The Lies We Tell (The Four 1)

First priority—pizza.

Hours later, the pizza had been demolished, and we were all lazing around on the sofas, Fast & Furious 10, or whatever number we were on, playing on the huge TV, and the boys were discussing cars while I browsed my social media.

A loud, insistent beeping sounded from Weston’s phone, and he bolted upright. “Be right back,” he threw over his shoulder, rushing out of the room.

“Getting a drink. Anyone want one?” Zayde stood, stretching.

“Yeah, JD and Coke, please, mate. Plenty of ice.” Cade glanced at me. “You want one?”

I nodded, and he held up two fingers to Zayde.

Cade and I were sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, and when Zayde had left the room I decided to take my chances. I crawled across the sofa and climbed into his lap, straddling him.

He gave me a lazy, sexy grin, his hands coming to my sides. “Hey there, Snowflake.”

“Hey.” I met his eyes. “I wanted to say thanks. For my car. Again.”

“I owed you.”

“You really didn’t.”

“I did.” He leaned forwards and gathered my hair to one side, then grazed his teeth down my neck and kissed my throat, before he drew back to look at me again. “I’m not a nice person, Winter.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“You should.” His voice was rough, insistent. “I don’t have the capability to be nice. I fuck everything good up.”

My heart twisted. I ran my nails up his chest, feeling his muscles contract under my fingertips, and his breath hitched. “You’re wrong.”

“I’m not.” Sighing, he lifted me off his lap, just as Zayde came strolling back into the room with our drinks.

“Not interrupting anything, am I?” he drawled.

“No,” Caiden said shortly, taking our drinks from Zayde’s hand, ice cubes clinking in the glass tumblers.

“Good, because I found a friend.”

Cassius sauntered into the room. “Miss me?”

“No.” That was from Caiden.

“Yes.” Me.

He grinned, a smug, satisfied grin, as he flopped down onto the sofa next to me. “I’m gonna become everyone’s favourite person in a minute. Where’s West? He needs to hear this.”

“I’ll find him,” I offered, jumping up before anyone else could say anything. I didn’t have to go far. I almost ran into him in the doorway, and only his quick reflexes stopped us from clashing.

“I’ve got news.” He brandished a laptop at the room in general.

“Tell us in a minute. I need to announce my news, first,” Cass insisted.

“Fine.” Weston placed the laptop on the coffee table, then took a seat on the floor, looking at Cass expectantly.

“Are you ready for this?” He smiled widely. “I succeeded in my mission. Operation AMC is a success!”

Everyone stared at him, our expressions ranging from blank to unamused.

He frowned, then tried again. “The board members voted, and thanks to my dad’