Adams, Eve - The Banished Bride [Brides of Bachelor Bay 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

“I understand quite well. You are choosing your
new
family over me.”

Lizzie gasped as the first of her tears spilled down her cheeks. “That isn’t true.”

Amelia lifted a brow, clearly no longer shocked and hurt. Andrew knew that look. Now she was pissed.

“You’ve turned your back on me and now I return the favor. Good-bye, Elizabeth. I hope you are satisfied with the side you have chosen.”

“Amelia,” she breathed.

But Amelia kept dispensing blow after blow with that silver tongue of hers, and with each word, Lizzie sank back that much more.

“This will be the last time I speak to you. You’ve betrayed me by choosing your men over me. Now I know how you feel about your
only
family. I feel nothing but hate for you.”

That did it. Amelia was hurt and confused, but she didn’t need to say such vicious things to Lizzie, who looked ready to collapse from the words Amelia had delivered.

Andrew took Amelia by the arm. “I believe we’ll call it a night. Come along, Amelia.”

“Get your hands off me.” She jerked away from him, which only made Andrew dig his fingers into her arm. Her eyes flashed icy daggers of blue. “Ouch!”

He pushed her through the doors and then stole a glance back at Noah. He gave Andrew a nod, giving him permission to be the first to make sure Amelia knew exactly what it meant to be married to them both.

“How long?” Noah asked.

Andrew glanced around the room before resting his gaze on Noah. “We can’t wait. Join me now.”

“Are you sure?”

“It isn’t up to me, not any longer. If we don’t do something to help Amelia with her decision right here and now, we may never get another chance. Grab that bottle of wine and three glasses, and follow me.”

Noah did and then walked out of the room. As Andrew slid the doors closed behind them he heard Lizzie agree to allow her husbands to take her to bed.

“What is he doing with you? And why does he have wine with him?” Amelia demanded, her haughty tone sending a surge of heated desire to Andrew’s groin. He loved it when she got feisty.

“We are taking you to bed,” Andrew answered.

She dropped her jaw. “How dare you!”

Andrew pointed toward the hall, careful to never take his glare from her. “Move. Now.”

She thrust out her chin. “I’ll retire when I’m ready.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re ready now.”

“Don’t you tell me—ouch!” She slapped at his hand when he once again dug his fingers into her arm and gave her a little push.

“I won’t ask again.”

“You didn’t ask the first time.” Although she protested, she did as directed and started down the hall. “I hate you, Andrew Gallagher.”

“Right now, that feeling is quite mutual.”

“Oh? You hate yourself, too? Why, that explains so much.”

“Your sense of humor puts me in stitches. Now go.”

She huffed and jerked her arm away before he had a chance to dig into her once more. Noah simply stood back, a wry grin on his face, as he watched the show.

“I’m going.”

They made it to the entrance to her chambers. She whipped around and put her back against the door as she glared up at Andrew. He saw by that flash in her blue eyes that she was about to unleash that silver tongue on him.

He widened his stance and spiked his brow, waiting.

“I will never marry you.”

“So you choose me, then?” Noah said with a grin.

Both Andrew and Amelia glared at him and he dropped his gaze.

“If I choose to marry at all, it will be on my own terms, not under duress. Regardless of my choice, it will never be you, Andrew Gallagher.”

“Is that so?” Although he knew she’d said it in anger, he didn’t know whether she meant it or not. “And may I ask why?”

“You’re a bore,” she told him haughtily. “A rich, pretentious man who thinks he’s entitled to whatever he wants. I’m not just someone you can take. You are not entitled to me. Neither one of you are.”

“
You
are calling
me
pretentious?” He threw his head back and laughed long and loud.

Amelia growled. She actually growled, and damn if the sound didn’t send a surge of blood straight to his rapidly expanding cock.

“I hate you.”

“You’ve already said that,” Noah pointed out. “Surely you can come up with a more original insult.”

With a smile, she flashed her eyes right before she slapped Andrew across the face. When he lost his smile, she mirrored his action. He reached up, and she stiffened and leaned up against the door.

In a single motion, he turned the knob and released it. With Amelia’s weight against it, the door swung open and she toppled to the ground inside her chambers.

His smile returned as he studied her now sprawled out on the floor at his feet.

“I hate you!”

“We’ll see about that.” He stepped inside her chambers and nodded at Noah to do the same.

* * * *

“Please tell me what’s going on,” Amelia pleaded in a weak voice as she watched the men walk into her room. She couldn’t breathe and blamed the damned dress for being too tight. It had nothing to do with the way the presence of both brothers had her on the verge of hyperventilating.

Once Noah entered and walked over to the vanity to set the wine and glasses down, Andrew closed the door. When he locked it, the click sent a ripple of shock through Amelia.

Noah went about the task of pouring three glasses of wine. He handed one to his brother and they stood there, staring at each other. When Noah nodded once, Andrew nodded in return.

