Finn opens his mouth, yet again, but Lincoln’s sunny expression suddenly changes and shakes his head while pressing a finger on his lips, indicating Finn to keep his mouth shut. Lincoln then shifts his sights from Finn to me, making my unease with his eagle-eyed scrutiny that much more intense.
“Do you mind if I borrow your phone for a minute, Stone?” he asks out of the blue, polite as ever, even if his expression is as stern as steel.
I look up at Finn, his features just as stoic as his friend’s, as he nods for me to do as Lincoln requests. I take my bag off my shoulders in search of my phone, and once I find it, Lincoln silently extends his open palm, waiting for me to hand it over. But when I finally relinquish the damn thing to him, I’m surprised to see Lincoln throw the gadget back over to Finn. As I’m about to ask what the hell is going on, my boyfriend cracks the device in two, but not before taking the SIM card out to do the same.
“I’ll get you a new one, brat,” Finn says sweetly, pressing his lips on my temple. “Like I told you back in the woods, that one was compromised. Better safe than sorry, right?”
“Okay, now that that’s done, Stone, please come in. We have plenty to discuss.”
Lincoln’s smile returns to his face as if ordering Finn to annihilate my phone with his bare hands was second nature to him. I get where he’s coming from, though. The fear of The Society using it to keep tabs on us or listen to our conversation is real.
“Oh, trust me, I know,” I scold, walking into the lavish home, ready to get down to business.
I’m pissed as all hell that Finn so obediently followed his general’s orders without missing a beat. His unconditional loyalty is what got him in this mess in the first place—a factor that doesn’t sit well with me, and one that Lincoln seems to exploit without remorse.
“Linc,” Finn stammers behind me, but his friend just squeezes his shoulder, fondness swimming in his blue eyes.
“Don’t even sweat it, Finn. The minute your girl showed up, I knew you were going to tell her everything.”
“She’s my heart, Linc. I can’t lie to my heart.” Finn tries to defend, but Lincoln doesn’t even look one bit upset about it.
“I never expected you to.” He smiles genuinely, and I witness the weight on Finn’s shoulders evaporate.
“If you two are done with the bromance, we have a lot to talk about,” I snap, still trying to come to terms with the influence that Lincoln has over Finn.
Lincoln chuckles at my sass, the small laugh making his whole face light up. I can definitely see why everyone in both Carolinas wants a piece of him. After all, he is Asheville’s golden boy, and it doesn’t hurt that, along with all his wealth, he isn’t hard on the eyes either. If they only knew what I know now, maybe people wouldn’t be so eager to be a part of his life. I sure as hell can’t say I’m thrilled about it.
“Where are the guys at?” Finn asks, looking around the large foyer.
“They’re both in the kitchen having dinner. We’ve been waiting on you for a while now.”
Finn rubs the back of his head, embarrassed that his best friends have been twiddling their thumbs while we were fooling around.
“Come on.” Lincoln chuckles again. “You guys must be starving.”
“I could eat,” Finn admits shyly, but I’m not surprised.
Even my stomach grumbles with just the mention of food, considering the workout pretty boy laid on me this afternoon. Then again, there is still plenty of lost time we need to catch up on, so we’ll need to refuel if we don’t want to wither away.
Lincoln’s wide grin is still on his lips as he guides us to the left wing of the house, passing each room, one more luxurious and ostentatious than the last. Some people might get the green-eyed monster just by strolling through such opulence.
Me, however? Not so much.
What’s the point of having such wealth and riches when your life has been filled with nothing but despair, sadness, and tragedy. Whoever envies Lincoln Hamilton is a fool in my book. I wouldn’t want to trade lives with him for all the money in the world, that’s for damn sure.
I’m still forming my own conclusion on our host when we walk into a large kitchen, where two familiar sets of eyes lock with mine. Easton’s all-knowing smirk irks me to no end, while Colt’s cold demeanor makes my skin crawl.
“Why the fuck is she here?” Colt reprimands, the deep-rooted scowl making his handsome features look ten times more menacing than attractive.
“Just breathe, asshole. This is Finn’s girl,” Easton announces, sliding a pizza box our way. “Sorry, kids, but the pie is cold. You two sure do take a long-ass time to fuck each other’s brains out,” he mocks, pulling out one of his trusty cigarettes.
“If you don’t, then I pity the girl who falls for your charms,” I reply overtly sweet, batting my eyelashes at him in sarcasm and ignoring the other asshole at his side.
“Always with a comeback. I knew I liked you.”
“Yeah? Sure didn’t act like you did when you came to Big Jim’s warning me to stay away from your best friend,” I bark out bitterly, still sore that he acted as if I were no good for Finn.
“You did what, now?” Finn hollers as he lunges at Easton’s throat, but his dark-haired friend just chuckles, swiftly running to the other side of the large island to keep his distance from my pissed-off boyfriend.
“Hold on, big guy. Don’t get your panties in a twist. You had been sulking for days because she wouldn’t go on a date with you, so I figured a push was in order. A little reverse psychology and poof—you got your girl. You’re welcome.” Easton has the audacity to wink at me.
“You played me?” I retort in amusement, oddly impressed by his scheming ways.
“Kind of, yeah. It worked, didn’t it?” Easton wiggles his brows as he lights up a cigarette.
“I don’t know if I should slug you or kiss you.” Finn laughs.
Finn’s heartwarming smile is plastered all over his face, as he pulls me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist and putting his chin on my head, clearly happy that his friend’s interference in our love life paid off.
I can’t say I’m mad either. If it wasn’t for Easton’s meddling, I probably would have stuck to my guns, hoping Finn would abandon his ultimatum. I’d be missing out if that had happened.
“Keep your lips for your girl, asshole. I’m just happy you’re not moping about anymore,” he adds with a cocky smirk, sending small rings of smoke up into the air.
“Guess you’re not as much of a jerk as I thought you were. That’s good. Otherwise, hanging out with you was going to be tricky.”
“Oh, you’re not out of the woods yet. That title has been taken by this motherfucker beside me. Ain’t that right, Colt?”
“Blow me, you dick,” rebukes the foreboding friend, standing at his side with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Sorry. You’re not my type,” Easton mocks, making Colt look even more sinister.