Chapter 1
COSETTE
Present day
Why the hell did I tell Nero about having sex with Dex, too?
My dad always said to stay calm before talking, and I see why with how I spilled the beans so easily to Nero. And now, I regret it.
TMI, Cosette. Embarrassing.
A groan escaped my lips, and the two men flanking either side of me on the bench took notice.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like your food?” Siege asked from my left, while Dex pushed his plate towards mine.
“No, I like it,” I said, alternating my gaze between them. I then looked at the other side of the table, the bench there unoccupied. “I’m groaning because we’re packed tightly on here when there’s a perfectly empty one right there.”
Dex just smirked at me, motioning to me with his spoon. “That’s not what you’re groaning about. We know for a fact you don’t mind being sandwiched between us,” he said, voice sultrier than usual, that I immediately felt my ears grow hot.
Having successfully flustered me, the two of them chuckled, and in an act of protest, I put my palms on the table, used them to push myself up, and moved from between them to the bench on the opposite side.
I found that it’s annoying sometimes to date two best friends.
There are moments when I would see them looking at each other like they’re having some sort of telepathic communication, and it irks me like a kid being left out on the playground.
As I settled onto the vacant bench positioned opposite Siege and Dex, my peripheral vision caught Andy and Nero making their way towards their own table. The one beside ours.
The tables have turned. Quite literally.
I found myself seated at the very table that Eli, Andy, and Siege had occupied previously, while Andy was now seated with Nero at the table occupied by the football team.
Well, she’s always belonged there, anyway. She’s just reclaiming her throne as the quarterback’s girl.
It’s hard for me not to be bothered by Nero’s blind faith in Andy. I know I should’ve expected it. I just thought he would be less susceptible to her antics now that he knew what she was capable of, but no.
It makes me think about one thing Dr. Weinberg said in our Psych class about some research he found interesting.
According to studies, individuals considered to be more attractive were also perceived as being more trustworthy.
“Want my dessert, little vixen?” Siege’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked up at him with a smile, nodding.
“You can have mine, too,” Dex then said, sliding both of their desserts across the table towards me. Dex had a fruit cup while Siege had chocolate pudding, and they’re both mine now.
Score.
I was tearing off the cover of the pudding when I heard Andy scoff, not making any effort to lower the volume of her voice as she joked with Nero. “How hungry must she be?”
I looked at Nero, wanting to see if he would laugh—because come on, I expected that from Andy, but Nero?
Despite Nero’s apparent anger towards me, it appeared that he did not find the situation to be amusing. He even went as far as to glare at her.
Before I could even enjoy the feeling of him still defending me, Siege abruptly stood up and looked down at Andy, towering over her. “What did you just say? Siege spoke, his voice deep and gravelly, and Andy, in a state of fear, could only look up at him.
It was so funny that I almost laughed, because there was no way Siege was going to hurt her.
If only she knew how Siege did his best to help her with the whole violence thing with Eli that turned out to be fake.
Did she know when she ratted Siege out to Eli that her boyfriend was in the business of human trafficking and my boyfriend was helping the victims escape?
I like to believe not.
The sudden cowering of Andy caused Nero to stand up almost immediately after Siege, moving closer to him as though he was attempting to protect Andy.
Dex rose to his feet next, challenge in his eyes blazing, as he took his place beside Siege with a palpable tension filling the space as the three men squared each other up.
God dammit.
I felt the need to stand after them, positioning myself before Siege and Dex, and I looked up at the two with a hand on each of their chests. “Hey, come on,” I whispered, catching their attention. “Let’s just go.”
Siege peered down at me, gauging whether Andy’s fat-shaming words hurt me.
Maybe if I were still the insecure girl that I was before, I would have taken her insult to heart.
But if Siege and Dex like my curves enough that they’re constantly offering me food, I can’t find the reason to care to fit into other people’s beauty standards.
In one ear, out the other.
Seeing that I am completely fine and seem to be calm, Siege nodded as he placed a hand on my hip, and we made the move to walk away from the situation with Dex coming with us, taking his position at my other side.
I itched to hold Dex’s hand just to have some form of physical contact with him, but the three of us haven’t exactly talked about being public with our complicated relationship.
Unlike the scenarios presented in the books I’ve been reading, it’s probably not the case that people would be so accepting of a high school girl having two boyfriends.
“This is the type that turns you on, C? Violent men who threaten your best friend?” Nero spoke from behind me, not even us taking two steps away from them, and I turned so quickly it almost gave me whiplash.
My stomach clenched, a knot of anxiety twisting with the unexpected anger that flared in my chest.
“She’s not my best friend anymore, Combs. I don’t know who that girl is. Not anymore,” I hissed at him, not liking how he’s goading me on.
“Oh, please. Like you know those two boys? You’ve met them, what? Six months ago?”
I flared my nostrils, the feeling of defeat washing over me, because it felt as though all of this back and forth was nonsensical since Nero had already made up his mind about us.
“Whatever,” I mumbled. “Talk to me once you’ve realized you’re being played.”
Siege pulled me gently by my hand, and I didn’t revel in the fact that almost everyone looked at us as we exited the cafeteria.
“You okay?” Dex asked from beside me once we were out of the huge metal doors, and I gave him a tight-lipped smile that turned into a full-blown one when he lifted his hands, showing me that he had made sure he got his and Siege’s desserts before we left.
I let out a soft laugh. The overwhelming feeling of kissing Dex all over came to me because I needed those desserts more than I did earlier.
Nero couldn’t be any more wrong.
Violent men, my ass.