Stealing Cinderella(42)
After a tense moment, he nods, seemingly satisfied with my response, and then his lighthearted nature returns.
“Has he had sex with you yet?”
“What?” Heat blooms across my cheeks and an image of Thorsen fucking my ass comes to mind, but I’m not about to divulge that.
“I didn’t think so.” Calder stares out over the water. “Thor probably hasn’t told you this yet, but he likes to share. It’s easier for him when I’m there too.”
“You mean… the two of you—?”
“We share the same women.” His eyes rake over me with a heat that reminds me so much of Thorsen, it confuses me.
“Have you ever tried it before?” he asks. “Being with two men at the same time?”
“No,” I choke out, and I’m pretty sure my face is on fire. But if it is, Calder doesn’t seem to notice.
“If you want to make him happy, then you should think about it. Thorsen has never been very good at handling women on his own. I’m honestly surprised he took the initiative to bring you here at all.”
“So, the two of you do this often, then?” My voice feels strained, and I hope it’s not obvious.
“Usually, I bring the women to him.” Calder takes a sip of his coffee. “He doesn’t do relationships.”
I don’t know if it’s the sudden bite of the breeze or something else that leaves me feeling unsettled and cold, but when Thorsen returns, he seems to notice the shift in the atmosphere too. Calder and I both look at him in the way people often do when they’ve been caught talking about you. Except I know he couldn’t have actually heard anything.
“What was that about?” Calder asks.
“My schedule.” Thorsen returns to his seat. “Hayes wanted to make some adjustments this week. I’ll have to cancel our plans on Thursday. The king has requested me to accompany the Prince of Brunei to a polo match while he’s visiting.”
“Ahh… well, in that case, perhaps we can make the most of today.” Calder grins.
When the vein in Thorsen’s neck twitches, I get the feeling they aren’t simply talking about a lazy Sunday lounging around the house.
“Ooof.” I exchange the empty shot glass for the water in front of me, guzzling while Calder laughs. Meanwhile, Thorsen is observing me with a lazy sexual possessiveness I feel deep between my thighs. He’s lounged on the sofa with a glass of the potent drink they call akevitt in his hand and a downright predatory hunger in his eyes.
He’s been watching me this way all afternoon as Calder comes up with new ways to entertain us. At first, it was a game of cards he tried to teach me. Then at some point, that evolved into a debate between the two brothers on the rules, which quickly morphed from English to Norwegian. Now Calder has raided Thorsen’s liquor cabinet, opting to play bartender while he offers me samples of their local favorites.
“You don’t like it?” Calder pours himself another shot.
“It’s… intense.” My eyes are still burning, and so is my throat.
“We Norwegians are intense.” He smiles at me, and that hunger in his eyes has returned too. I wonder if Thorsen can see it. I wonder if this is what he wants, just like Calder said.
“What do you usually drink then?” Calder asks.
“Nothing, really.” I shrug. “I’ve only ever had one drink before. My friend Charlotte gave me a bottle of champagne on my eighteenth birthday. I didn’t care for that much either.”
Calder plucks a small baggie from his pocket. “Maybe she’s in the mood for something sweeter. What do you think, Thor?”
The muscle in Thorsen’s jaw works as our eyes lock, and for a minute, nobody says a thing. I’m holding my breath, wondering what he’s going to say. I’m nervous and maybe a little excited too. I’ve never done anything crazy. And I don’t know if it’s the liquor warming my belly or Thorsen’s predatory gaze that makes me want to do something crazy.
“It’s up to Ella,” he says finally.
I examine the little pink pill with the smiley face on it. “What is it?”
“Ecstasy.” Calder opens the bag and takes out a couple of pills, offering me one. “You just swallow it.”
“What does it do?” I rotate it between my fingers.
“It makes you feel happy.” He tosses his onto his tongue and chases it with a sip of his drink.
I can’t tell what Thorsen wants from me. He said it was my choice, but is it really? Does he expect me to take it? Or does he want me to say no? I really have no idea, and right now, he’s so closed off I can’t read him.
Taking the gamble, I toss the pill onto my tongue and take a sip of water. It slides down my throat easily, and when I open my eyes again, Thorsen is pouring himself another drink.
“Aren’t you going to take one?”
“He doesn’t like it,” Calder says.
“Oh.” That answers my question.
“Let’s put on some music while we wait.” Calder drags a remote off the coffee table, pressing a few buttons, and the overhead speakers come to life. It’s an instrumental track that fills the silence between us as Calder leans back against the sofa and closes his eyes. I follow his lead, my head only a few inches away from Thorsen’s thigh.