“And if there’s anything to be sorted, we should be involved in the decision, anyway,” I added, folding my arms over my chest and refusing to budge. “Since it’s about us.”
Uncle Noel sent me a scowl, only to point at his son. “Beau, keep an eye on them until we get back.”
“What? I don’t want to play babysitter,” Beau said. “I’m crawling back into the warmth of my sleeping bag with Bentley. Who’s pregnant. With my baby. She needs me with her.” And his head disappeared into his tent.
“I’ll watch them,” Luke announced, eagerly popping forward and lifting his hand to volunteer.
JB glanced up in surprise. “I thought you’d gone back to bed.”
Luke shrugged, grinning jovially. “Sounded like things were getting exciting again.”
With a disgruntled huff, JB went back to resting his elbows on his knees while the beams from the adults’ flashlights bobbed away through the trees as they went off to sort things out.
I rolled my eyes with no idea what they possibly had to discuss away from us.
As they left, everyone else wandered off to bed as well, until only me, Luke, and JB remained in the clearing.
Great, t
his was going to be so uncomfortably awkward; I was stuck alone with the guy I’d nearly made out with and the guy I thought I was making out with.
4
Teagan
“So…” Luke said conversationally, setting his lantern on the picnic table before hopping up next to it and parking his ass. “What exactly did you two do in my tent tonight? You know, I don’t call it the love shack for nothing. I mean, did you see those stains on the ceiling? Impressive, right?”
“Eww,” I said as JB snarled at him with a deadly glower and muttered, “It’s none of your fucking business what we did.”
Luke’s eyebrows popped up, and his mouth formed an O before he turned my way, silently asking me what that was about.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head, refusing to get into it, then I glanced away guiltily. But my gaze ended up settling on JB, and God, he looked good stewing there in nothing but boxer shorts, his shoulders still as gorgeous as ever, even as sunburned and bowed in as they were while he huddled into himself trying to keep warm. Even his freaking bare feet were pretty as he curled his toes under them, something he often did when he was distressed.
Wow, why had I never realized how much the toe-curling thing charmed me before?
“Well, something happened,” Luke decided, smirking knowingly as he glanced between us. “Because T is definitely not wearing a bra either.”
As I gasped and crossed my arms back over my breasts where the cool night was making me nip like crazy, JB rose to his feet, snarling threateningly at his brother. “Stop staring at her chest.”
This time, my mouth dropped open right along with Luke’s, because JB hadn’t sounded merely moody there; he sounded like an overprotective, jealous boyfriend.
Oh Lord. What the hell was happening here?
Luke pulled back and lifted his hands, conceding his defeat. “Sure,” he replied before wincing at me, and not in an apologetic way, like, “sorry for looking at your tits,” but in a commiserating, “you see what a dick he’s being too, right?” kind of way.
I ignored him and hugged myself, burrowing deeper into my shirt. When I glanced toward JB, I noticed he was striking a similar pose, rubbing his hands up and down the sides of his arms as he sat back down on the tree stump. Poor thing, he didn’t even have a shirt to contain any of his body heat.
“Hey,” I called to Luke, gaining his attention. When he lifted his gaze, I tipped my head toward his brother. “Go get him a shirt, or blanket, or something, will you?”
JB glanced at me, his surprise evident.
Luke snorted. “I’m supposed to be your warden, not your damn errand boy.”
Fed up with this entire night, I picked up a nearby rock I saw sitting on the ground. It was more like a pebble, actually, so I knew it wouldn’t do any real damage when I chucked it at Luke as hard as I could. And besides, he easily batted it away as he cried his outrage over such abuse.
“Lucian Michael,” I growled through clenched teeth. “I said go get him something warm. He’s fucking cold.” For some reason, it didn’t seem to matter or even phase me that Luke was just as shirtless as JB was.
“I’m fine,” JB cut in quietly.