Chapter 15
BEASTY
Istretched my arms over my head and groaned. I was sore in the best way. But I couldn't go far without knocking into a body.
Joaquin was on my left, Atlas on my right, and I was the warm, gooey center they'd done their best to wrap around.
This was...It felt nice.
Like everything I'd ever wanted, and it would only be better if we had all five of us in here, and all the pieces knocked off the board.
Sliding down to the bottom of the bed, I’d just got my feet on the carpet when Atlas mumbled, "Where are you going?"
"Coffee."
"Mm, good idea." He whacked Joaquin on the shoulder. "Get up."
I shook my head, amused by their dynamic and left them to it. Caffeine waited for no one.
Lake and Kim were already in the kitchen, dressed more casually than I'd ever seen them.
I blinked to make sure I saw them correctly. Kim was in a well-worn hoodie and ripped jeans, while Lake had on a navy henley with faded jeans and black boots. Had I ever seen Lake in anything but black?
They were hot no matter what, but this level of casual did things to me.
"Are you going somewhere?" I asked, my voice huskier than I liked. Eyeing them, I made a beeline for the coffee machine.
Kim blew over his cup of tea as his expression brightened. "We are."
He was hiding something. Or planning something maybe. I was immediately suspicious, but after my night between Joaquin and Atlas, I didn’t have a lot of strength to care about it.
Lake stretched his legs out, his own cup steaming in front of him. The heady aroma of coffee making me impatient for my own.
"To Snatched?" I'd never seen them go to Snatched in anything that wasn’t runway worthy. Even Lake in his limited but expensive black wardrobe.
"Nope," Kim said, popping the P. He was vibrating in his seat, and that was telling. Kim was the calm one, the soft one. Never the bouncy one. If anyone, that was Atlas. Joaquin if we were talking about fidgeting in general.
I raised my brows, waiting. Surprisingly, it was Lake who answered as a slow smile spread across his face.
"We're going on a little day trip."
"An adventure," Kim supplied, taking a sip.
"What's this about an adventure?" Joaquin rubbed his eyes as he shuffled into the kitchen with a sleepy Atlas on his heels. Both men were deliciously bed-touseled, reminding me of just how amazing last night was.
My core clenched as I snuck a glance at Lake and Kim. Would I ever have all four men at the same time? My mouth watered at the dream. I wanted it, but I was afraid to ask.
"While you three were otherwise engaged last night," Kim said, and I shot him a look. For a second, I was concerned he was upset, but when I met his eyes, they crinkled at the corners.
Good. He wasn't upset, just teasing.
"We had a discussion. A very important one." He nodded to Lake.
Lake scrubbed his hand down his face and sat up straight.
"We're at a stalemate right now. Gio and Adrian are ghosts.
I can't find them. Parker can't find them.
And none of my associates have heard from them either.
The Pescis are right where we left them, but I haven't figured out how to deal with them yet.
" He tapped his fingers on the table as he spoke, like he was working this out for himself.
"There's that fucker from last night," he glanced up at us.
"I've sent his picture off to be identified.
Thanks, Beasty." The pride in his voice warmed me more than I'd ever thought it could.
"So for now, we're just waiting and planning. "
Like a splash of cold water, my good mood started to dissipate, allowing a jittery concern to seep in. It was easy to pretend we didn’t have so many men after us.
After my close call in the parking garage…
Sweat gathered at the base of my spine. My skin stretched too tight.
I wished I could pretend it never happened, and most of the time I could, but now that Lake brought up all the enemies at our heels, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we weren’t doing enough.
"Shouldn't we be, I don't know, making more plans and failsafes and...something?" I wasn't sure what I was trying to say, but Lake understood.
He gave one shake of his head and exchanged looks with Joaquin first, then Atlas, and finally Kim. "We've done all we can do. Trust me, if we let ourselves go down this road, we'll drive ourselves crazy." His lips twisted into a self-deprecating smile.
I closed my eyes for a second and pulled in a long breath. That was easier said than done.
"Remember Lake in his office for days?" Kim pressed his lips tight together as he fought a smile. "No one wants that for the rest of us. And our noses would hate us."
"Fuck you," Lake growled softly at Kim, but there was no heat in it.
Kim wasn’t wrong. I’d taken so many meals to Lake during that time, just to make sure he got something in his stomach, and the man hadn’t left his office for anything other than bathroom breaks. Definitely not showers.
