Page 13 of Malevolent Hearts
Ignoring the pest glued to my side, my attention moves toward Lucas and the company he’s keeping. His mouth is attached to a blonde while a redhead is on her knees between his legs, bobbing up and down with her lips wrapped around his dick.
A hand creeps down my torso, making my head snap back to Meila. Her fingers dance along my T-shirt, tracing the Edgar Allan Poe quote above the two skeletons locked in a deathly embrace. Tell me every terrible thing you ever did, and let me love you anyway.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Honestly…” I raise my brow. “No.”
“Cadden!” The alarm in Brodie’s tone captures my attention, drawing my gaze towards the steps. He’s halted halfway up, eyes lock and loaded on the balcony that sweeps around the edge of the castle. I follow his gaze, eyes widening when I see Beibhinn standing on the thin-as-shit railing, looking as though she’s about to swan-dive off.
I’m on my feet in an instant, ignoring the thud of Meila hitting the wooden deck after she’s tossed off my lap like a rag doll.
“Do you have a death wish?” The question travels through the air, gaining the attention of everyone in earshot, including the psychopath who has decided to tightrope walk along the railing in nothing but a white tank top and a pair of tiny, white cotton undies.
She responds by lifting her two hands, greeting me with both middle fingers.
“For fuck’s sake, Beibhinn.” I move closer to Brodie, standing the step next to him while I try to coax an unstable bitch from meeting her death. “You need to get down before you face-plant onto the pavement from two stories high.”
A deadly smile hitches at the edge of her lips, curling her mouth into a wicked grin.
I realise too late that my words didn’t encourage her to protect her safety, instead they presented a challenge, something I’m quickly learning my future wife can’t ignore.
Surveying her surroundings, her eyes pinball between my watchful gaze and the large oak tree four feet away from the balcony. Any sane person wouldn’t risk it, but as I’ve already established, Beibhinn is anything but.
“She’s gonna jump, isn’t she?” Brodie barks out a laugh, thoroughly enjoying the hives breaking out beneath my skin.
“Fuckin’ hell, she’ll be the death of me.”
Brodie’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Not if she doesn’t kill herself first.”
My hand covers my eyes, unable to watch her dive to her demise. But before I can stop myself, I’m dragging my fingers down my face, my palm hovering over my mouth. Suddenly, she draws her arms back and pounces forward, diving off the balcony and grabbing onto the tree branch like a fucking Olympic-level gymnast. A gasp of ohs resound through the air, and just when I think she’s going to be left swinging from the tree like some circus act, she propels outward, then somehow manages to hike herself up so she’s standing on the branch.
“Fucking hell, that was impressive, Little B,” Brodie hollers, earning a clip across the back of his head from me.
Shoving my hands into the front pockets of my jeans, I take another step towards the tree. “You’ve made your point, now get fucking down.”
“As you wish, King Cadden.” Once again, that malevolent smirk dances across her face before her eyes flick towards the pool then back to me again.
“Don’t you fucking dare.”
Her tongue slips out, mocking me like a two-year-old. In the next breath, she raises her hands above her head, bringing her palms together in a prayer position. With every eye on her, she defies me once more and dives off the branch and right into the deep end.
Her body breaches the water with a slap, but it’s drowned out by the cheers and hollers of the crowd.
I rub the stress from my eyes with my fingers as Brodie’s hand lands on my shoulder. “I don’t know about you, buddy, but I can tell you right now—that girl is a queen.”
Turning on my heel, I make my way back up to the patio area, needing another joint. Before I get to the top, I peer over at Beibhinn as she swims the length of the pool. Then, pulling my gaze from her, I toss Brodie an instruction over my shoulder. “Get her the fuck out of the pool before I kill her.”
I drop onto the couch but keep my eyes on Brodie as he makes his way towards the batshit blonde.
“Why the fuck is Beibhinn Devereux here?” Meila takes a seat on my lap, staking a claim she has no business making.
An idea sparks, and I realise I have the perfect way to piss Pretty Poison off, and fortunately for me, she just landed in my lap. “She’s staying with us for the summer. But don’t worry, she’ll be gone soon enough.”
“Good, because there is only room for one queen of Munster, and it ain’t that crazy bitch.”
Wrapping my arm around Meila’s waist, I draw her in closer but keep my focus on Brodie and Beibhinn’s interaction. I don’t miss the way her icy-blue eyes flash my way before she allows Brodie to help her out by extending a hand. I’m too far away to hear what she says to him, but she pats his chest, then, before I can blink, she leans in and plants her bloodred lips on his. It lasts far longer than it should, making the blood pumping through my veins turn molten.
Ignoring the reaction I’m having, I even my breaths and bite down on my lower lip. She’s trying to get under my skin, but I won’t allow it.