a knot over a woman.
Until now.
“She’s in trouble,” Seth began.
“What kind of trouble?” Dillon demanded.
“I’m not entirely certain.”
“Someone after her?”
Dillon’s expression had grown stormy, and he looked for the world like he wanted to kick someone’s ass.
“No. I don’t think so, anyway. Hell, I don’t know.”
“What do you know, then?” Dillon asked impatiently.
“I served her in a soup kitchen two days ago. She’s homeless.” Dillon’s scowl grew darker. The muscles in his arms rippled and his jaw tightened. “She’s what?”
“She was living on the streets. I talked her into going home with me. Michael arrived the next morning. I don’t know if he spooked her or what, but she took off. Michael found her in an alleyway, and when he got her back to my house, he discovered she’d been shot during a turf war downtown. We brought her here. It was Michael’s idea. He said everyone was worried about Callie, and well, I wanted Lily somewhere I didn’t have to worry about her running off into the city.” The front door jangled and Michael stepped inside. He looked at his two brothers and his lips twisted as if he knew all too well what had happened. Hell, he’d probably been expecting it.
“I take it he met Lily,” Michael said.
“Yeah, I met her. I want her,” Dillon said bluntly. But then leave it to Dillon to be a caveman when it came to such matters. To him everything was black and white. No in-between. And when he wanted something, he never took no for an answer.
Maya Banks
“Yeah, well, there’s a problem with that,” Michael said, surprising Seth.
“She said you both kissed her,” Dillon said casually.
Seth looked sharply at him. “Why were you discussing us kissing her?”
“Because I kissed her too. I think she was warning me off,” he said with a shrug that clearly said it didn’t matter to him whether she was warning him off or not.
“Don’t be an asshole, Dillon,” Michael admonished. “Even you can’t be this dense. Think about it.
All three of us meet her and have this baffling, insane reaction to her?” Dillon gripped the back of his neck and stared Michael down like he was a bug he was about to crush.
“You aren’t convincing me that the three of us are destined to have the same sort of relationship with Lily that our dads have with Mom. That’s crazy.”
Even though Seth found it pretty crazy himself, he felt compelled to speak up. “Why is it so crazy? I mean obviously it’s happened in the past.”
Dillon shook his head. “You’ve lost your fucking mind. Think about what you’re saying. Since when have we ever planned on something like this? I mean yeah, I thought about it like when I was twelve and wondered if we were headed down the same road as the dads, but then I grew up.”
“Look, I didn’t plan on this either,” Michael snarled. “But I’ll be damned if I stand by and allow you or Seth to walk away with Lily. If you want to walk, fine, say the word.”
“Christ,” Seth muttered. “We’re taking a lot for granted here. We’re sitting around deciding Lily’s fate and not one of us has asked her what she wants. We know nothing about her past.”
“I don’t recall the dads asking a lot of dumb, sensitive questions when Mom hit their radar,” Dillon growled.
“Thought you weren’t considering a relationship like they had,” Michael snapped.
“I’m saying their method worked just fine.”
Seth stared hard at Dillon. “Yeah, well, they’re lucky Mom didn’t kick them in the balls. The caveman act might work for you, but it’s not what I’m doing with Lily.”
“You two are actually considering sharing this woman?” Dillon asked incredulously.
Seth’s breath caught. It had been hinted at. He and Michael had danced around the subject, but here it was in black and white.
“Let me ask you this,” Michael said. “If we make her choose. If she even did choose one of us, are the other two
Until now.
“She’s in trouble,” Seth began.
“What kind of trouble?” Dillon demanded.
“I’m not entirely certain.”
“Someone after her?”
Dillon’s expression had grown stormy, and he looked for the world like he wanted to kick someone’s ass.
“No. I don’t think so, anyway. Hell, I don’t know.”
“What do you know, then?” Dillon asked impatiently.
“I served her in a soup kitchen two days ago. She’s homeless.” Dillon’s scowl grew darker. The muscles in his arms rippled and his jaw tightened. “She’s what?”
“She was living on the streets. I talked her into going home with me. Michael arrived the next morning. I don’t know if he spooked her or what, but she took off. Michael found her in an alleyway, and when he got her back to my house, he discovered she’d been shot during a turf war downtown. We brought her here. It was Michael’s idea. He said everyone was worried about Callie, and well, I wanted Lily somewhere I didn’t have to worry about her running off into the city.” The front door jangled and Michael stepped inside. He looked at his two brothers and his lips twisted as if he knew all too well what had happened. Hell, he’d probably been expecting it.
“I take it he met Lily,” Michael said.
“Yeah, I met her. I want her,” Dillon said bluntly. But then leave it to Dillon to be a caveman when it came to such matters. To him everything was black and white. No in-between. And when he wanted something, he never took no for an answer.
Maya Banks
“Yeah, well, there’s a problem with that,” Michael said, surprising Seth.
“She said you both kissed her,” Dillon said casually.
Seth looked sharply at him. “Why were you discussing us kissing her?”
“Because I kissed her too. I think she was warning me off,” he said with a shrug that clearly said it didn’t matter to him whether she was warning him off or not.
“Don’t be an asshole, Dillon,” Michael admonished. “Even you can’t be this dense. Think about it.
All three of us meet her and have this baffling, insane reaction to her?” Dillon gripped the back of his neck and stared Michael down like he was a bug he was about to crush.
“You aren’t convincing me that the three of us are destined to have the same sort of relationship with Lily that our dads have with Mom. That’s crazy.”
Even though Seth found it pretty crazy himself, he felt compelled to speak up. “Why is it so crazy? I mean obviously it’s happened in the past.”
Dillon shook his head. “You’ve lost your fucking mind. Think about what you’re saying. Since when have we ever planned on something like this? I mean yeah, I thought about it like when I was twelve and wondered if we were headed down the same road as the dads, but then I grew up.”
“Look, I didn’t plan on this either,” Michael snarled. “But I’ll be damned if I stand by and allow you or Seth to walk away with Lily. If you want to walk, fine, say the word.”
“Christ,” Seth muttered. “We’re taking a lot for granted here. We’re sitting around deciding Lily’s fate and not one of us has asked her what she wants. We know nothing about her past.”
“I don’t recall the dads asking a lot of dumb, sensitive questions when Mom hit their radar,” Dillon growled.
“Thought you weren’t considering a relationship like they had,” Michael snapped.
“I’m saying their method worked just fine.”
Seth stared hard at Dillon. “Yeah, well, they’re lucky Mom didn’t kick them in the balls. The caveman act might work for you, but it’s not what I’m doing with Lily.”
“You two are actually considering sharing this woman?” Dillon asked incredulously.
Seth’s breath caught. It had been hinted at. He and Michael had danced around the subject, but here it was in black and white.
“Let me ask you this,” Michael said. “If we make her choose. If she even did choose one of us, are the other two