Still, it felt like we should be doing something.
Turning inward, I took a breath, reminding myself of all the good things that had happened since. Like finally getting on the same page with Joaquin, my time with Kim and Lake, and of course last night. Even the museum counted as a bright spot.
When the anxious feeling settled, I finished making my coffee.
"Then where are we going?" I carried my mug to the table as Atlas took my place. I claimed my usual seat next to Lake, smiling as he let his fingers trail over my thigh on my way by.
No sooner than my ass hitting the seat, Lake leveled me with the most serious look I'd ever seen on his face.
He studied me as if he wasn't sure I could handle what he was about to say. My heart rate kicked up and my chest squeezed. All the jitters I’d gotten rid of came roaring back as I fidgeted with the handle of my mug.
"We're going on a date."
Joaquin blinked as Kim smiled—a genuine smile, not his mask for the public. Atlas huffed out a laugh, his shoulders shaking.
Then Lake’s words registered.
"A date?" I repeated.
"Yep." Lake leaned back again. "We were about to come get your asses out of bed so we can get on the road."
"Where are we going?" Joaquin asked as he dropped his gaze to their outfits. "Please for the love of God, tell me we're not going back to that rinky backwoods town."
Wait. Were we going back? What gave Joaquin that idea? Regardless, I didn't like the sound of that.
Lake slapped the back of Joaquin's head.
"Hey! You can't damage my lover." Atlas glared at Lake as he set a coffee down in front of Joaquin. Had I ever heard him describe Joaquin as his lover? In the beginning, I would have been jealous, but all I felt was included. Trusted.
"No, we're not going back to that fucking town. But we are heading further inland. There's a fair going on, and we thought that would be a good way to blow off some steam and show Beasty a good time."
"A fair?" What was wrong with me? I was stuck on two word responses.
"You say you don't know us Beasty, which I disagree with, but we know you. How many times did you walk around that dinky fair when we were kids, and you never got to ride anything." Kim lowered his voice, watching me with wide eyes.
Why did that make my eyes water, damn it? "Every year, almost every day."
It was free to get into, and when I was with Aunt Erin, I'd even find discarded funnel cakes sometimes.
The bright lights, the screams of joy coming from the rides, it had been magical.
More magical than Christmas had ever been, maybe because the fair was something I could experience even if I could never actually participate.
Atlas smirked. "I remember that. Your eyes were the size of stage lights as you'd watch that spider ride. Just as bright too."
"You followed me?" They'd said they did, but I'd never actually believed them. It always seemed like I was watching them. Chasing them.
"Beasty," Lake said as if I was being thick-headed.
"Anyway. It's not really my scene." Kim shrugged like it was no big deal. "But it's something you've always loved, and the guys enjoy it every once in a while. We thought it would be nice to get out of the city, away from anyone who might recognize us, and just...spend time together."
I pressed my fingers to my lips. Maybe it was all the stress of the last few months but this was so sweet.
And even though there was a bittersweet component, knowing they'd gone without me, I was also excited and grateful that they were thinking of me.
Of what I asked of them without ever asking at all.
"I'd love to."
"Good. Go get ready and we'll hit the road," Lake ordered.
I chugged my coffee and raced through getting ready. It seemed Kim had prepared my closet for anything because while I was in the shower, he laid out a matching sweatshirt, jeans, and boots on the bed. Well, the boots were on the floor.
Within thirty minutes, we were speeding down a long highway, and I couldn't get the smile off my face. Glancing at the others, they were the same, except their expressions were softer, calmer, but no less happy.
The Sletton County Fair had signs ten miles out. Every sign we passed made me more and more antsy to the point I was bouncing in my seat.
"Why didn't we do this sooner?" Atlas whispered to Joaquin in the backseat, but we all heard him.
Joaquin coughed. "Because I was being a dickhead. What's your excuse?"
I laughed as Atlas thought about it. "I was too busy tracking Beasty in every way possible."
That sounded like he was serious. I started to turn but Lake said, "I was too busy trying not to fuck her."
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. But Kim rounded off their responses by saying, "I was too busy playing dress up and finger painting." He gave us a cheeky grin.
I burst out laughing and the others followed. As Lake parked, I tried to name what I was feeling. It was weird. I would say it was happiness, but I'd been happy before and this was...beyond that.
