Chapter Thirteen
Savvy
I ’ve slept with both Cole and Travis.
Holy crap.
Shame, in Coach Long’s class, is the last thing I need. He’s been riding my ass all class period. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about last night with Cole and then this morning with Travis.
I thought Travis might bolt after we had sex, but surprisingly, he carried my spent body back to the shower. He tenderly washed me, taking extra care between my legs. I’d worried about Cole finding us, but he didn’t show back up from his run until I was rushing out the door to catch a ride with Brayden to school.
The three of us are going to have to talk.
And then what?
That’s the part that has me feeling shame. Travis was right. I want to have them both. Does that make me selfish? A whore? Or just a girl who knows what she really, really wants.
My body is sore. Everywhere.
Yet, I want more.
Maybe I’m a sex fiend.
Maybe I need to see a therapist.
When class is over, I’m in a daze as I leave. Until my phone buzzes. Anticipation crackles through me like an electric charge.
Is it Cole or Travis?
Neither.
Unknown number.
Unknown Number: Sav, it’s me, Owen.
Me: Monahan?
He confirms that it’s him, so I save his number. As I’m doing that, he texts me again.
Owen: We need to talk.
I’m hit with the sudden fear that he somehow knows I’ve slept with both my roommates. There’s no way, though. I haven’t even told Addison. It’s killing me not to, however, which means she’ll know soon enough.
Me: About what?
Owen: About how you just left when you turned 18. It was abrupt.
I frown at his words. It wasn’t abrupt. I’ve been telling them since the day in the courtroom when I was forced to go live with them, I’d be leaving the second I turned eighteen. Nothing changed.
Owen: We all miss you. Seeing you last night at dinner made me realize how much you belong to our family.
Belong to them?
My blood runs cold.
Me: I don’t belong to anyone.
Owen: Independent woman. It’s one of the things we love about you. Do you work tonight?
Me: Not tonight.
Owen: We’ll come by and visit you then. I took the liberty of getting your new address from your social worker.
I cringe at the thought of Enzo giving out my location. It’s not like he knows what creeps they were, though. He probably thought he was helping keep us connected.
Me: I don’t think that’s a good idea.
Owen: Nonsense. See you after school.
“Everything okay?”
I jerk my head up to find Brayden watching me with concern. “Oh, yeah. Just thinking about something I have to deal with later.”
He shrugs it off and we chat about random stuff on the way to our history class. I’m thankful we have a few class periods together. Knowing I have a friend helps get me through the day. I’m not even embarrassed that it was an arranged friendship. Brayden is easygoing and nice. I like him a lot.
Once we’re in our next class, I notice another missed text. This one is from Cole.
Cole: You ran out in a rush this morning. We need to talk about last night.
A sharp pain cuts through me.
Me: Do you regret it?
Cole: No. That’s the problem.
Honestly, I don’t see the problem if neither of us regrets it.
Me: I don’t either. Maybe later the three of us can finally watch our movie together.
Cole: It’s a date.
A thrill shoots down my spine at his seemingly innocent statement.
What happens when he learns I’ve slept with them both?
Tonight, I could either get what I want—the both of them—or I could lose everything.
I kind of wish I had work tonight. It would be a distraction from the nauseating anxiety curdling my gut. The more I think about this conversation we need to have, the more I don’t want to have it.
It could go sideways quick.
Travis and Cole might decide I’m more trouble than I’m worth and send me packing.
The idea of losing more people in my life makes me want to puke.
I can’t lose them.
A knock on the front door jolts me out of my erratic thoughts. I rush over to the door and look through the peephole.
Owen.
I open the door to see if he’s alone. He’s not. Rhett smirks from beside his father.
“Are you going to invite us in?” Owen asks, eyebrow arching up in amusement.
My skin crawls at his expression. Maybe they’re vampires and I can refuse them entry. I’ll be safe from their pointy teeth and untrustworthy intentions.
They’re not supernatural creatures, though.
Just skeezy men.
“Why?” I ask, standing my ground.
Owen’s shoulders slump at my question. A sliver of guilt reaches my heart. “Did we do something wrong, Savvy? You’re acting strangely. Did my tip offend you?”
Your hand on my ass did.
I don’t say that.
“No,” I blurt. “I just…the house is a mess.”
“Have you seen Cason’s room?” Rhett jokes. “Seriously. Invite us in. Don’t be rude. We’re family.”
Maybe he’s right.
I’m kind of being a bitch right now.
They visited me at the restaurant because they wanted to see me. Owen left me an incredibly generous tip. The hand on my ass was probably an accident.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “Been a long day.”
I step aside and gesture for them to come inside. Rhett, to his credit, doesn’t curl his lip up in disgust. This townhome, while cozy and comfortable to me, isn’t nearly as nice as their house.
“They have you sleeping on the sofa?” Owen asks, pointing at the pillows and folded blankets stacked on one end.
“No. Travis sleeps there.”
“You have your own room?” Owen’s concern is genuine.
“Can we see it?” Rhett chimes in.
