Chapter 17
A fter a very cold shower and an inappropriate use of the detachable shower head later, I’m sitting crisscrossed on my bed waiting for Cora and Lily to answer my FaceTime. If there was ever a time I needed some advice, it would be now.
When Cora picks up, I’m greeted with the back of April’s head as she nuzzles against Cora’s neck. A ping later, Lily pops up on the other side of my screen, looking all kinds of sleep-rumpled as she sits up, rubbing her eyes and fixing her glare on me.
“Why exactly are you waking me up before ten on the one day I don’t have classes?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Sleeping Beauty, some of us had very rude wake-up calls this morning and need to talk about it.”
“What happened?” Cora asks as she shifts April around so we can see her cute baby face as she coos softly to herself. I’ve never been particularly broody, but every time I see Cora and April together, I find myself wondering what it would be like to have my own little mini-me to love and dote on.
“Well, you see, I went to get a shower only to see Logan was already in said shower. Naked. And jerking off.”
“Holy shit. Wait a second, I need to give April to Owen.” Getting the unspoken memo that this probably isn’t going to be a child-friendly conversation, Cora disappears for a second only to come back child-free, looking at me expectantly.
“Please tell me you got a good look at what you’re working with.” Trust Lily to ask me that without even a blush on her face.
“He’s huge. Like, I don’t know if he’ll fit huge. His hand didn’t even cover the whole girth. Plus, he’s pierced.”
“Pierced!?” They both shout at the same time, and with a wince, I pray Logan isn’t nearby. There’s no way in hell he wouldn’t have heard them if he was still in his room, and I can only pray he’s gone down for breakfast or up to his office.
“Could you have said that any louder?!”
“Never mind that, give us the details. We’re dying over here.” Lily shrugs off my reprimand.
“Ugh, fine. If I’m not wrong, I’m pretty sure it was a cross through the head...which, ouch, how the hell is that going to work during sex?” While I am painfully still a virgin, Cora and Lily aren’t. Though I know Cora has no experience with a pierced partner, I have no clue about Lily’s past. She’s been pretty tight-lipped about it.
“Abbie, babe, that is going to hit you in all the right places.” With a wiggle of her eyebrows, Lily takes us with her into her kitchen as she makes her morning coffee while saying, “If he truly has a magic cross, then you’ll be seeing stars, trust me.”
“How the hell do you know more about this shit than both of us combined when we’re older than you?” It’s not the first time we’ve asked her, and by the way she shrugs Cora’s question off, it won’t be the last.
“Never mind all that, how the fuck am I meant to face him and act like nothing happened?”
“Did he freak out when you walked in? Did he stop jerking off?”
“No, he just asked me if I was okay and kept doing what he was doing.” Honestly, if my cheeks get any hotter as I answer Cora I might just die here and now.
“You don’t. You own that and use it to help move things forward.” With that parting advice, Lily is the first to hang up, soon followed by Cora who, if April’s cries are anything to go by, is needed elsewhere.
With a groan, I flop back on the bed and look over at Rocky and Teddy who are curled up around each other at the bottom of my bed, both looking at me as if to say, 'I thought you promised to feed us,' so with a mental pep talk underway, I head downstairs with the two of them in tow.
“How have things been going, Abbie girl?” Hearing Mum’s soothing voice over the phone has tears welling in my eyes and the homesick feeling increasing tenfold.
After feeding Rocky and Teddy and attending to their toilet needs, it became obvious I was home alone, so I helped myself to a quick breakfast and cup of tea before curling up on the sofa and ringing home. Between St Theresa’s being a boarding school, living in the dorms for college, and then moving into my own place, this is far from the first time I’ve lived away from home. But it’s the longest I’ve gone without seeing either of my parents or even talking to them.
“Hey Mum, things are good. I just miss everyone, you know? I can’t wait to be back for a couple of days around Cora’s wedding.”
“Oh, sweet girl, we miss you too. We will always be here for you, but you need to put your energy into making that place a home, otherwise you’ll forever be wishing your life away. Have you made any friends yet?”
“I know it’s just...hard. I’ve seen a handful of girls my age around, and I keep meaning to make an effort to invite a few of them round for dinner one night and seeing if we can make that a thing the way you and the other wives do back home.”
“That sounds like a brilliant idea. Let me guess, you rang to get my recipe for my homemade cheese pie?” Laughing at how well she knows me, I write it down as she explains it to me and with promises to FaceTime her when I’m making it so she can help me through it, we hang up.
“Remind me again why you’re doing this?”
“Because this is my new home, Cole. And eventually, I’ll have to let you go back to your brothers, which will be a hell of a lot easier if I have some friends here by that stage.”
“That fucker should be helping you. Not holing up in his office and letting you fend for yourself.”
Letting out a sigh, I glance at the closed kitchen door before turning to Cole. I’d asked him and Smithy to help me put my dinner party plan in motion and from the moment Smithy headed into town to grab some things for me, Cole has been sullen and snarky. So far from my playful, fun-loving bodyguard, it’s a joke.
