“I like her too,” Matt declared, more for Cole’s benefit than mine, I think. Another slight defiance. Colton turned slightly to look at him with an eyebrow raised.
“Me too,” Theo blurted. The eyebrow regarded him over the glasses.
“Really?” Colton queried. Both of them looked at each other and then nodded. I sat watching them, taking in their strange little triangle of brotherhood at work.
“Is it because she follows him around? Needs him constantly? Or because you both wanted to fuck her?” Colton asked. He raised his bottle and took another drink.
“Jesus Colton,” I snapped, I pushed off Theo and stood up.
“Ah there she is.” Colton looked up at me with that same smirk.
“You’re being a dick. She’s nice and they can like her if they want,” I growled at him. He laughed at me.Laughedat me.
“What is your problem? Is it me? Do you want me to go?” I demanded. He shook his head and took another drink of beer.
“Sit down Lil Bit, you’re making a scene.” He turned away from me and calmly looked out over the garden again. Silly me,nevermake a scene, not when people were watching. I think I growled at him.
I felt Matt tug my hand and he lowered me onto his lap. An arm was wrapped round me and he tried to pull me back into him. I was pissed though – out of the corner of my eye I saw that stupid smirk and I was off Matt’s lap like a rocket.
“I’m going to get a drink,” I muttered and I pushed Colton’s legs out of the way to get away from him and his invisible barrier.
“Running again?” he asked softly.
I stopped dead. I turned to him as he sat there looking past me, sitting there calm as anything, like he was discussing the weather.
“Fuck you Colton.”
He looked at me and finally took off the shades. “You almost did.” And there it was. In his eyes. The fury I knew Colton would have when he saw me again. The anger at me for leaving, for hiding. Yeah, he was pissed at me and now I was just as pissed at him.
I glared at him, looked him up and down. “Yeah and as I remember, it wasn’t Theo or Matt who wanted tofucktheir brother’s girlfriend.” I turned and walked away. So what if I was running again.Asshat.
He did not just say that to me and think I was going to stand there and let him. The complete asshat bastard. Plus, he was scary as shit and I wasn’t sure I could handle his rage. I marched down the steps to the lower deck. I was going home. He could sit up there in his mighty castle, like Lord Flipping Muck. I hoped he choked on his stupid beer.
An arm wrapped round me from behind trying to halt me. I turned around, ready to let my temper fly, but it wasn’t any ofthem. It was Jay.
“What’s wrong darling? Who upset you?” he asked. He glanced once over his shoulder and then moved closer to block them from seeing me.
I gave a shaky laugh. “I’m ok Jay, honest.”Never let them see the unit isn’t solid. A lesson I learned early on. It didn’t matter what shit was happeninginour group. The masses got one solid uniformity – there were no visible chinks in the armour. Even shaking with rage at Colton I still knew the drill.
Jay stepped closer still; he rubbed his hand up my arm. He dipped his head a little to look in my eyes. “You sure? You jumped out of that seat like a firecracker on the Fourth of July.”
“Oh you know, they’re just teasing me and I need a drink.” I was officially the worst liar in history.
Jay regarded me for a moment longer then he smiled. “Well c’mon, I think it’s time you met Jack.” He slung his arm around my shoulders and led me to his group of friends.
“How can you still have that bottle?” I wondered aloud.
He grinned at me. “I’m not the only one with a bottle, darling.” I groaned as he pulled me after him. His friends shuffled around and somehow, I was back where I had been at the beginning of the evening. Sitting beside Jay, listening to mindless banter. I took the offered glass, I took a gulp and immediately spat it out. Choking, I tried to remember to breathe as I spluttered and coughed. Jay had collapsed with laughter, even Tattoo Neck was laughing at me.
“Oh my God, are you trying to kill me?” I gasped. Jay was wiping tears from his eyes – he couldn’t even speak he was laughing so hard.
“You’re supposed to sip,” Tattoo Neck offered. He was stunning when he smiled, like seriously hot. Thank Christ he didn’t seem to do it often.
Jay took the glass off me and handed me a bottle of the cider I’d had earlier. I took a grateful swallow.
“God that’s better,” I muttered in appreciation.
Jay slung his arm over me again. “You sure are something darling.” He smiled.