I smirked. “I would bet money this is the first time you’ve ever washed dishes.”

  He cut his eyes to me, then chuckled. “You’d win.”

  I laughed. It felt good to laugh. The tension in my body eased, and I was suddenly glad that Declan had invited Trev over.

  “I’d be willing to bet your headache starts with a D and ends with a bitch,” he said.

  I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing again. “You’d win,” I replied.

  He laughed out loud this time and reached for the plate I had finished washing. “I keep waiting for Sax to dump her, but he’s too nice. I think he’s hoping she’ll break it off. Dude’s delusional.”

  I handed him another plate. “Why does he think she will break it off?” I asked.

  Trev rinsed the plate and began to dry it. “He never asks her out anymore, he avoids her the best he can, and he doesn’t text or call her—he only responds to her texts with brief replies after waiting hours to do so. The kind of shit most girls would get the hint from, but Declan has her talons in and isn’t going to let go.”

  That sounded miserable. For both of them.

  “That seems like too much work,” I replied.

  “Yeah, it does. Wears me the fuck out, thinking about it,” he agreed.

  We continued washing dishes for a few moments in silence, and then Trev leaned down closer to me.

  “Wanna skip out and go have some fun?” he asked.

  I glanced over at him, realizing he was really close. “What do you mean?” I asked, turning my attention back to the almost-empty sink.

  “We can go out that back door and head over to my place,” he suggested.

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so.” I wasn’t about to walk into that circus again.

  “I swear, no pool, no hot tub, no Blaise, and no live sex shows. You ever played Grand Theft Auto?” he asked.

  I handed him the last bowl. “I really hope you mean the video game,” I replied.

  He took the bowl as he grinned. “Yeah. Unless you got a wild side I don’t know about and want to try your hand at the real thing.”

  I laughed and pulled the plug from the sink so the water could drain out. “Definitely not. But I’ve never played a video game.”

  Trev placed a hand over his heart, like he was wounded. “What? Are you serious? That’s a fucking tragedy.”

  I took the dish towel from his hand and popped him in the chest with it. “Dramatic much?”

  He picked up the dishes. “Do you know where this shit goes? We’ve got to put it away and go fix this.”

  “Fix what?” I asked.

  “You!”

  “What’s wrong with me?”

  “Well,” he said, letting his gaze scan down my body and back up, “until a couple of minutes ago, I’d have said not a damn thing. But you’re lacking one big skill that I didn’t know about.”

  “And that is … playing video games?” I asked, highly amused.

  He nodded, as if this made complete sense. “Abso-fuckin’-lutely,” he replied. “Now, let’s get this shit put away and get out of here before they come looking for us.”

  Part of me still wanted to go to my room and read. Even though I did enjoy Trev’s company. He was charming and made me laugh. His mischievous grin reminded me of a little boy who was up to no good. I found myself unable to tell him no.

  “Okay, fine,” I agreed. “If you swear the rodeo squad is gone?”

  “I swear!” He lifted his fist into the air. “Hell yes! Let’s do this.”

  I laughed at him, shaking my head, then walked over to the cabinet where the plates went and opened it for him to put them inside. Then, I took the other items and placed them all back in the spots I’d found them. Once I was done, I wiped down everything and turned off the lights.

  “Ready?” Trev asked me in a whisper even though the theater was far enough away that there was no way they could hear him.

  I nodded, going along with his game. He grabbed my hand, and we exited out the back door. It wasn’t completely dark yet. The sun had been setting later and later, leading up to the summer solstice. However, the sunset was our only light as we walked down the path leading to Trev’s parked car. We moved quietly, which was probably unnecessary, but it made the idea of escaping more exciting. I was smiling when I realized we had reached his SUV.

  The shiny black vehicle looked expensive. I knew little about cars, but it was obvious this one was considered a luxury SUV.

  Trev opened the passenger door. “Hop on in,” he told me, no longer whispering.

