Page 28 of Primal

What changed? It couldn’t have been me, could it?

“By the way, good morning, sweetheart,” Mason said with a wink. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips.

“Uh…good morning,” I replied, thrown off by the unexpected kiss.

Not to be outdone, my dad placed an arm around my waist and pulled me in close. His kiss was just as intense as Mason’s, and a moment later, I found myself alone in the room with my turbulent thoughts.

Feeling drained by the sweltering heat, I made a beeline for the bathroom. I quickly undressed and stepped into a refreshing shower. It was amusing to compare my experience last night, soaking in the hot tub, with my current situation of standing under a cool stream of water. I prayed Axel and Mason had managed to resolve the air conditioning issue because it was unbearable in this heat, despite the rain. If anything, the storm only added to the discomfort, bringing a heavy humidity along with it.

So, I lingered under the cool spray of water, soaking up as much time as I reasonably could out of the heat. When I stepped out of the shower, I didn’t even want to get dressed, but walking around naked wasn’t an option.

A nearly hysterical laugh left me as I realized Joey was the reason I couldn’t do that, and not my father or stepfather. How was this my life?

Grabbing my lightest dress out of the closet, I pulled it on, not bothering with a bra. I had big breasts, so I rarely went without one, but the top of the dress was tight enough to mostly keep everything in place, and I couldn’t stand the thought of wearing more clothing than was absolutely necessary.

That meant no panties either.

I gathered my thick brown tresses into a tousled bun atop my head to beat the scorching heat, and descended the stairs. The first floor was marginally cooler than the second, thanks to the ceiling fan, but it was still sweltering. I noticed I wasn't alone in feeling uncomfortable; all three men were roaming around in just their boxer shorts. Mason was busy in the kitchen, blending smoothies. Joey stood by the window with a jarring frown etched on his face.

My mouth watered as I caught sight of my dad. He was sitting on the couch, working on a jigsaw puzzle. His strong back muscles flexed as he reached for a piece. I strolled over, looking down at the puzzle pieces spread all over the coffee table.

“Where did this come from?” I asked.

“I found it on a shelf in the coat closet by the door,” he said, glancing up at me. I saw his eyes focus in on my nipples pebbling against the front of my yellow dress. He took a deep breath and focused on my face. “I need a break from writing, and there’s not much but weather reports on the TV, so I figured I’d give it a shot.”

I took a seat next to him on the couch, our thighs pressed together. I saw a corner piece, so I grabbed it and put in place on the coffee table. “So, I guess there’s no good news about the air conditioner?”

“Nope,” he said. “Mason and I couldn’t figure out what’s wrong with it.”

I sighed. The storm was projected to last two more days. It was going to be miserable without air conditioning.

Mason came into the room with a smoothie for me and Axel. He didn’t bother to offer Joey one, and I knew I probably should’ve felt bad for him, but I didn’t have that in me anymore. I didn’t feel anything for the guy.

Mason brought over an armchair from the fireplace and sat across from us on the other side of the coffee table. For a moment, we all worked on the puzzle and sipped our cold smoothies, which helped a little with the oppressive heat.

I glanced up when Mason attached two puzzle pieces together and found myself entranced by him. He was so damn good-looking, and the way his hard muscles shifted every time he moved reminded me of the way he fucked me like a wild animal last night. I felt myself starting to blush at the memory.

“What are you looking at?”

I jolted at the sound of Joey’s voice coming from beside me. He’d abandoned his moping at the window and came over to see what we were doing. I looked up at him looming over me.

“What?” I asked, feeling flustered.

He looked pissed off, and I didn’t know if it was the weather or the fact that I dumped him that set him off, but I’d seen him in this kind of mood before, and I know he could be vicious.

“You were just checking out your stepdad,” he sneered. He was also in his boxers, but he did not look nearly as good. He was more leanly muscled, skinny rather than well-built. I never used to mind it, but seeing him right next to my dad and Mason really put things into perspective. They were on an entirely different level.

“You’re crazy,” I said, hoping that he couldn’t hear how rattled I felt in my voice. I hated that he caught me staring at Mason. “I wasnot.”

“I saw you. What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get back at me by ogling your own stepdad in front of me? Are you trying to make me jealous?”

I felt my dad tense next to me, and Mason was glaring at Joey. I jumped out of my seat before one of them interfered. I wanted to at least try to handle this myself.

“You are crazy if you think that I have any interest in making you jealous,” I snapped. “I’m done with you Joey.”

“Then, why the hell did you bring me here?” he asked, his voice rising.

My jaw dropped as indignation rose within me. “Youbeggedme to let you come! I was ready to walk away after I caught you fucking that slut.”

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