Epilogue Mia
I ran the whole way home. I had never been so humiliated in my life! Not only was I not supposed to hook up with the sex god that was the Saints’ tight end, but I also wasn’t supposed to get caught while riding him like the stud he was.
Getting to the apartment, I hastily wiped my face and entered, hoping Ava was in her room, screwing her boyfriend and thinking I couldn’t hear her through our paper-thin walls.
But today was not my day. She was in the kitchen, singing. Badly.
“Hey,” she greeted with a quick look up from what she was doing, and then she looked again. “Are those last night’s clothes?”
“Yeah.” I started to walk past her, but she moved from behind the counter and caught my arm.
“What is it?” Her look of concern as she checked me over almost made me cry. “Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?”
Yes. The freaking cousin of your boyfriend. “No. I’m okay. Late night, ya know.”
I headed to my room, cursing her dogged persistence as she followed me.
“Mee, talk to me,” she said from behind me.
“What do you want me to say? I was out all night, mom, getting a lot of dick, and now I’m tired.”
“Mia.” Ava’s eyes were wide as she looked at me. “You said dick.”
Her exaggeration of my using a curse word made me chuckle, and then I was laughing harder. “If I tell you, please don’t make this worse.”
“Oh fuck . . . you slept with Ben.”
“Ben? Who in darnation is Ben?”
“The backup quarterback. You had him in your Mia Target at Halloween.”
“I have a Mia Target?” I asked her. I wasn’t sure if I was insulted or not.
“Mia, can we focus?”
“I spent the night with Ash.”
Ava’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes squeezed shut. “Duuuude . . . awkward!”
“Yes, I know, apparently it’s the worst decision ever.”
“Why? Is he bad? In bed?” Ava asked curiously.
“No, he’s amazing.” I shook my head to clear it. “But it’s not good when his cousin walked in just as I, you know, and then he . . . well, you know.”
“You came in front of Gray?” Ava burst out laughing and quickly covered her mouth. “Mee!”
“Shut up.” I threw myself on my bed. “And then when I locked myself in his bathroom, naked, I heard them discussing me like I was a common whore.”
“I’m getting bad déjà vu.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not lost on me how freakishly similar this is to your start with the Devils.”
“This sucks.”
“Ya think?” I stared at my ceiling. “It’s going to be awkward, isn’t it? I mean, I’m pretty sure Gray saw my hoo-ha so . . .”
Ava snorted as she giggled uncontrollably. “MeeMoo, you complete idiot. I thought you knew not to hook up with Ash.” Ava slapped my legs. “And he’s Quinn’s ex. Ugh, it’s so many levels of awkward.”
We both jumped when we heard a knock on the front door. Ava went to answer it, and being nosy, I went to see who it was.
Jett was in the kitchen, speaking softly to Ava, who was white as a sheet.
“What’s going on?” I asked, coming forward.
“We’ve got an issue.”
“Look, I’m sorry I messed up. It won’t happen again.” It was hardly World War Three. So, I had sex with the cousin — seriously, who hadn’t?
“I know you don’t know everything, and I really can’t tell you much, but Ava’s coming to stay in the house with me.”
“Why?” I hardly saw her as it was. This was terrible.
“And Quinn’s going to be there too, with Gray.”
“What? Why? What’s going on?”
“I really can’t tell you. You need to speak to Quinn.” Jett looked at me with a smirk, and I knew exactly what he was thinking, like that wouldn’t be awkward after this afternoon.
“But Mia will be alone,” Ava said to him as she turned to look at him. “She can’t be alone.”
“She isn’t involved,” Jett spoke quietly to her. “She’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know that . . . no one does. I’m not really involved and you’re taking me.” Ava shook her head. “I’m not going without her.”
“Yes. You are.” Jett’s look hardened, and I watched Ava settle into her stubborn streak and stepped in before there really was war.
“It’s fine. I have no idea what’s happening. I’ll be fine.”
“Or . . .” Ava turned to me, and her grin was impish. “I know how to fix it.” She glanced at Jett, and he grinned in return.
“Why am I scared?” I asked them both.
“It would work,” Ava said to him, and he nodded.
“Totally would work,” he agreed.
“What would work?” I asked them both.
“He’ll need persuading.” Ava looked at Jett. “Can you do it?”
“Easy. I’ll get Gray to do it.” Jett’s grin was wicked as he looked at me.
“Tell who? Seriously, tell me.”
“Ash could move in here,” Ava said with a gleam in her eye. Jett started laughing as I looked between the two of them with mounting dread.
I shook my head as I backed away from them. Were they crazy? “Absolutely not. No. Not happening. I mean it!” Why were they laughing? Why weren’t they taking me seriously? They absolutely could not do this to me.
Could they?
THE END