Chapter 16 16.Good Girl
Tabitha’s POV
Reed’s grip on my wrist is like iron as he drags me through the front doors of the Aldair estate. The moment we enter, the sudden noise of the door slamming startles the staff. A few maids freeze mid-step, eyes wide, while one of the butlers nearly drops the tray he’s carrying. They all stare at Reed’s hand wrapped tight around my wrist, at the other Aldair brothers trailing in behind us like shadows cast from a storm. The air shifts, thick with tension.
Reed doesn’t even slow down. “Out. All of you,” he barks. “Now.”
He doesn’t have to repeat himself. His order practically jolts everyone into submission. The staff scrambles, scuttling down side halls and staircases like roaches caught under a jar. Within seconds, the grand foyer empties, leaving nothing but the echo of fleeing footsteps and the suffocating heat of the boys’ silence closing in around me.
Evren walks ahead in silence, his hands tucked into his pockets, jaw locked tight, while Jace closes in behind me, every footstep of his pressing tighter on my nerves. They’re surrounding me. Herding me like I’m some kind of criminal. I feel like a cattle being herded to my own execution.
“Where exactly are we going?” I snap, yanking against Reed’s hold. Although it’s useless to fight against this brute.
They don’t speak again until we reach a narrow hallway I’ve never been in before. The walls are darker here, the air colder. The further we go, the more the warmth of the rest of the estate fades behind us. And then we stop in front of a thick door. Evren pushes it open without a word.
Inside is a dimly lit training room. The concrete floor is scuffed, the punching bags in the corner torn from long use. A wall of mirrors runs along one side, and the smell of sweat and leather clings to the air. The lights overhead are a dull yellow that illuminate every brick in the space.
The door slams shut behind me. My eyes snap at my four stepbrothers who are now circling around me, their eyes still flaring in evident irritation. But strangely, I don’t feel scared. Sure, they look mad, but they don’t look like they brought me here to hurt me. Although I know I’m in danger, I just don’t know what I’m in danger of yet.
“Why did you bring me here? Are you trying to start a fight?” I glance at the punching bags and the wall of sparring weapons like they’re part of some twisted setup.
“Take off the jacket,” Luca says, nodding to the one I wore earlier… the one Arthur lent me on the boat.
I take a step back. “What? No.”
Reed steps forward, a vein popping on his forehead. “Okay. Either you take it off yourself, or we’ll do it.”
My heart lurches in my chest. They have gone crazy. But I know that they are not joking. My fingers tremble, but I reach up and peel the jacket off. I still have my shirt on underneath, but it feels like it makes no difference. Their gazes grow heavier the moment the fabric leaves my skin. All four of them are staring, watching, like wolves scenting prey.
Heat crawls up my neck.
“What is your problem? Why are you acting like this?” I demand, voice cracking under the tension.
“Throw the damn jacket away, Tabitha,” Jace barks.
I scoff and begrudgingly throw the poor jacket on the floor. Luca eyes the thing like it’s cursed. If looks can kill, the jacket would have had multiple burn holes pierced into it already.
“Is this what you brought me here for? Because you have beef with Arthur’s jacket?”
“Because you are carrying his scent all over you!” Reed snarls.
“You reek of him,” Jace growls from behind me. “It drove us insane.”
“It’s that bullshit again! So what if I smell like him?” I challenge, indignation boiling within me. “Why are you suddenly so worked up about scents that you find the need to drag me all the way here? Arthur is kind enough to let me enjoy his yacht. He was kind enough to teach me how to steer a huge boat when all I had access to all my life was my father’s rusty skiff! And yet, instead of showing him gratitude for his generosity, you decided to be pricks.”
“Is that how you show gratitude, then? Letting a man touch you and put his pheromones all over you? Because you’re so thankful for his kindness?” Reed scrunches his nose, as if Arthur’s scent is making him want to throw up right now.
I shake my head and let out a sarcastic laugh. They are hopeless.
“You know what? Maybe. But that’s only because I feel comfortable around him. He’s been so kind to me ever since we met and he barely even knows me. He’s kind and friendly. Exactly the type of person I want to be around with.” I cock a brow and look at them one-by-one. I’m tired of their bullshit and I won’t back down now. “But you won’t understand that, right? Not when you spend all your life acting like total jerks. The only kindness you know is sparing a person for a day after you have tormented them the whole week.” I recall all the times they bullied me during high school, how they can easily strike a fear into my heart. And suddenly, all the anger from five years ago resurfaced once again. “So what if I wore Arthur’s jacket? If that’s how I can show my gratitude to the only man who has ever shown me true kindness on this island, then so be it! I’ll take his scent over you any time of the day.” I vomit all the words before I can stop myself and by the time I’m finished, I find myself panting.
