He snorts. “And here I thought it was for my good looks.”
“Gross,” Meiying retorts.
Zheng rolls his eyes. “Whatever, baby sis.” He turns back to me with a shrug. “Having a baby isn’t anything to be ashamed of, and friends don’t turn their backs on one another for things they can’t control. Loyalty matters.” His jaw clenches at the last bit, his expression stony before he wipes it away and drops his hand, moving to sit beside Isa.
I give him a grateful smile. “Thanks, you guys. All of you. Really.”
“Don’t let that cute baby smile fool you, though,” KeAnna says. “He can be as mischievous as one of our own pups when he wants to be.” My heart shutters in my chest at her choice of words, but thankfully no one seems to notice. Or at least I don’t think anyone does. But then Meiying asks, “So what is going on with you and Jordy?” And I freeze like a deer caught in headlights.
My eyes flick to KeAnna’s, who’s sporting a confused expression because I’m a terrible friend and still haven’t told her who exactly César’s father is or that I hooked up with him in a classroom after lunch. I just…I don’t want to put her in a bad position. She’s Pack. But she’s also my closest friend.
“Yeah. Did you guys really have a thing before? I didn’t realize you knew each other,” Isa adds.
“Really well, too,” Zheng interjects. “Pretty sure Jordy wasn’t lying about that orgasm he gave you based on your face when he announced it to the entire class. Though your scent was…” He trails off after a sharp look from Isa. God, I forgot that shifters picked up on pretty much everything.
My cheeks heat and once again my gaze finds KeAnna’s. Her eyes widen, sudden understanding dawning, and I implore her with my eyes not to say anything.
“Orgasm? You and—” She barely stops herself from blurting out “you and César’s father,” but thankfully manages to catch herself. “You and Jordy Salgaldo fucked?” she says instead, knowing exactly who he is with him being one of Desmond’s best friends and a member of Clan Wolf. “When? I’m your best friend. How did I not know about this? And eww…Jordy is one of Desmond’s best friends. He’s like an older brother to me.” She visibly shivers.
I bury my head in my hands. “Can we please not make this a thing, and we didn’t have sex. There was no…” I shake my head. “Just no. Let’s pretend nothing ever happened. Okay? Okay. Glad we cleared that up.”
Isa snorts. “You may not have boned, but he gave you an O during school hours and then followed you around all day, girl.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I can’t judge. Rafael’s caught me off guard a time or two too.” A wolfish smile curls her lips. “But Jordy doesn’t usually hook up on campus, and he’s staying tight-lipped about the whole thing, which is unusual for him. It’s driving me insane. Don’t you know we shifters love to gossip? So, hard no. We are definitely not dropping it. I want all the details!”
Meiying snorts. “You mean because he usually brags about his conquests from the rooftops after spending the night at their place?”
My stomach drops, and Isa throws a sofa pillow at her. “He does not. He just…” She huffs and shakes her head. “Jordy is a great guy. A little bit of a man whore, but a great guy. There’s nothing wrong with sharing skin privileges. It's natural for our kind.”
Now it’s Zheng who snorts, though he raises both hands in surrender when Isa glares his way. “I wasn’t disagreeing with the great guy part,” he rushes to say. “Only the part about being a little bit of a man whore.”
“Ignore him. The guys had a falling out, and he’s still a little salty. Jordy isn’t that bad.”
The face Meiying makes says she disagrees. “Right! He’s so great that he fooled around with Joaninha and has been all over every senior and junior girl since.”
I swallow hard, hating that she’s right.
“Please tell me you’re smart enough not to get involved with him as anything more than whatever it is you two are now? If you wanna fool around with him, have at it. Do the dirty. Just…don’t get attached,” she warns. “He’s a wolf in sheep's clothing. Don’t forget that.”
“It’s really not a thing. I made a stupid mistake. One I don’t plan on repeating. Let’s…talk about something else. Anything else.”
“No way,” Isa says. “There was mention that you guys hooked up before you moved. Is that true? Come on,please.Jordy is being so tight-lipped about it, and getting anything out of Rafael on the subject is like pulling teeth. I need the juicy details. I promise after you tell me everything, I won’t bug you again.”
“Way to sweeten the deal,” KeAnna chimes in. “But I’m with Isa. Give us all the details.”So not helping.
At the mention of our hookup, Zheng gives me a considering look. One that has me fidgeting in my seat. His nostrils flare and he cocks his head to the side, his near black gaze boring into mine and forcing me to look away.
“There isn’t much to tell. We hooked up one time.”
“Before you moved, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve lived in El Paso my whole life, so,” I shrug. “We were bound to run into each other, but it was no big deal. Really. One hookup at a party. That was it.”
“Was it good?” Meiying asks. “I’ve always wondered why chicks throw themselves at that stupid wolf. I’m assuming he’s at least decent in the sack. Is that why you fell for his act and fooled around at school with him?”
“Really?” Zheng admonishes his sister.
“What? It’s a valid question.”
I scrub my hands over my face. “It was fine. Good. But like I said, it was a one-time thing.”
