Page 14 of Fragile

“When you’ve dumped your stuff, come, and join us. I’ll get you a drink. What’s your poison?” Luca, the best-looking and most charming of us all questioned. He was your typical smooth motherfucker with the ladies.

She smiled coyly and looked confused.

“It means, what do you drink, alcohol-wise?” I translated, annoyed by her air of innocence which only added to her appeal. She had that untouched vibe down to a T.

“I don’t really drink that much, to be honest; beers OK, but I suppose I should unpack and get my bearings,” she replied, her eyes darting to mine as if she were asking my fucking permission. God knew why that suddenly pissed me off.

“Wise decision. And don’t feel you need to take dickhead here up on his offer to join us. Just get yourself settled,” I stated in a firm voice, my message clear. I don’t want you drinking with my friends. There was a further mumble from the lads as Leonie and Asher went to gather her stuff. This amounted to a couple of cases, a rucksack and some bin bags. I wondered where the rest of her shit was. She was female after all, I had yet to meet one that travelled light.

Miles moved forward and took one of the cases from her hand. “Here, let me get that for you. Lead the way, Ash.” To be fair, he was probably the only gentleman amongst us and so I let him have it. I swear to fuck, Leonie batted her lashes at him. Did girls really do that? That would be a huge fucking yes! Again, my temper shot up into the next gear. She appeared to be a natural flirt suddenly.

“Thank you, that’s so sweet.” My eyes widened like saucers as she briefly touched his arm, her smile turned up to the highest possible wattage.

As the guys settled themselves on the sofas and slowly started to refocus on the game, I watched Miles, Leonie, and my brother head towards her room. My eyes were glued to her arse and as I turned back to the lads, so were theirs. That animalistic side of me growled. I felt like a teenage boy, mesmerised by his first picture of a naked woman.

“Eyes front dicks,” I snapped, to which they responded with a chorus of boos whilst showering me with popcorn. So very juvenile.

Miles then reappeared from around the corridor and everyone whipped their heads from the screen with their eyebrows raised.

“Here let me get that for you,” Luca said, mimicking what Miles had said to Leonie. He shrugged and threw himself into an empty seat, a smug look on his face.

“What? I can’t help it if I was brought up correctly.”

The whistle went to signify the end of the first half and then all eyes were on me.

That constant niggle that I’d made a mistake by allowing a girl to live with us pushed its way to the surface once again.

Everyone was silent with their eyebrows raised, watching me with accusatory eyes.

I glanced around them. “What?”

Luca snorted, “What the fuck indeed. Where the hell did she come from?”

She’s mine, none of your business my territorial side growled. Reality then slapped me on the side of the head. I wanted Leonie Smith, end of. I was fucked.

Shit, now what?

Three

“What the fuck happened to the game?”

“It’s half-time, dickhead. Calm down,” I huffed as my closest friend joined us from the bathroom. He lowered his big body onto one of the spare sofas in front of the TV. Older but not necessarily wiser than any of us, Maxim Hunter aka Max was twenty-nine years old, six foot four and bulky. He had a rough as fuck appearance and tats all over his arms, back and chest. He was also sickeningly good-looking but in a pretty boy way, almost like his head didn’t suit his body.

My eyes narrowed as he placed a stick of gum in his mouth. “Have you been fucking smoking in my bathroom again?”

“Would I?” Max replied with fake offence.

“So, what did I miss?” he asked, shifting in his seat, having left our group at least twenty minutes ago to take a piss (whatever). His question related to the match, but the others had moved on.

“Gabe’s new housemate. It appears he’s been holding out on us,” Luca said, throwing me under the bus. Prick. “You just missed the finest piece of arse this side of the city.”

Max’s gaze swung to mine; one eyebrow arched in question. “I see. You never said you had pussy living here. Why the big secret?”

I suddenly felt like a caged tiger with the need to rip someone’s throat out. Shit. I’d met the girl once and she already had power over me. What the hell? As I had watched that cute little heart-shaped arse, I’d wanted to grab her and flatten her against the nearest wall, or more preferably the nearest bed.

“Well, spill it?” Max repeated with a puzzled expression, glancing between us. He was a mean-looking motherfucker; Leonie would probably run a mile from someone who looked like him; one hoped. Max had his own construction business and was a professional, but he still looked like an east-end thug who could break your fingers without even blinking. The guy oozed a general don’t-fuck-with-me demeanour.

“Leonie’s is to live with the Knight boys in sin, I imagine,” Adam answered with a dimpled grin and I wanted to lamp him. I glanced down at the whisky glass in my hand. How many had I had? I needed to get a grip; I wasn’t about to lose my shit because I was jealous. The range of emotions rolling through me were hard to describe.

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