“Shit sticks.” I spring into action, passing Remy and heading for the door. I look over my shoulder to tell him I’ll be ready in five minutes, but I should have been watching where I was going.
I hear “Whoa!” just in time to turn and see myself barreling right at Felix. I try to put on the brakes, but my socks slip on the wood floor, and I end up tackling him to the ground and landing on his chest.
It’s a nice chest. It’s wider than it used to be and firm. “Quit molesting him, Frankie.” Remy huffs. I look up from my roaming fingers and see Felix gazing at me. His glasses are gone, and his lips are parted as he cranes his neck forward. Our lips are only inches apart, and I can smell his minty toothpaste. My mouth waters, and there’s a tingle between my legs.
Felix’s pupils dilate, and I feel his hand on my butt, kneading the round flesh with his fingers.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Grayson bellows.
I look up at him, and the sneer on his face is like a cold splash of water. My knee bashes against the floor as I scramble to get off Felix. I end up flashing them all my panties as I scoot away, and there’s nothing I can do but hope they don’t see a wet spot.
Grayson reaches down and helps a dazed Felix to his feet.
“I’m sorry, Felix. I should have been paying attention.”
He reaches up and rubs the back of his head, and his shirt lifts, showing off his toned stomach. Gods, why am I noticing that right now? I should be concerned about the goose egg that’s probably on his noggin.
“I didn’t expect you to attack him.” Grayson glares at me.
“I bumped into him. It was an accident.” There’s some indignant rage simmering inside me at the accusation, but also a little guilt. I probably didn’t need to rub all over his chest and stay sprawled on him for so long. It was just a surprising position to find myself in, and being that close to him felt good, right.
“Looked more like you were about to take what you wanted to me.” Grayson shrugs like he didn’t just accuse me of nearly raping Felix.
My stomach drops, and I get a sick feeling, like I may throw up. I take another step back and start shaking my head.
“Knock it the fuck off, Gray,” Remy snarls.
“I wouldn’t…” That’s all I can manage past the vomit threatening to surge up my throat.
“I know, buttercup, he didn’t mean it.” Felix lifts his hand and takes a step toward me, but I jerk away, my eyes focusing on Grayson. His lips are curled down in a frown, but he’s not taking it back.
I tug at the hem of my shirt with one hand and cross my arm over my chest with the other. I feel like crying, but I’m not going to let that happen. My voice is thick when I say, “Excuse me.” Nobody says anything else as I make my way around them and to the door. I have no fucking clue where I’m going, but it’s vital I get out of this room.
My sense of direction must be better than I thought, or my instincts alone correctly guide me back to the room they gave me. I hit the bathroom first, going through the motions. When I wash my hands and face, I don’t even look in the mirror. The little bit of my reflection I can’t avoid is more than enough. I’m a mess.
Not having time for a shower, I change into clean panties and pull on some black slacks and a white button-down shirt. If it were a real MBI case, I would have a blazer too, but I skip that and my badge, opting for just my wallet identification. I check my phone, only to find the battery is still dead from last night.Great.
I absolutely hate that I’m going to have to go back down there and rely on one of them to take me to the hospital or wherever Dad is, but I don’t really have a choice, plus it’s a way to get out of this house.
After cramming the crap I can’t live without into my laptop bag, I fold my blazer over my arm. Once I’m out of here, I have no intention of coming back. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I look around and listen for any sounds to help me decide where they are, but even knowing they are here and moving around, this place still feels empty.
Instead of searching for them, I stand at the front door and wait. It may be counterproductive, but I don’t think my ego could handle another jab from Grayson this morning without me either losing my shit on him or breaking down into tears. I don’t have time for either.
A solid ten minutes pass before I hear Remy declare, “I’ll go get her.” When he rounds the corner and sees me, he stops before reaching the stairs. “Do you want anything to eat?” He looks me over.
I shake my head and mutter, “No, thank you,” then grab my laptop bag from the floor near my feet.
Remy’s shoulders slump, and he scowls. “She’s ready to go.”
Felix joins us from the same hall Remy exited from with Grayson trailing after him. I avert my gaze from him and face the door. Feeling their eyes on my back makes me want to twitch, but I don’t.
The magic barriers drop, and my ears pop again. Remy and I both reach for the doorknob at the same time, and I jerk my hand back when our fingers brush. There is no way I’m falling into that snare again. Remy mumbles under his breath as he wrenches the door open and motions for me to exit ahead of him.
Chapter 8
Dead serious.
Ipray to the gods it’s just Remy taking me, but I’m quickly met with disappointment. We all pile back into the SUV. This time, it’s only Felix who shares the backseat with me. He keeps trying to get my attention, but I pretend not to notice and keep my eyes trained on the back of Remy’s seat.
