Page 38 of Her Crew

Because if he violated her, what I did to him will no longer be enough. He’s already out of the crew. Stacks can fight me if he wants, but it’s Rolo or me.

I stay for a few minutes longer, just trying to calm myself down. For her. For myself. Then I go back to my room. I ease the door open and find Tye in bed with Tegan. Not sexually. No. This is so much worse. He’s in bed with her, fully clothed, but their body language speaks of the intimacy I denied her when I chose rage instead of comfort.

Her head rests on his chest as he idly strokes her hair. She sniffles and breathes deeply, completely relaxed. As soon as they see me, they leap apart. Tye stands and gets between us.

That hurts.

More than if I walked in on them fucking, to be honest. I fucked up by shaking her and yelling, but I would never physically hurt her.

“You don’t need to protect her from me,” I say.

“You sure?”

“I just . . . had to know.”

“Explain to her, not me.”

So I do. I sit beside her and lift her chin. My heart squeezes in my chest when she peers up at me.

“I’m sorry. I let myself regress back to a person I thought I’d long left behind. When things happened to me, I bottled them until I was drunk off anger. And I had to know the truth. Someone has to pay for this, and I need to be sure he pays with his life if necessary.”

She blinks up at me. Even if she doesn’t say anything, I can see the understanding in her eyes. I didn’t yell at her to harm her. But it did, regardless.

Tye plops down on the other side of Tegan, and everyone seems a little too broken tonight. Tye’s eye is fucked. Tegan’s dignity is damaged. And my pride is broken.

To my utter surprise, Tegan leans over and kisses me. But not just me. She breaks away and turns toward Tye. With much more hesitation, she draws him toward her for a kiss. That’s the weird part about broken people. Sometimes we don’t heal the way we’re expected to. Or the way we should. After everything, the last thing Tegan should want is to be kissed, but here she is, letting our lips ease her pain.

“Princess,” Tye groans against her lips, and that word invokes a dangerous response from me.

I clear my throat. “I have something to tell you, Tye . . .”

Chapter 21

Alec

Two pairs of eyes land on me and await my response. Tye looks torn between running off and staying to see what I have to say.

I put my hand under Tegan’s chin and lift her face. “Tegan, I want nothing more than to please you, but I have a side of me that I haven’t quite shown you, and I’m not sure you’re ready for it. Either of you.”

Tye opens his mouth to ask a question, but I push on. If I don’t get this out now, I may never have the courage.

“Tye, you’re my best friend. I’ve lived and suffered alongside you for most of my life. But now? The only thing I want more than pleasing Tegan is for you to please her.”

Tegan swallows, and Tye’s spine stiffens as if I just asked him to commit homicide. I didn’t ask him to do something illegal. Maybe just a little immoral. Or at least against normal morals.

“I don’t understand, Ace,” Tye says.

I need to be more direct. “Tye, I want you to fuck Tegan, and I want to sit in that chair and watch you please her in ways I can’t.”

He blinks at me. “And you do what? Jerk off in the corner or something?”

“Yes. Well, maybe. If my dick cooperates, I absolutely would get off to you pleasing her.”

Tegan finally speaks. “Are you serious?”

“Very much so.”

No one seems particularly interested in taking the next steps, and my fantasy is crumbling before my eyes. I guess I’ll have to get the party started. What’s the worst thing that can happen?