Groaning, I nod and start for the stairs. The two men follow me into the space I’ve been calling home. Compared to Addison’s room, it’s a mess. Travis’s desk and cluttered things still take over one half of the room. I didn’t make up the bed this morning and the panties I’d been wearing earlier sit in the middle of the floor.
Rhett, of course, picks them up and grins at me.
I snatch them out of his hand and then toss them into the hamper, face burning hot. Owen, amused by our antics, smirks at me.
“This is nice,” Owen lies. Then, he grows serious. “I’m concerned, though. Do you have any privacy, Savvy? I’m worried about these two men taking advantage of you.”
The guilty look on my face must be evident, because both men scowl at me.
Great.
The last thing I need is the Monahans going to war with my roommates over me.
Ugh. I need to do damage control.
“It’s fine,” I rush out, taking a step toward Owen. “How about I meet you all for dinner one day? I can still visit and see Addison.”
Owen softens. “We’d like that.”
He pulls me to him in a tight embrace that almost feels fatherly. It makes my eyes water. His phone rings and he groans.
“Work,” he grumbles. “I’ll be outside.”
He kisses the top of my head as he answers his phone. Rhett pokes around, looking at everything with great interest until the house is silent again. Then, he turns to look at me, something dark flickering in his gaze. An uneasy feeling washes over me at being alone with him.
It’s crazy because I lived with him for around a year with no real concerns for my safety, but today, something is off.
“What?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“This room smells like sex.”
My eyes widen in horror, and I blink rapidly. “No, it doesn’t.”
He frowns. “Okay, maybe it doesn’t, but your response tells me all I need to know. You look guilty because you are.”
“Guilty of what?”
“Fucking those men.” He grits his teeth and swipes a pile of Travis’s papers off his desk into the floor. “What the hell is wrong with you, Savvy?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say tightly, “but I’m done discussing it. You’re out of line. Go home.”
His eyes narrow as if he’s looking for deception in my words. “It’s really not fair. I had to treat you like a sister that whole time when I was dying to kiss you. Do you know how hard that was of me to restrain myself?”
“Seriously?” I shudder at the thought of kissing him. “Did you not read the room, Rhett? I’ve never been interested in you in that way.”
“Because you were fucking my dad?”
At this, I laugh. “You’re unbelievable. Get out.”
“So, it’s true?” He scowls at me. “You’re the reason my parents are getting divorced?”
I soften at his words. “They’re getting a divorce? Why?”
“You tell me. I saw Dad coming out of your room multiple times late at night, sometimes buck-ass naked.”
Shaking my head, I hold up a hand in defense. “I didn’t sleep with him. His sleepwalking terrified me. I’m not some whore like you’re thinking, and I certainly had no part in breaking up your parents’ marriage.”
This appears to convince him because he relaxes. I hold my ground as he approaches. His hand grips my jaw like he owns me. I’m frozen in his hold, wondering if I could successfully kick him in the balls so he’ll let go of me.
He leans in like he’s going to try and kiss me, but I manage to get my hand between us, planting it on his face.
“Don’t,” I warn, spittle flying out of my mouth. “Let go of me, Rhett, or so help me, I’ll make you regret it.”
How I’ll manage to do that with this hulking guy, I don’t know. I’ll do whatever I can, though.
A voice booms downstairs and we both freeze. As someone thunders up the stairs, I am overwhelmed with relief. Rhett releases my jaw at the last moment and steps away from me.
I’ve never been so thrilled to see Owen in all my life.
Except it’s not Owen.
Cole, dressed immaculately in his police officer uniform and looking sinfully hot, pierces Rhett with a murderous glare.
“What’s going on here?” Cole demands. “Savvy, are you okay?”
I nod and step closer to Cole, drawing in his strength. “Just having a discussion with Rhett. He seems to think he has a chance with me, but I’m not interested in anything more than a brotherly relationship with him.”
And even that’s pushing it.
Rhett’s jaw muscle ticks as he stares me down. “You’re choosing this over someone your own age? Over someone like me?”
I don’t dignify him with an answer.
“Your dad’s waiting in the car for you,” Cole says coolly to him. “Run along, kid. You’ve outstayed your welcome.”
Rhett keeps his eyes transfixed on me for a beat longer before shaking his head in disgust. “Forget it, sis. Enjoy whatever the fuck you’ve wrapped yourself in. You know where to find us when this all blows up in your face.”
He storms off without another word. Neither me nor Cole relax until the front door slams closed. Then Cole wraps me up in a comforting, safe hug that I willingly sink into.
“Did you tell him about us?” Cole’s voice is deep and rumbles through every nerve ending in my body. “I guess this won’t stay a secret forever, huh?”
I hug him tight and shake my head. “He drew his own conclusions, but you’re right. I’m done hiding these feelings. We need to talk.”
He pulls slightly away, panic shining in his eyes. Rather than letting him question where this is headed, I take his scruffy cheeks in my hands, tugging him down to my waiting mouth.
The man kisses me with zero hesitation.
This is happening.
We are happening.