“I swear, every time I turn around, you’re right fucking there,notstalking me.” I sneered.
“Yeah, maybeyou’restalking me,” River said, his tone a little…teasing? He chewed his thumb for a second, then dropped his gaze. “New coat?”
“Yeah,” I replied awkwardly.
We stared at each other for a moment, and then River cleared his throat. “You look nice.”
My jaw hung open as he walked away.
Did…River just compliment me?
My heart fluttered, and I groaned out loud again before storming inside.
Days later,the party was in full swing.
Zephyr hadn’t invited a few of the café staff, he’d invitedallof them. And they were mostly dudes.
I eyed them all suspiciously, wondering once again if my brother was a little into guys. None of them seemed like his type, though I didn’t exactly know what his type would be. Most of the staff were young, though, barely twenty years old, and I didn’t imagine Zephyr with an age-gap relationship.
“What the hell?” I hissed at Zephyr.
He snorted at my expression. “What? Teenagers are great. I haven’t worked a single weekend since you left.”
I ended up against a wall a few hours later. Aiden couldn’t help but glue himself to Zephyr’s side. They definitely would’ve been a problem together a few months ago, when my brother was man-whoring all over the islands and Aiden was man-whoring everywhere else.
A random prickle of irritation went down my spine, but I blew out a breath to calm down as I looked over to Rafe. He’d come to give me a kiss hello, but now he’d been staring at his phone for almost half an hour.
“Problem?” I asked.
Rafe looked at me, then looked around, lost. “No?”
I shrugged.
Rafe chewed his lip, looking down at his phone again.
I blinked.
“Bored with me already?” I tried.
“No, darling,” he replied, sounding a bit tired. “I’m just…I didn’t realize I was taking on a full time job when I decided I wanted to be in charge of disaster management.”
“Oh,” I said softly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to mock you.”
Rafe grinned. “You’re fine, of course.” He leaned in, kissing me behind the ear and making me shiver. He ran a finger down my arm as he spoke, “Mock me any time, even if it’s rude. I’m sorry I can’t give you more attention, but…it looks like there’s someone here who might also need someone to talk to.”
I furrowed my brow, then turned, following his dark gaze to–
Wyatt.
He sat alone on the couch, his drink cup full and forgotten on the coffee table. He looked deliciously casual in a gray t-shirt and some black joggers. He had his muscular arms crossed over his chest, and he was currently glaring at–
I barely held back a snort.
Willow and Mia were sitting in a booth, watching Zephyr with rapt attention while he animatedly told a story. Mia was tucked into Willow’s side, and Willow’s eyes were wide as she watched Zephyr.
Aiden stood, braced against the next table over, laughing at every punchline.
He’s the perfect wingman, hmm?Rafe said.