Good Lord, what was that all about?

Andrew then approached her, a glass of wine in each hand, his gaze never leaving hers. “For you, our bride.”

“I’m not your bride.”

Andrew’s eyes danced wickedly. “We’ll see. Now, take the wine.”

She dropped her gaze to the glass of wine. Not one for alcohol, she shook her head. “No, thank you.”

Something flickered in his eyes. “Take the wine.”

“I don’t want the wine.”

“Do you have trouble with even the simplest instructions?”

“When they’re from you, I do.” She pulled in a haughty breath when he narrowed his gaze.

“She’s not going to be an easy one to tame,” Noah said as he moved behind her, the heat of his body shifting to hers.

Andrew wouldn’t remove that penetrating gaze from her, and she felt the heat creep up her neck to settle on her cheeks. The stark hunger in his icy blue gaze darkened his eyes, and for the life of her, Amelia couldn’t look away.

“Take the wine,” Noah murmured behind her, his breath hot as it tickled her neck. “Trust me, Amelia, for what we have planned, you’ll not only need the liquid in your system, but also the effects of it.”

She swallowed thickly as her breathing grew shallow. “We?”

Andrew lifted the glass, and she took it in her shaky hand.

“I propose a toast.” Andrew brought his glass up. Noah moved to his side and lifted his glass as well as he rested that wicked brown gaze on her.

Not knowing what else to do, she brought her glass up to meet theirs. “To what?”

“To us,” Andrew said and glanced at Noah before swinging that powerful gaze back to her. “You may think that we aren’t perfectly suited for one another, but tonight you will see that we are. Very much so. You love to flirt. You crave the attention it brings. Well, my lovely Amelia, tonight we are going to make sure all the attention is on you.”

“You continue to say
we
as if I understand your intentions.” She snapped her gaze to Noah, then back to Andrew. Although this was exactly what she wanted, now being presented with two men to take to her bed had her on the verge of fainting.

“Amelia,” Noah started after taking a long drink of wine.

She did the same and had to swallow several times to keep the liquid from resurfacing. It burned like acid down her throat, and she winced as she felt every inch of it crawl down her insides.

Noah touched his lips to her neck, and she widened her eyes at Andrew, waiting for him to throw Noah off of her and beat him up again. But he simply stood there watching her, watching Noah as his lips traveled up and down the length of her neck. Andrew’s eyes darkened as his pupils dilated in heated hunger.

“Do you want to pick up where we left off?”

With a trembling hand she lifted the glass of wine to her lips. She pulled in a long drink. It warmed her insides and relaxed her nerves.

“Say nothing.” Andrew eyed her perceptively. “The answer is all over your beautiful, flushed face.”

She lowered her gaze, ashamed. She’d been so attracted to Noah that she leapt at the chance to be with him. At what expense? At the expense of hurting Andrew? She dropped her shoulders at the weight of her guilt.

Noah brushed his lips up and down her neck, drawing a violent wash of chills to attack her skin. “If I asked you to marry me, right here, right now, what would your answer be?”

She turned and looked at Noah, shock sending her nerves into a shimmy.

“Or perhaps you are wanting a more traditional proposal,” Andrew said and pulled the ring out of his pocket. He dropped to one knee and opened the little box, and she gasped. A large pale-blue gem surrounded by little diamonds winked up at her.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“Show-off,” Noah grumbled but didn’t stop his assault on her neck. “I’d get you a bigger ring.”

“It isn’t about the size,” Andrew said and stood up, closing the box and placing it back inside his pocket. “It’s how you employ it.”

With that diabolical glimmer in his eyes, Amelia knew he wasn’t talking about the ring. She lowered her gaze down to her wine. Taking another long drink, she drained the glass. It did wonders to clear her mind and lower her guard.

Did she want this? She didn’t want to marry anyone, yet being presented with two gorgeous men, she didn’t know anymore. Being married to Andrew would be safe, and she’d never want for anything. Being married to Noah would be thrilling, but for how long? Anything that burned that hot also burned out quick.

Andrew licked his lips. “Would you have rather it had been me with you tonight? Tell me, Amelia, if I’d come home an hour earlier tonight and seduced you in your chambers, would you now have my ring on your finger? Would we be sharing our news with the rest of the family?”

She swallowed thickly as her nipples puckered at his words. “I can’t answer that.”

Noah reached up and pulled the pins from her hair, massaging her scalp with his fingers and driving heated chills down her spine. “Or would we still be wrapped in each other’s arms if we hadn’t been interrupted?”

“I–I don’t know.” She couldn’t make sense of anything with Noah feasting on her neck and Andrew simply watching her, that glimmer in his eyes intensifying as he chuckled.

“Let’s not dwell in the past.” Andrew’s voice was raspy with want. “Noah, it’s time we show our bride exactly what she’d have by marrying us.”