Page 126 of Striking Range

“Yes, Evie,” I groan, shoving my face into his neck once more. “I’ll be good this time.”

“This time,” he repeats, chuckling.

He flips us over, resting the weight of his body over mine as his lips fall to my neck, leaving wet, open-mouthed kisses in their wake.

I’m on fire. Every inch of me is ignited by his words and his touch. He loves me—he loves every single little thing that I have to offer, and all the things that could hurt him. It’s liberating.

I do not have to change to earn his love. I am being hand-fed his affection, all because I’m me. No wonder I never bothered with other men; they were all below me. They weren’t him.

“Please,” I pant out, feeling his fingers drag lower and lower, running over the band of my briefs.

“So soft, Sky,” he purrs, rubbing against me. “So pretty.”

I’m already embarrassingly hard, but I don’t care. I don’t care about anything but him and how he’s caressing me. His fingers dip beneath the fabric, and my breath catches.

“Here?” Everett asks softly. “You want me here, baby?”

“Uh-huh,” I mutter.

I have two options when it comes to sleeping with Evie, and today, I don’t want to be vicious. I don’t want to fight back; I did enough of that yesterday.

Everett’s palm grazes my shaft, his skin creating a delicious friction that has me trembling, trying my hardest to refrain from making some obscene noise.

He grips me tightly, holding my hip with his other hand as I buck into him. “Shh, just relax. I’m going—”

The doorbell rings, and we freeze. Everett’s wide, startled eyes meet mine as his hand squeezes even more.

“S-shit!” I sneer.

The front door opens, and Henry’s voice filters through the apartment a moment later. “Wakey wakey, boys! Put your clothes on!”

Looks like we forgot to lock up last night.

Everett rips his hand from my briefs, an annoyed smile twisting his features. His voice is nothing but a whisper as he says, “Guess this will have to wait, pup.”

“Oh, you really are naked,” Henry adds, stepping into the bedroom with an amused expression.

Kelly stands behind him, her arms crossed.

“We aren’t naked,” Everett insists. “We have underwear on.”

“So… naked.”

As he climbs out of the bed, Everett slaps Henry upside the head before he grabs a pair of sweats, slipping them on. He throws a different pair onto the bed next to me as I hide under the blankets.

“Here, Sky.” He turns to our friends. “Come on, let’s go into the living room.”

And suddenly, I’m alone.

I dress quickly, skipping the venture to find a clean shirt so I can rejoin the group as fast as possible. Whatever it is that Kelly and Henry have to say about my arrest as a kid, or the blood that was on my hands yesterday, I want to be there to witness it.

As I stumble into the living room, I spot Everett sitting on the coffee table, facing our two friends who sit side by side on the couch.

“That was fast,” Henry comments, offering me a small smile as I approach Evie’s side.

“I guess,” I mumble.

The four of us settle into an awkward silence, and all the while, I can feel the weight of Kelly’s gaze settled on me. She’s staring, and staring hard.