Hidden Devotion (Trinity Masters #5)(24)

“What about you and the other legacies? You didn’t choose this.”

“I did. Every member has to consciously join. There are some people whose parents were members who chose not to be a part of it themselves.”

“But they know all the secrets.”

“They know many of the secrets, and they also know the cost of spilling those secrets.” Juliette spoke quietly and firmly.

“Should I be nervous?”

“Because you know our secrets? Honestly, yes. The reason I came to find you was because I needed to know how much you knew.”

That was a seriously sobering and slightly frightening statement. “I guess I knew more than I thought. I just didn’t believe any of it.”

Juliette didn’t respond.

“Am I…a threat?” he asked. Consciously he wasn’t, and it wasn’t as if he went around boasting about the crazy things his grandfather had said, but he didn’t exactly keep it a secret either.

“No. The Grand Master’s main concern is figuring out why your grandfather, who did choose to join us, and who attended several of the galas in the early nineteen forties, was not called to the altar.”

“Maybe he rejected the people the Grand Master picked for him.”

“If he’d refused his trinity, there would have been consequences.”

“That’s an ominous word.”

“I won’t lie to you, Francisco. People who disobey or reveal secrets have very difficult lives. There are stories of former members who end up in prison, framed for crimes they didn’t commit. People who lost their livelihoods, homes, and families.”

“Well that’s…terrifying.”

Juliette laughed. “It’s meant to be.”

“In that case, well done.”

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to scare you. How about we finish the bottle?”

“That sounds like a very good idea.”

They finished the first bottle then opened a second. They each had questions, each needed and wanted answers, yet no questions were asked, no answers given.

As the wine disappeared they moved closer together on the couch, until they were close enough to touch.

Franco brushed a piece of hair back from her face. Juliette gasped quietly when he stroked her. “You’re going to have an arranged marriage,” he whispered.

“If you join, you will, too.” Juliette brushed her fingertips against the back of his hand.

“I want to tell you a secret.” Franco leaned in, enough so his lips practically touched her cheek as he spoke.

“What?”

“I want to kiss you.” Brave from the wine, Franco let his heart speak. He’d never felt such strong chemistry, or such an instant connection before.

“Why don’t you?” she replied softly.

“Is that allowed?”

“Allowed?”

“Because of the arranged marriage thing?”

“Usually members use that as an excuse to experiment and be slutty.”

“Experiments and sluttiness? This gets better and better.”

Juliette let out a slightly drunk giggle. She was gorgeous—eyes bright with mirth and wine, cheeks flushed, lips soft and pink.

Franco couldn’t hold himself back any longer. Sliding a hand into her hair, he kissed her. Her lips were as soft as they looked, her body warm and supple as she leaned into him.

Franco tugged her onto his lap with his free hand. She straddled him, sitting on his knees, her arms twining around his neck. Franco’s cock was like a piece of iron in his pants, and he both did and didn’t want her to slide forward.

She traced his eyebrow with two fingers, trailing them down his face. He kissed her palm then tugged her down until their lips met once more.

He hadn’t planned to do more than kiss her, but the desire she instilled in him was like a living thing, growing and growling a demand for satisfaction. Each time she gasped or moaned, he had to fight the urge to move faster, to take more.

Juliette pulled back, licking her lips. Franco slid his hands—which were under her shirt just inches from her bra strap—out from under her clothing. They stared at one another.

“Is it just me, or do we have some very serious chemistry?” she asked.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels it.”

“Oh no, I feel it, too. I haven’t felt like this since… Well, it’s been a while.” Sadness clouded her face. Juliette climbed off his lap.

“What happens now?” he asked.

“You mean with the Trinity Masters?”

“No, querida, I mean with us.”

“The Trinity Masters come first. Always.” She stood. “I’ll call you a cab.”

Franco stared after her. In the end, this meeting had raised more questions than it had answered.

*****

Drinking never solved any problems, but right now he didn’t want to solve problems. He wanted to get very drunk, indulge in a truckload of self-pity, and then pass out.

Devon raised his shot glass in a toast to no one, since he was very much alone in his hotel room. Juliette had, of course, invited that guy Francisco to stay with her while in Boston. She’d never invited him to stay.

Then again, why would she? She hated him. She probably hated him as much as he loved her.