“Well...” I say, drawing it out. He steps in, and I close the door behind him.
I don’t get the chance to tell him what happened though.
“I ought to kick your fucking ass, Cotton.”
I freeze, and Mag’s gaze darts over my head. The hostility hitting my back is potent. Mag moves me out of the way. Like, physically takes my shoulders and shuffles me to the side, giving me a warning look to stay out of this.
Mag stares at his friend. “I’m sorry,” he says, and there’s a real apology in his voice.
“You’re sorry?” Johnny seethes. “You know I fucking love this girl. You know it.” He finally gets to Mag and shoves him against the door.
“Johnny...” I start.
Mag gives me a withering look that makes me stand straighter. “Just go get dressed. We’ll handle this.”
Johnny’s gaze drops to the clothes I’m holding in my hand and my towel-dressed state. If he could get any madder, he does. His cheeks flame, and the look he sends Mag’s way would make me shrivel.
All of these guys have balls of steel though. They respect each other, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to bow down to one another either.
Neither will I.
I do walk into the bedroom to get dressed, but I leave the door open to hear their conversation, so I know if I need to step out in Magnum’s defense.
“I take it you know?” Mag asks.
“Yes, my fucking girl told me, which is a hell of a lot more than you fucking did. Or any of those other fucking punk asses.”
“You should see the way they care for her,” Mag starts.
“I have seen. What do you think tipped me off in the goddamn first place?”
“Don’t be mad at her.”
“Mad at her? I’m not fucking mad at her.” Another loud thunk comes, and I can only imagine Johnny has shoved him up against the door again. I find a pair of black silk panties in the pile of clothes he brought for me and slip them on while letting the towel hit the floor. Then, I pull the leggings on, all the while listening to their conversation.
Johnny screams in frustration. “It’s my fault. I’m a big enough man to admit that, and don’t even say you didn’t mean for this shit to happen like some goddamn soap opera. You knew how much I cared for her. You fucking knew, Cotton.”
After putting the bra on that Mag chose for me, I slip the shirt over my head and frown at Johnny’s use of Mag’s real name. I can’t remember ever hearing him call him anything but Mag or Magnum. Maybe this means it’s more personal for him. It’s not about the gang. This is about them being friends.
“I know,” Mag says, voice deepening. “Fuck.”
I bite my lip as I lean against the wall next to the door. The crack in Mag’s voice hurts.
“When I said do anything to keep her safe, it didn’t mean you could fucking fall for her too. The one thing in my life I’ve ever had that actually means something. That was actually for me. Only me.”
A quiet growl rips from Jacob’s throat. “Don’t you think she’s that for all of us? I told her I thought she was your savior, but what if she’s all of ours? God knows we don’t fucking deserve one.”
“No, you don’t deserve mine. My savior.”
“You’re going to have to stop thinking of her that way,” Mag counters. “She’s not just yours.”
“She will be. By the end of all this, she won’t even remember your fucking names. I told her I’d fight for her. Right after I made her come on my dick five fucking amazing times.” His voice lowers. “Ahhh,” Johnny practically purrs. “I can see in your eyes you haven’t done that yet. But you want to. Let’s see if she feels the same way now.”
Johnny’s whispered threats simultaneously turn me on and piss me off. I walk out of the room while they stare at one another. “I’m ready,” I announce.
“Mag and I aren’t done.”
“Oh, but you are,” I say. “Magnum’s taking me to my PT appointment for my neck.”
“I’m coming with you,” Johnny says, not even looking at me. He still has Mag pressed up against the door.
“Don’t you have to deal with Candy’s? We’ll be fine.”
Johnny finally turns toward me. He’s shirtless in a pair of low-slung sweats, and if he just wore that forever, I’d be the happiest woman alive. He lets Mag go