Good, because I might lose my shit and snap at her if she did.
Elias leans back, and anyone can tell he’s having the time of his life. His eyes are drifting between Sophia and me, then between Grace and Kenzo. A wide grin tugs on the corners of his lips, and he clears his throat.
“So, what about playing a little game?”
“No,” Sophia and Grace yell out in unison, though Kenzo doesn’t seem enthusiastic about games, either.
“Must I remind you, we’re not in high school?” Kenzo fixes his glasses, looking exasperated. Meanwhile, Aiden looks uninterested, his jaw clenched tightly.
“What? It’s not like you’re too old to play strip poker,” Elias huffs, clearly pissed that he’s not getting his way.
Images of Sophia getting undressed flash behind my eyes, and the mere thought of any of these people getting a peek of what’s beneath her clothes is enough to irritate me. However, before I can respond and shut it down altogether, Grace’s voice echoes in the room.
“Oh, why not? Prepare the cards. Soph, come help me with the drinks.”
This is fucking weird. Sophia and Grace are talking with their eyes, then Sophia walks over, and the two engage in a hushed conversation, their backs to the rest of us.
Something’s telling me this night will be a disaster.
FOURTEEN
“Youneed to be quieter,” I whisper-yell, throwing a pointed glance at Grace. She’s huffing and puffing, her hands resting on her knees while she’s trying to catch her breath. Her eyes narrow at me suspiciously.
“They’re all knocked out cold,” she responds, still a little breathless. “Besides, I just brought three grown ass men into my car, whilst they were half-asleep. It takes physical strength to do something like that.”
“I helped…” I defend while slowly lowering Soren onto the bed of the cabin.
The original plan was for Grace to bring me all of the equipment to the cabin, just so I’d have it on me at all times. Neither of us could’ve anticipated that Soren and I would end up being roommates, and it worked out perfectly in our favor.
We didn’t get into strip poker too much, since Grace generously spiked the alcohol. Just enough to knock them out cold and make sure nothing can wake them up for the next couple of hours, yet not toomuch to harm them. Having Kenzo, Aiden, and Elias wasn’t in the plans, but since they were here already, they had to take a little of the sleeping pills, too. I couldn’t have anyone ruin this for me.
“How do you plan to do this?” Grace asks, sitting on the floor next to the bed. She’s still recovering, because I do believe this is the most exercise she’s gotten in years. “Do you need any help?”
“Not right now, no,” I shake my head, then open the bag she brought. Firstly, I sanitize the chair we brought from the main area. It’s a wooden chair, and it will serve as a desk. I put down paper towels on the chair, then put on a pair of latex gloves,and numbing cream. “Are you going to watch me do it?”
Grace nods eagerly. Her face splits into a wide grin. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss this for the world, and I truly mean that quite literally. If you do have any questions, ask. I have more experience with that.”
Slowly, and very carefully, I straddle Soren’s hips. My eyes squeeze shut when he stirs a little beneath me, but after a moment of silence, I breathe out deeply, relaxing because he’s not waking up.
My fingers tremble as I unbutton his shirt, going button by button, then pushing the black material away, staring at his chest. The stomach area is filled with ink, in red and black shades. The designs don’t make any sense, but then again, I don’t care. However, what I care about is the fact that the spot below his collarbone and just above his chest is nearly empty, a blank canvas to be used.
I open the numbing cream, warming it on my gloved hands, before gently applying it all over his chest. His heart thumps beneath my palm, the beating steady and low. This is perfect.
“I cannot wait to tell Avalon about this,” Grace grins, slowly approaching the bed. “I also cannot believe you’re actually going through with it.”
“It was your idea, Grace.”
“Yeah, but I thought you’d chicken out.”
I frown. “Your opinion of me is too low.”
She snickers. “But hey, at least you proved me wrong.”
“That’s true.”
“On a scale from one to ten, how pissed do you think he’ll be when he sees this?”
“I’d say a million,” I wince immediately. “But this is payback.”
