"You don't know anything anymore," I reiterate, staring back into her sullen greys.

"No." The back of her hand goes up to wipe the tear streaks off her face. "I don't know  about my feelings for you, for them, or anyone at this point." There's a very large part of me that wants to tell her that she knows she wants me, she's told me as much herself, but I won't. We've already complicated things between us enough and the last thing I want is to be intermingled in some love four-way that involves Torey.

Instead of berating her anymore, and trying not to let my frustration get the better of me, I wrap my arms around Daniela. She doesn't try to shove me away, nor does she reprimand me for the action. In an all-too-familiar manner her shoulders slump, body falling into mine like it usually does when she's upset. There's a part of me that hates how I've learned all her mannerisms, can tell when she's feeling any which way in particular. But in moments like these, where I can tell she feels utterly defeated, it cools all the fire and frustration that'd been simmering beneath my skin.

With a deep breath blown out of my nostrils I place my chin atop her freshly washed hair. It's been elegantly braid and slung over her shoulder, her go-to look. It's casual and relaxed. It's a version I much prefer over the done-up doll-like image I'd been met with earlier this afternoon. Yes, she looked beautiful, but she didn't look like herself. That wasn't the woman I'd fallen for. Because I have undoubtedly done just that— fallen. For her, her son, and a life that I have envisioned that will never be. A dream that I should've never fucking allowed myself to dream.

I'm the biggest idiot in this entire God forsaken situation.

"I don't know how I'm going to walk away from you after all of this," I admit in an honest manner and in a tone a lot less angry than my previous. "I know that's been the plan. I know there's Torey and Brooks, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I selfishly want you all to myself."

Her response is nothing more than a slight quiver in my arms, not that I'd expected much more due to our circumstance. Circumstance. Cir-cum-fucking-stance. I could try and scream to the hills that that is all this is, but in truth, it doesn't change the fact that I know, that I know, that I have genuine feelings for the woman in my arms.

At one point in my life I had found everything about Torey admirable. His cold demeanor, arrogant persona, that ruthlessness that seemed to know no bounds and how he could just shut himself off in the snap of the fingers was something I had once desired to be capable of doing. Not anymore. Any admiration I had once had for the wrathful man has done nothing more than turn into bitter resentment. Because Torey had chosen all of that over her. He let her go, gave her up, fucked around with whoever after Daniela left, and there had been plenty of whoevers and whenevers. For Dani, there had only been Brooks.

"How does it work?" I find myself blurting out. After a deep inhale and exhale she pulls out of my arms with a questioning look that has me elaborating, "the three of you. How does that work?" She's pensive for a moment, tilting her head from side to side in deliberation. Then it dawns on me. "You don't really know, do you?"

A small huff of a noise leaves her, "no, no I really don't. We didn't, uhm, didn't have enough time to really flesh out the details." Her gazes wanders over to the couch where we'd just been having our conversation with them. "But it seems as an anything goes kind of situation now, I suppose." The look on her face would suffice to say she's not really sure how she feels about that.

"Sounds like a bit of a situationship."

"You could say that." She fiddles with her braid, looking lost in thought. "It's more confusing than anything at this point."

I have never asked Daniela to give me any details about the relationship between the three of them. From what I've been told I know that Torey and Daniela had a relationship back in New York. She went to Seattle, had a baby, which I now know to be Torey's, and then met Brooks, her bodyguard. How that turned into whatever dynamic it is now, I have no idea. I don't know if I really do want to know.

Letting morbid curiosity get the better of me I ask, "is it like two separate relationships or is it more of a poly thing?"

"It's not separate separate but it kind of is? At least it was. Torey had wanted it to be, had just wanted it to be me and him." She gnaws at her lip then adds, "right now, though, I guess I don't really know. It's been months since the three of us have even been able to be together."

"I think I'm even more confused. How is it not separate?" Her face flushes furiously as she tugs her braid taught. They've fucked her together. Right. "I see." No surprise there, really, Torey has shared women with people before. But his feelings, and territorial behavior with Dani, still leave a mystery as to why he would even entertain the idea of sharing her with someone. "Can you explain something to me?"

"I can try."

"Torey."

"What about Torey?"

"Just make it make sense."

"How so?"

"He's possessive and controlling."

"Mhmm."

"So then why is he okay with you fucking Brooks?" And not me. That came out a bit more blunt than I'd expected but I'd snapped my mouth shut before the last part came out, thankfully. I cough and cup the back of my neck and try to correct myself, "what I mean to say is..." I don't even know what I mean to say because that's pretty much the gist of it. "I guess I just don't understand his unwillingness to share you and yet he is sharing you."

