Page 65 of Give Me Peace

A t-shirt. My t-shirt. It’s ridden so far up her thigh I can make out the edge of something red and lacey. My cock perks up instantly. Ro scowls, noticing where my attention has been drawn to, and resituates her so that nothing’s showing. I roll my eyes. The bastard had her in his bed all night and now she’s in his arms; I think it’s time to share.

“Hey, pretty girl.” I step closer, adding my own hand to the mix. She doesn’t budge, even as my finger traces her perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Can you open your eyes, Say? Let me see those gorgeous blues, baby.” I tune out the rest of the room, my gaze riveted to the slight pucker of her mouth.

“Hurts,” she whimpers, pressing herself further into Ro. Lucky asshole.

“What does, sweetheart?” Loch shoulders me out of the way, his dad mode kicking in and demanding he fix whatever ails her.

“Head.” Her one-word answers make me smile.

“Let’s see if this’ll help.” Loch carefully unties her hair from the knot she has it in. He takes his time, making sure not to tug it any more than necessary. As soon as the long blonde strands fall around her shoulders, Loch runs his fingers through it, massaging her scalp in hopes of easing her headache. Saylor moans, the noise so goddamn illicit it sends a rush of blood straight to my cock. Ro clears his throat before standing abruptly.

“Your turn.” He passes Saylor to me, and I happily take his seat. The sight of someone so big getting all worked makes me grin, but he just flips me off. I run my hands up her back, working in unison with Loch to make her feel as good as possible. Her body goes limp, a sweet sigh falling from her lips. Unbidden, an image of us teaming up to make her feel good in a completely different manner pops into my head. I bite my lip, somewhat ashamed of the half-hard state of my dick. Krew passes some Tylenol over, along with a bottle of water, and I hold Saylor’s head back to help her wash them down.

She snuggles back in, content to lay where she’s at while the medicine works its way into her system. The guys get busy with breakfast, but I stay seated and soak up the moment. I press my nose to her neck, inhaling the scent of coconut and something uniquely Saylor. Brushing her hair aside, I press a few light kisses to her shoulder. She hums, the sound making my lips curve. Taking a liberty I probably shouldn’t, I lick my tongue across her flesh, wishing like hell I could taste every inch of her perfect little body. Saylor’s gasp syncs with my groan, causing her to pull back and meet my eye. Her breaths become sharper, but she smiles, making me feel ten fall tall from the look she gives me.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” I run my thumb across her bottom lip, my need to constantly be touching her growing more by the damn day. She grunts in response but accepts the cup of coffee Ro brings over. I’ve noticed she doesn’t drink it very often, but today seems like a good exception.

She smiles in appreciation, bringing the hot liquid to her mouth to blow on it. I barely repress my shudder. I’d be surprised if Saylor doesn’t feel how hard I am beneath her with the way our bodies are lined up. One day, she’s going to ride my cock just like this. Fuck. I drop my head to her shoulder, forcing myself to think of something else. I meant what I told her yesterday. Until she’s positive of what he wants, we’re at a stalemate. But the words burning a hole in my pocket make me wonder if she’s a lot closer to figuring that out than I thought.

Once the food’s ready, we move to the dining table. Much to my dismay, Saylor sits alone, looking more awake with every bite she takes. Her bacon is cooked just the way she likes it, making her hum and wiggle as she goes to town. We’d spend hours watching her eat and be happy about it. Knowing how underfed she was still fucks with my head sometimes.

Out of nowhere, Kash pops up from the living room floor like a damn whack-a-mole, making Saylor choke on a scream. “I’m here!” His wild eyes ping around the room as he raises his hand, like he’s waiting to be called on by the teacher. He flops over the couch, the walk around it apparently too much for the princess, and trudges to the table.

“You look a little green, brother.” Krew pokes him in the forehead, causing Kash to go cross-eyed. I’m sure that didn’t help with his queasiness. I grin, watching closely as he grips the table to right himself. He doesn’t respond right away, just shoves a biscuit in his mouth and eats with his eyes closed.

“What the hell was in that Devil juice?” Kash gently lays his head on the table.

“It was whipped cream flavored, you little bitch.” Roan laughs, his head thrown back as he revels in Kash’s misery.

“Says the guy with a man-bun,” Kash snipes, his hangover making him a helluva lot bolder than he’d normally be. There are certain things you just don’t do. Like cuss in church or question a man’s masculinity when he could bench press your body weight with one arm.

“I’m shocked there’s something sweet you can’t stomach. It’s a goddamn Christmas miracle.” Ro smirks, patiently waiting for Kash to give him another glare, then puffs up, jumping toward him just the slightest. Kash shrieks, shoving away so fast both him and the chair tumble over. He lays there, sprawled across the tile, a comical wheeze escaping from having the air knocked out of him. Ro drops down beside him, giving his cheek a pat. “I could be bald, little bro, wouldn’t make my dick any smaller.”

Saylor snorts but covers it up with a cough. She’s come so far since she walked through our door. This woman seated across from me is funny and smart and she doesn’t shy away from shit the way she first did. That alone gives me the go ahead do to what I’m about to. Saylor grabs our empty plates and takes them to the kitchen, but I wait until she’s loaded them into the dishwasher to strike. I want her complete attention for this.

“Hey, Say. I got your request.” I cross my arms, searching for any sort of reaction. Her nose scrunches in confusion, so I expand upon my vagueness. “With the addition to your list.” I nod at the fridge. Her eyes follow to the blank spot where it used to be. Nothing. She looks at me curiously, trying to figure out what the hell I’m talking about. I doubt she’s still feeling buzzed, so more than likely, she has no recollection of what she wrote.

Oh, this is going to be fun.

“I’m guessing you added it at some point last night. Maybe after the rest of us passed out.” I arch an eyebrow, waiting for the moment that clarity sparks. I’m playing with fire, but Saylor can burn me anytime she wants. I’ll probably get off on it.

“Well, what’s the request?” Krew asks, completely unaware of the game I’m playing.

“It’s specific to me. Something Saylor needs my help with.” I smirk, wondering how deranged I look as my gaze eats her up. “I guess I could read it, though.” I shift to pull the paper from my pocket but pause as her eyes widen. Ah, there’s that realization I’ve been waiting for. Her lip’s part, that perfect pink flush spreading up her neck and cheeks. I wink, pretending to still reach for the list as she finally springs into action.

“Havok Rhett McKade!” Saylor screeches, hands planted on her hips as she thumps that little foot on the floor for emphasis. “Don’t you even think about it.”

Fucking adorable.

That probably hurt her more than it intimidated me but hearing her call my ass out—middle name and all—only makes my grin grow. I love pushing her, a part of me always has. I want her to know there’s no ill intent behind my teasing though, so I right myself and keep her drunk request between the two of us. The guys wait for an explanation, but they won’t be getting one from me. I’m just grateful I found the list first. Any one of them would’ve jumped at the opportunity the same way I did. Besides, I want to help her. Not for my own selfish reasons or what it could lead to, but because I’m worried there’s more to her scribbled confession.

I go about my business, cleaning up the kitchen and righting the living room, pretending like our little showdown didn’t even happen. It takes her some time, but Saylor eventually relaxes. She hangs around for a bit, but retreats to her room shortly after lunch. I let her go, knowing she needs the space. I could’ve handled things differently, but I figured if I made light of the situation, she wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable. I’ll give her time, but it won’t be much. I can’t keep myself away from her on a normal day, much less when I have questions I’m dying to know the answers to.

I want all Saylor’s truths, and I hope like fuck she’ll give them to me.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Saylor