“Could be someone else, buddy.” Vincent crammed a piece of bread into his mouth and left the kitchen to go check.
I couldn’t think about food. I scrambled off my stool and tried fruitlessly to smooth down my messy bed head.
“Yup, that’s them,” Vincent announced, returning to the kitchen. “Want me to open, or should we keep quiet until they go away?”
I rolled my eyes, then threw a helpless look at Rosa. “Could you get the door while I put on a shirt?”
She was about to nod; she was right there, and then something changed in her eyes. They crinkled at the corners, and she pursed her lips. “Or you rip the Band-Aid, mijo. Let them see you. Be proud of who you are.”
What? No! No! I couldn’t possibly. I was a mess. My hair was all over the place, I hadn’t shaved in three days, and my body was still too lean. As soon as my doctors cleared me for heavier exercise than the rehab I’d been through, I’d gone to a gym…once a week. And that wasn’t enough. I swam sometimes too. But God, showing up shirtless was out of the question with my scrawny body littered with ugly scars.
I shook my head vehemently and folded my arms over my chest. “Please open the door for me.”
“No,” she said simply.
Ugh! I looked pleadingly at Vincent. “Can you—”
“Yeah, no.” He smirked. “Get the door, or let them disappear.”
Anger engulfed me, even though I realized how childish I was being. I loved my tattoos; I knew for a fact that they covered almost all the scars, and I was hardly ugly to look at. It was the vulnerability I feared people would see, and Colt and Lucas certainly struck me as two men who would fish that out quickly.
The doorbell rang again, and I was out of time.
I swallowed dryly and walked toward my doom. My heart rate spiked as I reached the entryway and saw two blurry silhouettes through the frosted window in the door, one slightly taller than the other tall guy. I was screwed. Christ. Okay. Here we go.
Twisting the doorknob, I opened up to see Colt and Lucas—and worse, for them to see me.
“Hi,” I croaked. “You’re, um, early.”
Lucas took off his sunglasses and smiled. “Yes, we are. Hello, Kit.”
Colt was more interested in making me uncomfortable than saying hello. His brows went up a bit, and he gave me a slow once-over that turned my face beet red. I hugged myself loosely, probably failing at coming off as casual.
“Early is on time,” he murmured as he made eye contact. One of the corners of his mouth twisted up. “This is gonna be a good weekend.” With that said, he picked up a duffel from the stoop and entered the house.
I shivered as he brushed past me.
Lucas picked up something else, a grocery bag. “Don’t let him unnerve you, dear.”
“Too late,” I laughed shakily.
He paused right in front of me in the doorway and tilted his head at me. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, you’ve unnerved us too.”
That didn’t compute. “What? How?”
He chuckled warmly and leaned closer. My breath hitched as he cupped my jaw and ghosted his thumb across my cheek. “You’re a compelling boy, Kit. That’s how.”
Maybe I died right there. Or blacked out. I stopped breathing at least, and when I came to, Lucas was gone.
I heard both him and Colt in the kitchen, talking to Rosa and Vincent.
I sucked some air into my lungs and closed the door, only to lean back against it. My heart was racing. Abel appeared in my head, as did his smug expression. But I couldn’t believe he was right, not yet. Tell that to my hope, though, because that crashed through the roof. There was a possibility they wanted to…what, play with me? Holy crap. No, wait. He’d only been nice to me, technically. Daddy Doms were often affectionate merely because they were lovely people. For instance, the way Lucas had acted with Cameron at the munch.
There. My head was level again. Sort of.
Deep breaths.
“This is gonna be a good weekend.”
We hadn’t discussed how long this movie marathon would last. I’d assumed they would leave before the day was over. Now I hoped that wasn’t the case. I mean, what if we had a sleepover? I’d read about those! I truly, truly wanted to experience one. They sounded like so much fun. Movies, treats, cozy lighting, blankets and pillows everywhere, and togetherness.
Was there an actual chance I’d be a temporary part of a triad this weekend? Oh my God, was there a chance we’d be intimate?
Filled with nerves and anticipation and foolish hope, I snapped out of my state and headed for the kitchen. I’d already failed to introduce everyone properly; there was no need to worsen things further.