The warmth in my chest had me sweating and my cheeks hurt from smiling so wide. Yet it was more than that. I felt wide, expansive, and just bigger than I'd ever been.
Kim winked, and it hit me.
We were an us.
Finally.
There were inside jokes and I was a part of them. I understood them when outsiders wouldn't. I faced forward as my eyes watered.
Joaquin jumped out and opened my door before I could. Atlas and Kim both found baseball caps in the back, pulling the brims low over their faces. It made sense. Hardly anyone would recognize Joaquin and Lake, but my other two boys had to take different precautions.
Atlas took my hand, and Kim latched onto my other arm. Lake walked a few steps ahead with his sunglasses on, looking every inch the bodyguard he was.
Together, we entered the park and it was like something in me healed.
I was walking into the fair, as a participant, not a bystander, something I'd wanted to do since I was a child. And I was doing it with friends—no, the loves of my life.
Up ahead, one of the rides tipped all the way in the air, placing the riders upside down. They screamed just as the sugary smell of funnel cakes reached us. Like I’d been possessed, I dropped Atlas' hand and pulled my arm out of Kim's hold.
They just started turning toward me when I screamed, "Last one to the funnel cake stand is a rotten egg!"
I ran.
"I think you should have ridden the rides first." Kim rubbed my back as I nearly lost all my funnel cake goodness after riding the spider.
"Worth it." The words were barely audible as saliva flooded my mouth.
Two stands down, Joaquin and Atlas jostled each other as they fought to grab the rings for the ring toss.
"Hell yeah!" Atlas yelled, throwing a fist in the air while locking Joaquin in a headlock.
Despite the motion sickness, I smiled. "Okay, I think I'm good."
Lake came back with a bottle of water in one hand, and a giant white cup with lemons printed on it, in the other. He studied my face. "I have water, and a lemonade. You can only have the lemonade if you don't throw up. I hate that shit."
I reached for the lemonade without question. I had no idea if I would be sick or not, but I couldn't turn down lemonade. I'd always wanted to try it but these things were like five dollars a drink. Outrageous.
Part of me wanted to tell Lake not to waste his money on it, but there were two other parts of me. One that said these boys were going to spend money on whatever they wanted, so I just needed to get used to it, and I was. The second part of me wanted to fulfill a childhood curiosity.
As many funnel cakes as people discarded, the lemonade cups were always empty.
I sucked a healthy gulp through the straw and closed my eyes in orgasmic bliss. It was like sugar water with a hint of lemon.
"I think she likes it." Kim laughed, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
When I opened my eyes, Lake stood so close that I had to tip my head back to see his eyes. He watched me with so much heat and love, I couldn't breathe.
"I made a good call with the lemonade," he murmured. "I'll remember that."
He'd remember I liked it. He was learning me, and just like I'd been learning them all day.
Joaquin didn't ride rides ever. He was too sensitive to motion sickness.
Atlas rode everything and when we went on the Spider, he rocked to spin our car as fast as possible.
Coupled with how it rose and fell, no wonder I'd almost lost my treat. I didn't regret it for one minute.
Kim enjoyed the rides, but walking between the stalls and looking at everything was his favorite. Lake didn't have a favorite thing, he just liked to watch us. The only thing that did perk him up were the hotdog stands.
"What do you want to do now?" Kim asked.
"We got you this." Atlas handed me a tan teddy bear with a red ribbon tied around its throat. He still had his arm around Joaquin's neck but he was no longer trying to choke him to death. In fact, they were flushed and grinning.
I took it, fingering the velvety soft bow. Words couldn’t describe the warm, choked up feeling taking hold of me. "Thank you."
I kissed Atlas first, pulling away as he chased my lips for more. Lake fisted his shirt and pulled him back as I gave Joaquin his own kiss as thanks.
He closed his eyes and cupped the side of my neck. When I stepped back, I was breathless and horny.
Okay, no more of that. Not until I'd had my fill of the fair.
"I know what I want to do," I answered Kim's question.
"What?" they all parroted.
"The spider!"
Joaquin groaned as Lake shook his head, but smiled anyway.
Atlas and Kim latched onto my arms and we ran back to get in line.
The whole day, I kept waiting for something to happen, or a catastrophe to cut our fun short. Luckily, so far away from everyone we knew, nothing happened.
In the end, I fell asleep in the backseat with my head on Kim's shoulder.
Best day ever.