This motherfucker is dead!
Whatever he’s saying has our girl blushing and laughing as she turns to push his shoulder before he lifts her, depositing her safely in between him and Elias.
“He’s goading us,” Sebastian calmly states. His steady lilt pulls my attention away from the men who continue to test the limits of our patience. “Ignore them,” he continues, feigning disinterest-his aloof demeanor giving nothing away except the imperceptible twitch that makes the vein on his right temple pulsate. He’s here to meet with one of the professors in the sociology department. He said something about student teaching or being a teaching assistant.
“I’m going to use a cheese grater on Elias’s face,” Liam hisses.
My head snaps back to Emma’s table at Liam’s venomous tone in time to see Elias pick up a strawberry from his plate and brush the loose strands of Emma’s hair out of her face.
I forget to breathe as he brings the fruit to her mouth and nestles it between her waiting lips. Elias’s thumb catches the excess juice trickling down her face as she bites down. Then he lifts his stoney gaze to mine in challenge as he licks his thumb.
Death would be too easy for them. At least one hundred ways to prolong these arrogant fucks’ suffering. They’re supposed to be guarding her, not seducing her.
“What the fuck?” I spit.
Karl whips out a switchblade and hops up. His intentions are written all over his face. Before he can even take a step in their direction, Sebastian’s hand shoots out and grips his forearm.
“Don’t,” is Sebastian’s only command.
Blazing hazel eyes that would terrify even the most fearless man sneer at Seb’s hold as if his touch offends him before leveling him with a glare. “Let. The. Fuck. Go,” Karl snarls. His lips curl, exposing his teeth and the tightness of his jaw. “Or I’ll slice you into a jigsaw puzzle.”
“O. You gotta sit down,” Liam reasons. “We can’t risk it. There are too many eyes in here.”
Karl’s face contorts, his eyes close as if an internal battle rages within. His nostrils flare-sucking in air before mumbling something unintelligible. Then, the tightness in his body slowly relaxes-the rigidity in his posture uncoils, allowing him to finally relent and take his seat.
A cackle comes from the other side of our table. August is in stitches, his face splotchy as tears leak down his cheeks. He’s laughing so hard that he can barely get the words out. “You should see all your faces.” He stands, hiking his shoulders up and hunching over as he beats his chest. “Me, Tarzan. She, Jane. Me take Jane. No one have Jane but Tarzan.”
“Why aren’t you more upset about this? What do you know, August?” I seethe. He’s always keeping fucking secrets, and I, for one, am running out of patience.
Ignoring my question, August stands, leveling us all with a glare before he smirks, turns, and walks away.
“Well, that was enlightening,” Liam mutters, and I share his sentiment. It always feels like he knows more than he shares, and I, for one, am sick of it.
Cracking my knuckles, I glance back to their table. Emma’s laughing, enraptured in whatever it is Reign’s saying.
Stupid fucker. I want to strangle all of them for the smiles she’s giving them-break every limb that’s touched her–and gouge out their eyes for even looking at her. Even more aggravated than I was before, I return my attention to our table. Something needs to be done. “One of us needs to strap that fucker down and interrogate his ass. August knows too much and never shares a thing before he deems it time,” I demand. “I’m sick of that shit.”
The table’s quiet before Liam breaks the silence. “Wy wouldn’t say a damn word.”
“He’d die before he confessed anything,” Karl adds. “And I respect him even more for it. We’re fuck ups. We’re stubborn, selfish, and arrogant. At this point, we’re all talk and no action.”
My hackles rise. “What do you call what we’re doing now? This is all for her,” I argue.
Sebastian sighs, “It’s still for us. The end results are still self-serving. Even if our intentions are good-they’re still to benefit our wants regardless of her needs.”
Karl smiles. “What he said. We have to earn the right to be with her.”
“Which means our decisions should put her first,” Liam chimes in.
I mull over their words.
Has this all been about us?
“Our decisions have put her first,” I exclaim, staring each of them down. “She’s our forever. I don’t care how long she’s mad-as long as she knows she’ll be mad by our sides.
Before lunch becomes a group therapy session, Samantha appears in the cafe doorway, her entry as dramatic as her exit. I stifle my laugh when I see the tape around her extremely swollen nose. Karl is not so inclined. He full-on points and snickers when she sits at our table.
“Laugh it up now,” she croaks. “Just know her stunt will cost you. Then we’ll see who’s laughing last.”
I roll my eyes, but Karl tilts his head, studying her. “Your threats are getting old.”
Samantha’s mouth twists, and she gasps in pain.
Guess she forgot her nose was broken. “The wedding has been moved up. We’ll be married in December, and the engagement party is in two months.” She stands, preparing to walk away. She pauses mid-turn. “Oh, and your girl’s invitation will be hand-delivered with explicit instructions that her attendance is mandatory.”
My fists clench under the table.
We’re running out of fucking time.
“Who’s laughing now?” Samantha mocks, turning on her stilettos and storming out.
I secretly pray her heel snaps, piercing her nonexistent heart when she falls backward on it.
“We need this to be over. Not for our sake,” I exclaim once I’m sure Samantha’s gone.
They all nod in agreement, and no other words need to be exchanged.
For her-for our babies-for our futures.
EMMA
“The look on Rowan’s face,” Shay squeals, bouncing on my bed. “Priceless. Freaking epic!”
She hasn’t stopped grinning as she gives me a play-by-play of the guys’ reactions to what Reign and Elias did.
I can’t lie. It’s great to know they reacted so strongly. Hearing the recounting of Karl springing from his seat to Rowan looking like he sucked on a lemon made my day. Not because I want them back.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.