“Fuck me,” he grumbles under his breath. “Your arrogance knows no bounds. You’re lucky you’re so fucking hot, otherwise I might have left you at that tattoo parlor to face the firing squad.”
“Bullshit, you would have been worried that I’d fuck them too and your alpha, overprotective bullshit would have come out to play.”
Grayson narrows his eyes more than ready to throw down with me, but instead, he grabs me around the waist and hoists me up onto his lap. “Say it to my face, Ellie.”
I grin and just as my lips crush down against his, the front door swings open and two broody assholes come storming right in as though they own the place. My head snaps up and I grin back at them as they come striding into my living room. “How was Ember?” I ask, my desperation to know that she doesn’t hate me pulsing rapidly through my body.
“She’s alright,” Cruz says. “She went straight home. We watched her for a while, but I don’t think she’s going anywhere. At least, not tonight. She was fucking pissed with you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the one who orders the next hit on your ass.”
I groan, hating the thought. “She probably just needs some time,” I tell them, hoping to god that she can see this from my point of view. “She’ll come around. She’s hurting.”
King nods. “Probably. Where’s Carver?” he asks as he eyes me straddled over Grayson’s lap, my face dangerously close to his.
I scoff. “Probably licking his wounds and nursing his ego.”
“Huh?” Cruz says, dropping down in the seat I was in only two seconds ago. He meets my stare with a narrowed, suspicious gaze. “What did you do to him this time?”
“What?” I gasp. “I’m offended. I’m nothing but an angel. I didn’t do a thing.”
Grayson laughs and rests his hands against my waist, curling one of them right around and holding me close. “The dickhead wanted to play nice and asked her if he could escort her to the Ball next weekend.”
“Ahh, fuck,” King laughs, flopping back into his seat with an amused smirk pulling at his lips. He looks at me, his eyes sparkling like the most beautiful set of diamonds. “Let me guess, you fucking played with him.”
I give King the most innocent smile I can possibly come up with. “I mean, would I do that? I was a perfect lady.”
“Yeah, you fucked with his head,” Cruz laughs. “The poor bastard. How’d he take it?”
I bite down on my lip, more than ready to keep those details to myself, and instantly regret that I’d just finished telling Grayson all about it. “The fucker just walked out of here with his tail between his legs. She told him that she’d go with him, only because he seemed so desperate to take her.”
Cruz and King double over in laughter which only makes Grayson do the same. Despite already having heard the story, nothing but guilt pours through me. These guys have been friends for years so I’m sure they’ve seen more than their fair share of teasing, but there’s just something about Carver, and I hate the thought of others laughing at his expense. “To be fair,” I tell them. “Grayson totally exaggerated that story.”
“Either way,” King says. “Nothing’s better than having you put that bastard in his place, especially after the way he’s treated you over the past two months. You deserved better.”
“I don’t know,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “I give it to him just as hard as he gives it to me.”
“Speaking of giving it to you,” Cruz says, eyeing Grayson’s hands on my waist. “It seems like Carver isn’t the only one who’s been giving you something today. What’s going on here? Did my competition just double?”
I look over at Cruz, my lips pulling into a guilty grin. “If you consider the size of the monster between his legs, I’d say it didn’t just double, it tripled,” I laugh before looking at him with seriousness. “But we talked about this, right? You’re still cool with me being with Grayson, too? This doesn’t complicate things?”
His gaze briefly flickers toward King’s before settling back on mine, and as he looks between me and Grayson, he shakes his head. “I stand by what I said,” he tells me. “I’m cool with sharing as long as you’re not worn out by the time I get my hands on you.”
I give him a stupid grin before looking the other way at King. “And your stubborn ass?”
“My stubborn ass is good as long as your stubborn ass is.”
The boys both look at Grayson. “Are you good with this?” Cruz asks. “It’s not the same as when you dated Kristy Wakehurst. You can’t get all possessive when her eyes start to wander.”
“Kristy Wakehurst was supposed to be an exclusive relationship,” Grayson grumbles, reaching out and knocking Cruz on the shoulder for even bringing it up. “This is different. I get it. We share, but don’t come crying to me when she decides that I get her off best.”