Nothing Feels Better (Better Love 3)

13

“Wake up, wake up,” I shout into the condo. “Wake up!”

Kelley comes ambling out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

“I’m awake, J,” he grumbles, and I clap my hands.

“Perfect. Get dressed. Pack a swimsuit. We’re going to the lake.”

I try like hell to keep from bouncing on the balls of my feet, but I fail. I don’t even know why I try to fight it, honestly. Life is just better when you’re bouncing.

Kelley’s face brightens. “They put the pontoon in early?”

“They put it in early,” I confirm, and do a little dance. “An early graduation gift for us and a celebration of me committing to Harvard. Dr. and Mr. Hernandez even had the lake house stocked with food for the whole week, since none of us really have finals.”

“I fucking love your parents, J,” Kelley says, then nods to his bedroom. “Ives is already here, but you wanna get up with B and Riggs?”

“On it,” I say, and then hightail it out of the condo.

I call Riggs and fill him and B in on the news, and they both tell me they’re in. Then I head to Riggs’s townhouse to grab his Yeti cooler and raid his linen closet.

Zay answers the door when I knock.

“Riggs isn’t here.”

I grin. “I know. He’s at Bailey’s. I’m here at his behest to acquire the Yeti and some towels.”

He raises an eyebrow. “At his behest?”

“Gotta remind ya, I’m learned once in a while, Z.”

He huffs a teeny, tiny laugh, and moves to the side to let me in the house.

“What are you doin’ this weekend?” I ask him as I head toward the garage where the Yeti lives. “You wanna come to my parents’ lake house? They put the pontoon in and stocked the house with snacks.”

“Snacks?”

“Yeah, you know,” I say, and motion for him to grab the other side of the cooler. “Snacks. Sustenance. Pizza, pop, chips, cookies. Probably a bunch of stuff for charcuterie, too, because I am trash for a boujee meat and cheese board.”

He hits the button for the garage door opener, lifts his side of the Yeti, and we bring it out to my car in the driveway.

“You guys leavin’ now?”

“Probably in the next hour. It’s a ninety-minute drive to the place.” We heave the cooler into the trunk of my Kia, then turn back toward the house. “We’re probably gonna stay a few days since none of us have finals, but you can drive separate and come and go if you want.”

My phone pings in my pocket, and when I pull it out, I find a text from Riggs asking me to grab his swim trunks from his dresser, so I head upstairs to dig through his drawers to find his drawers. Heh.

“Just you guys?” Zay asks when I come back downstairs, swim trunks and towels piled in my arms.

“Yeah. Me, Riggs and B, and Kell and V. That’s i—”

I stop midsentence, then glance at the wall. There’s nothing on the wall, but it’s what’s on the other side of the wall that matters. I turn around and head toward the door.

“What the fuck are you doing, man?” The ire in Xavier’s voice stops me short. I turn to face him, and find his jaw clenched and his hands fisted at his sides.

“I’m gonna run next door and see if Joss and the kids want to come to the lake,” I tell him honestly, which seems to make him angrier. His nostrils flare. “What the fuck is your problem, Z?”

He shakes his head. “For being a genius, you’re pretty fucking stupid, Jesse. You can’t just fuck around with her. She’s not a co-ed. She’s different.”

My hackles rise and my head cocks to the side as I stare him down.

“You gotta little crush on The Hot Mom, Zay?” I’ll kill him. I will beat him to death right here.

He scoffs. “That right there. That’s why you shouldn’t be messing around with her. You immediately read me as possessive instead of protective. You don’t get it.”

“What’s there to get, Z? Me and Joss have fun together. We’re just hanging out until I have to leave in August. She knows what’s up.”

“Do the kids?” he asks, and I don’t answer. “That’s great that she knows you’re leaving in August, but you won’t just be leaving her. You’ll be leaving them. And I guarantee you, it will hurt those kids a hell of a lot more than you think.”

“What are you talking about? I babysat them, Z. That’s it.”

“Babysat them. Took them to play frisbee. Then took them out for pizza and ice cream. Now you want to take them away for the weekend? It might not seem like a lot to you, but it is to them.”

I don’t respond right away. I just watch him. Study the genuine frustration in his features, the tick of his jaw, and the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

“Where’s this coming from, Xavier?”

He clamps his eyes shut, then rakes his fingers through his hair.

“I was raised by a single mom. Every time someone new came into the picture, I got attached. Every time they left, I was crushed. Trust me, man.” He sighs and tilts his head to the ceiling. “It may not seem like it to you, but you’re making an impact. You gotta be careful.”

My defenses go up, and every stubborn bone in my body sparks. I’ve never been good at being told what to do. Ever. Caused some serious problems for me in high school.

On impulse, I shove my hand in my pocket, but my fingers don’t graze over the cool metal. I pause and run through my morning—I must have left it on my nightstand. The spike of anxiety I feel pisses me off, and I clench my fists. My first instinct is to drive back home and get it, but that’s ridiculous. I don’t need it.

I glance back at Zay and find that he is still looking at me, scowling at me, but I don’t have time for his shit.

“Just mind your business, Z,” I say as calmly as I can. “I know what I’m doing.”