  I climbed into the vehicle, and the smell of leather and new car filled my senses. Looking around, I took in the screen in the dash that was the size of the television my brother and dad had watched daily at our old apartment. The leather was red and softer than any car interior I’d ever felt. When Trev opened the driver’s door, he was still grinning. I wondered if he was ever unhappy or angry. I doubted he had reason to be. His world was perfect. Nothing to worry about. It was all taken care of. I couldn’t imagine how that must feel.

  “Like it?” he asked me.

  “The car?”

  He looked offended. “This isn’t a car, Maddy. Calling it that probably hurt its feelings. You should apologize.”

  I laughed. “I am not apologizing to a vehicle,” I informed him.

  He reached forward and petted the dash like he would a dog. “It’s okay, baby. She doesn’t know any better. I’ve got a lot to teach her.”

  Amused, I watched him, and then he glanced at me before starting the engine.

  “It smells new,” I said.

  He nodded. “It is. My dad bought it for me as a bribe. It worked,” he replied.

  “This looks like an expensive bribe,” I said as the smooth ride felt as if we weren’t in a car at all.

  Trev shrugged. “Not really. Not to him.”

  I waited a moment, and when he said nothing more, I decided to ask another question. “What kind of vehicle is this?” I asked him since I couldn’t recall ever seeing one like this before.

  His grin stretched across his chiseled face. “This is a Bentayga,” he said with pride. “It would appreciate it if you remembered that.”

  I nodded, biting back a smile. I had no clue what a Bentayga was, so I didn’t reply.

  He glanced at me when he came to a Stop sign. “It’s a Bentley, Maddy. Surely, you’ve heard of those.”

  A Bentley I had heard of, but other than television, I hadn’t seen one in person.

  “They make SUVs?” I’d thought Bentleys were cars driven by rich, old men.

  “Hell yeah, they do,” he replied and then caressed his steering wheel.

  I laughed, unable to help myself. At least he appreciated his extravagant car. His phone started ringing as we pulled through the entrance to Hughes Farm, and he smirked, looking at the screen on the dash.

  “It’s Sax,” he told me, then pressed something on his steering wheel.

  “Hey, bud. How’s the movie?” he asked him, then winked at me.

  “Where’s Maddy?” was Saxon’s response.

  “Are you accusing me of abduction? And here you are, my best friend,” Trev replied, sounding offended while he grinned at me.

  “Cut the shit, Trev. She’s not here, and neither are you,” Saxon replied.

  He sounded angry, and I wondered if my leaving with Trev and not telling him had been a bad idea. At the time, it had seemed fun and exciting. Now, I wasn’t so sure it had been the right decision.

  “Ah, yes, well, we both agreed that a movie with the lovely Declan didn’t sound very appealing. Then, Maddy revealed that she had never played a video game. Can you believe that? Never. She’s missing out on so much in life. So, being the good guy that I am, I decided I would introduce her to the beauty that is Grand Theft Auto. The game. Not the actual felony itself.”

  I was torn between laughing at Trev’s explanation and worrying that I needed to go back to the Houstons’. I didn’t want Saxon to be mad at me. I should have told him I was leaving. It was thoughtless of me.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I said then, unable to sit quietly any longer.

  Saxon didn’t say anything at first, and I felt a knot form in my stomach. I’d made a mistake. Trev was a ball of energy that could wrap you up in the moment. I had acted out of character and not thought about anything more than that.

  “No, that’s okay. Trev should have told me. But I understand,” he replied.

  That should have made me feel better, but I only felt guiltier.

  “I’ll come back,” I told him.

  There was a pause, and Trev frowned at me and shook his head.

  “No, stay. You wanted to go, and I get it,” Saxon replied.

  “I’ll keep her safe, bro,” Trev assured him. “Go watch your movie.”

  “Okay,” Saxon said, and then the call ended.

