Her Wanton Ways [Notorious Nephilim 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Carolyn Rosewood Page A

face. The jealousy coursing through him made his stomach lurch. He’d better get a grip on his emotions and quickly. “Okay. Now that we’re all best friends again, I’m going to order some breakfast.” He clapped Cristian on the back. “You staying?”
    “I’d like to see you stop me.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Joelle had the uncomfortable feeling she’d been lied to by both men. As she ate breakfast, she watched them carefully. Neither man ate much as they made small talk about the weather and what kind of a winter it might be. She couldn’t help thinking the conversation was forced.
    She had woken to the sound of shouting but hadn’t been able to make out any actual words before she heard Cristian telling Blade he knew the rules. What Blade had said to her by way of explanation made sense, but she still couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling.
    “What would you like to do today, Joelle?” Blade’s question snapped her back to the present.
    “I don’t know. What did you have in mind?”
    “I have an idea,” said Cristian. “Let’s see how good you really are at chess.”
    “Chess?” asked Blade, giving Cristian a look that made Joelle laugh.
    “I told Cristian my father taught me, and only one other man has ever beaten me besides him.”
    “Is that so?” asked Blade.
    “She also told me she’s pretty good at pool,” said Cristian.
    “Really? Well, it seems we’ve been issued a challenge, Cristian.”
    Joelle’s nipples tingled at the grin on Blade’s face. What was it with these two? They could distract her with a glance. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been this aroused so easily, but she wasn’t going to complain about it. Wasn’t that why she’d come on this vacation?
    She rose. “Sounds like I’d better go back to my suite and put on clothes suitable for whipping your butts at both games.”
    Cristian’s gaze traveled up and down her body, slowly. “Nothing wrong with what you have on. Except of course that it’s covering your luscious body.”
    A shiver ran through Joelle. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’ve thrown down the gauntlet, and I can’t ignore that. I’ll be back in a short while. Prepare to lose.”
    Back in her suite, Joelle took a quick shower and dressed, trying to forget what she’d heard while they thought she was asleep, but it nagged at her like a bad dream. It was the tone of Cristian’s voice as he said “the rules” that bothered her more than anything. It carried more weight than Blade’s explanation.
    By the time she returned to Blade’s suite, she was hoping she could put this morning behind her and enjoy the company of both men. A chessboard had been set up on the coffee table. She walked over and picked up one of the pieces, gasping when she realized it was made of stone. “How old is this set?”
    “We’re not sure,” said Blade, “but it’s rumored to be about four hundred years old.”
    She glanced at him, expecting to see his characteristic grin, but he was dead serious. “Why isn’t it in a museum?” She fingered the rook gently then put it back down. Should they even be touching the pieces?
    “Because it’s here,” said Blade. “Don’t think you’re going to get out of playing a game, missy, just because the pieces are old.”
    “I’m not, but are you sure we can touch these?”
    “Absolutely. We’ve used it before.”
    Joelle sat on the chair Cristian pulled over and examined a pawn more closely. “Where on earth did you get this?”
    “It was passed down,” said Blade.
    She glanced at him. “From whom? You can trace your ancestors back that far?”
    “Yes.” There was something almost desperate in the way he gazed at her, as if he wanted her to keep asking about his ancestors. Considering how reluctant they’d both been to talk about their families before, Joelle found Blade’s expression disconcerting.
    “That’s amazing.” It was all she could think to say.
    “What’s even more amazing is your assertion