114. Chapter One-Hundred-Thirteen
Chapter One-Hundred-Thirteen
Kian
What a time for Riley to decide to be sober. I’m happy for him, sure, but I know if he was drunk, he wouldn’t have had any chance of stopping me from running out into the storm to chase down Scarlett. This clean and responsible version of him is a pain in the ass.
Both of us are dripping wet, standing in the cabin of the jet across from each other like we’re in a staring contest that neither of us could stand to lose.
It’s got to have been a good half hour since Trick left by now.
I stopped counting once I impressed Riley with my inner clock, but time didn’t stop passing, and I’m starting to really wonder why the hell it’s taking so long.
“Something must be wrong,” I deduce.
“We don’t know that,” he counters.
“It’s been too long …”
“Actually, it hasn’t. If Scarlett didn’t catch up to Xane, and if he’s been walking away this whole time, then we have at least a couple of hours before we can start assuming the worst.”
I blink at him. “You can’t be serious. You think Xane’s still trying to walk the whole way to the resort alone? Even in this crazy storm?”
He shrugs. “It’s possible.”
I shake my head. “He wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“But he would be that stubborn,” Riley says. “And you know I’m right about that.”
He’s right. Xane would be that stubborn.
He’s the guy who took over management responsibilities when they had to fire Larry, instead of doing the normal person thing of hiring someone else. He was too stubborn to change his mind about that decision, even years after it happened.
“Fuck,” I curse.
Riley smiles.
I need to get out and go after them. I should have already done that before Riley could start to boss us around. I’m ready to bolt, tensing on my feet when I hear the clang of the steps.
My eyes widen, and Riley’s do the same.
We look toward the doorway, and we see Scarlett’s face as Xane lowers her into the cabin.
She jumps inside, feet bare and wearing a blue T-shirt that’s so wet it’s almost completely transparent.
She shoots me a grin as she stretches. “Hey, Ki. Guess who I found out there?”
“Thank God you’re okay!” I tell her, scooping her into my arms and holding her close.
I watch Xane step inside, followed by Trick. They look like drowned rats.
“I’m fine,” Scarlett tells me, before she pulls out of my embrace. “But we could definitely use towels. It’s kinda wet out there.”
“Just kinda?” I ask as I pull a towel from one of the pre-packed bags next to us.
“Okay, it’s definitely more than kinda wet.” She laughs as I hand her the towel, using it to squeeze some of the water out of her hair first.
I grab another towel when Riley doesn’t immediately pass one to Xane.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Riley asks, anger barely restrained in his tone.
Xane sighs, taking the towel from me. “I’ve already had that talk from Scarlett. I won’t make decisions like that for the rest of us again.”
Like Scarlett, he starts with drying his hair.
Riley frowns at him. “You’re not gonna try to do that again?”
“I shouldn’t have done it the first time,” Xane admits. “And I’m sorry I did it at all. It was wrong. I was wrong.”
“Wow,” I murmur, as Trick coughs at Scarlett’s other side.
Right. He probably needs a towel, too.
I grab another, ball it up and toss it over Scarlett’s head toward him.
He catches it out of the air. “Thanks, I guess.”
“You didn’t come back in ten!” I remind him.
“You wouldn’t have come back in ten, either,” he hits back. “And don’t pretend you would have.”
“What’s this about coming back in ten?” Scarlett asks.
Trick makes a disgusted sound before he tosses his shirt, or should I say Riley’s borrowed shirt, out of the doorway, into the rain.
“Trick!” Riley snaps. “What the hell?”
“It was all muddy,” Trick explains. “Sorry. I forgot it was yours. I kicked my sneakers under the jet before we came in. They were completely coated in mud.”
“At least they weren’t covered in bugs,” Scarlett says, shrugging. “I lost my shoes to the mud out there. It was like quicksand.”
“Oh, really?” I ask. “Where did you lose the rest of your clothes?”
Because that shirt is not a blue lacy top, and she’s not wearing a navy skirt anymore, either.
Though, she does seem to have a new mark on her throat.
Interesting.
She gives me an innocent look.
“My clothes?”
“Yeah,” Trick says. “That’s not your shirt.”
“Oh, well, I was gonna take it off anyway,” she admits, before she slips it over her head. “It’s kinda wet, where should I put it?”
Trick grabs it off her and throws it outside.
Xane shakes his head.
Trick shrugs. “What? It was soaked through.”
“Fine,” Xane says, taking his shirt off and tossing it out there. “Might as well leave everything that’s wet out there.”
I realize I’m still wearing my shirt, and it takes me all of three seconds to haul it off, ball it up and send it soaring out into the storm.
Scarlett smiles at me as she wraps the towel I gave her around her shoulders.
I move in close and stroke a finger over her new mark.
