I cringed. “An epic disaster. Besides, I don’t hook up with guys my friends have screwed with.”Just guys your sister hooked up with, a voice in the back of my head said, which wasn’t entirely true. Brock claimed they never hooked up.
Micah winked at Mads, earning him a sour look from my cousin. “It’s not too late to jump the Elite bandwagon. I’m always available on standby if you change your mind.”
Brock hit the back of his hand into Micah’s gut. Not hard, but enough force to get his warning across.Back the eff off, man.
But it only made Micah laugh. He eased off the edge of our chair and went to sit by Mads and Kenna on the couch, who both inched down to make room for him.
“Okay, I don’t get it. What’s going on?” Kenna asked, picking up on the weird vibe between the Elite.
“Carter was here tonight,” Micah replied, his smirk vanishing. This was one topic the flirty playboy took seriously.
“What!” Mads shrilled, her voice carrying over the background chatter and music. Her dove-grey eyes shifted to me, concern dampening her excitement. “Are you okay?”
How scary that she immediately knew somehow I was involved. I nodded. “I will be after a drink. My nerves are still frayed.”
Kenna studied me again but not only me. Her gaze bounced between Brock and me. The Elite leader had his hand on my thigh, and I could feel his body underneath mine. He wore his bored persona, pretending not to give a shit about anything, but I knew better. Anger still edged under the surface.
Micah explained some of the details to Kenna and Mads, catching them up to speed. All the crazy shit about Carter breaking into Brock’s bedroom, stealing the thumb drive, installing some kind of spyware onto Brock’s computer, and the highlight of the night, holding me up at gunpoint while he had me do all the dirty work for him.
Bastard.
Kenna, from Grayson and Mads, already knew some of the previous crap with Carter that happened these last few months, for which I was grateful. I didn’t know if I’d be able to sit through a retelling of it all, from assaulting to kidnapping me.
I couldn’t believe Carter had me at gunpoint just minutes ago. Like, what the hell! Hearing his name mentioned caused my stomach to pitch. I should be freaking out more than I was. I didn’t know what that said about me. Perhaps that I was becoming far too familiar with dangerous situations.
Brock’s hand squeezed my thigh gently, taking a bit of the edge off the storm whirling inside me. Did he know that he had the power to do that? “He’s gone,” he whispered in my ear, somehow reading my mind. “He got what he wanted.”
I didn’t even realize I’d been scowling until then.
Fynn and Grayson came back with drinks. They passed them around, and I took my glass and gave Fynn a smile of gratitude.
Kenna twisted the top off her spritzer and took a drink. Her crossed leg bounced in the air. “So, the rumors are true. Brock Taylor finally got hung up on a girl. I never thought I would see the day.”
“A lot has happened since you left,” Mads said, her lips curved into a full smile as she looked toward Brock and me.
“You picked a hell of a time to come back,” Fynn added, taking a swig from his beer bottle as he sat down on the coffee table.
Brock hadn’t moved a muscle, and his lack of response dragged out in the air among the group.
I cleared my throat, swirling the ice in my glass. “It’s complicated,” I said, because in truth, there was no other way to explain our relationship. Things were messy between Brock and me, but I think today we reached a pivotal point. He was mine.
Kenna uncrossed her legs, balancing her drink on her knee. “What with him isn’t?”
“I can agree with that,” I mumbled, lifting my glass in salute.
Kenna shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to keep staring at you, but I can’t seem to help myself. This doesn’t seem real. Mads, pinch me.” Her cousin obliged and Kenna squealed. “I didn’t mean literally.”
Micah leaned forward, placing his elbows on the top of his knees. “This is just as weird for the rest of us.”
Mads’s gaze panned the group, as she tapped on the edge of her spritzer with her thumb. “Do you think it will ever not be awkward?”
I snorted. “Maybe in like ten years.”
A pause followed before Kenna said, “What I don’t get is why no one told me? I had to come home to find out? I’m not blaming you, just curious.”
I glanced to Grayson, who reclined in a chair identical to the one Brock and I were sitting in. His long legs stretched out under the coffee table as his gaze darted to me and then landed back on Kenna. A sigh escaped his lips. “I asked her not to.”
She swallowed. “Why? Didn’t you think finding out we have a sister concerns me too?”