AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Uh-huh.” River wasn’t impressed, and he went back to grab his coffee. “Well, I asked. I’m out—and so are you, Ella.” He gave my arm a pat before he headed inside the house.
I felt my forehead crease, and I glanced back at Ella.
She released a breath, appearing a bit beaten down. And I knew it partly stemmed from River’s behavior. He and Reese showed people where they stood with their actions. If you were in, they had your backs. If you were out…? The world felt like a colder place for a while.
Ella had made her choices. She’d had months to unfuck some of the chaos she’d started. Even if she couldn’t make things right with Penelope, Ella had been part of a tight-knit community.
“Are you trying to return to Mclean?” I had to ask.
She shuffled closer and shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. It depends on what Penny wants—if she responds to my letter.” In other words, she missed Penelope. “Look. I was dumb, okay? I had a stupid crush on someone I grew up with, and I acted on it. I was freaking out about turning thirty-eight?—”
I made a noise that sounded like a strained chuckle, even though nothing about this was funny. Unless she’d been kidding?
“Tell me you’re kidding, Ella. When you’re nearing forty, you’re still a decade away from buying a Porsche, and you?—”
“You bought a Jaguar when you turned forty,” she pointed out stubbornly.
Jesus fucking Christ!
I nodded. “My SUV and I have an open relationship. You and Penelope did not.”
Embarrassment colored her cheeks, and she couldn’t maintain eye contact for a moment, which I understood. Her comparison had been idiotic.
“Okay, um—” She swallowed hard and took another couple steps forward. “Could you please give her this? I’m not holding my breath for her to forgive me right away, but ten years together…I hope she’ll want to work things out with me.”
I eyed her, unable to contain my skepticism, and accepted the letter.
“I’m gonna go.” She was tearing up, so I figured she wanted a quick escape. She turned around and headed straight for her car, leaving me behind to stare at a folded-up letter. It had no envelope or anything, and I was the moron who just couldn’t help myself.
I flipped the letter open and blinked.
I miss you, honey. We can fix this.
“Christ,” I muttered. This wasn’t a letter. It was a fucking note—and she better not be holding her breath.
I pocketed the slip of paper, grabbed my coffee mug, and headed inside the main house to see if I could find any chewing gum in the kitchen. That was the extent of my deceit, a morning cigarette before I took my medication.
“Lucian?” It was River again.
I changed direction in the lobby and peered into the club area. River was standing by the patio doors, and he gestured his mug at something outside.
“I spy two brats schemin’, and one’s yours,” he said.
Oh, really.
Noa was awake, in other words.
I walked across the dance floor and came up next to River, and there they were. Noa and Corey were talking on the porch of Greer’s cabin. It was the one farthest down, closest to the forest, and I found it interesting that Noa was fully dressed. Was he going somewhere? Our breakfast plans were supposed to revolve around turkey bacon, eggs, and cartoons. The latter was a follow-up to Noa’s aftercare to make sure he was in his usual high spirits.
“You reckon it’s about the prank?” River asked.
I wouldn’t know. Those two weren’t our problem, regardless. It was Macklin. “Whatever idea the Littles have will go through Macklin’s rhyme and reason. He’s clearly in charge of whatever they’re planning.”
“Mm.” River nodded once. “Mack knows us too well.”
I was inclined to agree. Last night’s group play had undoubtedly made a few brats hopeful for more playtime between a squad of Sadists, but…as most of us knew, as Macklin knew, no Top would go further than they had yesterday. And no amount of playful flirting and kissing would trick Macklin into believing otherwise.
“If we were to categorize the brats according to their Top fantasies, how would you split them up?” I wondered. “Noa obviously wants to see all the Top-play he can get his hands on, but Kit, for instance—he’s a bit more reserved, isn’t he?”
