I was shocked.
I had never heard Easton so honest and smart.
“Wow,” I said. “So I just forget about my old life. Never remember it again. Yeah. That works. Thanks for the advice.”
I walked to the door and made it out to the deck before they all caught up to me.
They were like hungry lions, circling me, keeping me in place.
I looked at all three.
Half my brain sent a signal to my body to get turned on.
The other half sent a signal to my heart to race so I could get ready to throw a punch and run like hell out of there.
“Did I piss you off?” Easton asked.
“No. Not at all. You just basically said that my life doesn’t matter.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Fuck what he meant,” Xavier said. “This is about protecting you, Winter.”
“And if I tell you three to go fuck off, then what?” I asked. “Are you going hurt me?”
“Why would we hurt you?” Noah asked.
His eyes opened bigger than normal.
He was locked onto me.
Studying me again.
Searching for any cracks that would break open my lie.
I stared right back. “I don’t know, Noah. You three have hurt a lot of people. That’s what I’ve heard. What I’ve seen. Didn’t you just beat up some guy? Randy?”
“Raf?” Easton asked.
“Yeah,” I said, playing stupid. “Him.”
“That was a mistake,” Xavier said.
“Oh?” I asked.
“Don’t talk about it,” Easton said.
“I want to hear,” I said.
“We moved too fast on something,” Noah said. “Now BC is pissed.”
“Another reason we need you with us,” Xavier said.
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Those guys are criminals over there,” Noah said. “If they retaliate, who knows what they’ll do.”
I looked at Easton and he walked away.
He was embarrassed of himself.
Because of what Talon and Gia had done, Easton assumed it was Raf from Brooks Crest and he attacked him. Now BC was pissed and we were on their radar.
Could this thing get any messier?
That was the wrong question to ask.
Without question or hesitation, Noah slipped his hands to my face.
And he kissed me in front of Easton and Xavier.
His lips were smooth and delicious.
I tried to look to my right to see Xavier but I couldn’t.
I grabbed for his wrists but didn’t pull him away.
It was… hot.
The tip of his tongue flirted with my lips.
He pulled away and I kissed him one last time.
Noah stepped back.
I was out of breath.
For whatever reason, I started to turn to my right.
To see Xavier’s face.
To sense his jealousy.
Or maybe his anger.
As I turned to look at him, he touched my face like he did before when we were alone.
He moved his lips to my ear.
“To finish what was started, Winter,” he said.
That could have meant a lot of things, but my mind had no chance to think because Xavier kissed me.
I shut my eyes and felt my knees start to bend a little.
His kiss was powerful, with purpose, definitely a hint at being commanding.
Before I could grab the pockets of his hoodie, he backed away.
My lips tingled for more.
From which one though?
I took a step back and took a breath.
Everyone was silent.
The ocean was our soundtrack.
I slowly caught myself turning again, this time looking for Easton.
When I saw him, I don’t know what came over me.
But I charged toward him.
I grabbed his shirt like I wanted to punch him.
Which I did. For the part he played in trying to kill me. For lying about me and him sleeping together.
I knew all of this yet I couldn’t help myself as I pulled him toward me to kiss him.
When his lips touched mine, a light went off in my mind.
Some kind of wild side that had been activated to cheer and scream that I had kissed all three of them. Almost at the same time too.
I pushed Easton away and walked to the steps of the deck.
I caught myself smiling.
Even though it was wrong.
My body was on fire.
I had never felt the way I felt right then.
“Winter,” Xavier said.
I looked back. “I’ll go. Don’t worry. You can keep protecting me.”
I winked for good measure.
I just took their power.
They were turned on by me for some reason.
And I knew things they didn’t.
A kiss here and there… fine by me.
Soon enough, I’d own all their insecurities.
Soon enough, they’d really fall for me…
Soon enough, they’d wish they were the ones without a memory of me.
Chapter 13
knowing the hurt
I was still floating the next morning.
I floated from my bed to the bathroom to pee and mess with my hair before floating downstairs.
As I floated through the kitchen, my mother appeared and pointed right at me.
Her jaw dropped.
“What?” I asked.
“You got some.”
“What?”
“Look at you,” my mother said. “You’re goddamn glowing. You got some. Who was it? Is it that tough looking guy that sneaks around here?”
My face turned red. “What… how…”
“Oh, come on, Winter,” she said. “You think you can sneak boys around me? I invented all the tricks. I broke all the rules. And when the rules were rewritten, I broke those too. Tell me about him?”
“If you’re talking about Talon, you’re wrong,” I said.
“Talon,” she said. “You know, I’m not dumb. He’s a Troc. You’re a Bump. You’re messing with some rough waters.”
“I am your daughter.”
My mother laughed. “You know, I never crossed that line.” She walked up to me and hugged me. “I’m proud of you.”
I shook her away. “No. I didn’t do anything…”
Lies. You and Talon. One time.
But that wasn’t what my mother was thinking.
“Don’t be upset about it,” my mother said. “I don’t care. You’re a woman. You need it. It might… wait a second…”
“What?” I asked.
“You really didn’t” - she clicked her tongue, meaning have sex - “with that Troc?”
“No,” I said.
“So then… oh…”
“No,” I said.
I wanted coffee. But I also wanted to escape my mother’s devious mind.
“Winter,” she said. “Which one of those guys did you fool around with? Come on. Tell me. They did what they did to you and you end up falling in love?”
“Love?” I yelled. I laughed. “Not even close. I’m using them.”
“Interesting. How so?”
I swallowed hard. “Not your business.”
“You’re like that spider… what one is it…” She snapped her fingers. “The black widow. Isn’t that the one that fucks the male and then kills it? Or the bug that eats the guy’s head off. Right?”