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Colt snorted. “What fun? Seeing you shit-faced?”
Ty and I exchanged an amused look, and then we stepped into the low light of the porch, and Lucas and the silent twin spotted us.
River nudged Reese and smirked a little.
“That must’ve been one vicious lizard, you two,” Lucas noted.
“Oh my God.” Macklin widened his eyes at me. “What kind of lizard chokes people?!” Then he faced the others and made a give-me motion with his hand. “Pay up, losers. River and I win.”
Wait, what?
“We don’t know that yet.” Reese got defensive.
Colt shook his head, looking downright disappointed, and hauled out his wallet from his back pocket. “I thought you were better than this, Ty. On the first day—really?”
“Sorry, Ma.” Ty opened the gate for me, shaking his head in amusement. “I saw an irresistible little fighter and went for him.”
Oh. I was the irresistible little fighter. Try wiping that grin off my face now.
“Was there even a lizard at all?” Shay spoke up from his spot on the floor between River and Reese.
“Oh, believe me—I didn’t walk away unscathed,” I said. “We caught a giant-ass Nile monitor.”
Ty gestured for me to take the chair he’d sat in before, next to River, and he said something quietly about heating up some food for us.
If this was part of his aftercare routine, I was game. And he had told me to stick close to him tonight.
While the others fell into a discussion about lizards and childhood anecdotes, Macklin came over to me, kissed me quickly, and squatted down next to the chair, arms resting on the armrest.
I smiled at him and touched his cheek. “You’re drunk.”
“You’re freshly fucked.”
I grinned and leaned closer. “Holy fuck, is all I’m gonna say.”
“Good,” he chuckled. “And your arm? Do I wanna know?”
“That was the lizard. Ty patched me up.” I didn’t mention the stitches, ’cause I knew Mack would worry.
“So I don’t wanna know,” he joked. “Just…be careful, all right? I’m assuming you and Ty will head out for more creepy-crawly pickups, and I really don’t wanna read in the paper about a gorgeous out-of-towner who got eaten alive by a python.”
He was too damn sweet. I leaned down and rested my forehead to his. “Don’t worry, babe. Pythons kill their prey before they swallow it.”
“Jesus Christ.” He stood up, not amused at all by my joke, whereas I laughed my ass off. It’d been hilarious! “Now I don’t even feel bad about ditching you tonight.”
Whoa. “You’re doing what?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you and Ty haven’t already made plans to spend the night anyway?”
Well…not in those words. We hadn’t specifically said that we’d share a bed tonight.
I furrowed my brow. “We’ve mainly discussed play this week—and him kidnapping me a little bit.”
Macklin squatted down again and scratched his forehead. “Okay, well—I just…really don’t wanna sleep on that boat.”
“You haven’t even seen it. It’s beautiful. The bed is insanely comfortable too.”
He smiled, but something was missing in his eyes. For a brief second, I was overwhelmed by sadness; it gripped me so forcefully that I lost my words and felt the need to hug Macklin, to protect him from everything that hurt him.
“This is about Walker somehow, isn’t it?” I asked quietly.
He exhaled a laugh and got teary-eyed, which he tried to hide. “It always fucking is.” He sobered and nodded once. “I’m gonna be a mess this week, Lane. Reese and Lucas have offered to keep an eye on me, and I’m gonna accept their offer.” He put his hand on my arm and kissed it. “This is not me shutting you out. It’s me closing myself in. I have to prepare myself for him returning to DC, and I won’t drag you down with me. I hope that makes sense.”
It did, but that didn’t mean I was a fan. “Do you expect me to go out and have fun this week while my boyfriend is in pain? I don’t work that way, Mack. Regardless of our dynamic.”
He averted his gaze, and I wasn’t having it. Not for this. I cupped the back of his head and leaned down more, creating at least a semblance of privacy. The others were busy talking reptiles, and for once, I wasn’t interested one bit.
“Hey. I can keep my distance a little if that’s what you want,” I murmured. “But I will check in on you. I will drag you out and make you come with us when I’ve determined you’ve suffered in silence enough. I may not know Walker like Reese and Lucas do, but I’d like to think I know you quite well. And darkness is not your friend, sweetheart.”
He finally glanced up at me, and I hoped he could tell I wasn’t backing down.
He wasn’t gonna go through this alone, end of fucking story.
PART 2
PROLOGUE
Walker McKenna
“Hi.”
Not again. Not another brainless child who was here on Daddy’s dime.
