Tate puts the last of the drinks into a bag, muttering something about my “picky snack choices,” as Carter waits by the driver’s side, hand on the door. “After you,” he says with that quiet smile, and I let him open it, sliding in and letting the seatbelt snap across my chest. Tate climbs in behind me, balancing the bags and shifting so he can set them down.
We settle into the car, and I can’t stop myself from laughing, low and sharp, the sound bouncing between the seats.
“What’s so funny now brat?” Tate asks immediately, turning his head slightly from the backseat.
“I finally figured it out,” I say, grinning, leaning back against the seat.
Carter glances at me from the wheel. “Figured what?”
I lean back just a little, letting my fingers brush lazily against the edge of the seat. “Your brother has a jealousy kink Carter.”
Tate snorts, leaning closer. “Excuse me?”
“You know exactly what I mean,” I say, voice softer now, teasing. “You get off on watching him touch me. Watching how careful he are, how… different it is with him.”
Carter clears his throat quietly, but doesn’t look away from the road. “Wait—”
“Don’t start, Carter,” Tate growls, eyes dark and sharp, but there’s a flicker there, something almost feral.
I let my fingers inch along his thigh under the seat. “I’m right, aren’t I? You like it—watching, waiting, knowing it drives you crazy and you can’t do a thing about it.”
Tate swallows, jaw tight. “You’re… twisted. And maybe right. But it’s not just that.”
“Oh, it is,” I press, tilting my head so he can’t break eye contact with me. “You love the tension, the opposite of control you don’t have, the way it makes you feel when I moan for him and then turn to you. After that night on your couch, I couldn’t find the words to describe it, but that’s exactly it.”
Eventually, we pull into my parking spot in front of my apartment building. I’m the first to get out, my steps slow as I take in the sight like it’s both familiar and foreign all at once. It’s only been a few days, but after everything that happened, it feels like years.
Carter grabs the bags. Tate grabs my ass. I swat him, rolling my eyes, and he just smirks.
They help me carry everything inside—snacks, leftover gear, my gaming bag. We make it halfway through unloading before Carter sets the last bag down by the door and glances toward Tate.
“We should probably head out soon,” he says. “Get back before it’s too late.”
“Already?” I ask before I can stop myself.
Tate looks at me. “We’ve got stuff at the house that needs to get done,” he says. “And you probably want your space back.”
My space, right. I nod once, but it doesn’t feel right. I cross my arms loosely. “Or… you could stay. I just—” I exhale, trying to sound less like I’m asking for something I need. “One more night. Then you can leave in the morning. It’s not like you’re on a schedule, right?” I give Carter my best puppy dog impression.
Carter studies me for half a second. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I just… I don’t want to be alone yet.”
Tate’s the one who answers first. “Then we’re not leaving angel.” Carter nods right after.
The tension in my shoulders drops so fast it almost makes me laugh.
Cassie’s perched on the couch when we walk in. She lifts a brow, completely unbothered. “Before you ask—yes, I used the emergency key.”
Carter shuts the door after we all manage to get inside with everything.
“You mean the key I gave you for actual emergencies?” I roll my eyes.
“This is an emergency,” she says. “You disappeared for days and came back looking like that.”
I drop my bag by the couch. “Looking like what? And I just saw you two days ago.”
She gestures vaguely at me. “Two days too long, and you look different.”
