The Risk (Kings of Linwood Academy 3)

“He’s been giving me a hard time lately about you staying at our house, and when the call came in about the car, he went off.” River shakes his head, looking almost ashamed, like he’s letting me down somehow just because his dad is an asshole. “He knows you borrowed it and were driving when it wrecked. He’s… not the biggest fan of yours.”

I allow a sardonic smile to tilt my lips, reaching for his hand and lacing our fingers together. “Oh, he’s not a fan of the girl who crashed at his house for weeks like a squatter, then borrowed your car and wrecked it? Gee, shocker.”

River’s expression loosens slightly, and he grins back, tightening his fingers around mine. Good. It sucks that his dad is pissed at me, and it sucks even more that he’s probably pissed at River for all of this too. But I don’t want the serious, brown-haired boy to feel bad about it. It’s not his fault.

“She can stay here,” Chase puts in, shrugging lightly. “It makes the most sense. Our parents won’t give a shit what she does. She could tap dance naked through the living room, and they probably wouldn’t even notice.”

“Shit’s still messed up at your house, with Paige and all?” Dax asks Linc.

Lincoln grimaces. “Yeah. She’s still threatening to blackmail dad over the baby. I don’t know what he’s gonna do about it.”

“Low can stay with us. We’ll look out for her.”

“Okay,” Linc finally agrees, then he shifts his attention back to me. I can tell he doesn’t like this at all, and neither does River—I have a feeling neither boy wants to let me out of their sight. But it says volumes about the bond the four kings share that they’re willing to trust my protection to each other. “Until we figure out what to do about this fucking Judge Hollowell thing, you’ll stay here. River and I can bring your stuff over tonight.”

“You don’t have to do that.” I shake my head, blinking hard. The adrenaline is gone, and with the Advil kicking in, now I just feel exhausted. “I’m sure I can make it one night with what I have. I can borrow clothes to sleep in, can’t I?”

“Yeah. No problem.”

Dax’s voice is low, and when I cut a glance his way, the expression on his face makes my stomach turn to liquid heat. He looks like the thought of me in his clothes is the hottest fucking thing he can think of.

Chase’s eyes have darkened too, and I glance away as my stomach flip-flops. I remember thinking once that at the rate I was going, I’d probably end up having to crash at the twins’ house at some point, but I honestly didn’t expect it to really happen—or at least, not under these circumstances.

I feel overwhelmed. Like so much is happening that my mind can’t keep up with all of it, and random thoughts and worries keep popping up and dropping away before I can even process them.

River, who notices everything, must catch the mess of emotions swirling in my eyes, because he scoots a little closer to me on the couch, bringing our joined hands to his lips.

“It’s okay, Low. We don’t have to figure this all out tonight. We’ll get there. Keeping you safe is the main thing, and we’ll make a plan for everything else.”

How the fuck does he manage to stay so calm, confident, and certain? I lean into him briefly, soaking up his scent and the warmth of his body, and then I nod. “Okay.”

He stands, pulling me to my feet with him. “Get some sleep, okay? We’ll see you tomorrow.”

I nod again, and Linc crosses toward us. He grasps my chin in one large hand, his gaze bouncing between my eyes as he brings his face so close to mine I can feel the caress of his breath on my skin.

“We will not let anything happen to you, Low. You have my fucking word. We’ll fix this.”

Those are promises he can’t make, can’t guarantee he’ll keep. But I believe him anyway, and the knot of tension in my stomach unwinds a little.

He kisses me hard, the way he does when he’s trying to claim a piece of me before letting go, and I press my lips to his with the same bruising intensity.

River tugs me into his arms and gives me one long, slow, deep kiss before stepping back. Then the two boys turn and head for the door.

As soon as they’re gone, all the adrenaline and forced energy that was keeping me going drains from my body, and I practically wilt. Chase lets out a low chuckle and slings an arm around my waist, leading me back out into the entry foyer and up one of two sets of staircases leading to the second floor.

“Come on, sleeping beauty. Let’s get you horizontal before you pa

ss out.”

The twins’ rooms are on the second floor, and they’re both massive. They each have attached bathrooms, and I rally enough to request a shower. My hair is tangled with little bits of matted blood, and my shoes and pants got damp from tromping around in the snow. A hot shower and warm, dry clothes sound like fucking heaven right about now.

“Yeah, of course. Come on.” Dax opens the door to his bedroom and ushers me and Chase inside.

He shows me where the towels are in the bathroom, then leaves me to it.

I haven’t even asked where I’ll be staying, and if they offer me a guest room, I won’t say no. But to be honest, after the fucked-up day I’ve had, I hate the idea of sleeping alone.

Warm water sluices down over me as I tilt my face up toward the spray, letting it wash away the last remnants of the day. I expect the hot water and steam to make me sleepier, but they actually refresh me, making me feel more clear-headed and human than I have since the accident.