gone straight to bed without giving this a second thought.”
A soft chuckle slips from between his lips and the sound pulls at something within me. “You might be right about that.”
“I’m right about a lot of things,” I fire back at him.
Colton’s lips pull into a tight line and I do my best to keep my concentration on his ribs, ignoring his strong abs and pecs that stare back at me, begging to be touched. “How’d you learn how to do this?” he questions, catching me off guard, though I can’t figure out why. It's a standard question, but it’s something personal, and Colton and I strictly don’t do personal … except for the other night in his room, but that was different.
“I have four best friends in a gang,” I say, choosing to entertain his question. “Knowing how to patch up dickheads with big egos is kind of a requirement.”
“Do they get in fights a lot?”
I nod, feeling a soft smile pulling across my lips. I’ve missed talking about them. “Kairo’s a loose cannon. He’s had a rough life and holds a lot of anger so if you even look at him wrong he’ll beat the shit out of you.”
“And Nic?” A flash of something appears behind his eyes but is gone before I have a chance to figure out what it means.
“Nic’s the smart one,” I tell him. “He’s the one you don’t want to cross. He’s calculating and deadly, and when it comes to protecting what’s his, there’s no standing in his way.”
“Is that supposed to be some kind of warning?”
I meet his heavy gaze and there’s so much there but I ignore it, unsure what any of it means. I shrug a shoulder and look back at Colton’s ribs. “Take it how you want.”
His voice is low, inquiring, and curious. “What’s the deal with you two?”
My walls shoot up. I don’t like this. Why does he want to know? Why does he need to know? I’m used to being the one who’s fishing for answers, not the other way around. Is this some kind of trick? Get me to open up and then use it against me in this ridiculous little war?
Reluctance pulls heavy within me yet I find myself eager to please him. “There’s nothing going on. He’s my best friend and he broke my heart. That’s all there is to it.”
Colton scoffs. “It seems like a shitload more than just that.”
“It is, but that’s between me and Nic.”
“Got it,” he says, raising his hands in surrender. “None of my business.” I rub some antiseptic cream into his ribs and just like that, the topic of Nic is dropped. “So, what about the other two?”
“Elijah and Sebastian?” I ask. “They’re my world. The four of them are. Sebastian is a flirt, kind of like Charlie actually. He’s the go-to guy if you want to party, and the majority of the time he’s getting stoned. Elijah is the one with the big heart. He'll never admit it though.”
“You guys sound tight.”
“We are.”
Colton reaches up and brushes his fingers over my shoulder and past my tattoo. “What would they say if they found out about this?”
I shuffle over, watching as his hand falls from my shoulder. “There’s nothing for them to find out,” I tell him. “Any of it. If they knew you snuck into my room and saw what you saw, they'd kill you without hesitation and if they knew that you’ve been doing everything in your power to make every day for me a living hell, they’d have you by the balls. There’s no winning for you in this situation. You’re fucked either way. It’s better to just keep your mouth shut.”
“If that’s the case, then why haven’t you said something? You say they’re so fucking protective and lethal, you could have squealed and all your problems would have disappeared.”
I look away and make sure to press a little harder against his rib which only manages to pull a wicked grin out of him. “You don’t want to get rid of me, do you?” he questions, reaching out for my waist and pulling me between his legs. “You love it. You crave the attention and the adrenaline.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He scoffs. “Don’t bullshit me, Jade. I see the way you’re always searching me out in a room. You’re drawn to me like a moth to a flame. Even after I tear you down, you keep coming back because you crave it. You