“But I never had sex with her,” I countered, and he raised his hands. “Guys, I adore you. I do, and you’ve been rocks through all of this. But you’re also friends too, and those friendships are important to me.” It was why I didn’t complain that Jake and Ian seemed to be working at mending fences. “But if I’m unhappy, and I complain about not understanding Ian, or why he…why he would tell me one thing and act a completely different way. Why I had to break up with him because I don’t have the bandwidth for the push/pull game, and I won’t be the person who makes him miserable, and at the same time, I don’t know how I can be his friend when…” When I’d wanted more. “I just sound like a selfish bitch, and why should I be complaining when I have all of you?”
“First of all,” Jake said, sliding an arm under my legs and lifting me until he plopped me on his lap and my legs were across Coop’s. “You’re not a selfish bitch, and never say that again. Clear?” The snap in his voice matched the irritation flaring in his eyes. “You are not any kind of bitch. If you think I’ll let you say what I’d break some other asshole’s jaw for saying, you’re wrong.”
When I turned wide eyes on Coop, he gave me a wry smile. “What he said, only with slightly less violence.”
“You’d punch any asshole who called her a bitch.”
“I would,” Coop agreed. “But not with the kind of ferocity you would. That’s why you’re the guy who beats people up, and I’m the diplomat.”
A giggle-snort escaped, and they both grinned at me. Sobering, Jake continued, “As for the rest of it, baby girl. You made your feelings clear about not wanting to screw up our friendships, but that’s not all on you.”
“No,” Coop said slowly. “That’s on us. Me. Archie. Jake. Bubba. If we can’t talk to each other or you, there’s an issue. We all know, we’re all being honest here, and if we can’t or if one of us can’t, it’s not just you they’re going to hurt.”
“But hurting you is a no-fly zone,” Jake said firmly. “If you need a friend to bitch to about all of us, then go for it. If you need that, I’m never going to say no. I might be a little jealous.” The admission made him grimace. “I like being the guy you can say anything to, no matter how blunt.”
“And I’m the guy who listens,” Coop said. “Just like Archie likes being the one who swoops in to fix stuff.”
Jake grunted. “He really likes fixing everything.”
Like getting Coop a car or changing the locks on my apartment.
“The point is, beautiful,” Coop circled back around. “If Bubba hurt you, we do want to know. Part of being boyfriends is protecting our girl.”
Boyfriends.
Licking my lips, I tried not to focus too much on the shivery goodness that being called their girl evoked. Instead, I said, ”Mathieu called you guys my boyfriends from the very beginning. I thought he was crazy…but he saw it, too.”
Boyfriends. Multiple.
“Okay, so maybe Frenchy had one redeeming quality,” Jake grunted. Coop grinned, amusement and affection twined in his smile. In some ways, the whole conversation was both bizarre and utterly normal.
Just like waking up to both of them. There hadn’t been any sex the night before—making out, yes—but no sex. We’d all been tired after the game, especially Jake. We’d gone out for food and to celebrate, then Archie and Ian had gone to their own homes while Jake and Coop came back here.
“I like this,” I told them.
“Good,” Coop said, then narrowed the distance and kissed me. I tried not to breathe out ‘cause morning breath was totally a thing. Jake tightened his arms around me as Coop toyed at deepening the kiss. Hint of nervous tension wound in my gut. The minute Coop eased up, Jake tilted my head back, and I barely had a second to draw a breath before he kissed me, too. The tension ratcheted higher, and my nipples ached as I fisted his hair with one hand, though Coop slotted his fingers through my other hand, palm to palm as Jake’s tongue swirled against mine, and I forgot all about morning breath.
Dragging his head back, Jake said, “Damn.” There was stiffness beneath my ass, and the boxers Coop had on did nothing to his own erection. Coop’s lower lip was wet like he kept licking it, and Jake dug his fingers into my side.
Dragging his gaze from me to Jake, Coop’s expression shifted minutely as his eyebrows raised. A harsh exhale from Jake, and the need shifting in my blood heated.
