“I guess that’s not the worst thing I’ve ever been called.” Penny waited.
When Dillon realized she wasn’t going to give up he sighed and relented,though why he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t planned to reveal too many details about Isabel until it furthered his purpose but a part of him needed to share with Penny, if even superficially. “Isabel was my fiancé.”
Penny absorbed this information. Whoever this Isabel was, she’d managed to wrangle Dillon into the promise of marriage. That in of itself seemed like a feat worth admiring. As much as Vincent and Nolan professed to care for her, Penny clung to no illusions. When her contract was up, she’d likely have to look for a new job because it would be downright awkward to keep passing them in the halls when she went back to being an accountant instead of their privileged assistant “Did she die in an accident?” Penny couldn’t imagine any woman voluntarily leaving a Buchanan.
Dillon ‘s expression hardened. “Do you want to know what killed Isabel?
Greed. Bottom line. And I’m finished with this conversation.”
“Dillon, wait… ” Penny called out as Dillon strode from the room in open agitation. She swallowed her cry of frustration. She had no more answers than before and now she had more questions. Something bad had happened to Isabel. Something that ha d to do with all three Buchanan’s. She had no doubt that all three were guilty in some way and all three were shouldering the weight of that guilt in different ways. It was hard to fathom Vince and Nolan doing something heinous to a woman knowing how much they loved women but she also knew that Dillon wasn’t lying to her.
Isabel was dead but her ghost followed the Buchanan family.
While Dillon was out of the room s he took the opportunity to clean up . By the time Dillon returned with the tray laden with food she was hoping his mood had improved. She didn’t want to spend this time with Dillon fighting. “I’m sorry for prying,” Penny said. “I just hate to see everyone fighting. Wasn’t there a time when y ou and your brothers got along?”
Dillon ‘s mouth played with a smile.
“Are you hoping for a three-way with the Buchanan boys?” He asked almost cruelly. She blinked back tears. No, that wasn’t what she’d been thinking. Frankly the idea made her feel a little nauseous. Her dignity was hanging by a thread and doing that would likely snip it in half. Dillon took her silence as a sign that he’d wounded her. His expression softened. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. Sometimes I’m a real bastard. But then you probably knew that already.”
“I’d heard rumors,” she said with a wan smile, not quite sure how to go forward. “I get the message loud and clear. Don’t pry. You think you’re so different from the twins but you’re really not. They don’t like the prying either but they are just nicer about their methods of dissuading me. But here’s the thing, I’m a human being with thoughts and feelings and the fact that none of you seem to care abou t that, makes you all the same.”
“I’m nothing like my brothers.”
“I find it funny that you don’t see it. But in my uniqu e position, it’s quite obvious.”
Penny could tell she wasn’t making >any points. She didn’t care. Someone had to say the raw truth even if none of them wanted to hear it. She didn’t know if the rift between the Buchanan brothers was so wide that it could never be bridged but she did know that she didn’t want to be in the middle.
“Why did you want to be with me?” Penny asked.
“I think I’ve already established the why. I’m attracted to you. Was there any doubt of that fact?”
“I think your interest goes deeper than simple attraction. As much as I would love to think that I a m just an object of undeniable desire, I’m not blind to the fact that I would be a useful pawn in your little game. What I’m telling you is that I am not stupid and if you’re using me at least give me the courtesy of knowing.”
“You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever known. And I’ve known a lot of women. I don’t say that to rub in your face or to brag but to show you just how special you are. Don’t get me wrong I didn’t expect to feel this way about you. And it messes with my plan but I could no more stay away from you than my brothers because you have something special. You’re like a drug. And I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. All I know is that I can’t get enough of you. And I sure as hell don’t want to share.”
Penny sucked in a tight breath. To have Dillon admit that she was under his skin felt like a win, even though she didn’t know the game rules. “ What happens next? Vincent and Nolan will return once they realize you were the one who manufactured the reason for them to leave and when they find out about you an d me… It’s going to get ugly.”
“They don’t deserve you.”
“Well, that’s a matter of opinion ,” Penny murmured. “I feel that I’ve betrayed them in the worst way and they didn’t deserve that. They’ve given me more than I ever imagined possible. They introduced me to sex and all that it entails , but more
importantly, they introduced me to you. I don’t know if that’s a benefit or tragedy. Sometimes it feels a little bit of both.”
“I could say the same about you.”
She smiled. “ So we have a few days. I feel as if we’re wasting precious time that could be better spent doing other things.” Penny’s heart leapt when Dillon ‘s smile warmed with her implication. “Everything might change when my masters return but we belong to each other right now.”
Dillon shed his robe, his glorious body causing her to heat with desire, and joined her in the bed. Penny realized there would never come a moment that
she wouldn’t savor the sight of Dillon staring at her with open hunger. He didn’t see her plump body as something that needed fixing but rather as sexiness in its purest form. In Dillon’s eyes she felt like a goddess. “Why couldn’t I have met you first?” she whispered as Dillon’s mouth descended on hers. He saved them both by not answering because the answer didn’t matter.
Penny lost herself in the sensation of being Dillon’s girl. The fact that he didn’t want to share —that he wanted her all to himself —made Penny mad with need. Although the twins made her feel desired, at times, she also felt used, which always crashed the good feelings. But with Dillon, all she felt was wonderful goodness. When she was in his arms, the world —and all of its ugliness disappeared.