Her Forbidden Threeway

Chapter 7

It had been an entire week since Reade had heard from either of the brothers and it had been a week since her accident. Clyde Duncan had made a speedy recovery since the attack from Jackson and he took leave from work to rearrange his office area and rebuild a trustful relationship with Reade.

She enjoyed the time that they were spending together.

They spent a few of those nights at the diner where they laid all of the lies and the truths on the table for one another. One question Reade had asked was centered around the deal her father had made with the man in the cloak and hat. She found herself thankful that it ended up being as harmless as buying fruit from a market.

Clyde had purchased a gun of dragons breath from the man and in return, he had offered over an old family item. It was a bag of venom that was extracted from one of the deadliest sea creatures on the planet. Reade had learned that dragons weren’t the only mythical beings.

Reade had tried to process the information during another order of pancakes and she imagined she was listening to a science fiction show instead of the reality that her life had become. She still couldn’t believe that everything her father had told her, and everything she learned from the two brothers was true..

It had been a full seven days without any contact on the following Thursday of all days, Reade decided that she was going to make the first move. It wasn’t the old days. She didn’t need to wait around for the man to find her after hooking up with them. She was strong, independent and a hunter. She was capable of taking matters into her own hand and confronting the brothers.

Reade arranged for a taxi cab to pick her up from the end of her street. She didn’t want her father to continue to rain down with his depression and with his constant urging of her to stay away from the brothers. She wasn’t sure if he knew the extent of their relationship, but he knew that they were close. That much she was certain of.

The cab arrived and Reade slipped inside of the back passenger seat. The leather hit her bare thighs and caused the skin to stick the material uncomfortable. It seemed unconventionally hot in Nevada and Reade wondered if it had anything to do with her hormones that had been raging since her last encounter with Jackson.

It didn’t take long for the cab to reach the other side of the city. The traffic was quicker once they had passed the tourist attractions and built up casinos that were sprouting on every corner. When they arrived, Reade noticed that the glass in the store had been replaced and there was a sign hanging from the large bay window.

Looking for employees.

Reade perked a brow in curiosity before she rifled through her bag and pulled out a twenty dollar bill to pay the cab. She hadn’t even bothered to take a look at what the dollar amount on the meter was, but she knew it wasn’t ever over twenty.

The familiar scent of Drakon hit her like a ton of bricks as she stepped inside. The usual chime above the door sounded and she inhaled a deep breath of air, allowing her senses to become assaulted by the scent. It was pungent and herby, like a moldy storage cupboard but with warmth.

Reade walked over to the counter and rang the bell for service. Before, she simply would have called out their name and walked into the back but for some reason, a part of her felt like she was a stranger standing in a place that she had been in so many times before. Scott stepped out of the walkway and caused the beads to rattle behind him. He looked handsome, or as handsome as Reade could possibly remember. Distance had the tendency to morph a few memories, but he still remained the same for the most part. Scott had grown out his stubble, itching it as he settled his eyes on her.

“Hi,” Reade said, smiling despite the awkward tension in the air. Scott remained expressionless. “Do you want to fill me in on why both you and Jackson are ignoring me? Or avoiding me?” She asked, opting on a different approach.

Scott nodded his head towards the back and Reade cocked a brow in response. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and sighed, following after Scott’s retreating form. There was a short moment of silence as Reade passed through the beaded curtains and spotted a pool table where the couch had been, the two sticks marking an X across the green topping.

“Where’s the couch?” Reade asked, turning to face Scott with curiosity written on her face. “It was here last week.”

Scott folded his arms across his chest and malevolence crossed his features. “I decided to burn it after I found out you had s*x with Jackson on there. I didn’t really want to be sitting on his sweat.”

“Oh,” Reade replied, swallowing thickly.

“Oh indeed,” Scott said, looking everywhere but her eyes.

“I didn’t think it mattered, I thought you were okay with it,” Reade continued on, fumbling with her fingers. “It’s not as if we had come to any type of arrangement or agreed to be in a relationship. You knew that I had feelings for Jackson too.”

“I just would have liked to know the rules before I got involved,” Scott said after a few moments of silence, his large frame leaning against the doorway. “Or the lack of rules, I should say.”

Reade tossed a knowing look towards Scott as if to mentally tell him that she knew he was full of it. He was jealous and trying to hide it instead of being honest with her and it irritated her.

 “Fine. I was jealous,” Scott said, rolling his eyes. “I knew what was going on.”

“I don’t want you to feel jealous. It’s your brother.” Reade whispered reassuringly, not wanting Marnie to hear. She brushed her hand up his arm, and he relaxed, the warmth returning to his eyes. “It’s the three of us. You, me and Jackson.”

“Speaking of which,” Scott sighed. “He just got back from an elixir cleanse, he was resting.”

“Was?”

Scott nodded to the stairs. “He’s awake now.”

As if on cue, Jackson strolled down the staircase and scrubbed his hand through his messy blonde locks. It wasn’t in the usual slicked back fashion that Reade had come to love, it was disheveled and out of place. His muscles stood defined and the corner of Reade’s mouth twitched at the sight of his shirtless form.

“Good morning,” Reade whispered, catching Jackson in a mid yawn. “How did you rest?”

Jackson stared at Reade in surprise and her heart fluttered instantly. She found it insane how he was able to stir such drastic emotions inside of her with just a simple glance.

“You didn’t tell me she was here,” Jackson said, turning to face Scott. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Scott raised his arms in protest. “She’s just walked through the door, brother.”

“Where have you both been?” Reade questioned, an accusing brow raised. “Other than avoiding me, might I add.”

“Well, as I was saying. Jackson has been on an elixir cleanse, getting off the dark stuff that turned him into a psycho. And I’ve been looking after Marnie.”

The expression on Scott’s face read nothing but amusement.