George is sprawled on the ground, eyes on the sky as he pants for air.
Hale is flopped down next to Killian, sharing beers with the other Malones, as Kylie and Lilah continue to grapple…weirdly. Kylie is latched onto Lilah’s leg, as Lilah tickles Kylie’s armpits.
“Take it back, Kylie Malone! You know how sacred my vagina is to me!” Lilah shouts seriously.
“They always ruin our fun,” Jason states around a yawn. “Nice right jab, by the way.”
“Nice left hook,” I state on autopilot, as though this is as natural to me as it is to them.
“I had to start working with my left because Killian is so good on his right side. I was surprised they put you on me at first, since I usually tag Killian with Jared. Then they went and got Black Belt Benson,” he says with a bitter snarl, even as he continues to watch Lilah and Kylie wrestle around on the ground.
Well, they’re just rolling around on the ground, really.
“Kick her ass, Lilah!” Hale shouts from the sidelines.
“Show that Vincent how a Malone really fights, Kylie!” Eric chimes in.
“Why are they fighting?” I ask, about the same time, Jason says, “Lilah looks some kind of hot when she’s getting pissed off about her vagina.”
Benson, not missing a beat, slaps Jason on the back of the head, as he answers me.
“To break up the fight between the guys. Might want to get her before this gets out of hand. They sure as shit never stop it. I’ll grab Lilah.”
I’m on my feet without hesitation, handing my beer off to Jason. Benson lunges, grabbing Lilah at the waist before she and Kylie can charge each other, and I grab Kylie at the same time.
“I win!” Kylie shouts.
“Like hell you do!” Lilah argues. “The fight was interrupted!”
“But you were pulled back first,” Kylie points out in a reasonable tone that doesn’t match the unreasonable circumstances.
I spin her in my arms, ignoring Lilah as she continues to argue while Benson tosses her over his shoulder.
“Why the hell did you buy blue paint?” I snap at Kylie, not realizing until this very moment that I’m actually angry about that now. After all, she only paints in blue when she’s depressed, according to her unstable family.
She gives me an incredulous look as I gently hold her by her shoulders.
“Seriously?” she asks me.
My jaw grinds as I glare at her, and she continues to stare up at me like I’m the one who needs my head examined instead of all the ones watching us. Someone has even turned off the music, likely to make it easier for everyone to listen in.
But my eyes are locked only on hers.
“I tell you I love you, and you go buy blue paint,” I growl, not giving her time to respond or react before continuing. “What the hell, Kylie? Is it that fucking bad to hear that?” I ask quieter.
Wide-eyed and seeming surprised, she opens her mouth to speak, then closes it, then opens it again. When no words come out, I release her shoulders and take a step back.
“Got it,” I tell her curtly before turning around and walking off, ignoring the fact everyone is currently staring at us.
Trying to get away from this so I can properly throw shit and try not to curse myself for moving way too fast, I head back toward my cabin.
“Damn it, stop walking away from me, Liam Harper!” Kylie gripes just before she darts in front of me.
It happens too fast for me to stop abruptly, and I crash into her, knocking her down as I go down with her.
My arms go around her as I spin us at the last minute during our fall, and it feels like she’s turned into a dead-weight bowling ball when her knee collides with my stomach and knocks all the air out of me.
A grunt passes through my lips as she straddles me, apparently not concerned the fact I’m suffocating. I want to strangle her and kiss her at the same time.
Just as soon as I can breathe again.
Chapter 29
Wild Ones Tip # 442
We’re easy like Sunday morning…as long as you wear a helmet.
KYLIE
His mouth opens and closes like he’s trying to take a breath, but I know it’s temporary. And while I have him restrained, I grab both sides of his face with my hands, forcing his eyes to meet mine.
I can’t tell if he’s angry, panicked, or pained. Possibly all three, given these insane circumstances.
“For fuck’s sake, take a breath,” Killian shouts.
As if prompted by his command, air finds Liam’s lungs, and some half-donkey sound accompanies it as his color returns to normal. Ohhh… I didn’t realize he couldn’t breathe.
That makes way more sense.
A few chuckles follow that, because…my family and the Vincents are assholes, obviously.
“I can buy blue paint without being miserable,” I bite out. “You’re supposed to be saner than the rest of these idiots.”