A small flicker of fire appears in her eyes as she narrows them at me, though she slides off of the hood. “You could try asking instead of telling, you know.”
Smirking, I steal the keys to the SUV from Slade. “Only ask if you're prepared to take no for an answer. I'm not.”
***
Clutching a bag toher chest, Sabrina steps out of Cinjin’s reach, using the massive bed as a buffer. “Nope. Just because I went shopping doesn’t mean it’s an open invitation into my pants. It simply seemed like a smart idea to have some things on hand if the opportunity arose since it’s not like we can have something shipped overnight out there, or jog down to a store.”
Sticking out his bottom lip, he makes grabby hands like a damn child, trying to coerce her into trading bags with him. “I'll show you mine if you show me yours?”
Slade strides by, plucking the bag out of Cin’s hand on his way past and offers it to her. “Don’t let him trick you, you need that to get ready for our date.”
Confused, she passes her bag from Carina’s to Damian as he comes out of the bathroom in a seamless transition, everyone on board with playing keep away to mess with Cin even if we’re just as curious. “I thought thiswasthe date; city detour before we get eaten alive.”
Reid snatches the other bags from their trip off of the couch in the main room before joining us, Slade splurging on a suite on the top floor so we wouldn’t be as cramped as the last motel. But despite this place being more on par with a massive two bedroom apartment, we naturally congregate into whatever room Sabrina’s in, so we’re tripping over each other anyway.
“We finally have you all to ourselves without someone breathing down our necks or any of us drowning in work, and you expect usnotto capitalize on it?” Stepping up behind her, Reid slips his hands around her waist and clasps them over her stomach, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Besides, we need to keep your mind off of everything. So either we find something to distract you, or we keep you busy here-” biting the side of her neck, he kisses away the sting “- preparing you to get eaten alive.”
“We’re not replicating our last date, are we?” she asks, glancing between Cin and Boden. “Because as fun as that was, I’d rather not get kicked out of anywhere tonight.”
Rolling his eyes, the beta gestures to the bag in her hands. “Open it already.”
Her nerves disappear as she withdraws a swimsuit instead of some fancy dress like she was worried about, a smile lighting up her face. “I can’t even remember the last time I went swimming.” Searching for the tag, she adds as an afterthought, “Let’s hope it fits, because skinny dipping isn’t going to help any of us fly under the radar.”
Don’t picture it. You can’t hide a hard on in swim trunks.
Cinjin places a hand to his chest, acting wounded at her lack of faith. “Trust me, I've had my hands all over you and committed your body to memory. It'll fit. Now, take off your clothes.”
Snorting, she untangles herself from Reid. “Not even going to buy me dinner before trying to get me naked? So this is a swipe right sort of date; good to know. Much more my speed anyway.”
Slade frowns, pulling out his phone. “We did skip lunch, didn’t we? I’ll-”
Rolling my eyes, I cut him off. “Calm your tits, she’s joking. How out of touchareyou with the modern world? Aren’t you a couple of years younger than me? EvenIget her references.”
Sabrina presses her lips into a thin line and I warily ask, “What?” As she rapidly shakes her head, I rummage through the bags Reid bought while watching her from the corner of my eye. “Spit it out, princess.”
––––––––
Rather than look atme, though, her gaze lands on Boden across the room. “Can you grab my backpack really quick?”
He does so and returns in record time, and she unzips the side pocket, pulling out a small notepad and a pen. Bo bursts into laughter and steals a quick kiss from her before taking a seat on the bed, still chuckling.
“Sooooo, Hunter, a couple of quick questions.” Glancing around the room to include everyone, she adds, “And remember that nobody’s allowed to get mad at me today; you promised me a free pass.”That’s not foreboding or anything.Flipping to a clean page, she readies her pen and takes a deep breath. “What’s your last name, how old are you, and are you allergic to anything?”
There’s dead silence for three heavy heartbeats before the room collectively devolves into laughter. Scrubbing a hand over my mouth like that can wipe away my amusement, not wanting her to feel like we’re laughingather, it still takes me a minute before I trust myself to speak.
“Varyn, thirty-two, and not that I know of.”
Hastily scribbling, she rattles off a few more questions about likes and dislikes, birth date, and if there’s anything else important she should keep track of. Finishing up, she flips to a clean page, looking up at Kaige expectantly.
Still chuckling, he answers her unspoken questions. “Arden, same age as Hunter, with Damian a year behind us. Hate the silence maybe even more than you do, and I have a small gambling problem, but it’s not so bad that I’d take out loans and go bankrupt or anything. If there’s an opportunity to bet on something, though, whatever’s in my pockets or dares are fair game.”
Nodding to herself, she finishes her updates and closes the small notebook, giving me a glimpse of black marker on the cover. Unable to stand it, I cross the room, stealing it before she can tuck it away. “Did you seriously title your book, ‘Backup husbands are fun in theory, poor in execution, but you still shouldn’t poison them’?”
Cheeks heating, she snatches it away from me. “You mock, but I bet you if I created a template like a planner and sold it, it’d be a bestseller in polygamous communities. Seven people’s birthdays, food preferences, families, and life stories to keep track of? A bit much for people with nothing but time on their hands, and a heck of a lot for someone that has as much on her plate as I do. My last name has already changed how many times in the last month? And now we might not even all be Kincaids, since I have no clue how that works with yours and Kaige’s pack in the mix. So be happy I care enough to at least make cheat sheets and try.”
Reaching past her, I tuck it back in her backpack. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”
Grabbing her swimsuit, she changes the subject. “We should get going before we waste the entire afternoon.”
