I smirk, “I got carried away.”
Dean, Killian’s brother, scoffs as he swirls his whiskey in his glass. The brothers are the two remaining inner circle members, Malakai’s most trusted.
“Well, it’s done,” Malakai sighs, glowering at Dean’s hand still holding his glass, “Is that my damn whiskey?”
Dean doesn’t even blink, “If you leave it lying around, Kai,” He shrugs, “You can expect us to drink it.”
“That’s a seventy-thousand-dollar bottle,” He seethes without any real heat. We wind him up, despite his power, his brutality, he’s our brother, there’s no real anger behind it.
Dean just shrugs and slurps his drink, toying with him.
“Motherfuckers.”
Dean opens his mouth to throw back a retort, but an almighty crash sounds from above us, like a body being thrown to the ground. The girls.
We’re all moving before we even have time to think, four sets of legs sprinting across the hard wood flooring, thundering through the house and up the stairs. My weapon is already drawn, the same for the guys as we get to the master bedroom and throw the door open, ready for anything.
Except for maybe this.
Willow Stanton is laughing hysterically on the floor, her champagne-colored dress high on her toned thighs, vibrant red hair spread across the carpet. She’s wheezing, the giggles bursting from her while Olivia looks over her, laughing too, eyes alight with mirth.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Malakai crosses the space, encircling his arm around his wife’s waist, pulling her in close.
Willow, Olivia’s best friend, turns her head, tears leaking from her eyes with her mouth stretched into a full grin. She’s so damn pretty it physically hurts to look at her.
“Why the gun?” She says through her giggles, eyeing the weapon in my hand.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I give her a lazy grin, “Maybe because it sounded like someone just got thrown through a wall?”
“It was not that loud!” She rolls her eyes, still laying there, all that leg on show. I stifle the need to growl at the two brothers watching the girls with curiosity and cross the space, offering my hand out to her.
The moment I met Willow two months ago at Malakai and Olivia’s wedding, I knew she was a forever type of woman. Just not a forever type of woman for me. Not because she wasn’t good enough but because she wastoogood. There’s a reason I am known as a playboy, I refuse to get attached, so meaningless, quick fucks with women I don’t know is the only way I go.
But just because I refuse to touch Willow in that way doesn’t mean I wouldn’t keep her close in every other sense.
As Olivia’s best friend, she is a part of this life now and whether she knows it or not, I’ve taken her in as one of my responsibilities.
“Care to explain what happened?” Malakai asks his wife.
“She fell off the bed,” Olivia chuffs, covering her mouth when a new wave of laughter threatens to take over, “Uh, she tried to sit and fell.”
“Too much champagne,” Willow wiggles the empty champagne glass.
“Why are you dressed like that?” I ask.
Both girls look down at their form fitting dresses, where Olivia’s is knee length, bright red and skintightshowing a lot of chest, Willow’s is short, tight but high necked, a subtle gold in color that makes her skin glow.
“We’re going out,” Olivia tuts like it’s obvious.
Malakai leans in close to his wife’s ear and whispers something none of us can hear but can only guess at, with the way color blooms on her skin. I roll my eyes. I am happy for my friend, truly, but damn, does he have to rub it in?
“We’re coming.” I decide, knowing none of the guys will refuse since we are all protective of the women in our life.
“Really?” Willow quirks a groomed brow, dropping her blue eyes to my hands, still clutching the gun and still covered in blood. Shit.
To be honest, neither Willow nor Olivia blink at the blood. Sure, the first time we came back covered in it they were horrified, the second time a little less and the third, fourth and fifth time they didn’t bat an eye.
“Yeah, Red,” I turn for the door, “Really. We’ll be ready in ten.”
