He let me go and I jumped forward and spun around.
“Easton?” I asked.
“Shhh,” he said. “Don’t wake him up.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I growled in the best whisper I could manage.
“What?”
“You scared the hell out of me,” I said. “You asshole.”
He put his pointer finger to his mouth and nodded to the door.
We exited the bedroom and Easton went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of something to drink.
“Come on,” he said. “I want to show you a secret.”
I walked with Easton toward the large master bed at the end of the room.
The entire room was quiet, telling me that Xavier was asleep on the couch.
Right next to the bed there was a window.
Easton handed me the bottle and then opened the window.
“There’s a big ledge out here,” he said. “We can sit out here and relax. Nobody will see us.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Why not? Live a little.”
“And if I fall and break my neck?”
“Hey,” he said, pointing at me. “Maybe if you fall and hit your head, you’ll remember everything again.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” I said. “Because if you did, I’m going to throw you out of that window. And I don’t think anyone would really mind.”
“Well, that’s just really mean to say.”
“I’m mean,” I said.
Easton climbed through the window.
I hesitated but followed him.
I first stuck my head out just to see what was there.
The ledge was huge enough for me to climb out without being too afraid.
I then sat next to Easton.
I could just faintly hear the music coming from the tent.
“This is the only good part about this,” he said.
“It’s not all that bad,” I said.
I waited a few seconds.
“Hey,” I said. “What happened down there…”
Easton and I looked at each other.
“What about it?” he asked.
“That got tense. And then it exploded.”
“That’s just Noah,” he said.
“I’m talking about you, Easton. Something was said…”
“Don’t worry about my life, Winter. I know how to navigate through it. Can I tell you a secret?”
“Sure,” I said.
Easton leaned closer to me. “I’m smarter than most people think. I don’t need to hurry up and act. I don’t need to pump it twice and blow my load, you know?”
“Good to know,” I said.
“I can hang back, think and watch. I see more than most see. I feel more than most feel. I know more than most know. Don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“My lips are sealed,” I whispered.
“I hope not…”
Easton made his move, gently kissing me.
It was such a sweet kiss that I was going to end up with a cavity or two.
His right hand gently touched my cheek.
We sat there and kissed each other for a few minutes, sometimes soft and sweet, sometimes getting a little into it.
His hand moved from my face to my shoulder. Then from my shoulder to my chest. Over my shirt, his right hand started to knead. His hand inched back up, his fingertips grazing the skin of my neck.
He pulled away and stared at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Just taking it all in, Winter,” he said.
This was a different side of Easton. He was being himself. Open. Honest. Looking like the kind of person who secretly planned things out and didn’t tell anyone about it.
Was he the one who was the mastermind behind my accident?
“You like the attention, don’t you?” Easton asked.
“What?”
“You like the three of us looking at you. Touching you. Kissing you. I bet you didn’t bring any of the dresses we gave to you. Just to prove a point. Right?”
I grabbed Easton’s wrist and pulled his hand away. “For someone who does a lot of thinking, you didn’t think this all the way through.”
“No?”
“You were just kissing me. Your hands all over me. And you gave it up to ask about a stupid dress?”
“That just means I’m right,” he whispered. “Don’t worry, Winter, your secret is safe with me.”
“Goodnight, Easton,” I said. “I’m going to get some sleep.”
“I’m going to have a smoke,” he said.
I hurried through the window, grabbed my bag and went to the bathroom.
I changed into something more comfortable for sleep - a big t-shirt and some comfortable shorts.
Then I got into the massive bed.
I shut my eyes and wanted sleep to come instantly.
My heart was beating a little faster than normal.
When I took a deep breath I smelled the hint of cigarette smoke.
I thought about Noah sleeping off all the drinking.
I thought about Xavier on the couch.
I thought about Easton and everything he said.
I really needed sleep.
Tomorrow was going to be a crazy day.
Chapter 21
the almost morning
I slept way better than I ever thought I would.
The bed basically swallowed me up. It was soft, warm, and that was the end of Winter. I could have probably slept for two days straight. Which would have been a nice welcome compared to the way I had been sleeping since the accident.
My life existed around finding ways to hurt the guys.
And I was getting there.
Noah was the easiest to ruin.
I always figured Easton would have been a close second, but not after last night. Not with the way he acted and talked. The sound of his voice - so stern and firm - proved he really did have more to offer than he showed everyone on a daily basis.
That was some serious planning on his part.
As far as Xavier went… his family was a mess. I was sure that other rich and powerful families had plenty of skeletons in their closets, but I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when it was revealed that Xavier wasn’t his mother’s son. That Xavier belonged to a woman like Gia’s mother… which, oh by the way, meant Xavier and Gia were brother and sister.
The mess of it was just…
I let out a long groan as my mind ran through all the scenarios with my eyes still shut.
I pulled at the covers that I was wrapped up so tight in and groaned a second time, wanting to go back to sleep.
My nose then picked up on the smell of coffee and food.
Okay, fine…
I slowly opened my eyes.
The first thing I saw was the window where Easton and I had snuck out last night.
I smiled.
There was no denying what was happening.
Feelings were officially involved.
That was part of the risk, but oh well.
I could have my feelings and still focus on my revenge.
Whatever happened in between those two was for me to feel and do and nobody else needed to know about it.
I stretched my legs and my arms.
I yawned.
I rolled to my back and looked up to the ceiling.
It wasn’t some boring white ceiling.