“I mean, my face feels like someone ran over it with a truck, but otherwise I’m fine.” I looked them over, Remy in jeans and a sweater, Poe in sweats and nothing else, Bram in jeans and a T-shirt. My heart fluttered a little at the sheer power and beauty of them. “Aren’t you guys going out?”
They looked at me like I’d grown another head. “Why would we be going out?”
“It’s New Year’s Eve!”
It was hard to believe less than a week had passed since Ethan Todd had kidnapped me outside the loft. I’d lived a lifetime since then, felt like I’d traveled not only through space but through time.
Bram looked almost angry. “Do you really think we’d leave you alone on New Year’s Eve? Or ever again?”
I sighed. “You shouldn’t give up your New Year’s Eve for me. I’m fine.”
“We’re not giving it up,” Poe said.
“We’re spending it the only way we’d want to spend it,” Remy said. “With you.”
I looked down at my attire: Bram’s loose T-shirt and a pair of old leggings. “I’m not exactly a party-ready New Year’s Eve date.”
“You’re the only date we want,” Poe said.
“And you look fucking sexy in my T-shirt,” Bram added.
I felt the stirrings of desire at my center, remembered the way they’d all taken me on Christmas night. I hadn’t had much time to think about the experience, but now it came back to me in a rush of wet heat between my thighs.
My face might have been broken but the rest of me was apparently working just fine.
The intercom buzzed from outside the gate and all three of them headed for the stairs.
They stopped and looked at each other.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Bram asked Poe and Remy.
“I called for takeout,” Poe said.
“Me too.” Remy looked from Poe to Bram. “Wait, what didyouorder?”
“Maeve’s favorite.” Bram sounded more than a little smug. “Deep-dish pizza with sausage, mushrooms, and onions from that little place in Greenvale.”
“That’s not her favorite,” Poe said. “It’s pad Thai, and I got that covered.”
I was starting to see what had happened here.
“Um, you’re both wrong,” Remy said. “Mexican is definitely Maeve’s favorite, and it sucks to be you guys because I ordered an hour ago. And I have ice cream on the way too. Three different kinds.”
The intercom buzzed again and their heads swiveled my way, like they expected me to pick a side.
I laughed. “Joke’s on all of you: I love all of that stuff. And I’m starving.”
23
MAEVE
We piledinto Poe’s bed with the bags of food, plates, silverware, and loads of napkins, plus a few beers. It was totally unsanitary and I was sure that once upon a time I would have thought it was gross, but right then there was nothing I wanted more than to be surrounded by the Butchers and tons of good food.
I was too busy dishing some of everything — except for the ice cream, which had gone into the freezer — onto my plate to notice Bram queuing up a movie, but I definitely noticed when the familiar opening credits started to roll.
“Wait… we’re watchingHope Floats?”
“Do you want to watch something else?” Bram froze, a piece of pizza in his hand suspended over the box. “You love this one.”
