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“Oh, this is juicy,” Sibyl added. “He’s damn fine. I mean, Cole is hotter, but I’d ride both of them.”
Zoe shot me a subtle look. In the past, I would get hot-pissed when the girls discussed Cole and what they wanted to do to him, but this time was different. There was no doubt in my mind who Cole belonged to.
“What did you say?” Zoe shifted and tucked her feet beneath her butt.
“I told him I would have to think about it.” Isabel giggled. “I do not have to think about it, but this bitch can’t come across as too eager.” She pointed to herself for emphasis.
“I don’t see him as often now that we’re in college. Even sharing a campus, it’s easy to not see a person for weeks at a time.” I flipped my blonde hair over my shoulder. “Out of the group of friends Cole has, he seems the nicest.” I narrowed my eyes, pondering my statement. “I think.”
“He either got in less trouble than Cole, Anderson, and Sterling, or he was better at hiding it.” Dani rummaged around in her handbag, then produced a ponytail holder.
“When do you plan on answering him?” I asked, wondering if we could double date sometime. Even though Cole had been busy taking care of his problem and spending time with King, he and the guys were tight. If he were here, I would pin him down on his bed, kissing his face repeatedly, and demanding his opinion on Remington and Isabel. The thought of being with him again sent little shivers through me.
“He asked a few days ago, so I figured I would wait to respond, but now that I’m here … I think I should tonight.” She beamed at us.
“Yes! Plus, we won’t have to group text, we’ll get all the deets live,” Sibyl said.
Over the next hour, we chatted about who wanted to date who, how fast the summer was blowing by, and what styles were going to be in for the fall. I loved chatting about clothes and fashion with them. Sadness churned in my belly as I wondered what it would be like if Cole did join the MC. My life would look drastically different. I’m not even sure my friends would be interested in hanging around me anymore, except for Zoe. If Taco were nearby, she would be happy drooling over him, I’m sure.
Parched from the chit-chat, I picked up my bottled water from my nightstand.
“What about you, Shae? I mean, David is starting Eastview University in the fall.” Isabel wiggled her brows at me. “He’s hot as hell. You should tap that.”
I choked on my water and wiped off my chin. “What?”
“Yeah, full football scholarship,” Dani added. “How did you not know this?”
My cheeks heated. “I, uh … A lot has been going on. I was going to fill you all in this evening.”
Zoe rubbed my back, giving me some support. “First, the good stuff.”
Four pairs of attentive eyes stared at me, waiting in anticipation. I couldn’t stop the silly smile from spreading across my face. “Cole and I are together.”
Mouths dropped, then squeals filled the air. Seconds later, I was bombarded by their questions of when, how, and was he good in bed? For a while, my heart was lighter as I updated them with the details.
“There’s more. I know Daddy talked to your parents, I’m just not sure what he told them about the bodyguards. I can’t go into detail because I don’t have a lot, but something is going on with Cole and it’s seriously not good.” I picked at my comforter, searching for the courage to tell them about the assault. I swallowed hard, forcing the lingering images of that fateful night away. “Whoever is pissed at him … had Ibrahim kidnap me.”
A heavy hush descended over the room. “Ibrahim raped me, then I was tied and gagged in someone’s basement. Obviously, I was found, but that’s why I disappeared for a while.”
Tears clouded my vision as I glanced at them.
“Fuck, Shae. I’m so sorry.” Isabel was the first to break the silence. She wiped away her tears. “Is Ibrahim in jail?”
I gulped. “No. He’s dead. I can’t say anything else. I can’t force myself to share the horrible details. It was awful.”
Dani pulled me over for a hug. “Girl, love your ass so much. I’m here if you need anything.”
“Same,” Sibyl said, wiping her runny nose from her emotional response.
Dani’s serious gaze landed on me. “Shae, I know that we don’t talk about it much, but therapy … this is some serious shit. Have you considered talking to someone?”
Dani was right. It was frowned upon and wasn’t acceptable to have a therapist to tell your dark secrets to, and whoever thought it wasn’t cool could suck it. “I’m talking to someone and it’s helping a lot. She also went through … she was gangraped, and she’s regained her life again.”
Zoe hopped off the mattress, located a box of tissues in the bathroom, then set it in the middle of the bed.
“Thanks,” we said in unison as we all grabbed one.
Once we had all collected ourselves, Zoe piped up. “Cole is different with Shae. He’s super sweet to her. I’m happy they finally got together.”