I wanted…
A door closed beyond my room and apprehension swarmed through me, even as Coop and Jake snapped their attention to my open bedroom door and the hallway beyond.
“You lazy bastards better be dressed…” Archie called. “Frankie, you feel free to stay naked. But I come bearing coffee and breakfast.”
Relief swamped me, and they each blew out equally ragged breaths. Disappointment flashed across Coop’s face so quickly, I had to wonder if I’d imagined it.
“To be continued, baby girl,” Jake said against my ear. “To be continued. Go shower.” He lifted me off of him and gave me a swat on the ass. The sting helped with the kaleidoscope of butterflies breaking loose between the tension of a few minutes earlier and Archie’s arrival.
At the doorway, I glanced at them both. “We’re good, right?”
“Better,” Coop assured me.
“Hell yes,” Jake said. “Go on, or Archie will threaten to drink your coffee.”
“No I won’t,” Archie said from right behind me, and I gave a little start, laughing as he turned me around and then pinned me to the wall for a kiss. Holy hell.
Every single engine revved at the affection pouring off these guys, and from behind me, came Coop’s soft curse and Jake’s exhaled fuck…
Melting into Archie’s hold, I groaned as he eased back. Shivers eddied through me as the want from earlier intensified. “Good morning kisses are definitely the way to go,” he said, then pressed another kiss to my nose. “Go shower. Coffee and food will be waiting for you.”
I took a good long look at him. He’d showered and shaved from how soft his cheeks were, and his dark brown eyes gleamed. Despite it all, Archie looked happy.
“Everything good with you?” I checked, smoothing my hands over his shirt. He’d gone home because his mother was in town, and he just wanted to keep an eye on her. Apparently, his dad hadn’t bothered to inform him of his move, not that Archie was surprised.
‘Eddie’ was such a dick.
He treated his son like crap.
Muriel didn’t seem much better, but Archie wasn’t sure what she knew or didn’t. Jeremy had been tight-lipped on the subject, but then, Jeremy protected all their secrets. So Archie respected the stance he’d taken, even if he’d complained to me privately.
“She was on the phone with friends. They’re planning a cruise so, yes, everything is about to be great.” He gave me another kiss. “Soon as she’s gone, you and me, slumber party.”
I doubted we’d get much sleep at said party, but no complaints from me. I hugged him. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
“Take your time,” he murmured, giving me a squeeze.
I both wanted the shower and I didn’t want to leave them in the same breath. We’d always been close, but they were so far under my skin at this point, I didn’t even mind that they’d gone out of their way to try and make sure I wasn’t alone.
The rides to school. Walking between classes. Sleepovers. Lock changes. Text messages.
Inside the bathroom, I closed the door.
Sex.
Lots of sex.
The weird part was you’d think as often as I got to have it, I wouldn’t actively be sitting there wanting more. But we’d been too tired the night before and now?
I had to go all day.
Closing my eyes, I leaned against the wood and concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths. It was such a long way until tonight.
With that thought in mind, I made it a cold shower.
They sucked.
But it did the trick, at least until I came out and found
all three of them in the kitchen, Jake and Coop shirtless as they drank their coffee, and Archie looking like he would be right at home in a magazine.
Yep. Cold shower effort wasted.
“I’m gonna run home and shower there,” Coop told me as he gave me a kiss. “Grab some clean clothes, and I’ll be back.”
“Ha,” Jake said. “I brought a bag.” He gave me another kiss on his way past.
“Muwhahahaha,” Archie intoned rubbing his hands together. “Now I get you all to myself.”
I giggled as he rose and pulled out a chair.
“I also brought you a surprise.” The first thing was a plate he pulled out of the oven—Jeremy’s French toast. Powdered sugar was in a small container and he had heated syrup. “Since you won’t come to his French toast, he sent his French toast to you.”
Delight curved through me.
Then he set a box down next.
“Archie, what did I say about presents?”
“That you don’t need them,” he told me as he reclaimed his chair after setting a fork and knife down. “Which is perfectly fine. I want to give them to you, so nyah.”
