“Mmhmm.” Fuck, I can’t talk right now because all I can focus on is how perfect Nico’s lips are. Full and beautifully shaped. What would they feel like against mine? And the way he smells. His rain scent makes me want to breathe him in.
“Maybe you should come with me to get that drink.” His eyes twinkle. “I’m afraid you’ll get run over and I’ll never find you. It was bad enough losing you once. I’m not about to do it again.”
I don’t miss the undertone in his sentiment. Maybe last week I would have confused his statement for friendship, but now I know what it sounds like when someone wants you.
I let my gaze flow over the crowd, looking for the horsemen as Kenz and Brandon move with us toward where the drinks are displayed. Caden has to be here already, right? It’s his house.
How do I explain this to them? Hey, here’s my best friend from elementary school. This means I’m off the hook, right? Because I’m pretty sure I can get busy with him even though I really enjoyed getting busy with you guys. My cheeks feel like they’ll burst from the heat that floods them.
I don’t know what other options are available. I don’t even know if they’ll let me hang out with Nico once they find out. Maybe I should take off with Nico right now and go somewhere to talk. Give him all the info about the horsemen. Let him know what he’s stepping into.
Nico leads me with a hand on the small of my back. Tingles spread through me from the simple touch. Now and then, he’llreel me into his side to keep someone from running me over. I turn my hopeless gaze back to Kenz, but she just grins and gives me two thumbs up.
Pretty sure I’m getting publicly spanked again. The guys won’t like this development. No guy at school stepped up to be my boyfriend. I don’t think they’ll accept an amendment for when new guys start school. Showing up with a smoking hot guy to their party won’t go over well. Especially one who keeps touching me.
And who I wouldn’t mind touching me even more. My stomach sinks and my heart twists. This is alltheirfault for making me want more. For opening my mind to more. Maybe my touch-starved body just craves it now.
“What do you want?” Nico looks over the open bottles and bends down to reach into one of the coolers. “Still love Cherry Coke?”
My heart damn near chokes me when I smile, remembering summers when we’d race into the kitchen to grab cans of Cherry Coke. We would giggle so loud Mom would yell at us to stay outside. “I haven’t had a Cherry Coke in years.”
“Then I have a mission.” He winks as he digs in the cooler. Kenz grins and Brandon draws her into the crowd.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and a warmth I’ve gotten too familiar with over the past weeks closes in on my back.
“Princess.” Luke’s deep voice in my ear does wicked things to my lower half. I melt into his heat, needing it.
Nico straightens at that moment. He’s smiling down at the can in his hand. “All I can find is a regular Coke, but I swear we’ll hit every store tomorrow to find you a Cherry Coke.”
When he goes to hand it to me, his dark eyes focus on the blond god behind me, standing way too close. Possessively close. I’m resigned to being permanently red-faced at this point.Maybe I can still find a way to make Nico walk away, so they don’t humiliate him before he even starts school.
“Hey.” Nico hands me the Coke. I take it as his eyes spark with recognition. “Figured I’d run into you sooner than later. How you been?”
Wait, what?
Luke’s hand slips over my hip as he draws me back against him. He rests his chin on my head, and I wish I could see his face. What the hell is going on?
“Nico, good to see you.” His voice sounds like he’s welcoming a friend. Luke holds out his other hand to Nico. They do this weird, complicated handshake thing that no one but them could possibly know. What the fuck is happening?
“You back for a visit?” Luke asks.
Okay, Nico was in football when we were in elementary, but he hadn’t been friends with the guys. He’d been my friend.
“Nah, man.” Nico’s eyes dip down to Luke’s possessive grip on my hip before he lifts his gaze back to Luke’s, skipping my face. “Came back for my senior year. Dad just got the news, so it was all rush rush. Sucks to move, but since it was somewhere I know people, I thought why the fuck not. And of course, Harper is here.”
Luke’s fingers tighten into my hip as his thumb dips beneath the waistband of my jeans to tease the top of my panties. My breath hitches and I want to squirm under his touch, especially with Nico watching.
I’m used to the other horsemen watching, but Nico doesn’t know what’s happening. Even though the basement is stuffed to capacity, it feels like it’s just me, Luke, and Nico.
I don’t really know what to do in this situation. It’s not like I’m not used to being between two men I find attractive.
That’s pretty much my life now.
“I didn’t know you knew Harper.” Luke presses into me from behind.
“Used to be best friends. Right, sunshine?” His dark eyes dip down to capture mine.
The old nickname makes my face warm. I’m glad Luke can’t see me.
