20. Magnus
Magnus
“So how was it?” I poke June in the side and tickle her.
She wiggles out from under me. “I am going to pee on your bed if you don’t stop.”
“Sounds kinky.” I continue to tease her.
“Magnus Bryant.” June slaps my arm. “Why do I not know your middle name?”
"I'll never tell." I laugh like an idiot and climb on top of her, pinning her to the bed and using one of my hands to hold hers above her head. I press kisses all over her face and down her neck. "I missed you so much, princess."
June tries to buck me off but it’s no use. Instead, she manages to give me more of a boner than I already had. “It was good, it was great,” she finally blurts out. “If you stop torturing me, I’ll tell you.”
I sigh, releasing her hands and plopping down onto the mattress beside her. “Fine,” I say, dragging out the end of the word.
June props herself onto her elbow and turns toward me.
“It was very romantic. So not Dom-like at all. He had this custom Givenchy dress made. Had a candlelit dinner prepared, which oh, my, God, it was delicious. Have you ever had duck before? I mean, so sad, but also, so fucking tasty.” She bites at her lip and recalls more of the evening.
“We danced.” She looks right at me. “Dom, slow dancing, right?”
I grin at her and bask in the happiness pouring out of her. It’s a strange thing to feel good about another man spoiling your girl, but because it’s June, I want her to have every bit of happiness this world has to offer. She deserves it, even if it isn’t with me.
“Then, we soaked in this giant fucking Jacuzzi. It was so relaxing I fell asleep and almost drowned.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
June nods her head. “Yeah, Dom said he just thought I was chilling but then I started sliding down his chest and into the water.” She lets out a laugh. “He didn’t let me go all the way under but still, it was pretty fucking funny.”
“I am very glad you did not die.”
“Hmm, what else?” Her eyes light up like she’s remembering more. “Breakfast the next morning, you would have loved it. Best waffles ever. And they had this honey that Priscilla said was local. It was infused with lavender.”
“So, you met Cill?” I ask her.
“Yep. She kidnapped me the second she set her sights on me. Dom had to literally snatch me up and carry me away.”
“She’s a hoot.”
"I loved it there." June meets my gaze. "We should go some time. All of us." But then there's a slight shift in her mood I recognize immediately.
“What is it?”
“Have you heard from Co?”
“Yes.” I swallow down the uncomfortable turn our conversation took but refuse to lie to her. “He was with me last night.”
“That’s…” June tries to find the word she wants to use. She finally settles on, “Good.” She studies my face and narrows her gaze. “Wait.”
I blink at her. “What?”
“Are you wearing makeup?” She licks at her thumb and wipes at my cheek, no doubt revealing the fucking bruise I attempted to cover up. “What the fuck is that, Magnus?”
“I…I didn’t want you to worry.”
“Worry?” She looks me over. “What else are you hiding?” June latches onto my hand and studies the swollen and purple knuckles hidden underneath my tattoos.
“You should see the other guy,” I laugh and try to make light of the situation.
“Magnus.” She glares at me. “You guys have been into more dangerous shit lately than you have in a long time. Co and Dom come in all fucked up the other night and now this? Don’t think I didn’t notice Dom’s bruised chest. What the hell was that from?
And Co, did he get stabbed or something?
He was bleeding a lot through his arm bandage. ”
“Umm…” I don’t want to lie but I can’t exactly tell her the truth. She’s already pissed at us, if she knew that Dom and Co had both been shot, she’d lose her mind. But the way she’s looking at me right now, she might already be on the verge of it.
“Why can’t you just be honest with me for a change, Magnus? I know you want to.”
“Promise me you won’t freak out, princess?”
“I’m going to fucking stab you if you don’t tell me.” She punches my shoulder.
I lean in closer to her and lower my voice. “They got shot.” A weight immediately lifts from my chest. “But they’re fine, really. They were both wearing vests. That’s why Dom had that bruising on his chest. But it isn’t anything you need to worry about. Please don’t say anything.”
June’s nostrils flare, and for a second, I imagine hot steam piling out of her ears. But a moment passes and her resolve softens. “Thank you for your honesty.”
