Corrigan and Bryce were both grinning widely. I shook my head. “Shut up.”
“You’re sweetums.” Corrigan pointed between Bryce and himself. “We’re the freshlings. I think we have our new code names.”
“Okay.” After the beer was poured, Bryce lifted his cup in the air. “Come on.” Corrigan and I mirrored him, our cups right alongside his and then he started, his voice rough, “This is before all the bullshit. Erase what happened to Grace. Erase Sheldon getting arrested. Erase Corrigan in the hospital. Erase Sheldon being pushed into that glass table. Erase her house vandalism. Erase everything. Marcus. Bailey’s and Leisha’s deaths. Erase all that glorious sex we had.” He flashed me a wicked grin. I felt myself grinning back. “Erase Guadalupe. Erase the distance that happened between us in Europe.” His eyes lingered on Corrigan. “Erase that we both fell in love with the same woman.”
Corrigan opened his mouth.
Bryce shook his head. “I know you’ve not technically said it, but you do. We all know it. But erase that. Strip all the bullshit away. Let’s go back to the beginning. When I was a silent badass.”
Just then the door opened again, and Bryce Scout strolled in to take a seat at my table. The quintessential gorgeous bad boy: black Mohawk, sea blue eyes, and cheekbones that couldn’t compare to how the rest of his body was chiseled. Corrigan talked, and Bryce listened.
The memory had me smiling, then I remembered another time.
I felt Bryce move around the corner. No sound. No reaction. Nothing, but I just felt him. I looked over my shoulder and stared into his cold eyes.
Denton didn’t notice him right away and murmured, “I was wondering if I could offer my condolences right now? Maybe in a bed this time?”
Bryce jerked awake and strode to us.
Denton looked up, startled, and was quickly pushed out the door. Bryce slammed the door shut and locked it.
He stood and breathed. His chest jerked up and down with each raging breath and then he hauled me against him and slammed his mouth down on mine. He ground into me, and I whimpered once as pain and lust slammed full force into me.
“When Corrigan only cared about getting laid.”
“I was hoping you’d go.”
“Why? Want to get laid?”
I laughed to myself. He was always hitting on me, even though I had been Bryce’s girl. So much had changed since then. A second memory came to me.
“He’s got a super-fine sister coming to town. I want Shel, since she’s hot and heavy with Mr. Sexiest Man Alive to seduce his sister around to our social crowd.”
“Seduce?” I grinned. “I don’t do girl-on-girl.”
Bryce chuckled as a bright smile lit Corrigan’s face.
“That’d be perfect! You can do that, too.” Like it hadn’t already been his secret hope.
“When Sheldon was telling me to sleep with other girls because she couldn’t handle being in an exclusive relationship with me.”
I groaned. “I liked this speech until that part.”
“You’ve got this cool arrogance that makes them flock to you. It’s interesting, though, because everyone in this room knows that the one girl you love, you can’t get.” Miss Connors had said those words to Bryce about me. It hadn’t been true. He had me; I just had been too scared to let him know back then.
“But go back there. It was simple then.” The slight humor was gone. I was remembering back then a bit differently, but Bryce had done what he said. Everything was stripped away. It was just the three of us. Again. Like always. Feeling the threat of tears, I swallowed that emotion and cleared my throat.
“Bryce.” I wiped at my eye. “I thought this was break time. Where’s the break?”
“I know.” His own emotion was there. We all heard it as his voice grew thick. “But I wanted to take us back there when the three of us were strong. No one messed with us. We had each other’s backs. I mean, shit, do you guys remember how many people tried to mess with us? We just cut them off. We didn’t even put up with their drama. That was us. You guys were my family back then.”
“He’s so pale,” I murmured.
“He’ll pull through. He woke up a little while ago.”
“He did?”
“He’s fighting.” Bryce bent and kissed my forehead. “That’s what we do.”
I closed my eyes as the memory ripped through me. Corrigan had been stabbed, and we were in the hospital. It was right after we had killed Marcus. A wave of nostalgia crushed me, and I couldn’t breathe for a moment, my chest was being squeezed closed.
“Why are you saying this stuff, Bryce?”
I looked over at Corrigan. His hand was gripping his cup tightly. His face was an unreadable mask, but I had a feeling he was going through the same torment as I was.
Bryce sighed. It was so soft. “I want to get back there. When I start training again, I’m going to go and do that world, but I’ll miss you guys. Corrigan, you’ll go back to your fraternity and you’ll kick ass. Sheldon, you’ll,” he quieted, seeing my tears. He choked out hoarsely, “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I ignored the tears and reached for my cup. “What tears? There are no tears.” One dripped off my chin to my hand. I ignored it and raised an eyebrow. “I say we put off the future and just be here tonight. Let’s get rip-roaring drunk, but let’s all promise each other one thing about tonight.”
I held my cup in the middle of the air again. I was calling for one more salute, and then the emotional talk was done. I couldn’t handle any more.
Corrigan and Bryce held theirs up, touching mine. They were waiting. I was going to say something meaningful, deeply profound.
Then I grinned. “Can we all promise that none of us ends up marrying a biker from in here?”
Relieved grins appeared, and they saluted me with their drinks.
“Will do.”
Bryce laughed. “No bikers allowed.”
“And on that note, here are your appetizers, sweetums.” The waitress arrived with a tray. Another girl was with her. After they put all the plates on the table and collected the empty pitcher, we heard from behind us, “Well. Hell. My boys told me some rich pricks were here. They ordered all this booze and food right away. I was coming over to either warn you off or hustle you myself, but damn.”
