Looking around the table, I absorb the way the others are looking at Maddie. Rayne has gone back to his quiet default settings, but his eyes are trained firmly on the girl swatting Caiden’s hand away from her pizza as she says, “You ate two burgers, you chungus. Leave my pizza alone.”
“Oh, come on. You have to share, Blue. We just rescued you. That deserves one more slice of pizza, at least,” he argues, giving her a puppy-dog look the woman falls for hook, line, and sinker.
Maddie hands over another slice, eyeing Caiden like she’s both impressed and irritated with him, and mutters, “Consider this your last slice. You’re getting fat.”
It’s the most obvious joke, because Caid looks anything but fat. The man is ripped, and rightfully so. His whole career and life revolve around being healthy and maintaining his very hard-earned physique. I’m packed with solid muscle and have the meaty bulk for it, whereas Caiden is all tight and toned with defined muscle all over, and all of his efforts and hard work are always visible through the tight shirts he wears.
Caid bursts out laughing, taking the pizza from her with a cheeky wink she smiles at, her blue hair ruffling around her as she shakes her head, and I actually watch Caiden melt for the girl right then and there. I guess what he said about crushing on her for years wasn’t an exaggeration, because the dude actually shuffles his chair closer without her realizing it, almost like he’s desperate to be even closer.
A funny little part of me feels exactly the same.
Chewing the inside of my lip, I watch Ryan from my peripheral, finding him watching Maddie and Caiden almost fondly, his chin now resting in the palm of his hand while he drags his almost empty water glass over the table in circles. He’s watching them like it’s the most natural thing in the world, not an ounce of anger on his face, which is an anomaly for the guy who doesn’t like to share anything more than food, and even that doesn’t happen all that often.
It’s the biggest sign I can spot that tells me we’re all basically fucked, and I don’t think any of us is bothered by the idea.
“Anyway, thanks again for coming to the rescue,” Maddie sighs, licking her fingers free of the barbecue sauce from her pizza, distracting me for an uncomfortable amount of time. “You guys don’t have to keep pretending to be dating me, though. That’s got to be uncomfortable for all of you. I’m sorry I suckered you into that the first time, but I promise I’ll deal with Tobe the Chode and we’ll all be free.”
I’m not the only one that doesn’t like the “free” part of that sentence, Rayne narrowing his eyes while Ryan and Caid both look away, the latter’s jaw clenching like he’s chewed something sour. Apparently, we’re all crazy, because there’s no way any of us should be disappointed to give up a fake relationship we’ve developed with our famous neighbor. Still, I can’t help but feel like I had something I liked taken away fromme, so I don’t bother replying. Instead, I say, “So, what are you doing after you make a police report on the stalker?”
Maddie thinks for a short time, a contemplative look on her face before she finally says, “I have a very important date with two men and my TV. Why’s that?”
“Two men? How many of us are you collecting?” Caid blurts without thinking first, and Maddie turns her wide-eyed gaze onto the idiot right before she laughs loudly. I’m talking head-thrown-back, attention-drawing laughter that has me grinning over at her when it grows too infectious not to.
“Their names are Ben and Jerry, and they have a wonderful range of ice cream, you donut. I’m doing nothing but pigging out on my couch and watching a TV show. Jesus, my vagina isn’t a carnival ride where everyone can have a turn,” she chuckles, wiping a finger under her eye.
Caiden face-plants his palm, his shoulders shaking with his own suppressed laughter, his words coming out muffled when he complains, “That’s not what I meant.”
Maddie looks much more relaxed now as she grins over at him, shaking her head. “You know what, I might add a few more dudes to the party. Maybe good ol’ Papa John.”
“You just ate a pizza,” Ryan points out in words and fingers, gesturing to the empty plate in front of Maddie. I don’t even know when she ate the rest of the pizza, honestly, too distracted by her and the asshole that waltzed in like he had every right.
With a simple shrug, she counters, “Can’t have enough pizza in one’s life.”
Rayne snorts, the only sound he’s made since Toby left, and I bump my shoulder against his. He offers one back, telling me he’s good without the words, and I sink a little deeper in my seat, enjoying the bickering and banter more than I ever thought I would.
Caiden, trying to recover, draws Maddie’s attention away and asks, “Think I can convince you to give up one man and replace him with a home-cooked meal instead?”
Oh, this sneaky son of a bitch.
I feel more than see Rayne and Ryan turn to stare at our best friend much like I am, and the fucker is actively ignoring us, focusing his entire attention on the blue-haired menace that looks like the epitome of sunshine. That conniving little shit is basically asking her on a date without even discussing it with us.
As if she can feel us all watching, Maddie looks at us all and carefully asks, “Is this something I should say yes to, because those three look like they’re about to stab you with their forks?”
Sure enough, Rayne is actually holding his like a damned weapon and has to relax his hand enough to release it, and the tension suddenly washes away when Maddie snorts at the action.
“Don’t worry about them. They’re coming, too. So, really, you’re replacing one man with four,” Caiden teases, swaying her as easily as he calms the rest of us with a simple sentence.
I could kiss the scheming bastard when Maddie shrugs and quips, “Sure, seems like a decent trade-off. Your place or mine?”
All at once, we blurt, “Yours.”
Once again, Maddie’s beautiful laughter surrounds us all, and the rest of lunch is spent planning what meal we’ll be cooking for the pixie-sized enigma who has captured all of our attention.
Chapter Twenty
Maddie
After a trip to the police station, where I made a report about the sheer stalkery that weirdo ex of mine is resorting to, I make a pit stop at a store to get a new phone and change my FindMe details for good measure. That night, I spend my time in the presence of four delectable-looking men who cook me a beautiful dinner of tacos, nachos, and salad. Through a date that no one actually calls a date but sort of feels like a date, Ryan helps me set up my new cell, programming his number in along with Caiden’s, Rayne’s, and Baxter’s.
