Risking It All (Kingston Brothers #4) - Isabel Lucero Page 0,25
cute you were, and then thinking, why do I think he’s cute?
“You shifted and leaned back on the table, and our hands touched. Your eyes flew to mine, and there was a fraction of a second where we just looked at each other. I thought maybe all of my thoughts were written on my forehead and you knew what I was thinking, but you just murmured a sorry and turned away.
“That was when I realized I didn’t just look at you like a friend, because I wanted your hand back on mine. I wanted to kiss your lips to see if they were as soft as they looked. And then every time we were back on that table, I hoped and waited for another brief touch—a pinky, knee, thigh, anything.”
I can’t help myself. It’s like my hand has a mind of its own as I reach over the console and grab his. I squeeze and he squeezes back, giving me a grin.
My heart soars. Merrick fucking Kingston is going to be the death of me.
18
Merrick
Present Day
Cillian free falls onto my bed. “Let’s make a deal. You stay at my house, and I’ll sleep here a few nights.”
“No, thanks,” I say with a laugh.
“But there’s maids and room service.”
“Exactly.”
“You act like Midge isn’t the one cleaning your house and making your food,” Royce adds, sitting in the chair near the window.
“Hey, I’m the one who cooks,” he says. “But yeah, she does most of the cleaning.”
“How’s the wedding planning going?” I ask Royce, nudging Cill’s leg out of the way so I can sit on my bed.
“Good. London’s basically in charge of all the decisions, so that makes my part easy.”
I laugh. “Nice.”
He smiles. “Nah, she asks my opinion on stuff, but I really want her to have everything she’s ever dreamed of. We’ve settled on turquoise and yellow for colors, which seems to fit a nice summer wedding. Yellow flowers, turquoise dresses for the bridesmaids, and turquoise ties for the guys.”
“And it’s gonna be outside?” I ask.
“Yep. Our property.”
“That’s nice.”
“Kind of stressful,” he admits. “Vendors, lighting, decorations, seating, and a whole bunch of other shit to figure out, but it’ll be worth it.”
“I told Midge we should just fly to Vegas and get married there,” Cill says.
“And what did she say about that?” I ask.
“She gave me a look that said enough.”
We all crack up.
“So, whatcha been up to since being back in town?” Cill asks, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.
“Not much. It’s only been a week. I saw Ali and Liliana. Lili invited me over to her mom’s house for lunch so I could see her baby. Then me and Ali went to this movie in the park thing that his mom told us about. Since then, nothing really. I’ve seen a couple other friends, and I’ve hung out with Elijah and Nova.”
“Midge has been wanting to do that movie in the park thing. We’ve only gone once, but it’s been a while,” Cill says.
“How’s Alejandro?” Royce asks. “I thought y’all had a falling out or something.”
I shrug. “Eh, we did, but we’re working it out.”
“That’s good. Y’all were really close back in the day. I don’t think I’ve kept many friendships from high school,” Royce says.
“Yeah, ’cause you’re a shit friend,” Cill jokes.
“Fuck off.”
“So, is this shit getting to you yet?” Cill asks.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“You know, being famous, losing privacy, always traveling, partying too much.”
I chuckle. “Ah, well, it’s not too bad yet. The privacy thing sucks, but what can you do? That comes with the job. The traveling was nice for the first couple years. Now I feel like I’ve seen everything I’ve wanted to see. Being here for these past seven days has been amazing. I’m not expected to wake up at five in the morning to hop on a plane, do a show, and get on another plane. Not that I hate it, though, but it’s been a lot of work. I’m glad we’re at a point where we can slow down a bit.”
“And partying too much? Nobody’s developed any habits, have they?” Royce asks.
“Nah, I don’t think so. I mean, we definitely party and drink, but it hasn’t gotten to the point where anybody needs rehab. I hope we don’t ever get there.”
“That’s good,” Royce says.
We’re all quiet for several seconds before Cill opens his mouth and brings up the last thing I want anybody to bring up.