Wild Like Us (Like Us 8)

“Oh fuck.” I cup the back of his head. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” His shadow of a smile appears while he ducks, his eyes on me.

I’m still touching his head. Gripping his soft, brown hair, I’m really fucking loving the way he’s looking at me right now. His smile keeps growing.

My heart flip-flops.

I’m giddy, until I question how much of an insensitive asshole I’m being. Because Akara is right here. Watching.

His Adam’s apple noticeably bobs like he’s swallowing a rock.

I don’t want to hurt him.

I don’t want to hurt anyone.

Someone is going to get hurt, Sulli. I know. I fucking know, but I just hate that I keep sinking a knife in their hearts before I’ve even chosen.

Thankfully, Neil helps segue the moment. “Take a look around.”

There’s not much to see, and I’m about to scratch this one off based on Banks hitting his head, but he beats me to it.

“Don’t worry about me,” he says. “It’s not like I’m doing jumping jacks in here. I’ll just be racking out, and I’d rather not let Booger carry a bigger trailer.” He rests his ass against the kitchenette counter and bends his legs a little, giving his neck a rest from ducking. “See? I’m good.”

Akara is already shaking his head, then drops his voice to a whisper. “We need to get a bigger one.”

“Why?” I frown. “This is close to perfect.”

He already knows my sister wants to sleep in a tent, and she understands why I’m switching to an RV.

Akara explains, “The Yale boys are going to ask where we’re all sleeping in this thing.”

“Fuck,” Banks says, realizing the same thing as Akara. But I still don’t see the problem.

My frown deepens. “I don’t get it. I’m taking the single and you two are cramming in the Queen. Right?”

Banks points to the dinette area, a table and two cushioned seats. “That doesn’t have a mattress.”

“So?” It still converts into a bed. There’s another cushion stored somewhere. The table lowers and the extra cushion goes on top. Winona won’t bat an eye, so why would Farrow and Oscar?

“The Yale boys won’t believe I let you sleep there over the bed,” Akara says. “It’s going to draw attention.”

“Cumbuckets,” I mutter and ignore a weird look from Neil. “Fine. We can find something that has a bunk.”

We all exit, and Neil claps his hands together. “We find a winner?”

Akara takes over, knowing that I don’t love small talk. “Unfortunately, it’s just a little small for us. We’d like to see another.”

Neil nods and looks between the three of us. “Maybe if I knew your situation better, I could help.” He eyes Banks’ height like that’s the sole problem. I’ve always been the one given a double-take for my height, so I know how it feels. But definitely not to the extent that Banks gets.

Neil asks him, “Are you sleeping in the bed or the single?”

“Wherever,” Banks says.

“The bed,” Akara and I refute together.

Neil narrows his eyes at me. “So the couple is in the bed.” He looks to Akara. “And you’re on the single.”

Couple.

Couple!

Cum-nugget, he thinks Banks and I are together. It was me holding Banks’ head that gave Neil that conclusion, wasn’t it? I roast a shade of red. “Um,” I say, feeling Akara’s hurt in the air. “We’re not a couple.”

Banks’ jaw tenses.

Fuck.

I’m fucking this up.

“They’re actually both taking the bed,” I say quickly, motioning from Banks to Akara. “We’re all just friends here.”

“Good friends,” Banks says.

“Really good friends,” Akara adds like he’s trying to top Banks.

Okay, lots of testosterone is pumping into the air right now. I am both turned on and worried that they’re going to start testing the boundaries of their friendship.

I am not a Friendship Assassin. If I repeat it enough in my head, maybe it’ll be true.

Neil looks a little freaked out but he covers quickly by pointing to another trailer. “This one might be better suited for three friends.”

As we follow him, my phone buzzes.

Sulli-Bear! I’m pulling in to the RV place now. Can’t wait to see your gorgeous face

She adds a ton of nature emojis, and my chest swells like I’m about to rush downstairs on Christmas morning. My sister is here. Then I suddenly remember all I’m keeping from her.

Cougar attacks.

Bachelorette-style dating with my bodyguards.

Hey, at least I’m still vegan.

My stomach sinks regardless. I’ve realized that I won’t be able to hide the cougar attack. Clothes conceal most of our healing wounds, but we still have visible scratches. Plus, the bite mark on Akara’s elbow is in plain sight. She’ll ask.

I won’t lie.

And so I’ll finally have to come clean.

I quickly text her back a big smiley face and hearts.

Akara whispers into his mic, and I think he’s probably giving our location to Winona’s bodyguard. Greer Bell is on Security Force Epsilon, which means that for the first time this whole trip, someone from Price’s Triple Shield is here.