AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I whirled around on her. “That shit is not funny. There is still a chance that you can beat this. Knock it off, or I’m going to beat your ass. You’re an amazing, strong, feisty woman and you need to be reminded of the badass bitch you are.” I glared at her for extra emphasis and poked her in the shoulder with my finger.
Her face fell as she stared at me for a moment. With a sniffle, she threw her arms around me. “Thank you. Oh, my God. Everyone stopped reminding me of that. I became Sick Brynn. Let’s take care of her, coddle her. No one has said, ‘you’ve got this.’ ” She hiccupped, and I returned her hug.
“That’s what best friends are for.”
We released each other, smiled, and held hands as we left the bedroom with the unopened bags, then entered the living area. What Brynn didn’t know was that I’d left my heart on the fucking floor.
Once Holden made another drink for me, I sat in his lap while Brynn snuggled up to Reid and Jace. Chance sat in the other chair, pretending it didn’t bother him. Maybe if he understood that her odds of beating cancer were slim, he wouldn’t take her behavior personally. Brynn admitted she could see herself settling down with him, but if she didn’t have a future … Black clouds rolled into my thoughts, and I kicked them to the curb. Brynn was one of the strongest women I knew. She could fucking beat this.
“Are you okay?” Holden whispered against my ear, stroking my hair.
I couldn’t lie to him, but I couldn’t betray Brynn’s trust either. “Brynn and I had a heavy conversation. I’m just chewing on it. It’s been a big day.”
“Do you need to talk?” Concern weaved through his words.
“Not yet. I’ll let you know when I do.” I kissed him. “By the way, Brynn ate an edible and she’s pretty stoned.”
The corners of Holden’s lips turned up. “Oh yeah?”
“Mmhmm.” I took a long drink, allowing the alcohol to relax me even more.
“So, Reid, when 4 Play is rebuilt, do you want to join the sex club?” Brynn asked.
My drink spewed from my mouth, spraying my boyfriend’s shirt. “What the hell, Brynn? Shouldn’t you have talked to the guys before you asked Reid?” I asked, choking. I stood and searched for something to use to dry him off. I hurried to the bathroom, then handed Holden the towel. The room was stone-cold silent, Reid’s expression unreadable.
Finally finding my voice, I sat back down. “It’s not like the compound, Reid. It’s all consensual with playrooms. It was actually a lot of fun.”
Reid leaned forward, then back again. He placed his long finger over his lip. “Why does it need to be rebuilt?”
Holden peered around me. “Because our father, Tim, burned it to the fucking ground. There was the main club, then the lower floor was for exclusive clientele. Each person had to apply, I ran a thorough background check, and they had to sign consent and nondisclosure forms when they used a room.”
“Huh. Sounds like my kind of place. Are you definitely going to rebuild?” Reid took a sip of his drink.
“I’m considering it, but it also depends on River. She was kidnapped from there, and we haven’t decided yet.”
“If anything, we definitely need to rebuild the Master’s Playroom,” I added. Everyone chimed in, agreeing.
“What’s that?” Reid asked.
Brynn winked at me. I understood what she was doing, but it wasn’t cool to bring it up like that. I hadn’t ever seen Brynn behave like this, so I was going to blame the edible.
Holden cleared his throat. “Two other girls, Payton and Sariah, along with Brynn, Jace, Chance, and myself formed a secret group when we were in high school. We didn’t sleep around like most everyone else. We kept it within our circle, but anything was fair game as long as everyone was on board.”
Reid let out a low whistle. “Was there a reason behind forming the elite group?”
Jace cleared his throat, looking at Holden. “It’s a long story.”
I twisted in Holden’s lap and quirked a brow at him. “I don’t know why you started it, either.”
Holden rubbed my back. “It’s not just my story to share. It also belongs to Brynn, Jace, and Chance. They’re the only other people who know the truth.”
“I don’t care if Reid and River know. I’m not ashamed of how it went down,” Brynn said.
“It’s not only about you, though,” Chance added, his tone short.
I hadn’t heard Chance cop an attitude with Brynn before, but he was clearly irritated with her. I was sure it had happened before, but I hadn’t ever seen it.
“If Reid is one of us, then we should tell him.” Brynn stretched her long legs in front of her, eyeing Chance. “I mean, River should know as well.”