  Trev looked over at me. “You look like you kicked a puppy. Stop stressing. Sax is fine. Declan will make him forget in seconds. One of the reasons he started dating her was because of the way she sucks co—”

  “Please do not finish that sentence,” I said, holding up a hand to stop him.

  He winked at me, then shut off his expensive vehicle and opened his door. “Let’s go get our game on.”

  The Hugheses’ mansion was even more impressive at night. With the setting sun almost gone, the place was lit up, making it appear like something from a fairy tale.

  “Are we the only ones here?” I asked, noticing no other cars.

  “The dick squad left—or is it the rodeo squad?” he asked me with a grin. “I know they are gone, but I’m not sure if my dad’s back or not. There is a ten-car garage back that way, to the left. It’s not visible from here,” he replied as we climbed the stairs to the entrance.

  I watched as Trev lifted a brass plate beside the doors, which revealed a keypad. He pressed in several numbers, then opened one of the large double doors. He waved a hand for me to enter, and I walked past him inside.

  “My room is up those stairs, but first, let’s go get snacks,” he said with a grin and a nod of his head toward the open arched entrance to the left of us.

  I followed him, quietly taking in everything around me. This place was something else. Even seeing it the second time, I was amazed. What kind of life Trev must live.

  When the bright, opulent kitchen came into view, I noticed we weren’t the only ones looking for food. Trev sighed audibly and groaned, then walked into the room.

  He looked back at me. “I swear, I thought he was gone. He’s like a fucking stray dog that won’t go away,” he said.

  Blaise’s back was to us as he stood in front of the open refrigerator. My stomach knotted up at the sight of him. He made me nervous.

  “You’re still here,” Trev drawled in an annoyed tone.

  Blaise closed the fridge doors and turned to look at us. A carton of milk was in one hand and a bowl in his other. His gaze barely touched me before his eyes locked on his brother. “When the bastard comes back and gives me my damn horse, I’ll leave,” he said, then put the bowl down on the counter in front of him. “Fuck knows this is the last place I want to be.”

  “You could always leave, and I’ll let you know when he returns,” Trev suggested with a hopeful tone.

  Blaise ignored him and poured milk into the bowl.

  “Let’s get some food and head up,” Trev told me.

  I said nothing. I was afraid to speak. He’d barely acknowledged me, and I preferred to keep it that way. There was something in his eyes that sent out a warning. One that Trev didn’t seem to notice. But then again, he was his brother.

  “Letting a hot piece of ass come between you and Sax is a dumbass move,” he said, shooting Trev a disgusted look.

  I tensed.

  “Shut up,” Trev said, walking over to the fridge.

  I didn’t move. I wasn’t getting closer to the man.

  Those intense green eyes locked on me then, and it became hard for me to take a deep breath.

  “You’re making a mistake, sugar. But then your kind always does,” he said to me.

  My kind? I stared at him, knowing he had insulted me, but not sure exactly what he meant by it. What was my kind?

  Anger began to stir in my chest, and the nervous feeling paled in comparison. He didn’t know me. How arrogant it was to assume he did.

  “What exactly is my kind?” I blurted before I could stop myself.

  He studied me a minute while he took a bite of the cereal in his bowl. How could he still appear to be dark and dangerous while eating what looked like Frosted Flakes? I wasn’t sure, but he managed it.

  “Beautiful and cunning with daddy issues, looking to move up in the world from the meager life you were born into,” he drawled as he tilted his head and studied me.

  “Dude, shut the fuck up,” Trev said, slamming the fridge door with two bottles of water and a soda in his hands.

  “You got a look at this place today and realized you were reeling in the smaller fish with Sax,” Blaise said, narrowing his eyes.

  Blaise Hughes was a bully. I hated bullies.

  “I don’t measure a person’s worth by their bank account, and I will never trust a man to take care of me. Judging someone by their looks is a mistake I would’ve thought you’d have outgrown by now,” I shot back at him. My face felt hot, and my heart was racing.

