I laugh. “Only fools are positive. Let’s go.”
Arm in arm, we head inside and to her room. The front door is ajar, and it opens all the way before Erika could reach for the knob, but then I realize that she didn’t even reach for it. She just assumed she wouldn’t have to open the door, and she was right.
The one who opened the door is rugged and muscular. He’s handsome, very much so, wearing a buttoned-down shirt that’s barely buttoned. His brown hair is perfectly in place, his green eyes sparkling as his full lips curl into a slow-spreading smile that reminds me of Rob.
Fuck. I left campus to ignore him and his crew. Why am I thinking about him already? I refused to think about any of the Grim Reapers for a single second on the long drive, and it had been a long drive. I stopped for gas only and pee breaks, eating snacks along the way, blaring music and singing at the top of my lungs. It was the first time I felt free and happy since the drive to move onto campus, before I realized Rob could still be in my life, before the bullying and all of that nonsense. I thought that going to college meant that I would be free from my father and ready to take the next step to claiming my life and being free from any last ties to the motorcycle club Thunder Crows and the mafia.
But just because Rob and his closest friends are in a motorcycle club doesn’t mean that that club is also a front for another mafia. I don’t need to worry about that, and my father hasn’t made a move to find me. I’m fine. I’m good. I’m safe, and that’s all that matters.
Erika coughs and jams her elbow into my chest. “Earth to Katie,” she says in a tone that suggests she’s already tried to get my attention.
I laugh sheepishly. “Sorry. I’m Katie.”
“Obviously.” The green-eyed hunk chuckles. “We knew you were coming.”
“You must be…” I try to think of the guys Erika told me about. “Brett, right?”
“She really was out of it,” Brett says with a laugh. I’m pretty sure his last name is Russo.
“She’s out of it because of the long drive. How long did it take you?”
“Not counting stops, a bit over fifteen hours,” I say.
“That’s crazy.” Brett shakes his head. “I told you that we should have bought her a plane ticket.”
“What? No. I don’t mind driving a long distance,” I protest.
“See? That’s why I didn’t even bother,” Erika says. “It’s not as if I haven’t made the trek from Texas to California before myself.”
“Yes, but you did it on a bike,” I cut in. “I’m sure that saved you a ton on gas.”
“Probably,” she admits.
“At least let us pay for your gas,” Brett says.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because you’re our guest,” he says, as if that explains everything.
I shake my head. “I don’t need anything from you all. Well, maybe access to your shower and to your fridge. I’m a bit famished.”
“Corey’s in the kitchen,” Erika says. “Come in. We haven’t even come inside yet. You have to meet the others.”
She drags me inside. Brett closes the door behind us, and as handsome as Brett is, the others are just as much. Tyler Tremaine has curly dark hair that isn’t as long as I thought Erika told me about before. His eyes are almost as dark as Katie’s. As for Corey, not only can he pack a mean meatball, but he’s as tanned as any Cali guy is, blond hair and blue eyes. His are a lighter shade than mine. Last but certainly not least is Shane Dalton, a dreamy redhead with brown eyes who is also a shameless flirt. Tyler has me laughing. If it hadn’t been for Brett’s wanting to shower me with money, I would’ve said he was the most reserved one of the bunch, but there are times when I catch him watching Erika, and the way he stares at her…
It actually reminds me of how I’ve seen Rob look at me.
And I really don’t know how I feel about that.
“What are the guys like at your college?” Erika asks as we retire to the living room area after we’ve eaten our fill.
I wave my hand and then have to cover my mouth to hide a yawn. I’m exhausted.
“Does that mean so-so or…” Erika leans toward me, an eager expression on her face.
I hesitate and then shrug. What the hell? She’s found love. Four times over, sure, but she’s in a stable relationship. She won’t judge me for the shit I’ve been going through. Not that my situation is anything like hers.
“You know how I told you about that guy on the cruise ship?” I ask.