I glance at the couch, taking in the blankets and pillow there. They…didn’t sleep together? I don’t know if that’s a relief or not. I don’t what to think at all anymore.
I push the thought away. “We need to talk.”
“Do we?”
I blink at Shiloh. “Are you going to be pissed at me forever?” The thought hollows out my stomach. I hope to the gods haven’t ruined things between us permanently. Surely there’s a way to figure this out and reclaim our friendship. As much as I want to prioritize that, she really won’t forgive me if my negligence gets Monroe killed.
“I don’t know. Are you going to be a raging dickhead forever?”
Monroe laughs and leans against Shiloh. There’s a faint flush to her cheeks, and her eyes are heavy-lidded with remembered pleasure. The sight sends a bolt of lust through me, but I muscle it back. “I’m sorry,” I grit out. “How many times do I have to say it before it sticks?”
Shiloh looks at me for a long moment. “Until you actually mean it—which you don’t right now. But let’s move on.”
I hate this new distance between us. I hate that I feel like I don’t know her anymore. Or that maybe Abel and Monroe are right and maybe I only ever saw a filtered version of her. The realization isn’t a comfortable one. I want to ask her what the hell happened, but she won’t thank me for the question.
Focus.
“Jasper has requested Monroe’s presence.” I glance at her. “And Winry’s.”
Monroe perks up at that. “When?”
“This morning.”
Shiloh smooths her hair back. “Convenient timing. I have to update Maddox and Cohen, so you can escort Monroe to the meeting.”
It was the plan, but having her dictate it to me in that cold voice sets my teeth on edge. It makes me want to… I muscle the urge down. This isn’t Monroe mouthing off. This is Shiloh.
Up until the shitshow at Lammas, I wouldn’t have even had the urge to put her in her place. It’s like having sex with Monroe woke something inside me that had been slumbering my entire life. I don’t know how the fuck I’m supposed to deal with it now.
Or maybe it’s wasn’t Monroe at all. Maybe it was coming back to Sabine Valley that changed things permanently. “Afterward, the three of us are going to have a chat.”
“We’ll see.” Shiloh gets up and walks into the bathroom. She shuts the door with a finality that makes me want to kick it the fuck down.
“Goddamn it.”
“Problem?” Monroe stands and stretches. Her clothing isn’t suggestive in the least, but I can’t get over the image of Shiloh bending her in half, the flowy white fabric of her shirt bunched up around her ribs, leaving her naked from the waist down. The memory sends a wave of heat through me.
I feel like I’m being torn in two. There was a smart course of action, the logical way to proceed. I know there was. It dissipates through my fingers like smoke. All that’s left is what the feral creature inside me wants.
I move before I can think of the thousands of reasons not to and wrap my fist around Monroe’s blond hair. She doesn’t tense, doesn’t fight me. She simply goes fluid and lets me tilt her head back as I step close enough that we’re damn near plastered together. “Keep that smart mouth in line, Monroe.”
She holds my gaze and licks her lips. “Oh, so we’re just going to gloss over the fact that I won that bet fair and square? Interesting that you won’t honor your word.”
Rage crystalizes inside me. How does she do this? How does she slide beneath my skin “I’ll honor my word.”
“Good boy.”
I tug on her hair, a little too hard. “We’ll discuss it later.”
“As you wish.” Monroe shivers. For all that she’s chaos incarnate, she isn’t faking her attraction to me. I’d bet my life on it. I don’t know if that makes this shit better or worse.
I release her and start for the door. “Let’s go.”
I half expect her to start some shit, but Monroe follows along obediently and silently… At least until we’re in the hall and have shut the door behind us. “You’re a giant fool, do you know that?”
Even knowing better than to take the bait, I still chomp down on it with all my strength. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s rich coming from you.” She manages to match my longer stride with seeming ease, which irritates me beyond all reason. Monroe laughs. “You all but drove Shiloh right into my arms. What did you say to piss her off so thoroughly?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“If you say so.” She shrugs. “I honestly have no motivation to convince you to stop being a pushy neanderthal. It’s working out well for me.”
I spin on her, but she’s already moving. Monroe catches my wrist and shoves it away. “Let’s get one thing straight, shall we? I might like some slap and tickle when it comes to fucking, but you will not touch me in anger outside of that. Do you understand me?”
It’s as if someone else takes control of my body. I stalk her across the hallway, and she lets me, though she narrows her green eyes in suspicion. I don’t stop until I plant my hands on the wall on either side of her body. “It’s you who needs to understand me, Bride.” I lean down until we’re face to face. “Everything we do is in conjunction to fucking. That’s all it is. Aside from the alliance this handfasting brought us, you’re just a pretty pussy to me and nothing more.”
She laughs in my face. “Gods, you’re too much. Cute, Broderick, really cute.”
Still acting on pure instinct, I spin her around and step forward, pressing my front to her back. She drags in a harsh breath, but I’m not finished yet. I dip my hand beneath her loose shirt and hook the front
