Page 33 of Lane

“Expecting someone to try to break in?” I asked.

“With you and Raiden here? No.”

“Lane,” Raiden said, leaning against the doorway leading to the hall. His voice was remorseful, although it wouldn’t sway me. “I’m sorry.”

I crossed my arms. My leg throbbed, but I refused to sit yet. “For?”

“Trying to tell you what to do.”

“And?”

“Thinking you can’t handle yourself.”

“You’re not going to bring it up again and trust I know what I’m doing?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I can’t promise not to say anything. If you get hurt again, I’ll try to persuade you to do a different job. It’s not because I don’t trust you. It’s because the thought of something happening to you is a fucking knife to my heart. Do you know how scared I was when blood seeped into your jeans? It took everything in me not to drag you from there.”

Goddammit. He voiced what I would have done if the roles were reversed. “Fine. Whatever. You’re forgiven.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Well, we’re not in a relationship yet, and you’re already trying to tell me what to do.”

“No?” He cocked his eyebrow. Damn, he must have learned that from Jordan. All of them had a mastery of facial expressions. “You think by taking us on a date, by kissing Alton and me, showing us how we can be together that we’re not in a relationship? I think you need to reevaluate what you said.”

I glanced at Alton, wondering what he thought of Raiden’s words.

He shrugged. “He’s not wrong.”

“We need to be exclusive,” I told them. The idea of either of them with anyone else didn’t sit well with me. It also meant me not fucking around with other men, not that I wanted to when I had the two gorgeous people in front of me.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Raiden said.

“Al?” I asked.

He cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing over my facial hair. “There’s no one else for me. Now, will you please go sit on the couch?”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, but you’re both coming with me.”

“My furniture isn’t big enough.”

“Is your bed?”

His eyes went wide. Alton would have to get used to me saying shit he didn’t expect. “It’s a king.”

“Good enough for me.” I started limping toward the stairs. I had no idea where I was going. It was a best guess that Alton’s room was upstairs.

Only, I didn’t even get to the bottom step before Raiden swept me up into his arms. His intense gaze held mine. “You’re hurt. I’m going to take care of you.”

“We both are,” Alton said, stepping behind Raiden.

My grin couldn’t be restrained. “If this is the kind of treatment I get when I’m shot?—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Raiden growled.

“What? I was just going to say I love the attention.” I wasn’t, but it soothed out the tension in Raiden’s shoulders.

He carried me up the stairs with ease. I wasn’t a small guy, and he climbed the steps like he wasn’t even holding me.

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