“You.”
“Um. Me?” she asked, now looking confused.
“Why haven’t you been answering my messages?” he demanded. “Or my calls?”
“I texted you back.”
“All you said was, ‘I’m fine.’ That’s not a proper reply.”
“I’m sorry, are you giving me lessons in messaging etiquette?”
“Yes, I am! Since you don’t seem to have any idea how to have a proper conversation. If someone calls, you answer. If someone texts and says where are you? Then you tell them.”
“Um, not if you hardly know them, they’re kinda bossy, and think they are in charge. Oh, and they skip out on a date that you had . . . not a date-date,” she added hastily. “But you told me to be there and then you weren’t! And now you’re mad at me for not answering your messages and calls.”
Fuck. She wasn’t wrong.
He ran his hand over his face, feeling exhausted. How did he explain the mess that was the last twenty-four hours without giving away Shaw’s secrets?
“Actually, that would be my fault,” Shaw said.
Surprise filled her face. “Shaw?”
Eli blinked down at her for a moment. She knew his brother? Then he turned to look at Shaw. How?
“Hi, darlin’,” he said with a tired smile.
“Are you all right?” she asked immediately, worry filling her face.
“I’ve been better, won’t lie. You think we could sit?” Shaw asked.
She eyed Eli and Kellan for a long moment and he braced himself for her rejection. To his surprise, she nodded and moved over. She might have expected Shaw to sit next to her, but Eli took that spot. No way did he want her trying to leave before he talked to her.
Besides, he wanted to sit next to her.
Eli was . . . drawn to her. He wasn’t sure why. She wasn’t the type of woman he was usually interested in. Mostly, he went for extroverts. Women with lots of energy and confidence.
Kellan didn’t really have a type. In fact, he’d never dated a woman on his own. They’d shared women before and that seemed to work better for Kellan.
But nothing long-term.
It had only been about play and sex.
Nothing more.
Women tended to find Kellan’s cold demeanour . . . off-putting. Although plenty of them were interested in changing him.
Fuck that.
Kellan didn’t need to be improved. He just needed someone who would understand him.
Arabella shot Eli a questioning look, moving over even further until she hit the wall at the other end of the bench seat.
Eli spread out until he was touching her. Shaw raised his eyebrows, but he just shrugged.
“Must you take up the whole seat?” she asked dryly.
“I’m a big guy.”