  Trevor cleared his throat. “Guess she cleared that up for you, bro,” he said with an amused tone.

  Blaise didn’t appear as if he cared that I had spoken. His expression didn’t change. He took another bite of his cereal. I wished Trev would hurry and get the food he wanted so we could get out of here. As if he could read my mind, Trev walked over to a door, opened it, and stepped inside, then was out in seconds with a bag of chips, a box of snack cakes, and what appeared to be a bag of candy shoved under his arms while still holding the drinks.

  “Let’s go,” he said to me.

  I followed him, relieved to be getting away from the other Hughes in the room. Besides the fact that my stomach was even more twisted up, there was a lump forming in my throat. His words had affected me when I wished more than anything that they hadn’t.

  Blaise was an elitist jerk. What he thought of me meant nothing. I had heard much worse from people in my life. I was tougher than this. I mentally coached myself out of letting Blaise get to me.

  We walked back to the stairs, and as we climbed them, Trev glanced back at me.

  “Sorry about that asshole.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded, not sure I trusted my voice just yet. I didn’t want Trev to know how much those accusations had bothered me. I could see the concern in Trev’s eyes and wanted to say something, but I couldn’t yet.

  Trev stopped at a door and lifted his shoulder to point to it because his hands were full. I should have offered to carry something.

  “This one,” he said.

  I stepped forward and twisted the knob, then pushed the door open before stepping back to let him enter first.

  “Sorry, I should have carried some of that,” I told him.

  “And make me look like less of a man?” he asked with a teasing tone.

  The tension in my chest eased some. Had there ever been two brothers so completely different? Trev was the complete opposite of Blaise.

  I followed Trev into his room and paused to look around. This wasn’t a bedroom. It was an entertainment room. A huge screen covered most of the left wall. I assumed that was a television screen. Maybe? There was a brown leather sofa, two matching leather chairs, a pool table, arcade games, and a bearskin rug in the center of it all.

  “What is this?” I asked him as he dropped the stuff on the large rectangular table between the sofa and screen.

  “My bedroom,” he replied.

  “There is no bed … or dresser,” I pointed out, still confused. “Is this where you tell me you’re a vampire and you don’t sleep?”

  Trev looked back at me. His lips curled up. “You think I don’t know that reference, but you’re wrong.”

  I wasn’t surprised. He’d probably had to watch that movie with more than one girl. I seriously doubted he’d read the book.

  “But really, where do you sleep?” I asked him.

  “You asking to see my bed, Maddy?”

  “No. Just pointing out that your bedroom has nowhere for you to sleep.”

  Trev held out his arms. “This is the first section of my room. Through that door are my bed and closet.” He pointed to the closed door to my right. “And that door is the bathroom.” He pointed to the door to the far left.

  “You have your own suites,” I muttered, thinking this was something I’d read about in historical romance books but I decided not to mention it.

  He shrugged. “If that’s what you want to call it,” he replied, dropping down to sit in the middle of the sofa. “Let’s hijack some cars,” he proclaimed and picked up a remote that made the screen-covered wall light up and come to life.

  “Wow,” I whispered, watching the screen.

  Playing a video game on that was going to feel like we were in the game. I walked over to the closest chair and sat down.

  Trev shot me a frown. “I can’t help you from there, and the food is too far away. I don’t bite. I’m not Eddie or whatever his name was. Come here,” he said, patting the seat beside him.

  “His name is Edward,” I told him, then reluctantly moved over but kept a proper distance between us.

  I didn’t think Trev had me in here to make a move, but I was still cautious. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. He appeared to sincerely want to teach me how to play this game, but I wasn’t taking my chances.

  Trev leaned forward and grabbed a chip, then popped it in his mouth. “Here, this is your controller,” he told me as he handed it to me. “I’ll play first; you watch me. Pay attention to the buttons I press and how I work the controller.”