the doorway. Everything about him went rock hard still.
“I already know she’s in there. Neither of you are very discreet.” Kestrel’s voice crackled, cold and hot at the same time. “Or quiet.”
“What do you want?” Vaughn didn’t respond to his comments. Instead, he just strolled out into the room nude and went over to the closet. Taking a page from his book, I leaned against the doorframe. My damp hair clung to my shoulders, but I still had the towel wrapped around my torso.
Kestrel cut a look at me rather than answering Vaughn, and I raised my brows. The coolness in his blue-green eyes kept his secrets hidden. “Have you really thought this through, Sparrow?”
“Leave her alone,” Vaughn ordered. “And don’t be a dick to her.” He had dragged on sweatpants in the closet, hiding that magnificent ass and gorgeous cock. At least his chest was still on display.
“I’m not being a dick,” Kestrel retorted. “Interesting that was the first place you went.”
They glared at each other. Tension spiked, and the air seemed to get even colder. I swore it looked like Kestrel wanted to take a swing at Vaughn, and from the way Vaughn opened and closed his fists, he’d welcome it.
I cleared my throat. Both gazes swung toward me abruptly, and they landed with force that had me shivering. Vaughn swore and yanked a drawer open. He crossed to me without a word and pulled a shirt over my head. It was soft and huge, and it smelled just like him.
My nipples beaded at the thought, even as I let the towel fall away. The only thing between me and their eyes was this red cotton.
“That’s a good color on you,” Vaughn commented, brushing his knuckles along my jaw.
“Goddammit, Falcon,” Kestrel swore abruptly as he stood. “Jasper is here. As soon as he’s done with Freddie, where do you think the first place he’s going to go is?”
They both glanced at me again, and Vaughn’s jaw tightened. My stomach bottomed out. Had I lost an ally that fast? Not that we’d put a label on the sex. It had been great, but it didn’t have to mean anything. I folded my arms and waited.
“You know what, I don’t care,” Vaughn said with a slice of his hand through the air. “Dove wants to stay here, she can stay here. She wants to go to her room, she can go there. We brought her here to keep her safe, not to keep her prisoner.”
My heart buoyed.
Kestrel raked a hand over his face.
“Jasper doesn’t own her, and he isn’t the only one with a right to care about her.” As much as I loved Vaughn’s words, I really needed them to remember something.
“I’m still here, and it would be great if you remembered that and stopped talking about me in the third person.”
Pinning me with a look, Kestrel sighed. The defeat in his eyes hurt me. I couldn’t even explain why, but I just wanted to chase it away. Something.
“Sparrow, I know you don’t have a reason to trust me and I burned that bridge with you, but I need you to listen to me because if you don’t, dumbass over here is gonna get himself killed.”
“No, I’m not,” Vaughn assured me.
“Yes,” Kestrel said, ignoring him. “He is. Jasper…”
Their phones both beeped, and Kestrel glanced at his as Vaughn walked back into the bathroom.
“Fuck,” Kestrel swore. “The twins are back with food, and they would like us to let you out of whatever cupboard we’re hiding you in.”
“And Jasper will be down in a minute,” Vaughn finished for him.
The question was, did I go and pretend this didn’t happen and cover with Jasper? Or did I maintain the fact that Jasper didn’t own me and push it?
Neither man said anything. They were both waiting.
I could feel it.
Pivoting, I returned to the bathroom and scooped up my clothes. Regardless of my audience, I pulled the leggings back on. Kestrel’s eyes narrowed at me, but he didn’t comment.
“I’m not making any promises,” I told them. “But I don’t want to cause any problems, either.”
“Trust me, Dove,” Vaughn murmured as he pressed a kiss right behind my ear. “You are not the problem.” He shifted around me to go and get a clean shirt, and I locked gazes with Kestrel again. He only mouthed the words ‘thank you.’
I nodded.
He was right—we had burned some bridges when I found out who he was. But maybe we could build some new ones. Folding my arms,