Page 144 of Bend

“You have not.”

Revel snorts. “Dude, Stevie Wonder could’ve seen it.”

Cece laughs into her mug while Bexley’s grin gets wider, and even Draygon looks like he’s trying not to enjoy this too much.

Thorne glances around at all of them. “You’re all smug little cunts, you know that?”

“Yeah,” Talon says. “But we’re right.”

That gets Wolfe laughing beside him, completely unbothered, which only seems to irritate Thorne more.

I’m laughing too now, mostly because the tips of Thorne’s ears are going pink and he looks like he’d rather launch himself through the nearest window than admit any of us have a point.

He catches me looking and points at me. “Don’t you fucking start either.”

I lift both hands. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Your face is saying enough.”

That only makes me laugh harder.

Wolfe is standing beside him looking annoyingly amused, and Thorne finally turns his head.

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

Wolfe’s grin only gets wider. “A little.”

“A little?” Thorne looks at him like he’s taking the piss. “Mate, you just kissed me in front of the nosiest bunch of bastards I’ve ever had the misfortune of knowing.”

Wolfe shrugs, completely unbothered. “Don’t pretend you didn’t like it.”

Thorne’s mouth twitches. “Oh, I more than fucking liked it. That ain’t the problem.”

That gets another round of looks from the table.

Wolfe laughs under his breath. “So what is the problem?”

“The audience, innit?” Thorne gestures vaguely around the kitchen with his mug. “Look at ’em. Bunch of fucking vultures. They’ll be dining out on this for weeks.”

“You embarrassed?”

Thorne turns his head slowly and gives Wolfe a long look, one brow lifting.

“Embarrassed?” He lets out a short laugh. “Mate, I’ve done considerably more embarrassing things with you than have a little snog in a kitchen.”

The room erupts.

I nearly inhale a piece of toast.

Revel slaps a hand against the table. “There we fucking go.”

Cece drops her head back. “Oh my God.”

Bexley is laughing so hard she has to put her mug down before she spills it, and Sayshen points across the table at Thorne like he’s just been handed all the ammunition he needed.

“See? You can’t say shit like that and then tell us not to react.”

Thorne’s expression immediately shifts into regret.