Page 91 of Veiled

“I hate all of you.”

Aiden nips my ear, his breath warm as he whispers, “Let me kiss you how I want to, and I’ll have you soaking my face in two minutes.”

Holy shit. Do I have time to pull him behind a tree and let him test that theory?

Noo, I need to finish what I was saying before Ghost Walking.

“So anyway, Mattey, Lucas has been telling everyone that I started screwing anyone who would buy me shit.”

“And you believed that because she hooked up with you?” Matt asks Aiden, not even trying to hide his disdain. “Even though you were the one who rushed out?”

“Not exactly how that happened. I’d been planning to stay the night with her if she’d let me, but when I started to tell her I didn’t have any other clothes, she practically pushed me out the door. When I was leaving, I noticed another guy's shirt on the floor, but didn’t think much of it until the next morning when Lucas burst into my room demanding to know what had happened between us. I wouldn’t tell him, so he told me how she’s broken his heart and warned me to be careful with her. Among a long list of traits, he said she had cheated and was known for sleeping around in your hometown, sometimes more than one guy in a night.”

“So, again, you just believed him? Even after hanging out with her.”

“In my defense, we hadn’t exactly done much talking, so I didn’t really know her. When Lucas told me all that shit, I admittedly got jealous, and then mad when I thought she had used me to cheat on her boyfriend or something.”

“Oh my gosh! That makes so much sense! And it had to be his,” Sasha gestures to Matt, “Matt’s the only guy Lee’s slept with…other than you…he’s there every other night pretty much.”

“Uh-huh,” Aiden says, clearly trying not to overthink that.

“Oops. I didn’t mean it like that. He’s just her teddy bear.”

“Not helping Sasha,” I sing-song.

“Yeah…I’m going to stop talking,” she says.

We’re only a few minutes from the clearing when Sasha tugs my arm. “Come check out the creek with me, Lee! I heard there are a bunch of lightning bugs out here at night!

I glance back, catching the pointed look she throws at Matt and Aiden.

“Go ahead,” Aiden says softly, squeezing my hand before letting go. “We’ll catch up.”

I hesitate for a second, but Sasha’s already dragging me down the smaller trail.

When we’re out of earshot, I look over my shoulder once. The guys are facing each other, looking deceptively relaxed, but I know both of them better than that.

Chapter thirty-three

Aiden

Matt breaks the silence first. “Are you serious about her?”

Normally, I wouldn’t even entertain being interrogated, but under the circumstances, I decide to entertain him, “Yeah. I really am.”

He looks away for a moment. “You know, when she was paired up with you for class, I thought I’d be more likely to be helping her dispose of your body than her introducing you as her boyfriend when she got back.”

I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, that makes two of us.”

Matt’s gaze snaps back to me, “She didn’t want you to leave that night, just so you know. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t hearing wedding bells or anything crazy, but she liked you enough to leave with you. I can't even tell you the last time that happened because it’s been so long.”

“Yeah, I know that about her now.” I pause, looking for the right words to say since I don’t think he’d like me telling him she’ll be hearing wedding bells by her graduation if I have things my way. Instead, I settle for an olive branch, “Look, I don’t know everything yet, but I know you love her—”

“It’s not—"

“I know, it’s not like that. She said you’re her family, and that’s what I plan to be to her, too. I’m not going to hurt her ever again.”

Matt studies me for a long moment. “And what if you do?”