Page 26 of Simply You & Me

"I'm okay." My blush gets so much worse when Julian walks over with a bag of peas and asks me to lean forward. "Thanks," I mumble, embarrassed to be sitting on one of their damn side dishes.

"Anything for you, Sweetness," Julian says with a smirk. To my utter shock, he drops a kiss on my lips.

In front of Wyatt! Fuck, I don't think I could burn any hotter than I am right now.

With a shit-eating grin, Julian winks at Wyatt and struts his firm ass back to the kitchen.

I giggle when I find I'm not the only one watching him walk away. Wyatt's attention snaps to me. "What? He's sexy. Don't act like you didn't check him out just now, too." The grin and the subtle hint of smoke coming off Wyatt makes me want to bury my nose in his neck.

No sniffing friends.

"What do you guys do for work?" I ask, curious about their level of seriousness for a Saturday.

The look he gives me is complex. It's like he's trying to figure out how much to tell me. "We run security details." That's so cool! "I'm the tech guy. Comms and such. Julian and Zachary are the muscle. Bodyguards, I guess you could call them. And Tate, he?—"

"I make sure you fuckers aren't being dumb," Tate interrupts. On the couch opposite Wyatt and me, Tate has a gleam in his eye that looks like an attempt at humor. Yet, the firm set of his jaw tells another story.

Color me intrigued.

Chapter Seventeen

Wyatt

How much does Adelyn know already? She's friends with Rylee, but how much has Rylee shared?

Tate looks completely uncomfortable, and honestly, I'm not feeling much better about this. Zach finds his own seat in the living room, looking lost in thought. Maybe he can take over the conversation.

I'm not cut out for this. How do we tell the girl we like we made a living by protecting really horrible fucking people? I'd rather shove my face back into my laptop and figure out who the fuck is digging into our shit than navigate this conversation. Not that I don't want to hang out with Addie. I really do. We just have a ton of shit to figure out before our clean slate is shit on by a bunch of shady, rich criminals. Fuck!

The self-loathing is real. The blind eye we turned to the fucked up shit that was happening around us makes me sick. I can't believe we helped people like Mason, Rylee's abusive ex.

"What do you do, Doll?"

Thank fuck for Zach diverting the question into better territory. Most people would make small talk about their job. I can't wait for the day when our career can be discussed in an easy manner without guilt nipping at my vocal cords and my body vibrating with rage.

"Oh, I'm just a waitress." Addie shifts on her bag of frozen vegetables, twirling her hair bashfully.

Julian scoffs, seating himself on her other side. "Don't say it like that, sweetheart. She waitresses for The Posh Palate. Fancy as hell!" he informs us with a wide smile. He may be talking to us, but his eyes are all for the blushing brunette between us.

"What made you decide to be a waitress?" Tate asks, curiosity alight in his eyes. Leaning forward, he braces his toned arms on his thighs, clearly engaged in learning more about Addie.

"Uh. It's an easy job to get without a degree, I guess." She nibbles on her lip like she might share something more. We don't have to wait long before she decides. "My mom owned a restaurant, so I feel comfortable in the fast-paced environment."

Zach hums thoughtfully. It's Julian who voices his curiosity, though. "What does your mom do now?"

"Um," Addie mumbles, her eyes dropping to her lap. "She's dead."

Ugh. I close my eyes and hang my head. I hear a choking sound, probably coming from one of the guys. The room is silent in the aftermath of her confession until Zach offers his condolences, which we all reiterate as well.

I settle my gaze on Addie just as she gives us a watery smile. "Thank you. It's been six years since I lost them."

"Them?" I blurt against better judgment. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Zach staring me down, most likely cursing me for not thinking before speaking. By the way her face pales and her hands tremble slightly, I regret my question.

"My mom and dad died the same night."

"What, how?!" Tate's tone is exasperated, voicing our collective shock and turmoil for the young girl who lost her parents.

"Tate!" Zach snaps. "I'm sorry, Adelyn. You don't have to answer that."

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