Luca’s eyes turn into slits, his jaw tightening. I instinctively back away, my back hitting the wall behind me as he marches closer. I am sure that he’s going to snap back at me. He raises his hand and I grit my teeth, preparing for something terrible—but to my surprise, he takes a lock of my hair. He lifts it with two fingers, brushing the tip with a featherlight touch that sends a current straight through me.
“I see…” he brings my hair to his face and inhales it. My heart pounds erratically against my chest at the gesture. “So, you like to reward the people who are kind to you?” he murmurs in a sweet velvety tone and cruel in its knowing. “In that case, how will you reward us if we treat you kindly, hmm, my dear stepsister?”
My mouth parts. “What?”
The corner of his lips curve into a dangerous smile. “We can be kind too, you know? What do you want? Hugs? Compliments? Maybe a kiss for every good deed?” His other hand lifts to my cheek, brushing along the skin there like he’s memorizing it, thumb grazing the corner of my lip before pulling away just enough to leave me gasping for more.
Behind me, I feel heat radiating. Reed’s palm presses against the wall beside my head, trapping me between his towering frame and Luca’s teasing hold. His breath fans the back of my neck, and I shiver—not from fear, but from the wild, ridiculous rush shooting down my spine. My thoughts scatter, scattered like feathers in the wind.
“You said Arthur made you feel safe,” Jace mutters near my ear. “Does that mean we scare you, Tabitha?”
He’s so close I can feel the hum of his chest, the way his presence curves around mine. I want to say yes. I want to shove them all away. But the word catches in my throat and turns to ash, because I can’t stop the dizzying way my body is reacting. The anger that I was feeling earlier completely dissipates into the air, leaving me with nothing but the shameless anticipation for their touch.
“You’re shivering,” he observes, eyes molten as they drink in every stuttering breath I take. “You’re not scared... So what are you feeling, sister?”
His finger trails down my neck, tracing the line of my collarbone, featherlight but maddening. “Is that your way of saying thank you? Letting someone close when they play nice?”
I shake my head, but it’s a pathetic, breathless motion. I can feel them. All four. Surrounding me. Watching me. Tasting my reactions like wolves circling a doe who’s too confused to flee.
"Come on," Jace purrs, his hand sliding to the small of my back. "If Arthur gets your gratitude for being nice... what do we get if we start behaving?"
Reed’s breath stirs the shell of my ear, his voice dropping to a sinful low. “Will you reward us, Tabitha? Let us show you how sweet we can be?”
“I… I d-don’t…” My voice barely makes it out, trembling. I don’t know what I’m saying. I don’t even know what I’m feeling anymore.
This shouldn’t feel good. This shouldn’t be happening.
A thumb brushes the dip of my waist, and I jerk—only to feel another hand settle there, firmer this time. Jace’s voice slithers in like sweet honey, his lips a whisper away from my cheek. "Maybe you like being cornered," he murmurs, his fingers dragging along the hem of my shirt, just enough to skim skin. "Maybe deep down, you like it when we play a little rough, as long as we don’t break you."
His words stir something within me. I hate that it feels good. I hate that I want him to keep going.
Then Evren’s fingers glide up my other side, stopping just beneath my ribs. My breath hitches as his body slots against mine from the front, his presence swallowing the last inch of space I had.
His mouth lowers, close enough for me to feel the warmth of his lips just brushing mine, not quite touching. I don’t move. I can’t. I’m trapped between the four of them, their heat seeping into my skin, their hands coasting over every fragile edge I have left.
“What do you want, princess? A kiss? A touch? Something slow and sinful, right here between these walls?”
Reed’s hands coast down my waist, settling on my hips with a possessive grip. “Say the word,” he whispers, lips brushing my jaw. “Say you want us to be good boys… and we’ll make you feel like the only girl in the world.”
Jace’s hand tilts my head slightly, giving him access to the side of my neck. His breath kisses my skin, and a shudder racks my spine. “But if you want us to be good… you’ll have to be good too.”
Reed’s fingers trace the waistband of my pants, not slipping beneath, but close enough to make my stomach clench.
“Are you ready to be a good girl for us, Tabitha?”
Before I can answer the question, a knock breaks the silence. Everyone turns toward the door at once.