I glanced back to the door again when I heard a very clear, “I don’t fucking care, he’s my brother and he’s missing.”
“I better….” Wincing, I nodded toward the door.
“Yeah, sounds like ya and Jamie both landed in it tonight.” He shook his head at me as if he was disappointed, and I found myself getting irritated because we’d never even met before. He left, and I was stuck staring with dread at the door that stood between me and Forrest. I’d probably need to tell him what I’d done. But maybe… maybe not? Yeah, why bother? It was stupid, and it was never going to happen again.
Knocking softly, I waited. My back began to ache as I shoved my hands into my pockets.Suck me in.Damn, that accent of his. Jamie’s voice was as amazing as his muscles and lips and everything else. Yeah, I wouldn’t see him again. He thought I was a prostitute, so of course he thought I could take anything he wanted to do to me. I’d seen sex at the clubhouse, and none of it was sugar sweet. I should have just done what he wanted. He wanted to fuck. He didn’t want anything more than that. My gut twisted. I’d have to get over being replaceable. I was never the long-termanything. Nothing in my life was guaranteed, not even my dirty room at the Kings’ clubhouse. Sighing, I closed my eyes for a second and then forced them open again.
The door was ripped open and Forrest stood in front of me, his eyebrows furrowed so hard there was a deep wrinkle on his forehead. Over Forrest’s shoulder was another man with shoulder-length blondish-brown hair, who was so easy on the eyes it had me flushing warm. Skimpy white shorts clung to his lean thighs, ending barely below his crotch, and a purple robe made of shiny stuff opened over the top of that. His abs were perfect. His chest was finely muscled. My body heated in strange ways, but I think I wanted tobehim, more than I wanted to touch him. Forrest laughed, and I snapped my attention back to him as he grabbed my hand and dragged me forward into the room.
“I was so worried.” He clasped my hand in both of his and guilt battered my gut. “What happened to you?” He studied my face, and I wasn’t sure what he saw, but his brow furrowed again. All at once, I felt very humbled that he cared enough to look at me with his concerned green eyes, and I stepped close and gave him a tight hug. He didn’t hesitate in wrapping his arms around me to hold me.
“Hunter? What’s wrong?” Forrest leaned back and ran his fingers through my hair, fixing something that was bugging him, probably. “I didn’t know where you were.” His eyes flashed with what I might have called anger on someone else. Maybe he was pissed off at me as well as worried, and that thought had me freezing up, but he ran his hand over my head and rubbed at the back of my neck.
“So?”
“So, I care about you?” He leaned forward. “There’s a reason we have guards in the building. Not often, but sometimes things happen here. Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
“I didn’t realize I’d missed any calls. It’s in your bathroom.” I leaned in and hugged him again. “I thought you were safe here.”
“We take precautions,” Forrest said in my ear. “Just like King does.”
“King doesn’t worry about me,” I whispered back.
“Oh, wow. He really does look just like you.” I jumped as the other man in the room moved closer to us. He was smiling. Forrest pulled back to beam at his friend. “Has Conall seen him yet?”
“No.” Forrest laughed. “This is Angel.” He nodded toward his friend. “Angel, obviously….” Forrest rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, this is your brother.” Angel strolled toward us with the type of walk that made his entire body seem interesting, and he stopped closer to me than I might have liked without Forrest between us as a buffer. My face heated as he let his gaze linger on my lips, and all at once it occurred to me thatthis was the man. This was the guy Forrest wanted me to get rid of my virginity with. This was the man who he said would let me do anything with him. Angel was shocking, almost too perfect, unlike Jamie who had scruff and strong hands with a few scars on them, and muscles that stood out and corded. Swallowing, I couldn’t help but try to avoid Forrest’s eyes when he smirked at me.
“Say hello to Angel,” he whispered at me, like I was five, and I hated that, but I’d been staring and not doing anything else.
“Hi,” I said, and my face burned hotter.
Angel stepped in closer and leaned against Forrest’s back, putting him very close to my face. He smelled good, like vanilla candy, and his scent wafted around us and somehow wasn’t bad, even though that sweet perfume wasn’t something I normally enjoyed. Angel ran a finger along my cheek, and Forrest watched, his eyebrows slowly dancing upward and then back into place. Forrest let out a puff of breath and then leaned forward and buried his face against the side of my neck, chuckling.
“Angel, you gotta quit doing this where I can see it,” he mumbled and wriggled between us, and Angel took a step back but seemed pleased with himself.
“Come with me,” Angel said, and Forrest stopped being my shield and shuffled away. It was a shock as Angel slotted himself against my side. He circled one arm around me and ran his palm up the center of my chest. We were about the same height. My body warmed and I puffed out a ragged breath. He was dazzling, and he smelled good.
“I don’t—”
“I have a gap in my schedule tonight. A man called in sick last minute. He had to pay anyway, of course, but now it’s my time.” Angel ran his fingers through my hair in a way that was completely different from what Forrest had done. He pressed his fingertips firmly along my scalp and then dragged a finger over the tip of my ear, turning in to me. I was stunned when he pressed against my front firmly and he washard. His eyes flew wide when he nestled close… maybe because he realized I wasn’t excited too.
“I’m sorry. It’s not you,” I murmured and felt stupid, but I was twisted up inside, and he wasn’t who I had my heart set on right now. I was so idiotic. First King, now some fucking stranger who wouldn’t want me for real, even if I did see him again.
Angel cupped my cheek and winked. “Of course not, how could it be me? Don’t be shy if you change your mind.”
Forrest huffed out a laugh from somewhere behind us, and Angel sent him a sort of lusty, gloating look that had me feeling awkward. Did he like Forrest too? My insides went cold as Angel leaned in and pressed his soft lips to the corner of my mouth, kissing me, but not quite. He traced a finger over my bottom lip.
Weirdly, I began to feel guilty as I stood here with him holding me, touching me. Forrest was saying something, but I wasn’t paying attention, and Angel laughed, looping his other arm around me. I wanted to get free but didn’t want to hurt his feelings, and a low-level anger began in me. Angel didn’t ask to do this to me, Jamie had just shoved me down on him until his cock choked me. If people ever actually waited for me to decide to do things….
But I didn’t say anything. I was worried I’d shout if I started, so I stood there while he and Forrest talked, and Angel petted my shoulders and chest, which admittedly wasn’t awful but I didn’t like, since I was upset again.
The door jerked open and I flinched away from it as Rourke stalked in. He shoved Angel off me, and Forrest was immediately at his side. “What are you doing?”
Rourke grabbed me by the shoulders and gripped me so hard it almost hurt as he forced me across the room with his bulk, far from Forrest and Angel. He had blood on his left nostril and his right cheek was red like he’d taken a fist. I stumbled into the wall and he boxed me in. I brought my fists up, but he shook his head and shoved my hands down again. I struggled, but he was strong, and he ended up thumping me off the wall before I just gave in and stopped.
“Rourke! Holy fuck, don’t do that!” Forrest came stomping toward us, but Rourke held out one finger toward him and he stilled, hovering a few feet away. Angel stood there gaping at us. My gut twisted as Jamie walked into my line of sight with his arms crossed and blood smearing the corner of his mouth. He was only in his pants, and a rush of tingles flew through my body at the sight of him.
