“Just boring grown-up shit. I mean stuff.” Pan does an apologetic grin at Wendy, and she rolls her eyes. He presses a hand to his chest, fake-offended. “What?”
Wendy laughs. “You guys aren’t real grown-ups.”
Pan sticks his tongue out at her. She laughs again.
Him, at least, she likes.
“Who the hell is that?” growls a voice.
Fuck.
Blue, scowling and shirtless, looms at the entrance to the hall.
Just seeing him kicks my pulse up again. I’m not scared of Blue, not even after last night. But he is…a lot. Like, you get why people pay for the privilege to see him. His shoulders span the whole doorframe, his arms are thick and wreathed over with ink, and his chest?—
Jesus. His chest is glinting with those stupid nipple rings. In front of akid.
Blue stares at Wendy, thenglaresat me. Then stares at her again, grabs the abandoned T-shirt on the island, and tugs it over his head.
The whole time, Wendy doesn’t even flinch. Which is pretty badass of her.
“I’m Wendy,” she replies, her voice a little craggy, but strong. “Who are you?”
Blue doesn’t get a chance to answer.
“That,” interjects Pan. “is my good friend Blue.” Now he flings an arm over the back of the couch, cocking his head to the side. “Hey pal,” he says brightly. “What’s new?”
Blue gives him a smoldering glare.
“I know, right?” Pan laughs, but not a laugh with a lot of humor in it. “Been a fucking day.”
Blue looks, for some reason, at me. Again.
“We’ll…explain later,” I say.
Pan frowns. “Who are you calling we?”
I throw him a look.Are you serious, dipshit? This is almost entirely your fault.
“Just hanging out here for a bit,” I add, and then, because I can’t resist jabbing at him. “Don’t worry your pretty little head. We’ll be out of here soon.”
Blue, of course, says nothing. Just stalks over to the minifridge, extracts a can, and leaves.
I close my eyes briefly.Fuck you too,I think.
“Uh…about that.”
“Jesus Christ.” I jump in place at the voice from seemingly nowhere—but no, it’s just Fox, on the spiral stairs.
Fox? What does he want?
“Oh, my bad.” Fox takes a step back. “I didn’t mean to?—”
Seeing Wendy, he frowns.
“All good,” I say quickly. God, so much for keeping this all low profile. And to think, six short hours ago I thought I might be getting a beach day.
My heart twists a little.