Still, the French toast was amazing, and I sprinkled the powdered sugar on before I flipped open the box.
“Besides, I already gave you this once.”
Inside was my charm bracelet, all the new charms in place—including a C and a J added to it and key. That was new. “When did you snitch it?” I’d had it on the night before.
He grinned. “Good night kisses are almost as fun as good morning ones.”
Heat scorched my cheeks. At the restaurant, he’d kissed me pretty damn soundly against the car because he had to go. I hadn’t even felt him slip the bracelet off.
Guilt stabbed at me.
“Uh uh,” he said, lifting it out and snapping it on my wrist when I held it up. “It was a surprise, and Coop and Jake were under orders to distract you.”
“Well, The VelociPastor definitely did that.”
He blinked. “The what now?”
Warmth flooded beneath the delight as I studied the bracelet. The letters surprised me even more than the fact he’d taken it to add the new charms. He’d told Coop he’d have to get his own, but apparently, Archie decided to fix it himself.
They were right, Archie did want to fix everything. Catching his hand, I leaned in and kissed him. Thankfully it was a much more minty kiss following the shower and brushing my teeth.
“It’s a movie,” I said as I poured the syrup and grinned at him. “About a pastor who turns into a velociraptor and fights criminals and ninjas.”
The words bullshit were stamped all over his expression.
“No lie,” I promised him. “It was absolutely horrible in every possible wonderful way.”
And I had almost as much fun telling Archie about the movie as I had watching it with Jake and Coop.
The whole time, I savored not only the most excellent French toast ever, but also Archie’s expression. When Jake wandered back in, he joined me in the retelling that Coop slid in to finish as they all devoured their breakfast burritos.
My new “normal” was all kinds of strange, and right now, I didn’t want it any other way.
Chapter Twenty
If you want to be a good girl…
The hot water bubbling around my feet was both weird and relaxing. Next to me, Rachel had her head tilted back and her eyes closed. The scent of roses swirled up from the water. The relaxing rose pedicure was what it was called, and Rachel grinned when she pointed it out to me. The sweet fragrance relaxed me, even if I hadn’t seemed that tense when I arrived.
The door jangled as Cheryl rushed in, breathless and flushed. “Sorry, I’m late!” She had her hair stacked up on top of her head in a messy bun, wisps escaping everywhere. Like me and Rachel, she was in shorts and a t-shirt, though she had a gorgeous tan going on. I suppose I wasn’t day-glo, but I hadn’t spent as much time outside as the rest of them.
Rachel grinned. “Now breathe deep and just relax. We’re not hurrying another part of today.”
“Pfft,” Cheryl said as they set up a chair on the other side of Rachel. “Says you. I still have a hundred and five things to do before tonight.”
“A hundred and five?” I leaned forward to look at her. “You have your dress and accessories, you’re about to do your nails. Other than hair and makeup, what’s next?”
“I can’t eat,” Cheryl said. “I don’t want anything to mess up the lines of the dress. I needed to pack an overnight bag carefully. Didn’t want Mom to see it.”
Yeah, I wasn’t asking.
“I have to pick up a present.”
A present?
The lady working on my feet tapped one of my ankles after she’d set up, and I lifted it out of the water. “Why a present?”
“’Cause Mitch went to so much trouble to ask me, and he wants to make tonight special and so do I.” She let out a happy little sigh. “I never thought we’d get here after the summer, so I’m just glad he forgave me.” She perused the menu and discussed what she wanted done before I could ask what Mitch needed to forgive her for.
And really, it wasn’t my business. Considering how much Cheryl overshared, maybe it was better to not ask.
“That’s not a hundred and five things,” Rachel commented, her voice lazy and relaxed. “You had everything ready last weekend, you’re just double-checking and overthinking it. Indulge in the pampering.”
The words seemed as much directed at me as Cheryl, and even if they weren’t, it was good advice.
