Mating with the Lincoln Twins

3

Selene's POV

I had never been so embarrassed in my life, but the Lincoln twins proved to be true gentlemen when they decided to give me one of the bedrooms the moment the topic of the bathroom came up. Kael was particularly considerate, which surprised me, as his personality didn’t seem to align with that kind of attentiveness.

There was something about him—his roughness—that put me on alert… yet it also made my skin tingle with a dangerous sensation. His gaze, sharp and intense, stripped me of any defenses, making my blood pound harder in his presence.

I agreed to stay in the room they offered, if only to avoid being rude to them. After all, they had been so willing to help me.

As we ate the pizza they had ordered—and as I continued to die of embarrassment—my phone rang. It was the only thing I had with me besides the clothes on my back.

I answered without checking the caller ID.

“Miss Fairfax, good afternoon. This is John Stuart, the lawyer handling your parents’ case.”

I had to chew quickly to swallow the piece of pizza in my mouth.

“Mr. Stuart, I’m so glad you called. I needed to speak with you.”

I glanced at the twins, who made a move to step away out of courtesy. I quickly signaled with my hand that it wasn’t necessary. The last thing I wanted was to seem like I was abusing their hospitality, forcing them out of a space that, for at least fifteen days, was theirs.

“I just saw the foreclosure notice,” the lawyer said. “I have no idea how this could have happened. I personally handled the liquidation of the inheritance and settled all debts with the tax office. Right now, I’m drafting a formal request for an account review. I’m very sorry for the stress this must be causing you, Miss Fairfax, but this has to be a mistake.”

I spoke with the lawyer about the next steps, and although he assured me everything would be resolved in my favor, he also warned that it could take anywhere from one to two months to convince the bureaucrats of their error.

I ended the call with a long sigh. The news was good, but not as good as I had hoped.

“Is there anything we can do to help, Selene?” Lean asked after a moment.

I looked at the twins, debating whether I could open up to them about the mess my life had become. I decided to, if only because I needed to let it out, and they had already welcomed me into their space.

“My parents died a little over a year ago… in a car accident.”

Lean frowned.

“An accident?”

I nodded.

“That’s what it seemed like at first—until the forensic report showed my dad had alcohol in his blood. But he didn’t drink.”

Kael set his pizza down on the table.

“That sounds suspicious.”

I noticed the twins exchanging a slightly uneasy look, but I ignored it and continued.

“With the money they left me, I hired a lawyer—Mr. Stuart, the one who just called—not only to handle the inheritance paperwork but also to help me uncover the truth about what happened to my parents. He’s been very understanding, has helped me a lot, and has done an incredible job. In fact, he’s managed to uncover some leads suggesting that the accident wasn’t really an accident, that my parents were murdered. But we still can’t prove anything—not yet. There isn’t even a suspect.”

The twins listened intently. In fact, I got the strange impression that they were absorbing my pain, as if it affected them just as deeply. It didn’t make any sense, but that’s how it felt in that moment.

“And now this thing with the house has happened, on top of this apartment situation. Even though Mr. Stuart says it’s just a mistake, it’s going to take at least one or two months to sort it out. I don’t know what I’m going to do in the meantime.”

I held my head in my hands. The desperation of my situation was beginning to sink in. Now that I had decided to resume my studies at the state university, I needed the income from renting the apartment. But if I had to live in it instead, I had no idea where I’d get the money to cover my university expenses.

“We’ll help you, Selene,” Kael said.

I lifted my head and looked at him. Even he seemed deeply affected by my distress.

“You don’t have to do anything for me. Letting me stay with you for these few days is more than enough. I’ll figure out a way to resolve this as soon as possible, but thank you.”

I felt like a burden to them. The twins were already doing too much for me. I didn’t want to take advantage of their hospitality—much less drag them into my problems. But they seemed so invested in what was happening to me, so determined, that it felt like convincing them otherwise wouldn’t be easy. They had clearly made up their minds.

“We have contacts at the tax office,” Lean said. “We can help speed things up, Selene. Please, let us help you.”

I stared at them, surprised.

How was it possible that two strangers were so willing to help me? And, even more puzzling, why did my problems seem to affect them almost as much as they affected me?

“Are you serious?” I asked.

They both nodded in unison.

“We just need a few days, Selene—nothing more. In the meantime, you can stay here with us,” Kael said. “I’m sure that as soon as we talk to our contacts at the tax office, this will all be sorted out, and you’ll be able to go back home and continue renting out the apartment.”

“That would be amazing!” I exclaimed, finally seeing a light in what had, until moments ago, been total darkness. “If you could really do that for me, I’d be eternally grateful.”

The twins smiled, clearly pleased. It was obvious they were happy to help me. I didn’t know what was driving their genuine interest in solving my problems, but it felt as if they had taken them on as their own—as if my happiness, my smile, and my peace of mind mattered to them.

“We’ll gladly do it, Selene,” Lean assured me. “Don’t worry about anything. Just finish your pizza before it gets cold.”

So much had raced through my mind in those past few minutes that I had completely forgotten how hungry I was—and how delicious the pizza tasted.

“I’d like to find a way to thank you for everything you’re doing for me,” I said.

I noticed Kael’s gaze settle on me—intense, as if he were studying me.

“Don’t worry about that now, Selene. For now, maybe you should think about resting a little, don’t you think?”

It was strange, but the moment Kael mentioned rest, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over me. I stretched.

“I think you’re right,” I said through a long yawn. “Suddenly, I feel really tired. Do you mind if…?”

Both of them shook their heads before I could even finish my question. Overcome by a sudden, irresistible desire to sleep, I made my way to the bedroom that must have belonged to Kael. I stepped inside, and the moment I saw the bed, I collapsed onto it.

I barely had time to blink before I was fast asleep.