“I don’t wanna…” I whined like an annoyed toddler. “Seriously, this isn’t fair!” We were back at the cabin and the sun was blaring down on my skin. I had yoga pants and a loose tank on. Too loose. So I wrapped the front into a bun and tied it tightly under my sports bra.
“Oh come on, this will be fun!” That was Nate, grinning from his seat. All of them were here. Nate, Jase, Hunter, and Chase were sitting on the logs that surround the bonfire. Their sunglasses covering their eyes while they sat there, shoving potato chips into their annoying gobs, drinking beer, and basically, looking like they were ready to watch an hour long movie. Bishop, Brantley, Eli, Cash, and Saint were semi surrounding me in a circle. All dressed accordingly. You know, with no shirts and various colors of jeans. Some worn, some not so worn, som— “Madison!” Bishop snapped.
I brought my eyes to him where they were squinted. “What!”
“Watch those eyes.”
I turned red. I didn’t even realize I was obviously checking them out—without checking them out. “I was looking at all of your jeans, actually,” I mumbled under my breath grumpily. Then I cranked my neck. “I’m really not sure about this.” Saint had laid down some combat mats. Which proved my earlier statement. He was the brains of the group. I heard a car speeding down the long private gravel road and everyone revived to alert. The guys shot up from their seats while Bishop slowly stepped in front of me. Then they all relaxed and mumbled annoyances. I couldn’t see around Bishop’s block of a body but when I heard the voice, I laughed.
“If you think you boys get to beat her ass without me watching, you’re mistaken.”
I giggled. “Tate, tell me you brought vodka or something.” I had a feeling our holiday was going to be fueled by alcohol and poor decisions. Oh, and I have a new boyfriend who isn’t really new, and I guess we haven’t really made it official. Crap. Is he my boyfriend?
“Kitty!” Bishop growled, pointing to my arms that were not so defensively to the sides of my body.
“Oh, I really don’t want to do this,” I whined.
I could hear mumbled arguing to the side of me, so I turned to see what was going on only to find Tate and Nate fighting over a bag of chips.
“Seriously!” I deadpanned at the both of them. “I mean I expected it from Nate, but not you.” I pointedly glared at Tate.
She looked around the group innocently, licking the salt off her fingers. “Oh come on.” She rolled her eyes. “You’ve totally got them all. And besides, I haven’t been laid in what feels like, weeks. This will be like live porn.”
“That’s not pervy at all,” I retorted, then turned back to a grinning Bishop.
“Oh it’s totally pervy, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.”
“Wait, you haven’t had dick since mine?” Nate asked, staring at her.
She turned Ferrari red and I relished in the fact that her mouth had once again, landed her ass in hot water.
She shrugged. “I’m fussy, so what.”
Jase was staring her up and down. “I mean, I can rectify that if you want. Can’t guarantee you’d survive a real man, though…”
Nate flipped him off.
I rubbed my forehead with the palm of my hand. “Fuck me. I have idiots as friends and family.”
Music started playing through the big boom speaker that was huddled near Nate, and I recognized the song from one of their parties. “Get Dough” by Dead Obies.
An hour later, sweat was dripping from my skin and Bishop’s body was pressing into my back with my face squished into the mat. “Okay! Alright! Fuck!” He circled his crotch into my ass. I flushed. “Stop it…”
The entire time we’ve been doing this training-fighting thing, Bishop was going hard on me. And I don’t mean his dick. I will most likely have bruises all over my arms and butt for weeks after this. Brantley was no exception either. He almost knocked me out, waiting for me to get out of the sleeper hold. They weren’t playing around at all, but now I was tired, sweaty, and thirsty. Not for water.
“Can we continue this next week?”
“No,” Bishop answered, jackknifing off me and getting to his feet. “We all have to stay out here…”
I looked around at them. “Why are we staying out here?” I couldn’t believe I didn’t ask anyone earlier about why we were all out here. Bishop’s phone went off in his pocket and he stepped backward, answering it. I turned to Nate and Jase. “Seriously, what’s going on?”
His eyes drifted over my shoulder. “What?”
I followed his line of sight, facing Bishop.
“We’ll leave tomorrow.”
“Leave?” I asked, my eyes darting around the place. “Leave to where?”
“Come here…” He gestured with his fingers, and I followed, hooking my fingers with his. He sat on a log and pulled me onto his lap. “We have to go to Perdita.”
I sat for a beat, thinking over what he had just said.
“Three questions,” Tate yapped off in the background. “What’s Perdita, do they have margaritas, and should I pack my bikini?”
“I’ll answer all those three for you,” Nate snapped back. “One, you’re not coming, two, you’re not coming, and three, you’re not fucking coming.”
“Really?” She shot back with a roll of her eyes. “Because I specifically recall you ‘coming’ all over my tits last week.”
“Jesus Christ,” Jase muttered, getting to his feet. A few guys chuckled, but I was so used to Tate and Nate’s banter, I brushed them off. Even if their banter had intensified over the past week. Must be Tate not getting any sex.
“Ok, why?” I quizzed through more of a whisper, searching Bishop’s eyes, which were on mine, studying my reaction.
“We’re not sure yet, but we know we have to get there.”
My confusion turned to excitement when I realized I’d get to see Daemon. “I’ll need to grab some clothes.”
“Babe, I’d rather you not come.”
“Too bad, I’m coming.”
“Mads…”
“Bishop…” I countered his tone. “I’m. Coming.”
He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, his eyebrows pulling in softly as if he was searching for what to say, or internally fighting with what he should do. Too bad, I wasn’t giving this up. I’d sneak myself onto that plane if I had to.
“Fine,” Bishop agreed. I wiggled in his lap in excitement and his hands flew to my hips where he stilled my movements. His eyes narrowed. “Watch it.”
“Wait, she can’t come. We can’t have a liability on Perdita.”
I flipped Hunter off. “I’m not a liability!”
“Nah, she’s right. She needs to be near us. She’s not safe here on her own and we can’t afford to leave anyone here to watch her because we need all the manpower we have over there.”
I gave Hunter a Cheshire Cat grin.
His face deadpanned. “I don’t like having a baby sister.”
“You’ll warm up to her.” Nate winked at me. I smiled.
“To her or on her?” Hunter snapped back.
“Okay!” I stood from Bishop’s lap. “So I want Tate to come with me.”
“You do?” Tate’s face lit up.
Nate’s sunk.
“Yes, I do.”
“Ah… I don’t thin—” Bishop started to say, but I cut him off.
“—she’s coming.”
“Now do you still think it’s a good idea her coming?” Hunter flicked his wrist in my direction, but his eyes were on Bishop.
“Mmm,” Bishop mumbled and then stood.
“Please tell me were not throwing a party…”
Bishop shook his head. “Nah, just us out here. If you two need to go home to get some clothes, I’ll take you now since I have to stop at my parents’ and see Dad quickly.”
“Ok,” I nodded, and then hitched my thumb over my shoulder, toward the cabin. “Is there still no food up in there?”
Bishop gave me a look that said “correct.”
“We’ll stop and get food. I’m starving and I need a shower.”
Bishop’s hand sprawled out over my belly and he pushed my body into his, his lips falling to my shoulder. “Shower later. Come on.” He slapped my ass and then made his way to his car. Tatum brushed off her pants and shot Nate a scolding look before following Bishop.
“Just out of curiosity,” I muttered, slowly walking toward where Nate was sitting. “What did you do to piss her off so bad?”
“What?” He threw his hands in the air innocently. “Why do I have to be the one who had done something wrong?”
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Because you’re you?”