Face-off Between Brothers

Rachel’s POV

I hadn’t really expected all that had happened. I had had a fleeting suspicion when I saw the name BIANCARDI on the card that it might be related to Cole, but that was just it—a fleeting suspicion. It had taken most of my strength to stand proudly against Cole and lie blatantly as I did. Well, how was I to know the two strangers I suddenly got entangled with yesterday were Cole’s uncles?

As Draco chased after Cole, desperate to save his relationship with his nephew, Logan turned sharply to me, his eyes hooded and unusually serious.

“We need to talk,” he said, his voice embodying the seriousness in his eyes. I had nothing to say to him other than thank him for what I realized was breathtaking sex last night, and which I kept reminiscing about repeatedly in my head after the fuzzy details of yesterday clung together in my head. My questions lie with Draco, who had a knack for dragging me into his arms and kissing me anytime he wished.

When I didn’t reply, Logan snatched my wrist, leading me to the stairs and then to his room. I followed willingly, not wanting to give our audience in the restaurant and the entire hotel more drama to watch.

He opened the door and threw me in. “Were you truly Cole’s girlfriend?” he inquired the instant he shut the door.

“Ex girlfriend,” I corrected crisply. “He broke up with me yesterday, saying I was boring and stuff, and he chose Martha over me.”

“Well, that settles the part with Cole,” he sighed slightly. “Since you guys weren’t together when we met, then I never slept with my nephew’s girl, but his ex. He has no right over you since you aren’t together anymore, so any of his uncles can have you. His emotion is his business,” he said.

“So what is the business between you and Draco? I had thought Draco was acting strange since he saw you in my room this morning, and I just can’t believe both of you were dating prior to what happened between us,” he asked again.

“That was because we weren’t. The girlfriend and boyfriend story is one I made up on the spur of the moment to deliberately feed your nephew a dose of his own medicine. Other than a few random kisses, I barely know your brother, as I barely know you, other than the sex we had.” I responded.

He took a minute to digest my words, dropping gently to sit on the bed. His response was completely unexpected. “And that was some great sex, one I would love to have so much time over,” he grinned, stroking his beard gently, his eyes rolling with secret relish, reminiscing about something. “If you aren’t bound to Cole and aren’t Draco’s girlfriend, how about you be mine for a year?” No emotional strings attached, no commitment, just some random meetups and the repeat of last night, and we are good. You can be with whoever else you want to be with, and you can rest assured that you will be duly compensated,” he proposed. The seriousness in his eyes was gone, replaced by his usual amused smile and flirtatiousness.

“Definitely No!” I yelled, still shocked at the proposal and the indifferent manner in which he had presented it. “I am not a whore, and I don’t need to sell my body to you as one,” I shot back at him.

He grinned, reclining a little on the bed. “How about you do it for free then? That way, you wouldn’t consider yourself a whore. It is not so bad as you make it seem; we would literally be a couple, but a couple in bed only,” he said. He tried not to sound like it, but I could sense a little desperation on his part. For some reason, he wanted me to agree to his diabolical proposal.

“If I didn’t spell it well for you the first time, here is another opportunity.” I said, then positioned my lips to emphatically stress my next words. “N. O. No.”

He wanted to say something and stopped. There was a knock on the door. We both turned to the door, knowing who it was by the pressure of the knocking. Logan rose from the bed and proceeded to the door. He opened it, and Draco bumped past him, striding fast into the room for me. He stopped beside me.

“What is happening here?” he demanded, his gaze traveling from me to Logan questioningly.

“Nothing really important, just making a business deal,” Logan answered.

“And what business deal is that?” Draco demanded again.

“She confessed that the story of you and her dating was a folktale she cooked up to hurt Cole’s feelings after our nephew broke her heart. Then I proposed to her that she be mine instead, my playtoy for a year, until I tire of her,” Logan said.

He had a way of speaking that made someone appreciate his honesty as well as hate it.

“Well, that won’t be happening, Logan,” Draco said with determination. He snatched my wrist and pulled me closer, trapping me in his arms again.

“And why is that?” Logan demanded, raising his voice, an angry spark in his eyes.

“Because she is mine, Logan. And she had always been mine after our first kiss in the hall. Which happened way before she strayed into your room,” Draco said, claiming me with his arms tightening possessively around my waist. He stood against his brother, meeting the intensity of his glare. Snuggled in Draco’s arms, I could feel the tension growing between the two brothers over me. I watched both of their fists tighten as the glare persisted.