Page 53 of Three to Fall

Nobody was taking this baby away from me. Not this time. Not for one minute.

Showered and dressed, Hayden and I emerged from his bedroom twenty minutes later to find Grayson, Hawk, and oddly, Kyle, sitting at the big common room table in the Slayers’ clubhouse.

Papers, textbooks, and laptops were spread all over the tabletop in a messy array, pens and highlighters everywhere the eye could see.

Kyle stood as I entered the room. “Hi, Kara. How are you feeling today? Can I get you a tea?”

Hawk eyed him lazily. “She’s feeling like you should quit brown-nosing and keep writing out those study notes.” Then he leaned back on his chair to reach out and grab the long fabric of my flowy skirt. “Hey, Little Mouse. You want a tea?”

I giggled and nodded, rolling my eyes when Hawk shouted for one of the prospects to bring out a mug rather than getting up to get it himself.

“What?” he asked when he saw the look on my face. “I’ve got studying to do. And so do you. Don’t give me a hard time for using the resources I have. That’s just good time management.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh. Time management, huh? That’s why Kyle is writing notes for you?” I leaned over the table and kissed Grayson sitting beside the younger man. “Hi, you.”

He cupped the side of my face. “Hi, beautiful.”

Hawk glared at him.

I squinted. “Really? After last…” I remembered Kyle was in the room and didn’t need to know every detail of what Hawk, Hayden, Grayson, and I had done last night. “After everything, you’re getting cranky with him for touching me?”

Hawk shook his head. “I’m not cranky. I’m pissed he didn’t stick up for me and tell you Lyle here isn’t taking notes for me.”

Kyle cleared his throat. “Um. It’s Kyle…”

Hawk glared at him. “I think now it’s Pile. As in pile of shi—”

I gave him a disapproving look. “Be nice. For once.”

He rolled his eyes and patted Kyle none too gently on the back. “Kylehas decided to take the GED with us.”

“You have? That’s great, Kyle!” I raised my hand for a high five.

He slapped it back super gently, with a fearful glance at Hawk, like if he hit me too hard Hawk might have his head.

Which to be fair, was probably not far from the truth.

I doubted Hawk was ever going to lose his overprotective ways, even if we had let other men into our bed.

I settled into a chair, and Grayson ran over some of the material with all three of us. To Hawk’s credit, he took the study session way more seriously than I thought he would, and I smiled, watching him ask Grayson for help with one question, and the two of them with their heads together, talking through the problem together.

They figured it out and my heart squeezed at the bright smile that lit up both their faces.

Grayson was a natural-born teacher, excited and eager to help us, and Hawk had found a focus I’d never seen in him before.

I could practically see the daydreams of becoming an EMT or a paramedic dancing in front of his eyes. Having a real ability to help people when they were at their lowest.

I wanted that too, but without the pressure of an emergency situation. Hawk would thrive on that. But I didn’t need that level of stress.

Hours passed with me diligently taking notes on a notepad because I didn’t have much experience with computers, and it felt like more hassle than it was worth to try to learn right then and there. Smells wafted from the kitchen, and we all started getting distracted as they grew stronger.

Hawk grumbled beneath his breath. “Ugh, he’s making chili, isn’t he? If he tells us it’s for the restaurant tonight and not for us to eat right now, I’m going to have to end this relationship.”

Grayson put his highlighter down. “Very dramatic of you.”

“You haven’t tasted his chili. It’s the best fucking thing I’ve ever eaten. He made his own recipe, and I swear, the thing should have earned him at least two Michelin stars, it’s that delicious. And he does this side of mashed potatoes with rosemary and garlic and…”

Gray listened with a small smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.

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