for the phone, not opening her eyes. It’s too early for phone calls. Shit, it’s seven in the morning, and we didn’t even get in until after three.
As Tria answers—her hello mumbled—I grin and slide in behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing the back of her neck. Her dark hair is all draped to one side, giving me an angle on every side of her neck except for the side facing the bed.
“Oh. Hey, Rain,” Tria says slowly, warning me to keep quiet, her voice suddenly very alert.
I keep kissing her, but I also keep my mouth shut. I’ve reached the point where I don’t care if they know. But I know Tria is like everyone else—unsure if I’m really over Rain.
I honestly think I got over Rain the minute I saw Tria in a completely different light.
“I’m at… Brin’s house. Why are you at my house?” she asks, and my phone buzzes loudly on the nightstand, forcing me to let her go and grab it.
I walk out of the room to answer so that Rain doesn’t overhear my voice. Dane is calling? Both of them calling this early? Is it possible that Corbin ratted me out?
“Why the hell are you calling me so early?” I ask, clearing my throat from the early morning rasp.
“Sorry. But it’s sort of important. Raya called Rain this morning to find out if Tria stayed with us. Apparently that douche you fucked up a few months ago showed up over at her house last night.”
My entire body goes stiff, and my jaw grinds. I’ll fucking kill him—after I throttle Tria for not telling me. That’s why she acted so upset last night, and she didn’t bother including me. The only thing keeping me from storming in there right now is the fact that she stayed with me. She came to me.
“I had no idea,” I say in a deceptively calm tone, my eyes moving toward the bedroom door that I shut on my way out.
As I move out to the deck that overlooks the ocean, Dane continues. “Yeah. Raya had a Taser gun, and Brin—Tria’s friend—snapped a picture. They’re at the police station now because they were worried Tria wouldn’t act soon enough. But they need Tria down there now.”
“Because it doesn’t matter where I’m really at.” Tria’s voice carries through the open sliding-glass door when she emerges in an angry storm from the bedroom.
I shut it quickly, blocking Dane from hearing her, and shake my head. Apparently Rain called her out on the lie about being at Brin’s house, since Brin is at the police station.
“I’ll take care of Pete Mercer again. Maybe the message will stick this time.” His name tastes like acid on my tongue. I hate that son of a bitch more than anyone right now.
“Don’t. Rain is worried Pete wants that. She thinks he’s working an angle this time, and I think she’s right. Why else would he emerge so soon after the last beating? We don’t need to play into his hand.”
I run a frustrated hand through my hair, and ignore the neighbors who are staring at me for wearing nothing but my boxer-briefs.
“Then what do we do?” I ask, trying not to lose my cool right now.
“We take care of her. She’s going to stay here. Rain is trying to convince her to stay right now, but she’s arguing with her about it. We don’t want her staying with one of the other girls unless it’s Ash. Brin lives with a girl roommate. Pete would consider that a fun challenge—the sick fuck. And Raya already has her hands full with Kade.”
“I’ve got several houses. Tria doesn’t seem like the type to want to live with someone, so I doubt you’ll convince her. It’s probably why she hasn’t already told Rain yes. She can stay in one of my condos. He’d never look for her there. He’d be searching all your properties for her, though.”
I wait patiently for him to take the bait.
“You wouldn’t mind doing that?”
I lean back against the railing as Tria paces through the living room, my shirt covering her up.
“I don’t mind at all. In fact, mention it to her right
As Tria answers—her hello mumbled—I grin and slide in behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing the back of her neck. Her dark hair is all draped to one side, giving me an angle on every side of her neck except for the side facing the bed.
“Oh. Hey, Rain,” Tria says slowly, warning me to keep quiet, her voice suddenly very alert.
I keep kissing her, but I also keep my mouth shut. I’ve reached the point where I don’t care if they know. But I know Tria is like everyone else—unsure if I’m really over Rain.
I honestly think I got over Rain the minute I saw Tria in a completely different light.
“I’m at… Brin’s house. Why are you at my house?” she asks, and my phone buzzes loudly on the nightstand, forcing me to let her go and grab it.
I walk out of the room to answer so that Rain doesn’t overhear my voice. Dane is calling? Both of them calling this early? Is it possible that Corbin ratted me out?
“Why the hell are you calling me so early?” I ask, clearing my throat from the early morning rasp.
“Sorry. But it’s sort of important. Raya called Rain this morning to find out if Tria stayed with us. Apparently that douche you fucked up a few months ago showed up over at her house last night.”
My entire body goes stiff, and my jaw grinds. I’ll fucking kill him—after I throttle Tria for not telling me. That’s why she acted so upset last night, and she didn’t bother including me. The only thing keeping me from storming in there right now is the fact that she stayed with me. She came to me.
“I had no idea,” I say in a deceptively calm tone, my eyes moving toward the bedroom door that I shut on my way out.
As I move out to the deck that overlooks the ocean, Dane continues. “Yeah. Raya had a Taser gun, and Brin—Tria’s friend—snapped a picture. They’re at the police station now because they were worried Tria wouldn’t act soon enough. But they need Tria down there now.”
“Because it doesn’t matter where I’m really at.” Tria’s voice carries through the open sliding-glass door when she emerges in an angry storm from the bedroom.
I shut it quickly, blocking Dane from hearing her, and shake my head. Apparently Rain called her out on the lie about being at Brin’s house, since Brin is at the police station.
“I’ll take care of Pete Mercer again. Maybe the message will stick this time.” His name tastes like acid on my tongue. I hate that son of a bitch more than anyone right now.
“Don’t. Rain is worried Pete wants that. She thinks he’s working an angle this time, and I think she’s right. Why else would he emerge so soon after the last beating? We don’t need to play into his hand.”
I run a frustrated hand through my hair, and ignore the neighbors who are staring at me for wearing nothing but my boxer-briefs.
“Then what do we do?” I ask, trying not to lose my cool right now.
“We take care of her. She’s going to stay here. Rain is trying to convince her to stay right now, but she’s arguing with her about it. We don’t want her staying with one of the other girls unless it’s Ash. Brin lives with a girl roommate. Pete would consider that a fun challenge—the sick fuck. And Raya already has her hands full with Kade.”
“I’ve got several houses. Tria doesn’t seem like the type to want to live with someone, so I doubt you’ll convince her. It’s probably why she hasn’t already told Rain yes. She can stay in one of my condos. He’d never look for her there. He’d be searching all your properties for her, though.”
I wait patiently for him to take the bait.
“You wouldn’t mind doing that?”
I lean back against the railing as Tria paces through the living room, my shirt covering her up.
“I don’t mind at all. In fact, mention it to her right
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