I chuckle, surprised by her cute voice and her petulant expression. Raven has never asked me for help, and she’s never acted spoiled this way. It’s kind of endearing.
“Okay, Cupcake.” I reach down and place one arm behind her knees as I lift her into my arms. She giggles and rests her head against my chest as I carry her to the sofa. The way she looks up at me… there’s no hatred in her eyes now, but in the car I was certain that’s exactly what I saw.
“Why are you two so mad at me today?”
I place her on the sofa carefully, and she shakes her head. “Secret.”
“Since when do you keep secrets from me?”
Raven laughs, the sound melodious. “I’ve kept secrets from you for years.”
“Oh yeah? Tell me one.”
Her eyes roam over my body, pausing on the gray sweatpants I’m wearing. “Every time I see you wearing those, I wonder what they’d look like if your dick is hard. Would I be able to see every contour?”
My eyes widen, and I cough nervously. That is not what I expected her to say. “You what?”
Raven merely shrugs and bends over to take off her shoes, giving me a clear view of her breasts. She’s not wearing a bra. Fuck. Did she go out like that? Silas’s bodyguards better have done their goddamn job, so help me God.
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to,” she singsongs.
I look away and clear my throat. “I’m going to check up on Sierra,” I tell her, before escaping in the same direction my sister disappeared in. My heart races all the way to the kitchen. Raven has never once acted inappropriately with me. She’s never even given me an sign that she sees me as a man at all. What the fuck? What’s with the sweatpants comment?
“Sierra?” I call.
I sigh when I find my sister asleep on my kitchen floor, clutching a block of cheese that she’s clearly taken a big bite out of. What’s wrong with both of my girls tonight?
My thoughts are whirling as I carry Sierra to my bedroom. Even in her sleep, she’s mumbling that she hates me. What in the hell have I done to earn their ire? I try to think back to anything I may have done or said in the last few days and come up blank.
I carefully put Sierra in my bed and tuck her in before heading back to the living room, my steps hesitant. I’ve always been so comfortable around Raven, but tonight I’m nervous.
“Rave?”
I find her sitting on the sofa, her legs crossed. She looks up at the sound of my voice and smiles. “Ares.” The way she says my name has always been different. It’s always been sexy, but even more so tonight.
She pats the seat next to her, and I shake my head. “Let’s get you into bed, sweetheart.”
“No,” she says, her expression petulant. “Come sit.”
I sigh as I do as she asks. “What’s up, Rave? Why do you seem so upset tonight? Why does Sierra insist that she hates me?”
She looks at me and tilts her head, clearly drunk. “You wanna know?”
I nod, and she smirks as she draws her knees up before turning toward me. Before I realize what’s going on, Raven climbs onto my lap and places her hands on my shoulders, straddling me.
I groan softly at the feel of her ass on my thighs and wrap my hands around her waist. “What are you doing, Cupcake?”
“I want to sit here, Ares.”
“You can’t.”
“I know, but I’m going to do it anyway.”
“Raven, how much did you drink today?”
She pulls herself closer, and I grit my teeth. She’s sitting right on top of my dick, and though I’m trying my hardest not to, it’s all I can think of.
“Not enough,” she says. “I’ve never had the courage I needed, and I think I’ll always regret it, you know?”
I’ve never seen her look so tormented before. I always thought I knew Raven so well, but I’m realizing now that there’s a depth to her I’ve never noticed before. “What is it you’ll regret?”
She wraps her arms around my neck and looks away. “Not going after the man I love. If I had, would things be different now? Would I be happier?”
I tighten my grip on her waist, my heart racing. “Who is he? Are you talking about Silas Sinclair?” Does she regret letting him go and not fighting for him when Alanna walked back into his life?
Raven chuckles. “Oh Silas,” she says, his name sounding intimate. I hate the way she says his name. I hate everything about that man. “No. Silas and Alanna are still very much part of my life, and I love them both dearly. I think I might love Alanna more than I love Silas, you know? She’s crazy in the very best way.”
I stare at her face, trying to decipher her. “So who is he?”
She looks into my eyes and shakes her head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Someone I know, then. Don’t tell me it’s one of my brothers? Is it Lexington? Or Luca? You’re close to both of them.”
She laughs, her voice ringing with amusement. “Should I fuck your brother, Ares?” she asks as she rotates her hips in my lap. Fuck.
“You will do no such thing if you value their lives.”
I tighten my grip on her waist to keep her still, but it’s too late. I can feel my cock harden, and I can only pray she’s too drunk to realize that she’s turning me on.
“Come on, sweetheart,” I say through gritted teeth. “You should go to sleep. You’ve had far too much to drink, and you’ll regret your actions tomorrow.”
“I won’t,” she tells me. “The only things I’ve ever regretted were the things I didn’t do.”
Raven looks at me and pushes her hand through my hair, her fingers brushing over my scalp before she tightens her grip on my hair. Her face is so close to mine that I could lean in and kiss her.
I look away, and she laughs. “What are you doing, Rave?”
“Something I shouldn’t.”
She moves in my lap, and a soft moan escapes her lips when she’s got my cock positioned right between her legs. “This needs to stop,” I tell her. “It doesn’t matter how drunk you are, Rave. This isn’t right. I’m your sister’s fiancé, for God’s sake.”
“Yeah,” she says. “But you should have been mine.”
I blink at her in surprise. Yeah. If Hannah hadn’t begged me to speak to my grandmother, the woman I’d be marrying would’ve been Raven.
She smiles and trails her fingers over my chest until she’s got the edge of it fisted in her hand. “I want this t-shirt, Ares. Can I have it?”
I look down at it in surprise. “I… what? Why?”
She smirks and reaches behind her, unzipping her dress in one fluid motion. She tugs at it, and it pools at her waist.
“Fuck, Raven,” I panic. She’s not even wearing a bra, and I should not be seeing her half naked.
I grab the front of her dress and use it to cover her up with. “Cupcake, you’re really testing my patience tonight. I’m trying, okay? I’m trying to be kind and patient, but you’re taking this too far.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Ugh, Ares. Do you know how many people have seen me naked? Calm down. I walk around naked or barely dressed before every show I do. It’s cool.”