boundaries, what’s a few more at this point?
“Good,” Ezra says, walking back into the room with Erik.
Kane comes in and goes straight to Juliet. The twins stare at me like I’m the sparkly object you see in the store that your mom tells you not to touch.
“The sun,” Kane tells Juliet before giving her a kiss and placing his hand over her stomach in a possessive touch.
He helps her down from the chair. “I’ll stop by later to see you. Let things settle in your mind, Dove, not everything has to be learned all at once.”
With that, she and Kane leave me standing in the kitchen with Erik and Ezra. I already know Erik is the voice of reason while Ezra seems to be the one who acts before he thinks.
Neither one of them look as lighthearted as they normally do, and I can’t place the feeling that settles over the room. I lick my suddenly dry lips and try to think of what to say since no one is talking.
“Are you sure I should stay?” I ask.
“Yes!” they both half-yell in unison.
“I can take the sofa,” I suggest, pointing to where I was lying before.
“No, we have just the room for you,” Ezra says, holding out his hand for me to take. Erik’s eyes flash to his brother and some kind of understanding passes between them.
There’s a weird feeling of being left out as I watch them communicate, but I shake it off and take Ezra’s hand. It wraps around mine tightly but not painfully. He pulls me towards him and I have to lean back in order to look up at him. I hadn’t noticed our height difference when I was on the sofa, but now I can see how big he really is. I barely come up to the middle of his chest.
When I feel Erik’s body heat come up beside me, I glance his way, meeting his eyes. Between them I feel tiny. Sure, I’ve always been short, but tiny isn’t a word I’d use for my body. Awareness hums through me as heat and tingling build within me.
Erik’s hand comes to my hip and his fingers dig into me.
“Are you okay?” he asks against my ear. His breath against my sensitive skin isn’t helping the feeling running through me.
“I’m lightheaded,” I admit, but before I can finish the words Erik has me in his arms and he’s carrying me through the house and up the stairs.
“I can walk,” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his neck to make sure I don’t fall. Also because I don’t really want him to put me down. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
“God, does she always smell like that?” I hear Ezra say. I peek over Erik’s shoulder to see him right behind us. “It makes me want—”
“Candy,” Erik says, finishing his brother’s sentence.
“It’s a little bit of an addiction,” I admit, assuming that’s what they’re smelling.
“We’ll have to remember that.” Ezra gives me a wink and my stomach tightens.
A few moments later we enter a room and Erik sits me down onto a giant bed. It’s bigger than giant, because I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s made for more than two people, that’s for sure.