The guys had all been at my apartment when I left. It was both weird and not, but they made me promise to take my time and to enjoy this. Archie even offered to drive me to the hair and makeup appointment, but I kind of wanted the time to myself.
Well, not that the time here was to myself. It was kind of nice to just hang out with the girls, no pressure. When a second lady settled in with a dish for me to soak my fingers in, I grinned. My hands were not my best feature. I spent too much time working with them to focus on my nails.
Rachel suggested tips, but I didn’t want anything high-maintenance. Mani/pedis were expensive and an indulgence. Still, I’d picked out a pretty red shade that would match my dress, and while they weren’t super long, I had just enough nail for them to shape.
“Rach,” Cheryl said. “When do we meet your girl?”
“Tonight,” Rachel said. “Stop asking.”
“C’mon, it’s only fair. You know everything about everyone else, and I don’t even know who you asked.”
Rachel snorted. “Just because you like taking out full-page ads on your latest and greatest doesn’t mean I do.”
“Hmmph.” Cheryl took a picture of her feet and typed on her phone. “Maybe I just want to make sure she’s good enough for you.”
A grin tugged at my lips. “And maybe you just want to make sure she has the right dress and accessories,” I teased.
“That, too,” Cheryl agreed. “Besides, you want us to like her, right?”
“She’s my date to Homecoming, Cher. Not my life partner. I don’t actually care if you like her or not. I’m the one who is important in that equation.” Not even missing a beat, Rachel stretched her leg before slipping her foot back in the water. “You don’t care if I like Mitch, right?”
Enough silence greeted that statement for me to slide a look over at Cheryl, who frowned at her phone. “I know you think he’s a jerk,” she said after a minute. “But you think most guys are.”
“I don’t just think it,” came the reply. “Most of them are jerks. Some are just jerkier than others.”
“Jerkier,” I snorted.
“Oh, you don’t want me to get started on you,” Rachel wagged a damp finger in my direction. “So sit over there and hush.”
The fact she winked took any sting out of it. And she was right, I did not want her to get started on me. Then again, she’d made no bones about her feelings where the guys were concerned. Rachel
didn’t hate them, but she wasn’t a fan. That seemed to have more to do with me than them, so I left it alone.
I mimed zipping my lips, careful not to drip on myself. The lady working on my toes had clipped the nails and now shaped them. It was so weird to have anyone doing it, and at the same time, soothing.
The jingle of the bell pulled my eyes open in time to see Maria enter. She flicked a look right at me, and it was the uncertainty on her face that eased the apprehension flaring along my nerves.
“This is a neutral zone,” Rachel announced. “Any and all bitchy behavior will be responded to in kind.”
Keys in hand, Maria held her hands up. “I just want to get my nails done for tonight.”
“Then enter and be pampered.” Accompanying her invitation with a magnanimous wave, Rachel grinned. Maria glanced at me again, and I gave her a little shrug.
“It’s all roses at the moment.”
“You sure?” Even as she asked the question, the staff settled her in the chair next to mine.
“Yeah,” I told her. “I’m sure.” Maybe I shouldn’t be so easy going about it, but I had a whole lot of other problems, and Maria wasn’t one of them. We didn’t have to make it a problem.
Granted, she and Sharon were still friends, and I wouldn’t cross the street to put Sharon out if she was on fire.
Okay, harsh. I would. I just wouldn’t like it.
Still, I shook off the wandering thoughts and tried to focus on the fact they were massaging my hands and feet. Every once in a while, they hit a spot and something in my back just unlocked. If they kept this up, I’d be going to sleep, not the dance.
“So…” Maria said quietly. “You and Bubba are going tonight?”
Not a topic I really wanted to tackle, particularly with her, so I said, “He asked.”
“It was a gorgeous ask,” Cheryl inserted. “I can’t believe he sang for you.”
He had. The song had taken my breath away. If I were honest, so had the whole scene in the cafeteria. As embarrassing as it had been, it had also been a thrill. He’d wanted to give me a memory, and he’d definitely done that.
Keys and Kisses: Untouchable Book Three Page 27