She sighs softly and tilts her head to let me see it better.
“You’re way more forgiving than I would have been,” I tell her, amazed that this happened.
“Nah. No really,” she tells me, glancing back at Xane. “I’m gonna hold it over him for the rest of his life. So, it’s a win-win for me.”
Xane actually chuckles.
Holy fucking shit.
It’s almost like he’s turning back into a guy who knows how to have fun.
Now, I’m really wondering what happened out there.
“No one cares if I take everything off, right?” Scarlett asks.
She looks around, but it’s Riley she stops in front of.
He hasn’t even taken off his tank top.
All he does is stare as she slips her arm out of one bra strap.
I glance at Trick. He shrugs back at me, clearly waiting to see how Riley takes our mate’s advances. I guess it’s up to him if he wants to tell her about his trauma, but right now he’s apparently speechless.
I’m ready to step in, when Xane acts like our leader.
“Okay,” he says, moving between Scarlett and Riley. “I think we, meaning you and me, should head into the bedroom to get dried off, while everyone else dries off in the main cabin.”
Scarlett looks up at him and sighs softly. “Okay, but this protective streak isn’t conducive to sharing, and I know I’m yours, but I’m not only yours, Xane.”
He smiles back at her. “Tonight, you’re all mine. We’ve spent too much time apart already. This is my shot to make up for that.”
“Well, if you put it that way, I think I can get behind it.”
She smiles and blows me a kiss before she slips between Trick and the seats, rushing toward the bedroom.
Xane takes off his pants and tosses them into the rain.
“Go on inside, Scarlett. I’ll be right there.”
She disappears into the room, and he lets out a sigh.
“You good?” he asks Riley.
Riley looks kinda stunned as he raises his head. “I’m good. Go look after our girl.”
Xane smiles back at him and leans in for a side hug before he stalks off in his skin-tight boxer briefs towards the bedroom.
The door closes and I groan.
“I knew this would happen. He’s gonna hog our mate.”
Trick laughs. “We spent last night with her. And she’s still right here.”
“Yeah, but he’s gonna be all bossy and demanding now. I think I miss the old Xane.”
“No, you don’t.” Riley says, as he takes off his vest and slings it outside with the mounting pile of wet clothing that’s out there now. “We’ve got our lead Alpha back. It took way too long, but he’s finally acting like himself again. I don’t want to lose that. Neither do you.”
“Fuck’s sake. You’re all bossy again, too.”
“Don’t expect that to change any time soon,” he says, taking off his shorts and revealing his usual underwear situation, which is none.
“Thank God,” Trick says, as he takes off the shorts he had to make out of his pants. “It’s good to have you back, Riley.”
“He wants to learn to fly, now, by the way,” I tell him, picking up a towel and wiping down my arms and chest.
“Who? Riley?” Trick sounds shocked.
He looks at Riley, and our naked drummer shrugs.
“If Xane can do it, how hard could it be?”
Trick laughs. “Well, it’s not just the technical stuff. It’s also being in the air.”
“I’ll work on that before I ask him to teach me.”
“Wait. You’re gonna ask Xane to teach you?”
I smile when Trick looks my way. He clearly barely believes it.
“You think he’ll say no?” Riley teases.
“Uh … I don’t know. So, you’re all good with flying now? Did you get struck by lightning while I was gone, or something?”
I laugh and then cover my mouth when Riley gives me a light glower.
“Very funny,” Riley says, as he starts to use his towel to dry off. “I don’t want to let anything make me afraid anymore. That includes flying.”
“That’s awesome,” Trick says. “That doesn’t mean you’ll expect us to do the same though, right?”
“Huh?” Riley asks, almost at the exact time that I ask, “What?”
“Like if there’s a spider on the tour bus, you’ll still deal with it, or whatever.”
Riley rolls his eyes. “Of course, princess. I’m not gonna try to make you get over your bug phobia.”
“Thank God for that!” Trick takes off his underwear and wraps his towel around his waist.
“Just try not to think about the bugs out there having their merry way with each other inside your wet clothes.”
Trick shudders. “Don’t be disgusting.”
“Well, then, stop borrowing all my clothes.”
“Why?” Trick asks. “You’ve been wearing the same ones for two days. You’ve got plenty to spare.”
I laugh at that one, only shrugging when Riley glowers my way.
“What?” I ask. “He’s only being honest.”
“I’m the reason we’ve got towels,” he reminds me. “Don’t forget that.”
“Okay fine. Trick, quit stealing Riley’s clothes.”
Trick sighs. “Whatever.”
His gaze goes to the closed bedroom door.
He’s missing her company as much as I am, but there’s no way he’s gonna admit to that.
Not when it’s because we’ve got our lead Alpha back.
It feels good, I can’t lie. I just wish he was in a sharing mood.