Page 19 of Promise Me Never

“You don’t have to sleep with anyone though, you know? Like if you’re making out and something feels off, you can say no. You can stop at any point.”

“I know.” I reach over and grab her hand. “I’m not afraid to tell a guy no, and I understand consent. Thank you for the reminder, though.”

“Good. As your wingwoman, any guy who gives me the tiniest ick is out of the question.” She might only be a couple years older than me, but she feels like a big sister, and I love that. She pulls out of the driveway. “Now let’s go have some fun.”

Eight

LUKE

* * *

Aknock on my front door wakes me from the nap I was trying to squeeze in while dinner cooks. I glance out the window and see Sam and Colt before immediately laying my head back down on the back of the couch. Maybe if I don’t answer, they’ll go away. I don’t even try to hide my irritation when the door swings open.

I have to start locking the damn door.

“Boss. We’re done.” Sam rounds the corner and walks into my small living room.

“Great. Go away.”

“Nope,” Colt pokes his head around the log post. “What’s for dinner? Smells like lasagna.” He disappears into the kitchen.

“Janey was here earlier.” Sam sits down on the couch beside me.

That makes me sit up. “Was she looking for me?”

He shakes his head and accepts a beer from Colt. “She and Eli are going out tonight.”

“Good for them.”

I’m honestly glad they’re becoming friends. Janey left college a semester early to be with our mom as she entered hospice. She finished her final classes online to earn her degree and never went back. School for her wasn’t as easy for her as it was for me. She struggled with forming friendships as the black sheep of High Point High School. That difficulty has remained, and her weird ass relationship with Sam has never helped matters.

“They’re going to the rodeo.”

“Great.” Why is he telling me this? “Hope they have fun.” At least with Eli off the property, I won’t think about her so much.

Sam scowls into his beer. “Probably too much fun,” he mutters.

I stand as the oven timer goes off. “I suppose you two want to stay and eat?”

“We hadn’t even thought about it, but thanks for asking.” Colt taps his hand over his chest. “So thoughtful.”

They would have ended up raiding my fridge for leftovers regardless. Might as well feed them while it’s fresh. I pull the foil pan out as the sauce bubbles up through the cheese.

“The girls looked really good tonight,” Sam says as I serve them both. The look he shares with Colt doesn’t go over my head. Whatever conversation they’re having wordlessly is starting to piss me off.

“Would you just fucking say what you want to say instead of hinting around at god knows what?” I explode as I drop into my chair.

Both of them remain completely cool as they look at each other, used to me losing my temper. Talking in circles pisses me off, and they both know it. In fact, their smug little smirks show that they actually enjoy pushing my buttons.

“I think our sweet, little Eli left an innocent girl and will be returning a woman tonight,” Sam says, his eyes moving from Colt’s to mine.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” I hate how much I hate hearing him call Eli ours. She feels like mine, and that’s a big fucking problem. I grab my beer and take a deep pull.

“It means Eli’s about to get rid of that v-card she’s been carrying around.”

Beer flies from my mouth spraying all over the table. Blood roars in my ears, but now the way she examined all the condoms at the pharmacy makes sense. I thought it was strange that she was looking at them so curiously, like she’d never seen a box of them before. But then she was so fucking nonchalant at the same time. It was confusing as fuck, but I figured I started it by being so damn nosey that I couldn’t back down.

“How do you know she’s a virgin?”

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