Page 36 of Theirs to Corrupt
He leans back, steepling his hands in front of him.
Then he locks his attention on me. “Pax and I share everything.”
Confused, I angle my head to one side. “What do you mean…everything?”
As if on cue, Pax moves from his position by the door to take a seat across from me, next to his boss.
His presence is commanding, and the way he fills the space is both reassuring and unnerving at the same time.
When Link goes on, his voice is steady, and each word is deliberate. “You’ll be married to me. But you’ll belong to both of us. Do you understand?”
CHAPTER NINE
Tessa
Understand?
No.
Surely I misheard. “Both of you?” I repeat. “As in…”I’ll have two husbands?
Neither say anything.
Reeling, I stand and pace to the window.
This can’t be happening.
They remain silent until I turn to face them.
Pax speaks, his voice gentle but firm. His green eyes, usually so guarded, are open, honest. “We’re a package deal, Tessa. Link and I…”
Trying to keep up, to process the loaded glance that the two of them share, I shake my head. My thoughts are a jumbled mess, and I struggle to form coherent questions.
Then I remember last night. Pax walked upstairs with us, and I asked where he lives.“He has the guest house out back.”Link’s answer had been evasive. He never said Pax stayed out there.
Blushing, I wonder how I could have been so naive. “So you two are love?—”
“No,” Pax interrupts, a hint of amusement coloring his tone. “We’re not partners in that sense of the word. But we have a close relationship.” He pauses. “Any woman we’re involved with understands that.”
My head spins, and a bead of sweat trickles down my spine.
“So…” I’ve barely wrapped my mind around marrying Link, and nowthis?“How does something like this even work?”
Link leans forward, and for a fraction of a second, his usual mask of control slips. “We’ll both be there for you, always.”
“For protection,” Pax adds, his voice low and reassuring. “For support. Anything you need.”
I swallow hard, my throat suddenly dry.
When I finally find my voice, it comes out as a whisper, despite my best intentions. “And…?”How do I ask this?“I’m sure you don’t mean…intimately. Right?”
They exchange a look. Once more a form of silent communication passes between them.
Link nods, his expression serious. “I do mean intimately.”
The room is suddenly too small, too warm.
Trying to sort all of this out, I wrap my arms around my middle. “This is…a lot to take in.”