Enough of this bullshit.
“Cole Finaly, if you don’t cut this shit right now, I’ll ask for a trade. Liam over you.” I take pride in the way my words have him freezing.
“You wouldn’t dare. You know fine rightly they would never let me live it down.”
“Well then, lay off my husband and cut the attitude. You should be focusing on stirring that sauce and not trying to stir the pot between him and I.” I point my knife at him with a pointed look before turning back to chopping up the fruit to go along with the homemade pavlova.
After my call with Mum, I’d taken Rocky on a much-needed walk to get some of his energy out. Which had led me straight into Rene and Olivia’s path, both granddaughters of some of the Old Guard members, who were walking their own dogs when Rocky ran over to introduce himself. A quick conversation later I extended an invite for dinner to them and with promises to come and bring their other friend, Samantha, it was a done deal.
Mum had been highly amused when she’d picked up my FaceTime to see Cole in an apron with a scowl on his face and was all too happy to talk us through her cheese pie recipe and talked me through what to serve it with. So here we are with a cheese pie in progress, hunter's chicken in the oven, and some pavlova ready to serve for dessert.
All that’s left to do is set the table, get changed, and pour the wine.
Oh, and the small detail of telling Logan I let Kelly go home early and he’s not invited to dinner tonight.
“Fine. But that doesn’t mean I think this plan of yours is smart. How do we even know if these girls can be trusted?”
“While it warms my heart you care so much, it’ll be fine, Cole. You and Smithy will be here, and I doubt Logan will be far.”
“Far from where?” With a clatter, I drop the knife as I spin around to see Logan leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on his face as his gaze narrows in on me.
“Far from this house. I’ve invited a few girls over for dinner, so you need to find a new dinner partner for tonight.”
“You’ve replaced me already? With who?” he teases as he stalks closer, boxing me in against the kitchen counter.
“Rene, Olivia, and Samantha,” I supply, trying not to think about how close he is to me.
“The Old Guard's grandkids.”
“That would be the ones. I figured it was about time I tried to make some friends here.” I shrug while trying not to let his closeness affect me. Trying not to think about how damn good he smells or the heat that’s seeping into me. Or the way if I moved even half an inch, his arm would be brushing the outside of my chest.
And I’m definitely not thinking about how the last time I saw him he was naked. And I’m certainly not thinking about all his tanned, toned muscles or his pierced cock.
“Alone?” He raises his eyebrows, and with an eye roll, I duck under his arm so I can head towards the door. "What do you take me for? Of course not. Cole and Smithy will be around, and you and Alex can have a guy’s night somewhere. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve a table to set and I need to get ready before they get here.” With that, I leave them to no doubt discuss tonight’s security stance.
After a quick change of clothes, I slip on a pair of black heels, curl my hair, and apply some heavier makeup. With a spritz of perfume and my jewellery firmly in place, I make my way back down just as Smithy lets himself in, arms weighed down with bags.
Perfect timing.
“Did you get everything?” I ask as I take a few of the bags from him and head to the dining room.
“You could open your own bar with this shit,” he grunts before we get to work filling the empty bar cart in the corner with all the cocktail making supplies a girl could need. I know Cora and Lily love it when we have a girly cocktail making night, and while I’ve no idea if these three will be into it, I figured it was better to be prepared.
A short while later, everything is laid out and I’m just placing the wine glasses on the table when the doorbell rings. Shooting a look at Cole and Smithy as I go to answer the door, I can only hope they play it cool and make themselves scarce.
The moment I open the door, I’m wrapped in a hug by Rene. She’s a stunning blonde with curves for days, and soon, she passes me to Olivia, whose pixie cut dark hair looks so spiky it could hurt, but her smile is so sweet it makes you think of sunshine and rainbows, and her hug is tight enough to rival Cora’s. Rounding the group out is a slightly more reserved ice white blonde, Samantha, who just offers me a small smile and nod as we make our way into the dining room.
“Thank you for coming tonight. I know it was super random and short notice, but I figure I’ve been here long enough that I should start trying to get to know someone other than Logan.”
“Oh girl, don’t you worry. I was actually just saying to these two the other day we should invite you to hang out sometime. It’s bound to be awkward as hell not only marrying a stranger but uprooting your whole life,” Olivia sympathises as she takes one of the glasses of red wine from me with a grateful smile.
“I would be shitting a brick every day just thinking about it, but anytime we’ve seen you about you always seem as cool as a cucumber,” Samantha drawls as she takes a seat beside Rene. Olivia chooses the seat opposite Rene.
“Please, I’m definitely faking it until I make it,” I say with a laugh before excusing myself to get the food out of the kitchen. Soon enough we all have our plates in front of us and as the wine flows so does the conversation. The night passes in a blur of easy-flowing small talk and shared laughter and soon enough we’re exchanging numbers with promises to make this a regular thing.
It finally feels like I might just be able to build a community here. As much as there’s an air of toxicity in the compound in general, these three seem untouched by it and with that, a small speck of hope that not all is corrupt here starts to bloom.