Chapter 12
you've really made a mess this time
Saige
Iwake the next morning to the sound of my phone vibrating against the hardwood floor and a headache. Rolling onto my back, I find myself alone in bed.
Like the headache, it's not a good feeling.
I get up, searching the room for wherever I set my phone down last night, and find it near the doorway under Dax's desk. After grabbing it, I turn off the alarm and, sighing, leave the room.
The first floor of the house is completely trashed—cups and garbage are everywhere. I'm sure I'll have to clean that up.
And it smells, too. Like stale beer and vomit. As I make it to the bottom of the staircase, I hear Dax laugh from the kitchen, and my heart stops. Holding my breath, I descend the final steps and turn back toward the bedroom.
"Morning, princess," Dax says. "Where are you going?"
I freeze with my hand on the doorknob, closing my eyes and exhaling slowly before answering. "I'm getting dressed."
I don't breathe again until I close it behind me. I need to get my shit together.
My phone vibrates in my hand, a text message flashing across the screen.
KIRA So, is it true or not? Do they like to share? Does he fuck fully clothed?
KIRA WHAT'S UNDER THE CLOTHES!?
I don't know, and I'll never know.
The lie comes easily; I've gotten plenty of practice lately, haven't I? Anyway, there's no way in hell I'm telling her or anyone else about last night—not when I can barely process it myself.
But I'm going to have to face them now, aren't I? I toss the phone onto the bed before removing Dax's shirt, dressing in a pair of shorts and a hoodie.
I don't look at either of them, going straight for the coffee maker. I load the pod and then open the cabinet to grab a mug, but there aren't any on the first shelf, and even on my tiptoes, I still can't quite reach the cups on the higher shelf.
Great.
I'm about to climb onto the counter like a ninja when Nolan reaches over the top of me, grabbing a cup and handing it to me.
"Thanks," I tell him, not quite able to meet his eyes.
"You're welcome."
I hit the 'brew' button as he leans against the counter next to me, keeping my eyes intently on my cup.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"My head hurts."
"You're blushing."
"Am I? It's kind of hot in here." It's another lie; the sliding door is open, likely because of the smell, the crispy fall air causing the skin on my legs to erupt in goose bumps, easily giving me away if he noticed.
I grab some almond milk from the fridge, splashing a bit into my coffee before putting it back.
"Really?" Dax asks. "You look kind of cold, Ripley."
"You're low on groceries," I say, ignoring him.
Nolan rests his hand on the back of my neck, tracing the space just below my hairline with his thumb. "I'll make breakfast, Saige. Go sit down."
I turn toward him, meeting his eyes for the first time this morning. "Elias will get mad."
Nolan almost smiles before shrugging. "I'm not too worried about it. Anyway, it's Saturday. He said weekdays, didn't he?"
"Okay…"
I grab my cup and head for the couch, but Dax stops me, hooking a finger through my belt loop. "Where are you going, Ripley?" he asks, pulling me toward him.
Coffee sloshes in my mug, threatening to spill over the edge, and I shriek, "Stop! I'm going to spill it."
"Don't make me then. Come sit with me."
I sit in his lap with my mug in my hands, his arms wrapped around my body while watching the news. He presses his lips to my neck, inhaling. "You smell like me. You know that?"
Yeah, I do know that. I used his body wash; I slept in his bed all night. I can smell him on me, too. Nodding, I take a sip from my mug.
"I like it," he says, running his fingers through my messy waves.
"I like it, too," Nolan says from the kitchen.
"I bet you do, sexy," Dax says. "Nolan never does chores for me after we fuck, by the way, Saige. I'll try not to take that personally."
Nolan laughs. "Dude, whatever."
"Did you have fun last night, baby?" Dax whispers.
"Which part?"
"You know which part." He reaches between my legs, cupping my pussy over my denim shorts. "The part when you came on Nolan's dick while choking on mine."
My heart drops into my stomach. I can't believe he just said it out loud like that. I feel embarrassed and exposed, the way I did last night after it happened.
But yes. I don't want to admit it, but I liked that part. I liked it enough that his words make my clit throb now.
"I'm not sure."
"Well, we'll just have to keep doing it then…until you're sure. Unfortunately, I have to go to my sister's wedding tonight."
"Meringue?"
"No, Meringue is my cousin, and I think you know that. Juliette's the one getting married."
So, I'll be here alone with Elias and Nolan. Great. What am I going to do all day?
I wonder what I'd be doing right now if I never met Miles.
"Food's ready," Nolan says.
