Until now,I hadn’t given a thought as to when or how the other brothers had gotten home. Didn’t fucking care. But as we pull in, both of the other SUVs we usually take to functions are lined up in their parking spaces. I guess if anyone stayed behind to continue on with the fun after we left—like fuckboy Stuart—they’ll fucking figure out a way home on their own. Shuddering at the thought of Stuart’s pasty neon-white ass, I grip the door handle to exit. I think I’m scarred for life.
I’m also ready to kick Alec and Joel’s asses for bidding on Elliot, so hopefully they aren’t stupid enough to be hanging around inside the house.
Taking a deep breath, I slip out of the SUV and circle the front of it, following Kingston to the other side to join Cannon and Elliot. I let my eyes wander over our group, and the first thing I notice is the purple bruise blooming on Cannon’s jaw. While I’m studying it, he grips his shoulder and rolls it around in the socket.
Great.“You hurt?” I steel myself for his answer.This is my fault.
He gives me a tight grin and shakes his head, letting go of his arm. He waves me off like it’s not a big deal, though I’m not completely convinced.
My gaze shifts to Kingston. I see no visible sign of injury, but that doesn’t mean he got away without getting hit. And if he did, that’s my fault, too.
I’m about to lead the way inside when Kingston lays a hand to my forearm, stalling my motion. He reaches out as if he’s going to grip my chin and take a better look at my quickly swelling lip and the cut that splits it, but then thinks better of it and withdraws his hand when I scowl at him. His eyes narrow. “Someone jumped you?” His voice is thick with concern.
It’s almost too much. I look away and nod. “I got sucker punched and it fuckin’ rang my bell. The next thing I knew, three pussies in masks—convenient, right?—dragged me down the hall and into some pantry off the kitchen. They held me until their other two friends could get to Elliot.” I pause, sweat slicking my back as the memory hits me square in the gut. As if the words are ripped directly from my heart, I rasp, “I heard her scream.”
I don’t realize what he’s about to do until my jaw is firmly in Kingston’s grasp and I’m forced to come closer so he can inspect the damage. Those twin pale-green eyes of his scan slowly over my swollen, painful lip and bruised cheek. With his lips pressed together, he exhales sharply through his nose. Softly, he grits out, “Fuckers,” dropping his hand from my face and hooking his arm around my neck and tugging me to him. Kingston closes his eyes and shakes his head, the muscle in his jaw twitching hard. What must it be like to keep himself on such a tight leash? With my head bowed, it lands on his shoulder. His hand slides to the back of my neck, gripping me roughly as he murmurs, “You don’t get to blame yourself. Got it?”
I grit my teeth and nod, unable to step away from him for the moment. He reaches for Elliot next and pulls her against his chest beside me. “Elle, baby? You okay?” He runs his hand over the back of her head.
She nods. “I’ll be fine. I was mortified when they put me on the stage, and so scared when that big doofus took off with me. But I knew I’d be okay. Because you guys were there.” She pauses, turning around in Kingston’s arms, and reaches for Cannon as she slips her arm around me, and tugs us both close.
And for a few moments, all I can do is breathe as we form a circle, arms entwined around Elliot every which way we can. I turn my head and press my lips to her temple at the same time Cannon buries his face in her neck. After a moment, she twists around, giving Kingston her mouth and that lipstick he promised to make a mess of before we left the house. It feels like a fuckin’ lifetime ago.
My heart thuds hard, and my jaw locks up as I watch them. And the hell of it is, I can’t decide whether I’d rather be him… or her.
There’s a war raging inside my head and in my heart that I don’t know how to handle. It’s been a battle my entire life. I don’t know how to tell people the truth of what I feel. If I were to put it all out there in the open, it would ruineverything.I know this for a fact.
We hold onto each other for another few seconds, then slowly untangle. Kingston takes each of us in, his gaze lingering, then nods. “Inside. We’ve had one helluva night.”
“Archer?” Elliot’s quiet voice reaches through my inner turmoil, and I open my eyes to meet her gaze, blinking back the moisture in them that I’m desperately, embarrassingly trying to hide. Her brow furrows and her deep, dark eyes pierce mine, like they’re digging into every twisted thought and seeing all the ways I’m different. The reasons why no one will ever love me.
I tear my gaze away from hers, only to find Cannon staring at me curiously, sharp blue eyes looking me over. He shakes his head, his brow furrowing. I know he’s asking meWhat’s wrong?I can read it all over his face, but I can’t bring myself to explain what I what I’m feeling.
And then there’s Kingston, who I’m simply unable to face because the way he grabbed onto me a moment ago and the way his eyes had roamed over me had me thinking all kinds of unholy thoughts. Stuff that I’m sure would make him die if he ever knew.
I touch my fingers to my busted lip and shake my head. I can’t take it anymore; can’t stand here and pretend I’m not feeling what I am while also hating myself for how I put everyone at risk tonight.
Spinning on my heel, I stalk toward the house. I need the sanctuary and quiet of my room because I know I’m going to be awake all fucking night, going over every last detail, everything I didwrong.Because nothing in my head is right.
TWENTY-THREE
KINGSTON
I wet my lips,unable to pry my gaze from Archer’s retreating figure. I fuckin’ knew he’d feel guilty over those bastards grabbing Elliot. And we can all tell him it’s not his fault until we’re blue in the face, but it won’t help. In Archer’s mind, he could have stopped what happened. He will take ownership of that mistake inside himself and let it fester until it infects his normally logical brain. He’ll make himself sick over it. I know my friend. And he shouldn’t be alone right now, no matter that he’s stormed off to hole up in his room.
His lip.When I got a good look, the swollen puffiness and the bruising on his face had assaulted every rational thought in my head and sent all of it scattering to the nether. I close my eyes, trying to figure out what I need to do next, how to help him.
“Shit.” Elliot’s voice comes to me through my haze of frustration like a blast of cold water over my head.
Heaving out a breath, I grip my neck with both hands. “I’m going to go change and then talk to him. Get some sleep, okay?” I tuck a knuckle under Elliot’s chin, lifting her face to mine. I lower my lips to hers and give her soft, slow kiss, touching my tongue to hers before I groan and break away.
“You’ll let us know if he’s not okay?” Elliot’s face mirrors the concern that I’m feeling.
I hate to tell her this, but I already know he’s not okay. Not if he walked away from us like that. I nod. “I’ll try to talk him through it, but mostly I don’t want him to be alone.” I give her a tight smile as I gesture to Cannon’s shoulder. “Maybe get an ice pack on that for a few minutes.”
Cannon wets his lips, nodding, before a heavy sigh gusts past his lips.
“Come on, I’ll help you.” Elliot tucks herself under Cannon’s arm. “I know where they are from when I needed one for my ass.” She looks up at him with a wink.
