Trinity Masters as a cult a few times, and it amused her. “Perhaps you should reconsider the cult descriptor, given the fact you are now a member.”
Oscar rubbed his jaw uncomfortably. “Don’t remind me.”
“It’s not so bad.” She patted his chest. “We have cookies…and access to DOD research contracts.”
There was no mistaking he hadn’t been happy about joining the Trinity Masters. She had been surprised to discover he’d had a standing invitation, as she didn’t realize that was a possibility. Selene, a legacy, hoped that with the passage of time, he would change his mind about the secret society and all it had to offer.
“So the arranged marriages in the Masters’ Admiralty aren’t made based on innovation capacity or protection of intellectual assets and arts, but rather love?” she asked.
Oscar shook his head. “I don’t know a lot about the Masters’ Admiralty, but from the things Sylvia has said, I get the impression her trinity was an exception rather than the rule.”
“She was very lucky then.”
Oscar studied her face, his brows furrowed. “If you think so, then why did you join the Trinity Masters, knowing love might not be part of your future marriage?”
“I’m a legacy, Oscar. I grew up in what I knew was a nontraditional household, and when I was old enough to be trusted with the secret, my parents, all three of them, told me why. I know that love can grow between strangers in an arranged marriage, and that, quite frankly, parenting with three people seems preferable to two. It’s normal to me because that’s how it was in my family. My parents didn’t know each other—besides by reputation—before they were called to the altar, however, the three of them found a deep and abiding love. Is that why you were resistant to join? Because you’d prefer to marry someone you love? If so, I hope you’ll believe me when I say I’ve seen many, many trinities formed between strangers who have fallen in love.”
Oscar hmphed. “You’re a romantic.”
She laughed. “I believe that’s the first time I’ve ever been called that. I prefer to think of myself as a realistic optimist because I know myself well enough to know I don’t wish to live my life in a cold, emotionless marriage. One of those might really turn me into a supervillain.”
His lips twitched. “For the good of humanity, you need to be in love?”
“I want affection, companionship, and good sex.”
His hands slid to her hips. “Just good?”
She winked. “Fine. Amazing sex. Now that you’re a member, are you saying you wouldn’t prefer the same?”
Rather than answer, Oscar released her and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling it open. “Fully stocked,” he murmured.
Selene got a sense he was uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken and was attempting to stall. Or change the subject completely.
Unfortunately for him, she’d been described as tenacious on countless occasions in the past. If there was something she wanted to know, she asked the questions until she discovered the answer. “Oscar,” she prodded.
“I’m not worried about finding love. In or out of a cult.”
His response was vague…and compelling. And it drove home exactly how little she knew about him.
“Why not?”
Oscar ignored her question. Instead, he pulled an IPA from the refrigerator and held it up to her. “Want one?”
She nodded, watching as he grabbed a second bottle, uncapping them both before handing her one. She glanced at the label and saw that the beer came from a local brewery.
He walked around to where she sat, setting his bottle on the counter after taking a long drink. He leaned closer, placing a soft kiss—his lips cold after the beer—against her neck. “Should we check out the second floor? Find the bedrooms?” he murmured, his mouth still exploring her neck and the sensitive spot just below her ear.
The man was an accomplished lover, and she was tempted to extend their tour to the bedrooms—just one bedroom, actually—as he suggested. But she recognized his actions as a diversion.
“Yes, I would, but I reject you using sex to avoid answering my question.”
Oscar lifted his head from her neck. Then upped the ante, his hands grasping her waist as he stepped closer, forcing her legs apart so that he could stand between them. It was an invitation she didn’t want to decline, but there was a tightness around his eyes and mouth that spoke of a pain she wanted to understand.
“Selene,” he whispered, kissing her cheek before nipping her earlobe. “The only thing that matters now