"Great," Dax says, taking my coffee from me. "Do me a favor and hold this for me."
Nolan takes my cup, and Dax scoops me up, carrying me over to the table with him.
"What are you doing!?"
He sits at the table with me in his lap, pulling my plate closer. "I like the way you feel on my lap. This is your seat now. Every day."
I scoff. "I'm not going to eat on your lap every day; that's weird."
"I'm serious, Ripley," Dax says through a mouthful of food. "If your ass touches any of these chairs, I'm going to beat it."
Nolan laughs before sitting beside us and pulling my feet into his lap, holding them there with his left arm. "It's better if you just accept your fate," he says.
"See?" Dax says, nudging me. "That's what I've been telling you this whole time."
"This is my fate?"
"Yep," Nolan says. He takes my fork, cutting a piece of omelet and holding it to my mouth for me to take.
I shake my head and laugh. "No way."
Without thinking about it, I go to swat his hand away, but Dax is quicker, grabbing my arms and holding them behind my back. "No touching, Ripley. Now, open up. You know how much I love it when you open your mouth for me."
It's a little triggering, but I quickly stuff it down, feigning a laugh before letting Nolan feed me.
"What the fuck is all of this?" Elias asks as Nolan pulls the fork from my mouth.
His voice startles me. As a general rule, he's always unnerving, but I've done a good job staying on high alert here, and I didn't even hear him come downstairs.
"What do you mean?" Dax asks innocently. "We're just having a little fun with your little sister."
"She's not my sister." He sits across from me, taking a bite of his omelet. "And Nolan made this—I can tell."
Nolan shrugs. "We never said she had to cook on the weekends."
Elias glares at me like I'm the one who said it, and he's about to come across the table at me. "That's before she was living here rent-free. You need to clean up down here, too. I don't know why that wouldn't be the first thing you did this morning."
"Relax," Dax says. "She's hungover."
"I got rid of a body for her after she tore the place apart and wrecked thousands of dollars in hockey memorabilia, remember? I don't really care."
As he stares me down, Arcadia bounds back inside, sitting underneath my chair. That seems to piss him off, too.
I don't know where the guy who stuck up for me last night went. He sure as hell isn't sitting at this table.
"I can clean it up; it's not a big deal."
"I'm going to a concert in Vancouver and won't be back until Sunday afternoon, so I have some biology homework I'll leave for you, too," he says.
Relief washes over me. He'll be gone…for more than an entire day.
"Actually, I have some art homework you can help me with when I get back from the wedding, too," Dax adds.
"Great."
"Well, who's going to stay with Saige?" Nolan asks.
"What do you mean?" Dax asks. "You are."
"No, my mom has a night shift, and I have to watch my sister tonight. I told you that."
"I don't need a babysitter," I tell them. "I can stay here alone for one night. I'll set the alarm."
"No," Elias says. "I don't want you here alone."
"Why? What do you think I'm going to do?"
"I don't know—murder someone and make it my problem again?"
"He's got a point there, baby," Dax says.
"No, he doesn't—that's not a valid point at all."
"After those texts, I don't really want you staying here alone, either. One of you guys needs to take her with you," Dax says.
"I'll just go stay with Kira," I tell them. "Or I can go home for the weekend. I'll take Arcadia with me; someone needs to watch her."
"Sorry, your parents will be at the wedding, too. I'd bring you with me if I could."
"She can't come with me—the show is sold out. I wouldn't want to listen to her complain her way through a concert, anyway."
I scoff. "You don't know me. At all."
"You can come with me, Saige," Nolan says. "We can take the dog, too."
Go with Nolan? Alone, to his house? I feel my anxiety spike.
"There you go," Dax says. "Problem solved."
"I'm going to run to the gym—"
"He means that literally, by the way," Dax interrupts. "He's an insane person."
Nolan scoffs, taking his plate to the kitchen while continuing. "And then we'll leave when I get back."
"I have to go, too. I'm supposed to meet everyone at the house to get ready. Wait until you see how good I look in my tux, baby; I'll send you a picture."
I grab both of our plates and get up so he can go, loading them into the dishwasher before grabbing a trash bag from under the sink.
"Wait a second." Dax grabs me by the back of my hair, turning my head toward him before kissing me on the lips. "See you later, Ripley."
When I turn around, Elias is gone, too. But he left his plate and coffee mug on the table.
Exhaling sharply, I grab them from the table, rinse them, and load them into the dishwasher, too. Then, I grab my headphones, put the newest YUNGBLUD album on, and clean up the rest of the house.