A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(58)

“Twenty-five?” I hedged, hopefully.

He snorted. “Try fifty.”

“Fifty dollars? Are you insane? I’d go tell Noel about it myself for fifty dollars.”

“Hmm,” Brandt answered mildly, totally not buying my bluff. “It just went up to a hundred.”

“Oh my God. Seriously, I don’t have that much money.”

I did, but it was tied up in a banking account with Noel’s name on it too. He was alerted to every withdrawal I made.

“Fine. Okay.” Oren waved his hands and stepped between me and my brothers. “I have fifty. You chip in fifty,” he told me before he turned to Brandt, “And you keep your damn mouth shut? Capiche?”

Brandt nodded, the happy gleam in his eyes telling me he was satisfied with Oren’s offer. “Capiche,” he answered.

Shoulders slumping as he blew out a relieved breath, Oren turned to me. “Your haggling skills seriously suck.”

“What?” I said just as Colton cried, “Hey, I want a hundred dollars too.”

“The hundred dollars covers both of you,” I said through gritted teeth

Brandt snorted. “The hell it does. I’m not sharing with him.”

“Watch your mouth, you little smart ass.”

The fourteen-year-old batted his lashes at me. “I’d tell you to watch yours, but it seems Ten’s already got that job covered.”

“Jesus,” Oren groaned, shaking his head. “He’s a freaking mini me.”

Unfortunately, yes, he was.

Just then, approaching footsteps outside alerted us to someone new approaching. All of us in the kitchen exchanged wide-eyed glances, knowing it had to be Noel.

“A hundred each,” was Brandt’s hushed final offer.

I began to sweat as I glanced at Oren for help. His eyebrows lifted as if letting me decide our fate. Scowling, I hissed at Brandt. “No way.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Then he turned toward the doorway, and as if reading his mind, Colton followed.

“Noel,” they called together.

My eyes bugged open. “No!” I screeched just as Oren muttered, “Shit,” and grabbed both boys by the scruff of the neck and hauled them backward so he could growl into their ears. “One fifty each, and you both better be dead f*cking silent.”

Colton and Brandt nodded. Then they stared up at Noel with overly innocent smiles when he opened the back door and stepped inside with an armful of grocery bags.

Noel paused when he saw them. He glanced from Brandt to Colton and then frowned a little before turning his attention to Oren.

“Hey. You here to work on your resume with Aspen?”

As Oren nodded and murmured, “Yep,” Brandt let out a small snort, which caused Noel to slice his attention back to the two boys, who were still standing frozen in front of him and watching him attentively.

Crinkling his eyebrows in confusion, Noel lifted a finger to waggle between Brandt and Colton after he slowly set the bags on the kitchen table. “Okay, that’s creepy. What’s wrong with you two?”

“Nothing,” they chorused in tandem.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. I was going to kill both of my younger brothers, silently, at night with pillows over their faces. Really, it would do the world a service.

“Seriously,” Noel pressed, still staring at them before his curious gaze moved to me. “What’s wrong with them?”

“We can’t say,” Colton chimed up. “We’re being paid to stay silent.”

I slapped my hand to my forehead and groaned. Scratch the pillows. That was way too humane of a way to take them out.

Noel’s gaze zipped back to me. “Really?” he said slowly. “So what is Caroline trying to hide? Hmm, Caroline?” Then he crinkled his eyebrows with concern. “Have you been crying?”

When he instantly turned to Oren as if it was his fault, I stepped between the two guys and held up my hands, facing off with my brother. “You know, just because you’re the legal guardian to those two, doesn’t mean you’re one to me any longer. I don’t have to tell you anything that’s going on in my life.”

Ripping his narrowed gaze away from Oren, Noel shot me a surprised blink. “I may not be your legal guardian, no, but you do still live under my roof. And I don’t appreciate my own sister keeping secrets from me, or paying off Brandt and Colton to keep them from me either.”

“Well, then I guess it’s time for me to move out.” I straightened my spine and sent him a little ha, take that! smirk.

He lifted his eyebrows. “Wow. So, this secret is so important that you’re willing to move out just to keep it from me. Thanks, sis. Really, I’m feeling the love here.”

“Good Lord, Noel. I’m not saying I don’t love you. I’m just saying maybe it’s time I leave the nest and get a little independence. I’m sure Zoey and I could rent a place together.”

“Whoa, hey. No.” Oren lifted his hands, stepping forward to interrupt. “Blondie’s fine where she is.”

When I sent him an incredulous glance, he shrugged guiltily. “What? She cooks, and cleans, and keeps Hamilton perpetually happy and off my back. She ain’t going anywhere.”

“Oh God,” Noel blurted out, horror dawning on his face as he spun to me. “Please don’t tell me you’re pregnant again.”