“You’re sweetums.” Corrigan pointed between Bryce and himself. “We’re the freshlings. I think we have our new code names.”
“Okay.” After the beer was poured, Bryce lifted his cup in the air. “Come on.” Corrigan and I mirrored him, our cups right alongside his and then he started, his voice rough, “This is before all the bullshit. Erase what happened to Grace. Erase Sheldon getting arrested. Erase Corrigan in the hospital. Erase Sheldon being pushed into that glass table. Erase her house vandalism. Erase everything. Marcus. Bailey’s and Leisha’s deaths. Erase all that glorious sex we had.” He flashed me a wicked grin. I felt myself grinning back. “Erase Guadalupe. Erase the distance that happened between us in Europe.” His eyes lingered on Corrigan. “Erase that we both fell in love with the same woman.”
Corrigan opened his mouth.
Bryce shook his head. “I know you’ve not technically said it, but you do. We all know it. But erase that. Strip all the bullshit away. Let’s go back to the beginning. When I was a silent badass.”
Just then the door opened again, and Bryce Scout strolled in to take a seat at my table. The quintessential gorgeous bad boy: black Mohawk, sea blue eyes, and cheekbones that couldn’t compare to how the rest of his body was chiseled. Corrigan talked, and Bryce listened.
The memory had me smiling, then I remembered another time.
I felt Bryce move around the corner. No sound. No reaction. Nothing, but I just felt him. I looked over my shoulder and stared into his cold eyes.
Denton didn’t notice him right away and murmured, “I was wondering if I could offer my condolences right now? Maybe in a bed this time?”
Bryce jerked awake and strode to us.
Denton looked up, startled, and was quickly pushed out the door. Bryce slammed the door shut and locked it.
He stood and breathed. His chest jerked up and down with each raging breath and then he hauled me against him and slammed his mouth down on mine. He ground into me, and I whimpered once as pain and lust slammed full force into me.
“When Corrigan only cared about getting laid.”
“I was hoping you’d go.”
“Why? Want to get laid?”
I laughed to myself. He was always hitting on me, even though I had been Bryce’s girl. So much had changed since then. A second memory came to me.
“He’s got a super-fine sister coming to town. I want Shel, since she’s hot and heavy with Mr. Sexiest Man Alive to seduce his sister around to our social crowd.”
“Seduce?” I grinned. “I don’t do girl-on-girl.”
Bryce chuckled as a bright smile lit Corrigan’s face.
“That’d be perfect! You can do that, too.” Like it hadn’t already been his secret hope.
“When Sheldon was telling me to sleep with other girls because she couldn’t handle being in an exclusive relationship with me.”
I groaned. “I liked this speech until that part.”
“You’ve got this cool arrogance that makes them flock to you. It’s interesting, though, because everyone in this room knows that the one girl you love, you can’t get.” Miss Connors had said those words to Bryce about me. It hadn’t been true. He had me; I just had been too scared to let him know back then.
“But go back there. It was simple then.” The slight humor was gone. I was remembering back then a bit differently, but Bryce had done what he said. Everything was stripped away. It was just the three of us. Again. Like always. Feeling the threat of tears, I swallowed that emotion and cleared my throat.
“Bryce.” I wiped at my eye. “I thought this was break time. Where’s the break?”
“I know.” His own emotion was there. We all heard it as his voice grew thick. “But I wanted to take us back there when the three of us were strong. No one messed with us. We had each other’s backs. I mean, shit, do you guys remember how many people tried to mess with us? We just cut them off. We didn’t even put up with their drama. That was us. You guys were my family back then.”
“He’s so pale,” I murmured.
“He’ll pull through. He woke up a little while ago.”
“He did?”
“He’s fighting.” Bryce bent and kissed my forehead. “That’s what we do.”
I closed my eyes as the memory ripped through me. Corrigan had been stabbed, and we were in the hospital. It was right after we had killed Marcus. A wave of nostalgia crushed me, and I couldn’t breathe for a moment, my chest was being squeezed closed.
“Why are you saying this stuff, Bryce?”
I looked over at Corrigan. His hand was gripping his cup tightly. His face was an unreadable mask, but I had a feeling he was going through the same torment as I was.
Bryce sighed. It was so soft. “I want to get back there. When I start training again, I’m going to go and do that world, but I’ll miss you guys. Corrigan, you’ll go back to your fraternity and you’ll kick ass. Sheldon, you’ll,” he quieted, seeing my tears. He choked out hoarsely, “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I ignored the tears and reached for my cup. “What tears? There are no tears.” One dripped off my chin to my hand. I ignored it and raised an eyebrow. “I say we put off the future and just be here tonight. Let’s get rip-roaring drunk, but let’s all promise each other one thing about tonight.”
I held my cup in the middle of the air again. I was calling for one more salute, and then the emotional talk was done. I couldn’t handle any more.
Corrigan and Bryce held theirs up, touching mine. They were waiting. I was going to say something meaningful, deeply profound.
Then I grinned. “Can we all promise that none of us ends up marrying a biker from in here?”
Relieved grins appeared, and they saluted me with their drinks.
“Will do.”
Bryce laughed. “No bikers allowed.”
“And on that note, here are your appetizers, sweetums.” The waitress arrived with a tray. Another girl was with her. After they put all the plates on the table and collected the empty pitcher, we heard from behind us, “Well. Hell. My boys told me some rich pricks were here. They ordered all this booze and food right away. I was coming over to either warn you off or hustle you myself, but damn.”
