Page 128 of Finding Delaware

“Love you, too, grump ass!”

When I return to the truck, Christian is mimicking monkey noises for Hannah as Logan steps forward, his attention on Salem’s retreating jeep.

“Is she coming?” He asks anxiously, and I flash two thumbs up with a grin.

“Yep.” Swinging my eyes to Huck, I find him watching me with that peculiar look, half heat, half sadness. “Text you the address?”

“See you there,” he murmurs, and as he passes by toward Logan’s car, his fingers brush against mine. Turning to study his back, my gaze drops to where the strong muscles of his bubble ass flex in his jeans. I bite my lip, fingers twitching to reach out and squeeze, but I refrain. He glances over his shoulder suddenly, brow quirked, and I turn away quickly,covering my mouth to hide the grin on my lips at being caught checking him out.

And notice Xed staring right at me.

“Uh...” Yeah, just gonna pretend that didn’t happen. “Christian and I need to run the bikes home, grab a quick shower, and then we’ll be over.”

“Your shower or mine?” Christian snickers, climbing into the passenger seat, and I roll my eyes as Xed nods with a small smile.

“Ok. Grab beer.”

“Grab rear, shave beard, put on some scene gear.” Quoting that one Hollywood Undead song everyone knows, I say my goodbyes to Hannah before hopping into the truck. Christian turns on some tunes, jamming his hands on the dash, and I feel for the first time in years that everything is going right.

Like maybe I deserve to be happy, after all.

Taylor

Xed and Matt’s townhouse sits in the Avenues, a neighborhood northeast of downtown Salt Lake City.

The building is old, historic, and made of brick with vines running up the front. Matty’s parents own it, but they let him and Xed rent it out since the University of Utah is only five minutes from the place. There are no driveways, however, and parking on the street is limited, so we had to park the truck around the corner and walk the rest of the way.

By the time we arrive, everyone’s already there. I can hear the music bumping when we push open the door, ‘Too Much’ by Pepper blasting from Xed’s speakers. It’s two stories, with old carpeted stairs leading up to the second level from the entryway and creaky hardwood under my feet. I’m about to enter the living room behind the stairs when a high-pitched scream makes me cringe.

“Taaaaaylor-uh!”

God. Here we go.

Arya’s body hits me as she jumps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. Pressing big fake tits into my chest, she leans in to try and kiss me, like usual, but I turn my head so that she catches my cheek. And that’s when I notice Huck in the kitchen, gazing at me with narrowed eyes while he leans against the counter next to Owen, Salem’s very attractive, verygayfriend.

I narrow my own eyes as I extract myself from Arya, prying her off of me before setting her down on the ground.

She tosses her bleach blonde hair over a shoulder and pouts up at me, blinking big green eyes. “I was happy to hear about your win today, but I can’t believe you didn’t invite me, Tay.”

“Yeah, it was close friends only.” I brush by her, following Christian into the kitchen, noticing how he eyes her tight mini-skirt. They’ll probably be fucking before the night is over. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Huck watches me approach, and even though he smiles widely, there’s something under the surface that I can’t figure out.

“Hi,” he says, dropping his gaze to take in my Rings of Saturn tank top, which shows a green alien chilling on a doughnut.

“Taylor, hey.” Owen reaches out a hand to shake mine, light brown hair waving over his ears. “Good to see you again. Do you know Huckslee?”

Glancing between them, I can’t help but notice how good they look together. Owen’s not exceptionally muscled, not as much as me, but still toned. Soft in all the right places. He’s shorter than us and would definitely be easier for Huck to lift. His whiskey-colored eyes, dimpled chin, tanned skin, andloose button-up hit a spot of familiarity in the back of my head, and not because I’ve met him twice. I just realized he looks similar to almost every guy Huck has dated—exactly his type.

My stomach drops.

“Yeah, I know him.” Licking my lips, I run my gaze over Huck with a dark grin. “Know him pretty well.”

Owen’s face falls slightly as Huck’s eyes heat, but before we can say anything, a slight body shoves herself in front of me.

“Oh gosh, hi.” Arya smiles up at Huck. “We arrived only a few seconds before Taytay, so I don’t think we’ve met. You must be his stepbrother I’ve heard so much about.”

Goddammit.

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