What a way to make this day better.
The alarm sounds, and East ducks to the keypad to turn it off. I keep forgetting he got the codes from Smithy.
“What is that?” Lincoln asks as he pushes past East into my kitchen.
I roll my eyes as they all enter the room, Finley closing the door behind them. “Hi, guys, yes, come on in why don’t you. Make yourselves at home.”
My sarcasm is met with mixed reactions.
Mav saunters over to the fridge behind me, grabbing a soda and slapping my ass as he does, making me yelp. Of course since we’ve fucked, he’s overly touchy now, even if he was an asshole to me afterward. The tension as he looks at me is suffocating, so I glare at him, and he winks as he slides onto one of the stools at the counter. I wonder if the others know. Surely not. Finley leans against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. East heads for the coffee pot, and Lincoln inspects the dress. Surely they’d say something if they knew. Lincoln huffs, and I turn my attention back to him and his earlier question.
“It was a gift,” I say, finally answering him. I point toward the card, and he picks it up, scowling as he does before passing it around to the others, despite my frown. East is the only one who reacts, the same way he did when he saw the flowers.
East scowls at me, which seems to be his current default setting. I’m getting kind of sick of it. I don’t know what's going on with him, but I’d like my chill, laid-back friend back. “I thought you weren’t going to the gala.”
I drop onto the stool as Lincoln folds the dress back into the box and sigh. “I’m not, not that it’s any of your business. Can you stop looking at me like you hate me? I’ve had a day already, the last thing I need is all of this big dick energy pulling me down.”
Maverick barks out a laugh, but East looks a little horrified.
“We wanted to stop by and make sure you were okay after yesterday,” Finley finally pipes up, watching me intently. Maybe he does know, but if they’re not outright saying it, I’m sure as hell not either.
I hold my hands out to my sides, lifting them in a sort of mock surrender. “Well, as you can see, I’m fine. So if that was all…”
“That was all,” Lincoln says abruptly, pocketing the note that came with my dress. I’m too tired to argue with him about it. I’m officially learning to pick my battles when it comes to these guys.
I jump from the stool and glance at each of them in turn. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when I became more comfortable around them, considering everything that’s happened since I returned to Echoes Cove. It’s strange, but having them in my space doesn’t make me want to light them on fire, so I guess we’re making progress compared to just a few weeks ago. Maybe it’s some weird Stockholm Syndrome type thing where I don’t hate them despite all the shit they’ve put me through.
“I’m tired. If that’s all, you guys can leave so I can sleep.”
Mav jumps down so he’s standing behind me, closely enough that I can feel his hard dick rub against my ass. “Sure you don’t want me to stay?” he purrs in my ear, quietly enough that I’m sure no one else can hear. “I can make sure you have a real good time again.”
A shiver runs down my back, but I shake my head. Last night was a mistake. I have no intention of repeating it. Even if the orgasm was so good my brain melted. His hands circle my waist, and it feels like an electric current passes through the room. I need to stop this before the others notice. Because if they don’t know yet, it won’t be long until they figure it out if he keeps this up.
“I’m sure,” I say firmly, making Finley laugh while Mav looks a little disgruntled. That is firmly ahimproblem.
Lincoln's gaze zeroes in on me, and the heat of it is enough to scorch before his eyes land on Maverick. He definitely didn’t know, but I’d put money on him knowing now. He’s way too astute to miss Maverick being extra handsy with me.
“Am I missing something?” East pipes up, noticing the new tension in the room, and I step even further away from Maverick.
“Nope, not at all,” I say, popping my p. “It’s officially time for you all to go.”
I usher them out of the house, despite their objections, and close the door behind them. I lean against the door once they’re gone, finally feeling like I can breathe again.
All I wanted was a nice, simple year back in Echoes Cove.
I should really know better by now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It’s been two weeks since the arrest, and life is somewhat back to normal.
Well, my version of normal anyway. After all of the bullshit with the guys and the media, I decided to put my head down and refocus my life. I’ve caught up on everything for school and managed to get ahead in most of my classes where I can.
I’ve become a model student and an upstanding citizen. I’ve also managed to avoid all four of the guys who have made my world tilt on its axis over the past couple of months.
I don’t know what to think or feel when I’m around them anymore, so I’ve decided that avoidance is the key to keeping sanity firmly in place.
I grab my keys and phone from the counter and make my way to the garage. Thank fuck this week’s nearly over. Tomorrow is my dad’s birthday, and to say I’m dreading it is an understatement.