I sighed. Was she, though? Or was she just a normal girl who didn't deserve all this bad shit heaping on top of her?
"Do you guys have plans tonight? I just withdrew from SGU, so I'm officially homework free, I think." I finished the last spoonful of Froot Loops, then pushed my bowl aside to focus on coffee.
Kody slid onto the stool beside me, still waiting for his pasta to heat through. "You withdrew? How come?"
"Well, for one thing, they threatened academic probation. For another, my head's not in it. It seems completely insane to me, spending all that time, money, and effort on a degree that doesn't have your total dedication and passion. Right? So, I figured that when this craziness is all over, when Scott is dealt with and my hit has been cancelled... maybe then I can reevaluate my life goals and pick something that fits my new version of life." I shrugged and sighed heavily. "Maybe nothing at all. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I might decide I just want to lurk around here and pick fights with Archer all day, every day."
I was teasing, but Kody groaned. "Please don't. I'm pretty sure he's just fucked up enough to think of that as the best kind of foreplay."
How right he was.
"Well, if we're not going back to the hospital, then I'm going to smack Arch around the gym a bit. I canceled my clients for the day so I can give him my full attention." He gave me a wicked grin, and I shook my head, smiling.
"You're a sadist, you know that?" My mind flickered back to that night we'd reconciled, how he'd bound my wrists with his belt as he fucked me hard. Yeah, come to think of it... there was a definite sadistic edge to all three of my boys.
Luckily, I didn't mind a little pain with my pleasure, or this all could have ended in tears.
Kody just snickered, not disagreeing with me. "Well, you're welcome to come hang out in the gym with us. I promise we won't wear anything except shorts and sweat."
I groaned. "Tempting. So freaking tempting. But these painkillers have me all fucked up. I might end up trying to drag you guys into a four-way right there on the gym floor and really do some damage."
He wrinkled his nose. "You're probably right. We can wait until you heal up properly." He winked, and I gave a short laugh.
"Well anyway," I continued, "I think I'm just going to have a hot date with the couch and some Netflix. Maybe some Chinese takeout if I'm feeling crazy."
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my shoulder where Steele's T-shirt had slipped down. "That... also sounds tempting. But I might go crazy if I miss another day in the gym. Can you just come get me for the Chinese and ice cream part of the night?"
I raised my brows at him. "Who said ice cream was invited to this party?"
"Babe, of course it is.” He laughed. “Do we have a deal?"
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Deal." I hopped off my seat, carrying my dishes over to the sink, then blew Kody a kiss as I left the kitchen. I wanted to check in on Steele quickly, then run back to my room to put some sweats on. I'd stolen one of Steele's shirts off his floor, but I preferred my own sweatpants so I wasn't hauling them back up off the floor every three steps.
Slipping back into his room, where I'd spent the day, I found him in the exact same position as I'd left him when I woke up, fast asleep and so peaceful. I should have left him and crept out again, but my stupid heart took control and I found myself sliding back under the covers with him.
The second I was horizontal, though, he roused enough to snare me in a tight bear hug. He grumbled unintelligible things as he buried his face in my hair, then huffed a sigh as he slipped back into sleep once more.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Instead, I pressed a kiss to his bicep, the only part of him I could reach without wriggling free.
We lay like that for long enough that I drifted off lightly, but then anxiety and guilt about Bree started creeping in again, making my lids snap open. I needed to get up in case Dallas came over earlier than planned.
As carefully as I could, I lifted Steele's arm off me and wiggled out of his warm nest. He didn't stir as I made my way to the door, and I didn't make any more noises to wake him up.
Back in my own room, I found my bed rumpled and my bathroom still steamy from recent use. Archer must have slept in my bed rather than risk a bit of Jase’s jizz getting on his face. Snickering to myself, I hunted out my comfiest pair of sweatpants, then tucked my butterfly knife into the pocket. Archer had found it at the crash site and returned it to me while we were at the hospital. Call it paranoia or cautiousness, but I wasn't willing to be anywhere without my knife. The moment I put it in my pocket, it eased a small amount of my stress.
Music was booming from the gym as I made my way back downstairs, and I smiled when I heard Kody yelling at Archer over the thumping bass. Total fucking sadist.
The big, comfy couch in the den was calling my name, so I tucked in with blankets and pillows, creating a cozy nest before turning on Netflix. I was usually the first one to select action and adventure movies, but some part of me just badly craved sweet and normal.
Perfect. Utterly perfect. I hit play on The Kissing Booth.
I’d made it around halfway through the movie and was crazy into the angst between the adorable lead characters when Steele leaned over the back of the couch to kiss my hair.
"Hellcat," he murmured, still sounding half asleep. "You look way too cute there right now."
I tipped my head back to look up at him. "You wanna join me?"
Steele glanced at my choice of movie and wrinkled his nose. "Maybe another time. I'm going to go join the boys and work out a training plan for when you're back to top health again."
I shot him an understanding smile. "Your loss..."
He cupped my cheek gently and kissed me softly from upside down. Just like Spiderman. "I'll come back out when food arrives. What's on the menu tonight?"
"Chinese," I told him, already feeling hungry. "Don't worry, I'll over-order for you three."
He beamed. "You're the best."
I couldn't help watching him leave the room, his muscles shifting under tanned, tattooed skin. The huge battle angel in the middle of his back—the piece that represented Rachel—drew my eye like a magnet. The fact that my guys seemed to be allergic to shirts inside the house? Amazing. I never wanted that to change.
My phone buzzed with a message just as the closing credits on my movie started rolling, and I picked it up to see Dallas's name.
Dallas Moore: Katie, I'll be there in 5, okay?
It was sooner than I'd expected him, but that suited me fine. I was desperate to hear news on Bree and the baby. Fucking hell, Bree was pregnant. Did she even know, yet? She hadn't mentioned it to me, and Dallas had been totally blindsided.
Madison Kate: Cool, see you soon.
I climbed out of my blanket nest and made my way to the gym to let the guys know. One of them would need to tell the gate guard to let Dallas in when he arrived because I hadn't saved the new security team’s numbers yet.
"I'll order food now too," I told them. "So you've probably got another half an hour or so, alright?" I eyed their bare chests, slick with perspiration, and mentally high-fived myself. Fuck yeah, my guys were gorgeous.