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And Reign, yeah, there was pure joy at hearing it.
"You're gonna need a lot of fuckin' grout," he added, moving past him and out into the yard, chuckling a little to himself.
"Don't think he likes me very much," West decided, but sounded completely unbothered by the fact.
"Think he just likes taking you down a peg or two," Roderick supplied. "And, not for nothing, but you kind of need it."
"What? Me? I'm pleasant as fuck. Right, Freddie?"
"Sure. A real delight," I said, only half teasing. He actually did seem nice enough. He ran off at the mouth, didn't think things through, was a shameless flirt, but it all seemed in good humor. Even if maybe Lou and Ty didn't take it that way.
"Yo, West," Sugar called when he went to walk away.
"Yeah?"
"What did Lou do to you?" he asked.
"He got acquainted with those cuffs of hers," Renny supplied. "As she locked him to her wing mirror and made his ass run as she drove across town. He looked ready to drop by the time she got to the yard to unlock him."
I was pretty sure Lou was going to be someone interesting to know.
"Lost five pounds in sweat," West agreed, shaking his head.
"He's a dick," Renny declared, but without malice.
"So are you. Yet here you are," Roderick told him, smiling.
"That's fair enough," Renny agreed. "So, what's your story?"
"None of your business," Ty chimed in immediately.
"It's not like they aren't going to find out if what you said about them running background checks is right."
"It's right," Renny confirmed. "And we always like when someone has the balls to tell us up front."
"I just got out of prison," I supplied, finding the words easier than they would have been just days before.
"No shit?" Sugar asked, making it clear that Ty hadn't been talking about me, about us. I couldn't help but wonder if that was a good or bad thing. "How long?"
"Ten years."
"You were a baby," Roderick said, shaking his head.
"Just turned eighteen."
"What'd you go away for?" Renny probed. That was how it felt, too. Probing. Like an invasion.
"None of your business," Ty declared. "That is for Reign to know if he wants to."
"Alright," Renny agreed, holding up a hand, letting it drop.
"So... we hear you cook," Roderick said.
"She's not here to cook for us," Ty objected.
"I don't mind. If I'm going to be here, the least I can do is cook dinner," I said, tone light, countering Ty's unusual severity.
"See, she doesn't mind," Roderick said with a victorious smile.
"Come on, let's go put your bag down," Ty said suddenly, reaching down to grab my hand, pulling me with him down the hall.
"What's the matter?" I asked once we were out of earshot.
"They're grilling you," he grumbled, pushing open a door, pulling me inside.
"So? I kind of knew that was how it was going to be. They're curious."
"You don't owe them answers about your past."
Why?
Because this was temporary?
If he planned to keep me around in the long term, his friends would all know about my past, right?
"What's this?" Ty asked, moving closer, pressing a finger between my brows where two lines had to have been formed.
"Not..."
"Nope. We're not doing that. Straight answers. That's what we've done so far. Think it's a good system."
"If I am going to be... sticking around for a while, wouldn't they all figure it out eventually?"
"Yeah," he agreed, nodding. "But on your terms. And after you've talked to Reign. The guys - especially Renny who likes to dig too deep into everything - will take that information and twist it before it got to Reign."
And Reign was hard about drugs.
I guess that made sense.
Jumping to conclusions was only going to create undue stress.
"Still didn't explain the frowning," he told me, head ducking low, forcing me to keep eye contact.
"It's nothing. I just... wondered if you didn't want me to tell them because you didn't plan on me being around long enough to."
He was silent for a minute, considering. "Tell you what. If you start wondering about something, ask. Seen too many people get into stupid ass fights over something that could have easily been worked out if they talked about it. I'd prefer not to be those assholes."
I liked that.
He was right.
Fights because people refused to have an adult conversation were ridiculous, unnecessary.
"Speaking of fights," I said, smiling a little. "Were you really planning on getting into one with West?"
"No." My heart sank a little at that, realizing some primitive, cavewoman part of me had thrilled at the idea of him fighting for me. As base as that might have been. "I was going to knock his ass out. There wouldn't have been any fighting," he added with a smirk, like he knew I would like that.
"You don't need to get into fights over my honor. I can handle myself."
