Page 52 of Vegas with my Brother’s Best Friends

“Okay, okay. Calm down,” Marcus says, pushing us farther apart. “You were kind of on our asses about not sleeping with her, Jax.”

Jackson drags his hand through his hair. “I know. I’m a hypocrite. It just…happened. I swear I didn’t plan it.”

I stare at him for a few seconds before shaking my head. He was so quick to lecture us, and he’s the first one to break.

“This is weird territory for all of us,” Marcus says. “We just need to be smart, especially in public.”

And arguing about all of this in the middle of a crowded party is not smart.

“Is she doing okay? She seems a little off,” I ask Jackson.

Obviously, he has gotten some one on one time with her. Maybe she said something to him.

“She’s just stressed from everything,” Jackson replies. “She thought she had food poisoning when I showed up at her door. I think she just ate something that didn’t agree with her. Ginger ale and crackers did the trick.”

Marcus chuckles. “Ah, yes. The Mercer trick for stomachaches.”

“Hey, it worked,” Jackson replies with a shrug. “She felt better after that. I just think she needs to rest and not overwhelm herself.”

“If we can help her relax, we should,” I say.

Jackson flashes me a pointed look.

I lift my hands innocently. “Not like that. Like we should encourage her to go to the spa or something. I don’t know.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Marcus replies. “Whatever doesn’t get any of us in trouble.”

I nod in agreement. That’s a fine line to walk, though.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Jackson mutters, looking behind me.

I turn, my jaw clenching at the sight of Derek approaching Cassidy. “He just can’t seem to leave her alone, huh?”

“He must be wanting to get back with her. But it makes no sense. He dumped her,” Marcus says.

“He’s just toying with her,” Jackson replies, bitterness filling his voice. “He doesn’t care about her.”

“She doesn’t even seem interested in him. He can’t take a hint?” I say, watching Cassidy take a step back from Derek as he starts to talk to her.

“I’ll be right back,” Jackson tells us, walking off before we can tell him to stop.

“Damn it,” Marcus mutters. “He better not do anything stupid.”

Jackson usually has his head on his shoulders, but Derek gets under his skin like no one else. Cassidy completely throws him off his axis.

Derek pauses when Jackson walks up to them.

Cassidy’s eyes widen as she stares at Jackson, her body going rigid.

I can’t hear what they’re saying over the music and the crowd, but I have a feeling that Jackson is saying something sarcastic. He has a smug look on his face, and Derek looks annoyed.

Cassidy glances between them. She says something, but Jackson and Derek are too focused on speaking to each other to acknowledge her. She shakes her head in frustration and storms off, leaving them to keep making remarks to each other.

“I’m going to grab him before he starts a fight,” Marcus says before slipping through the crowd to reach Jackson and Derek.

If anyone can cool tempers, it’s Marcus. I head in the direction that Cassidy took off in, my eyes zipping back and forth to search the crowd for her. There are probably more than fifty people on this beach, though.

It doesn’t help that it’s dark, and the fire is casting a lot of shadows too.