"It's, uhm, it's a bit complicated."

"Can you un-complicate it or at least try?"

"Did you not see the mark on Brooks' neck?"

"What kind of mark?" She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms before giving me a knowing look. Oh. Oh. "Are you telling me that they're... that the two of them—?" With a roll of my hands I leave the insinuation hanging in the air between us.

"The last I knew Torey wasn't interested in that particular thing but it would appear that he's changed his mind. The mark and the look all over Brooks' face tonight would suggest that."

Now it's all starting to make perfect sense. Torey is only okay with Brooks because he's fucking around with him too. The way Dani had stood up so abruptly during our conversation raised some flags, though. Clearly they hadn't had a conversation about that particular thing, as she'd called it.

Or maybe it's something else...

"Are you telling me that while you're here, kidnapped and trapped, your son too, they're over there..." Her features fall slightly which lets me know I've hit the nail on the head. "That can't be a great feeling." Especially when he so adamantly insists that she cannot do anything with me— or he'll rip my fucking head off.

"Like I said, it's complicated."

"I don't think it is. At least it doesn't have to be." My hand cups her cheek as I take a step toward her. "We could un-complicate it. You and I, we could." I can almost feel her heart rate quicken with my own. Her tongue rolls slightly on her bottom lip before sucking it into her mouth which has my thumb going to it, pulling it from her teeth. That beautiful pouty lip is wet from her mouth, it's something I long to taste. "I want to kiss you," the honest statement slips from me.

"You know that wouldn't un-complicate things, Tris. It would make things a million times more complicated." Those eyes of hers are filled with the same longing I feel in the pit of my stomach, at least I think they are. I take my hand away from her face, trying to swallow everything I feel for her back down but just as I'm about to turn away she murmurs, "do you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"All of it."

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Everything. Am I— my son— the way you are with us— is it just part of the job?" Because I've said about as much to her to try and convince myself that whatever this is between us isn't real. All of this angst and tension. "Is it all just an act?"

"No, you were never supposed to be part of any job I had, at least not intentionally. You know that. I've told you that." My job had been Torey, not Dani, but now I suppose she is, although completely out of happenstance, not choice.

"But you, yourself said that it's nothing more than the circumstance we're in."

"That doesn't mean my feelings for you and your son aren't genuine. As much as it's supposed to be an act, we both truly know, at least I know on my end, it is not." She takes a step closer to me, placing a hand on my chest with eyes staring into mine nervously. "Fuck it. Tell me to stop if this isn't what you want." Her brow furrows but I don't give her the chance to respond before bringing my lips to hers. I kiss her tentatively at first, expecting to feel her hands push against my chest, telling me to stop. When she doesn't I add more fervor which she reciprocates. My tongue pushes into her mouth, tasting her in a way I have wanted to many a night.

After forever, and no time at all, she pulls away from me, hands fisted in my shirt and completely breathless. The look she's wearing is one that tells me she's lost. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm the same. My eyes dance over her features one more time before my body decides it wants what it wants. My brain, my common sense, can't even catch up.

I find myself jerking her body up my own, her legs automatically wrapping around me instinctively, arms going around my neck as well. My lips find hers again. Our tongues tangle and it releases an all-consuming hunger that I've somehow managed to keep at bay. But I can't anymore. I don't know how I ever managed to in the first place.

A gasp escapes her as we fall atop of our bed with my large body hovering over hers. I'd managed to keep my weight off of her for the most part but those legs are still clinging to me. My hips rock into her causing a whimper to escape her. I want her to make those noises all night.

"Tristan..." she manages to get out as I kiss down her body, untangling her legs from around me as I do. My hand hitches up her nightdress, exposing her sexy black lace thong to me. Just as I'm about to lean forward and kiss her sex through the fabric her hands grip my wrists, the ones that are currently on either side of her hips, fiercely. "Wait." I close my eyes and let out a deep breath before looking up at her face. I'm surprised to be met with a terrified face rather than one full of regret.

"What is it?"

"He'll kill you." A smirk splays itself on my face because I'd been expecting her to tell me to stop. A small chuckle rumbles out of me on its' own accord. "What's funny about that? There's nothing funny about that."

"He can try," and with that, I lean forward, doing exactly as I had previously intended. The choked moan she lets out is enough for me not to give a single fuck. Torey can try to kill me all he wants.

A/N:
So that's a thing that happened.

As you can see, I changed the chapter titles to just the names of who they're from. I plan on doing that with Vitriolic too.