Page 73 of Her Devils

That’s hardly a declaration of love.

I hate that Peyton is right. Darrius wants what he thinks he can’t have.

Another wave of heat rushes to my chest and neck, but this time I’m not embarrassed or excited. I’m fucking furious.

I’m so livid that I don’t catch that his mouth is about to crash land onto mine until it’s too late to avoid him.

His lips press against mine, hot and insistent.

Rather than give in and allow him to slip his tongue into my mouth, however, I move my face to the side.

Darrius doesn’t look deterred by my lack of encouragement, dragging open-mouthed kisses down the column of my neck. “Len,” he whispers fervently as his body pushes mine against the wall right outside my bedroom. “You’re so soft and beautiful.”

He grabs one of my tits, squeezing it a little too hard.

“Let’s take our minds off tomorrow’s national championship. Let me dive into you, sweetheart.”

That’s a terrible pickup line, and I’m about to say that, but someone beats me to it.

There’s a rustling noise coming from the trellis of bougainvillea right by the side of the balcony.

“That’s a cheesy line even for you, asshole.” Channing’s head pops up seconds before he grabs the balcony’s balustrade, hoisting himself up and landing on the tiled floor with graceful agility.

My eyes follow the way his rippling muscles bulge with the action, and my body comes alive at the sight of his tall, powerful frame.

I file the fact that looking at Channing seems to do more for my arousal than having Darrius’s mouth on me for later and scold him instead. “Chan, what the fuck are you doing here?”

Darrius must misunderstand my intention, because he joins me with a glare in the Cove Devil’s direction. “Yeah, asshole. What the fuck are you doing here? You better go before I call the cops.”

I take advantage of the distraction to push Darrius away. “I thought we agreed that scaling the house was too dangerous, especially the night before nationals, and that I’d text you once the coast was clear.”

“We didn’t agree on that, baby,” he says with his most adorable shit-eating grin. “You were adorably worried about my safety, and I told you that I’m comfortable with heights and danger is literally my livelihood. So I waited in my car until I saw that the lights were off in the living room and climbed up. I didn’t expect to find that you had company.”

The last few words are uttered with a glare in Darrius’s direction, and I’m not surprised when my lifelong friend’s reaction is totally hostile.

“What the fuck are you doing here at this time, Ford?” he snarls, trying to grab my hand again, but I step away from him and move closer to Channing.

“Channing and I have a date, D,” I offer, wrapping my arm around the Cove Devil’s trim waist and placing the flat of my palm on his warm, hard chest.

There’s a hint of outrage in Darrius’s voice. “A date? With him?”

Channing’s smile widens as he confirms Darrius’s obvious statement. “Fuck, it’s impossible to hide anything from you, Penn. You’re so perceptive.”

I snort at Channing’s tone, looking up into his bright green eyes. “I’m serious, babe. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d gotten hurt.”

He pulls me closer to his chest, placing a soft kiss on my temple. “But I didn’t. I’m here, all in one piece, and I’m ready to rock both of our worlds until it’s time to get to the airfield.”

I fist the fabric of the button-down shirt he wore at dinner, pulling to get him to lower his head for a kiss.

Darrius’s voice makes me stop mid-action. “Are you for real, Len? You can’t be fucking him too!”

Peyton might have hurt my feelings when he told me to flirt with him, but I have to hand it to my stepbrother, because he’s a genius when it comes to messing with Darrius.

“I can, and I’d like you to go home, Darrius, so Channing and I can get on with our date,” I bite out with a sense of perverse satisfaction.

He doesn’t budge, rooted to his spot in front of us. “You’re fucking all three of my rivals. How could you, Len?”

“The same way you could fuck my best friend.” The retort comes out with more heat than I intended, but I mean every single word.

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