Page 34 of Eden's Joker

I take my phone from my pocket, not sure I do.

He’s sent two more texts.

I got us tickets to see an old version of Wuthering Heights Friday night. Please say you’ll come.

I want to make it up to you.

And in that moment, I do forgive him. Wholly and completely.

No guy has ever shown this much interest in my interests.

Or tried this hard to have me.

So what if he’s a little confused? So what if I have to try a little harder with him? Or wait a little for him to come to terms with his feelings?

How many times have I heard the girls complain that it takes ages for guys to manage that?

There’s suddenly no doubt in my heart that it’ll be worth the wait in the end. That we will have the kind of happily ever after I’ve only read about until now. Possibly even better.

OK, I’ll be there.I text back. Then add, AndI will let you try to make it up to me.

Because the one thing I do know about guys is that you should never let them off the hook too easily.

20

Joker

Scorpio discovered a rusty workout set at the far end of the Inn’s yard, right by the rusty metal wall encircling the property and behind some disused outbuildings. I bet no one’s used this to actually workout for a good long while, but for other things… sure, lots. But once we got rid of the worst of the condoms, empty bottles, and other garbage it’s been an OK place to hang out undisturbed and blow off some steam.

We’re supposed to be pretending we don’t know each other, but we can now pretend we met while working out. I’ve been doing nothing but. Scorpio’s mostly been lounging in the shade by the wall. At least we can talk normally. As much as I enjoy scheming and such, I do have a tendency to get lost in my own lies sometimes until even I no longer know what’s realand what I’m just pretending is real. Scorpio’s good at reining me back from that.

“You might wanna lay off the bench presses,” he says. “You don’t want your arms to fall off before this mission even starts.”

He finds that incredibly funny and I’m sure the half empty bottle of whiskey he’s sucking on has a lot to do with that. One of these days I’ll get him into a program and fuck anyone who thinks that’s a pussy thing to do. A lot of the brothers probably will think that. But Scorpio’s been like family my whole life and we’ve been together, fighting side by side, ever since we reconnected in some flea infested foster home nearly twenty years ago now. I’d hate to lose him to the bottle before he’s even reached middle age.

“The mission is well underway,” I assure him and switch to free weights.

The midday sun is hot as hell. Sweat is running down my back and face, and damn near everywhere else. I should probably listen to him and find some shade, but I’m still reeling at how close I came to losing my connection to Eden.

She took hours to reply to my texts last night. Hours I spend worrying that she never would.

It’s not even that I couldn’t grovel and beg and make sure she took me back. I was certain I could get my way with her in the end.

It was something else. A differentkind of worry. Like a poisonous snake coiling in the pit of my stomach.

“Is it, though?” Scorpio asks, sounding very sober all of a sudden.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugs and gulps down some more of his drink.

I toss the dumbbell on the ground, cracking one of the concrete slabs, and join him in the shade.

“No, seriously, what is that supposed to mean?”

He narrows his eyes at me like he’s trying to determine if I am indeed serious. I am.

“It’s just that you’ve been dragging your feet with her,” he says. “Some of the guys are beginning to wonder if maybe you grew some feelings for her.”

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