6. June #4
Bryant speaks up. “It’s fine, don’t wor?—”
A golden blond-haired man appears around the corner in a flash, his hands out in front of him, a gun pointed directly at me. His expression shifts from a tight hardness to a softer look with bunched brows. “June?”
“Don’t shoot her.” Magnus rushes into my line of sight, skidding to a stop beside the man with a gun. “Wait, you know her?” He flits his gaze between us.
“Who’s June?” The other man calls out on his way over.
“Coen?” I say to the man who I thought I once knew.
“Coen?” Magnus continues to feign confusion.
The third guy finally steps around the corner and my stomach drops at the sight of him.
“Fuck.” The word slips out of both of our mouths at the same time.
It’s him, the mystery man from the bar, who fucked me so good I couldn’t think straight for days, standing next to the tattooed hottie who kept me on the brink of orgasm last night, and the boy who stole my first kiss many, many years ago.
I shift my gaze to each of them and pinch my arm, hoping it’ll wake me up from this strange fucking nightmare I just stepped into.
But it doesn’t work, and I’m left here, gawking at these three completely gorgeous men who appear to be riddled with the same level of bewilderment I’m experiencing.
To add to it, a door creaks open behind me, sending Coen’s arms a little higher to aim at his new target.
“June?” Cora whispers.
“Down here,” I respond while stepping forward to place my hand on Coen’s wrist. “Please don’t shoot my best friend.”
His blue eyes lock onto mine and it’s like he’s desperately trying to silently communicate to me, to tell me what the fuck is happening here.
But like I had sensed it the other night when I ran into him, he’s changed.
Both of us have. The gun in his possession, confirming that the sweet boy from my childhood is no more.
Coen tucks the thing into his waistband before Cora steps into view, joining us for this awkward reunion of sorts.
“I’m dying for some coffee,” she says.
Oh, what choice words to use, Cor.
“Yeah, let’s do that.” I weave my fingers around hers, thankful for the escape from whatever reality this is.
“Hi.” She smiles and nods politely at the men, she has no idea who they are.
I can’t exactly admit I know them any better either. Other than the fact that I’ve slept with two of them and made out with the other. Okay, maybe I know them a tiny bit.
“We have coffee,” Magnus offers.
“June,” Cora whines. “Let’s stay.” She drops my hand and holds it out to Coen. “Hi, I’m Cora.”
Coen takes a breath in, glancing at me and the rest of the guys. “Coen Hayes.”
“And you are,” she turns to the mystery man with the sexy as hell salt and pepper beard.
His jaw tenses and if I’m certain of anything, it’s that he wishes she would just disappear.
Magnus smacks his shoulder. “Ah, come on Dom, don’t be rude.”
Dom?
“Bryant,” Dom sneers at Magnus.
“I thought your name was Magnus,” I add.
Magnus winks at me. “Magnus Bryant.”
Bryant. Hayes. I get it now. This whole time, they were using their last names.
“Dominic.” Mr. McDreamy shakes Cora’s hand and focuses on me. “June, a word please.”
My memory flashes to that night in the bar. The blood splatter all over his face. The danger, the adrenaline spiking through my veins that fueled me to step forward and boldly press myself against him in what was probably the best decision I’ve ever made.
But that was then, and this is now. And whatever this is, is way more than I bargained for.
“Sorry,” I mutter, latching onto Cora again. “We have to go…do a thing.” I slide the blanket off my shoulders and hand it to Magnus. “Thanks, um, for…you know.”
“Wait, don’t you—” Magnus calls out as I pull Cora around him and make our way into the large open main floor.
I spot my phone, snatching it and looking for a way out. “Where the fuck is the door?”
“Uh, J, are you okay?” Cora follows me anyway.
The men mumble things, but I don’t bother to try to listen to them. The only thing on my mind is getting the hell out of here.
I recall Magnus disappearing to grab the pizza last night, and decide to go that direction, sighing when I spot the front door. The same one he stood and offered to share the take-out I had delivered to him.
I pull Cora with me through the massive entrance, hurrying down the steps and stopping at that stupid gate. “Fuck.” I turn back to the house but before I can ask to be granted exit, the thing buzzes and cracks open.
I don’t know which of them let me out, but I’m fucking grateful for it either way.
For a second, I thought I was going to have to go in there and have the most awkward conversation of my life.
“Dude, I am way too hungover to be rushing around like this.” Cora wiggles out of my grasp once we round the corner and are out of sight. “What the hell is going on? And what are you wearing?”
I glance down at the stolen sweatpants and t-shirt, laughing at how baggy they are on me. “I’ll explain everything, just come on.”
Hopefully, the walk to Bram's will give me enough time to figure it out myself.