Mark’s eyes flick from me to Ollie. “I think she should stay here while you guys go raid the camp.”
“No,” Alex snarls with more savagery than I’ve ever heard from him.
My eyebrows shoot upward. What the hell has got into him? Not that I disagree with his sentiment because fuck leaving the princess here, not when there are so many men ogling her like a piece of meat. Even Theo agrees, because if looks could kill, Mark would be a corpse on the ground from the force of hisglare.
I turn my own glare onto Mark. “I suggest you leave before you say another idiotic thing,” I say in a cold, hard voice.
Mark grimaces and nods before shuffling off, leaving the four of us to finish our breakfast in peace. Once our food is finished, we make our way toward the pen Bean spent the night in. Ollie is still avoiding Alex like he has the plague while Alex is trying everything he can to catch her eye.
My eyes narrow on him. Somethingdefinitelyhappened between them last night. But I’m not jealous. Not at all. That burning sensation in my chest is just indigestion or something.
Once at the pen, the three of us hang back as Ollie steps in to prepare her horse for the day.
“Do I even want to know what happened last night?” Theo asks. He’s leaning back against the perimeter wall, his arms crossed over his chest. At first glance, he looks at ease, comfortable. But the usual amusement is gone from his eyes, leaving them hard as he stares at Alex.
Alex shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tries to appear casual, but his eyes keep straying to Ollie.
“Don’t bullshit us,” I snap, feeling my irritation rise. “She’s been avoiding you like the fucking plague and you can’t tear your eyes off her.”
“Neither can you,” he shoots back with a scowl. “You try to act like she annoys the hell out of you, but anyone with eyes can see that’s a lie.”
I grind my teeth. “That’s not a lie. She’s frustrating as fuck to deal with and a brat. You know I don’t do brats.”
Theo sighs heavily and rakes a hand through his dishevelled hair. “This is what I was afraid was going to happen.”
Alex and I snap our gazes to him in confusion.
“What?” Does he know something I don’t? I frown at the thought. We’re supposed to be a team. There should be no secrets between us, andyet I can think of several. Shit. Is this all because of Ollie? Is she going to tear us apart just like that bitch did nearly a decade ago?
“Rhys, I can feel you freaking out from over here,” Theo says, cutting through my spiralling thoughts. “We’re overdue for a discussion and I think we all know what it’s going to be about.” The look he gives Alex and me promises pain if we try to bullshit him.
I grimace as my eyes flick over to Ollie. She’s still fussing over Bean, brushing the mare thoroughly before slipping the saddle on. Glancing over, I see I’m not the only one watching her.
Shit. If all three of us are developing feelings for the princess, we’re fucking screwed. We tried sharing once, and it almost ruined our friendship. I’d rather die than let that happen again. Maybe it’s best if I bow out now and save the heartbreak; not that I was in the running, anyway. There’s a reason she didn’t pick me as her fake boyfriend and it has everything to do with my ugly mug and shitty personality.
It’s for the best, even if it hurts like a motherfucker.
“I don’t think—”
“Hey fellas!” the wank stain that is Ethan calls as he saunters over to us and sidles up next to Theo. “Bet you didn’t get any sleep last night, huh?” He bumps his shoulder into the other man and winks.
Theo looks at him in disgust. “What are you on about?”
He snorts. “No need to be shy around me. I’ve fucked her too, remember?” He grins as his lecherous eyes roam over Ollie’s form and whistles low. “The girl may have a lot of issues and a broken pussy, but goddamn, does she have an appetite.”
Blinding rage rushes through me, colouring my vision red as all three of us turn scorching glares toward Ethan.
“Excuse me?” I ask in a low, dangerous tone. Howdarethis piece of shit talk about Ollie like that. My hands flex, desperate to rearrange his face and maybe a few of his organs. A growl rumbles in Alex’s chest, his face a mask of fury, and while Theo appears outwardly calm, I can see the rage burning in his silver eyes.
The walking dead man doesn’t even bat an eyelid and instead winces. “Oh shit. The bitch didn’t even tell you? Oh man, sorry to tell you this, but yeah, she’s got some kind of bust pussy or something. Can’t have kids. Although that’s probably for the best, since she’s borderline crazy and hassomany problems. Too many for one man to deal with long term, but she’s perfect as a short-term fuck.” He just rambles on, completely unaware that we’re seconds from killinghimand not Ollie.
I don’t listen to his words. They could be lies for all I know, and the state of Ollie’s reproductive organs or mental health are none of my business. No, I have bigger things to deal with. Starting with this fucker.
I grab the man by the throat and slam him back against the perimeter wall. He makes a choked squeak, his muddy eyes widening with a mixture of horror, fear, and disdain. Alex moves to my left, using his bulk to hide us from any wandering eyes, while Theo stands to my right, boxing Ethan in.
“I suggest you listen to me very carefully because I’m only going to say this once,” I growl as I flex my hand around his throat, feeling it bob as he swallows.
I’d rather just kill the prick now, but there are too many witnesses around, and the last thing we need is to get into a fight with the entire community. It’d be a waste of bullets and time, so I’ll have to settle for threatening the fucker and scaring the shit out of him. Judging from his quivering mess of a body, I’d say I’m doing a good job of that.
