Page 88 of The Stalker Snafu

Sheets rustled, and the camera angle dipped to the side as if I was filming Noah from my own spot beside him.

“Eh, I was just planning on doing dirty things to you during most of it anyway,” Video-Emma commented lightly, making my cheeks burn.

Adrian cleared his throat next to me.

Noah’s smile widened impossibly further. “Were you?”

“It’s a shame you’ll miss it.”

He brought Video-Emma’s wrist to his lips—planting a soft kiss against it and basically turning both me and Video-Emma into putty. I brushed a hand over the inside of my wrist, feeling the phantom touch of his lips.

The video ended on a frame of Noah’s warm gaze. Both guys were quiet as I grabbed my phone back from Rafe and slipped it into my waistband.

“That bed with those exact sheets is in the room right down that hallway,” I told them, pointing to the kitchen doorway before turning to Rafe. It took effort to keep my expression clear. “And if you try to tell me I somehow faked all that with my insanely talented editing skills, I might just rip your pretty hair out.”

Rafe’s rigid demeanor didn’t falter, and he frowned at where my phone had been before meeting my eyes with his cold brown ones. “Kincaid’s a good liar. A great one. For all we know, this was acting. I’ll find out which one of us he was lying to.”

My lips twisted into a sad smile as the weight of the phone pressed into my side. Who the heck bragged about their friend being a talented liar? “That’s the thing, Rafe. I’m starting to think he was lying to both of us.”

His silence was answer enough, and I made an excuse to grab a mug of coffee and sneak off to the shower while Adrian finished breakfast.

I wasn’t hungry anymore.

CHAPTER 34

A Protocol

The shower didn’t help much with my wayward thoughts, and neither did holing myself up in the guest room and playing my coffee café game on Oliver’s tablet all morning. By the time noon rolled around, I was both annoyed at myself and starving.

When I finally emerged from the guest room, it was with a fresh pair of shorts and a pink top, plus a stomach full of regret for not swiping a few pastries before fleeing the kitchen earlier.

That regret deepened when I walked into the living room to see all five of Noah’s friends lounging around and talking in low voices. I hadn’t heard a single one of them come inside.

“Do you guys normally hang out here during the day?” I asked, padding closer. I’d never once seen them stop by during all the time I’d spent here with Noah—aside from when I first met Julian.

Finn’s head popped up from where he huddled with Oliver. “Hey, Cupcake.”

I shifted my weight, suddenly wary. It was strange having five guys around. Noah’s five secret friends.

“Hi.”

Julian grinned. “Hey, roomie. We were just going to grab some food. Any preferences?”

My mouth watered, but I tried to play it off with a shrug. “I could go for a Happy Meal, I guess.”

Rafe grunted from his chair. “A Happy Meal? Aren’t you a little old for that?”

I scratched my elbow, his biting words from this morning fresh in my mind as I glared at him. “Happy Meals don’t discriminate. They’re for all ages, and I’m feeling particularly unhappy right now. A cheeseburger and a toy would help fix that.”

My stomach rumbled loudly in agreement, making my cheeks burn.

“And a large order of fries wouldn’t hurt either,” I added modestly, patting my stomach to reassure it. I fought down the urge to ask Adrian if there were any leftover pastries.

“Sounds like a plan.” Julian stood from the couch and waved me over. “Why don’t you take a seat? I’m on my lunch break, and we’ve got a new development to talk about.”

I sucked in a breath at his serious tone, hunger briefly put aside but not totally forgotten. “Noah’s hurt, isn’t he?”

He winced. “No, I… Sorry. It’s nothing bad. I didn’t mean to scare you.”