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“Good night, Heartbreaker,” Gabe calls as I turn for the stairs. “See you in the morning.”
Nah,I think, quickening my pace as a gush of heat erupts between my legs.I’ll be seeing you a lot sooner than that in my fantasies.
CHAPTER 19
Bennet
It’s plain to see that every one of us wants to follow Stella up the stairs to her bedroom, but I quickly put a damper on their plans before Gabe or Forrest can move. We need to address the elephant in the room.
“Your move,” I tell Gabe, who is still watching the space where Stella had been standing mere seconds ago. I have to tell him a second time before he hears me, and he snickers, picking up the dice to roll.
Forrest settles back against the couch, but I catch him sneaking a glance toward the second story as if he expects Stella to be standing there, watching us over the railing.
“Park Place,” Gabe announces. “Which one of you bastards owns it?”
“Me,” I say, extending a hand for him to pay.
“I’m out,” Gabe grunts, throwing the remaining money at me and flopping dramatically onto the floor. Almost immediately, he jumps to his feet with a fake yawn. “I’m off to bed,” he flatly lies to our faces.
I know what he intends to do, but I stop him before he takes a step.
“Hang on a sec,” I say, gesturing for him to sit as I, too, fall back against the couch, my back resting on the cushions like Forrest. The game is over, even though Forrest hasn’t called it.
Gabe offers me an exasperated look and remains standing. “What?”
“I’m pretty tired myself,” Forrest adds, rising.
I let out a deep breath. Initiating tough conversations isn’t something I often do; I tend to keep my thoughts to myself, but this is important enough that I put my reservations aside. “Both of you need to sit down so we can talk about Stella.”
My voice is so low, I’m not even sure if they heard all of what I said, but they caught the key point. Stella.
Gabe’s body language shifts, and Forrest’s body sinks back against the couch again.
“What about her?” Forrest asks warily.
“You guys were talking for a while in the kitchen after dinner,” Gabe remarks, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. “What was that all about?”
“This is exactly why we need to have a chat,” I say in the same even tone, careful that Stella doesn’t overhear. I don’t expect that she’s up there eavesdropping, but just in case… “Let’s take this outside,” I suggest.
“Right now?” Gabe groans.
“Yes,” I bark. “Who knows when we’ll get another chance to talk like this—without the cameras following us?”
I don’t mention the ones that are likely listening to our every word where we sit, even though I am distinctly aware of them.
Begrudgingly, they agree, and we head out toward the dying firepit, where Gabe starts another fire. I could do without it, but I don’t complain as Forrest sinks into one of the Adirondack chairs, draping an ankle over his knee.
Gabe keeps his back to me. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I think it’s clear what’s going on, isn’t it?” I ask, wondering why they are making me draw it out.
“What?” Gabe demands defensively. I glance at Forrest, who says nothing. He’ll be easier to speak with on the matter. Gabriel is taking this as a personal attack.
“We all have feelings for Stella,” I just blurt out. No sense in drawing it out.
Gabriel drops his pile of wood into the firepit with a tremendous crash and spins around to glower at us. “Is that what you and Stella were talking about in the kitchen? Me?”
I frown. “No. We were discussing the future. We have to think about what’s going to happen when all of this ends.”
