Page 41 of Vicious Titan

27

Elliot

“Did you need anything from downstairs? Water, food, boxing gloves?” I ask, kissing Victoria on her bare shoulder as she squirms.

“Will you stop saying stuff like that?”

“I guess I’d better so you don’t come out of retirement.”

She grabs a pillow and pulls it over her head, muffling words that sound a lot like not-so-nice names for me.

“I’ll be right back.” I slap her ass as she throws the pillow off her head and sits up with a beautiful grumpy face.

She’d been mostly quiet and shut off all week so the sight of her irritation is actually a relief. I know better than anyone that hiding emotions away is the worst. The pain under the mask, the truly excruciating feelings, are enough to strangle a person from the inside out, and I don’t want that for her. Ever.

The few peckerheads who had passed out on the floor are nowhere in sight as I make my way to the kitchen, finding Quinn sitting on the counter, Asher standing in front of her.

“Morning,” I say as Quinn jumps, turning to face me as Asher mostly ignores my presence, which has become the usual. I almost wish he’d just deck me again.

Grabbing two mugs, I fill one to the brim and leave some room in the other for cream and sugar, just the way Victoria likes her coffee.

I toss the spoon in the sink as Quinn calls my name. She doesn’t say anything, instead she nudges Asher’s arm and mutters, “Ask him.”

Asher ignores her and me.

“Nah. I’m not interested in a threesome.”

Asher’s glower lands on me, rage in his face. That deck in the nose might not be so far away.

Quinn obviously knows it was a joke because she rolls her eyes as she looks to me. “You’re really not helping yourself, and I can only do so much.” She turns back to Asher. “Ask him.”

Asher keeps a furious stare on me as Quinn curses under her breath.

“Whatever.” She hops off the counter, steps next to Asher, and points to him. “Stubborn ass number one is insisting on climbing today and won’t leave me the hell alone about it. So he wants to know if you, his best friend and stubborn ass number two, would be interested in joining him for a climb.”

Yeah. No. He doesn’t look like he wants to climb with me. Maybe toss me over the cliff, but definitely not anything that doesn’t end in harm for me. “Why does he get to be number one?”

Now both of their angry glares are on me.

“I give up.” Quinn throws her hands in the air as she stomps out of the kitchen, leaving me with Asher. He looks at the two mugs in my hands before disappearing in the same direction Quinn had.

“That went well,” I mumble, heading back to my bedroom. Handing Victoria the mug of coffee after she’s finished knotting her hair into a wild bun on top of her head—still beautiful, and still all mine—I say, “Ready to go?”

“Do I look ready?” she motions down to her cotton pajama pants and my T-shirt.

“You look beautiful.”

She bites back a smile as she looks away. “I’m going to get dressed, then we can head out. Can you tell me where we’re going so I know what to wear?”

“Please, wear a dress.” I smirk, memories of her riding my dick in my car already have me hard and wanting to do it again.

“Just for that, I’m wearing jeans,” she teases, stepping away from me as she sips her coffee.

“I can work with that. Just might take me a little longer.”

“You’re horrible.” She shakes her head, signaling defeat, and I have a sneaking feeling that she’ll be wearing a dress tonight for our date.

Following behind her, we descend the staircase as I continue teasing her. Just as we’re walking to the garage, she halts suddenly. All the air is pulled from my lungs as I look across the space at my mom. I’m scared to blink because I’m not sure if she’s a mirage or not.