“Thank you for not murdering me.” I lean forward and kiss the tip of her nose.
“So where were you and Co last night?”
“Handling a situation while you and Dom were away.”
“Yeah?”
I bob my head up and down. “Yeah, he figured it would be safer than when you were around.”
“Who did?”
“Dom, duh.”
“Hold up. Let me get this straight.”
My heart races as I realize I may have just fucked up.
I spilled one secret and now they’re all flying out of my mouth.
This is why it doesn’t pay to be dishonest with the people in your life.
Honesty is the best policy. I’m shit at lying, and despite being a damn good poker player, my bluffing face is shit to those I love.
“Dom got me out of town so you and Co could do this thing?”
I chew at the inside of my lip. June is one hundred percent on the head on this one, but if I confirm it, she's going to lose her goddamn mind for sure. It isn’t that Dom didn’t want alone time with her, but he definitely made it happen in order to ensure her safety while Hayes and I followed up on a lead.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” June frantically glances between my eyes in a wild attempt to locate the truth. But she and I both know that my silence speaks much louder than words.
“Princess…”
“That fucking bastard.” June sits up and clenches her hand into a fist. “I’m going to…”
I place my palm on her back but she shrugs me off.
“Do not touch me right now, Magnus. I don’t want to hurt you.”
I scoot to the edge of the bed. “You’re not going to hurt me, princess.”
Her jaw tenses. “I am not mad at you, but I am trying very hard to regain my composure.”
Hayes walks past my door at the wrong fucking time.
June lurches off the bed before I can grab her and calls out after him. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
“Can we do this another time, J?” Hayes continues down the hall.
“No.” She latches onto his shoulder and tries to tug him toward her.
He stops in place, and I inch in their direction just in case I need to intervene. I know June well enough to know that she isn’t going to let this go, and I don’t want to get between her and whatever she needs to say to Hayes.
“Where were you yesterday?” she asks him.
With his back still to her, he says, “Out.”
“Really, Co? That’s what you’re going to say? You act like an asshole and then leave for a day and that’s all I get? No apology. No explanation. No nothing.”
Hayes slowly turns toward her, his face finally in plain sight. Bruised, swollen, and with cuts on his brow and lip.
“What happened to your face?” A hint of concern lines her tone.
“I’m not doing this, J.”
But the little bit of worry she had is quickly erased with anger. “Fucking fine, me either.” She spins on her heel and stalks away from him, blasting past me and down the hall.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Coen calls out after her.
But June throws up her middle finger. “Out.”
I rush behind her and nearly fall down the stairs to catch up.
“Love,” Simon greets her. “What’s wrong?” He latches onto her shoulders and tries to stop her. “Hey, look at me. What is it?”
“I just need some fucking space.”
Simon releases her without question. “Okay.” He flits his attention to me briefly and focuses back on her. “Let’s get some air.”
"No," she blurts out. "Not you." She turns toward me. "Not you." And points up in the direction we came. "And sure as shit not him. I need five fucking minutes to myself. I’m not asking for much. For the love of God, just leave me alone. All of you.”
My heart aches but I knew this was coming. The moment when she wouldn’t want any of us around. She’s only asking for five minutes, but how long until she wants it to be longer or more permanent?
June bursts through the garage door and slams it behind her.
I stalk toward where she disappeared but Simon cuts me off. “I think you should stay here,” he tells me.
“Get the fuck out of my way, Beckett,” I mutter only inches from his face.
“She’s pissed at you guys, not me. I’m not the one who keeps lying to her. It’s better if I go.”
I hate that he’s right, but he fucking is.
June might have said she wasn’t mad at me but that doesn’t mean it’s true.
I’m just as guilty as Hayes and Dominic are for keeping June in the dark and harboring all these secrets and distance.
Simon has been there for her the whole time and has done nothing but mend the wound that we keep ripping open.
As much as I want to be the one to comfort her, it’s possible I might only make things worse.
“Fucking go,” I tell him. “Hurry up before she gets too far.”