Page 25 of Brazen Mistakes

“The fact that you’re dating before you have your degree? Yeah. I know the drill. Janie would love to come meet you guys sometime, but it’ll have to be after graduation for Mom and Dad to not freak out.”

“I’ll pencil it in.”

Ben ignores the sarcasm, his gaze circling the walls before leaving, Trips trailing him to lock up.

I bounce from the couch, the itch in my legs hurtling me toward Walker and Clara, pulling them both into a hug. “Aww! Clara got to meet a brother! And after only a few months. I’m jealous that you didn’t introduce me first. Luckily, I know I’ll always be number one in your heart, Walker.”

“Fuck off, you delusional nut job.” Walker tries to wiggle out of my arms, but while he took up climbing last year, I’ve been hauling myself up buildings since before Walker learned how to properly prepare a canvas. He’s not getting out of this group hug.

RJ and Trips can’t help but laugh at his futile struggle, and finally,finallythis meeting is getting better.

Not orgy better.

But I’ll take anything that includes laughs and avoids murderous fathers.

It’s the small things.

Chapter 10

Clara

Locked between Walker and Jansen, I feel the strength I’ve been missing, and a surge of joy follows the observation. I’m not just a weepy mess. There’s more to me, even if it’s hiding.

Using that strength, I find my voice. “I hate to break up this excellent hug, but I think I should share the other thing that came up while you guys were gone.”

Trips grunts and goes to grab the card and photo, but the ice dripping from his gaze as he passes us removes the grin from even Jansen’s face.

“The ‘more bad’ is that bad, huh?” he asks.

“No?”

“That’s a question, princess, not an answer,” Walker points out.

Pulling away, I take a risk and perch on RJ’s lap. He pulls me tight against his chest, some of his calmenergy seeping into me. Exactly what I need right now. “You’ll see. It’s not necessarily bad. Just sucky, I guess.”

Trips comes back and drops the card and photo on the coffee table. The other three guys lean forward to see, RJ squeezing me to keep me from tumbling off his lap. Jansen snatches up the photo first, his lips twisting before passing it on to Walker, whose eyes flash bright with fire. RJ’s the last one to get a close look at the photo, and it’s his reaction that I didn’t expect.

The calm vanishes, every muscle in his body taut and trembling, his lips twisting into a sneer. “That fucker.”

“RJ?”

He stands, letting me slide until my feet are on the ground, gesturing to Walker, who pulls me into his arms without question. “I’m sorry, sugar. I should have been keeping closer watch.”

“Is it Bryce?”

“It must be. I’ll go boot up my computer, but fuck. If that bastard got out on some piddly bail bond, I will pull out every one of his fingernails with rusty pliers.”

“That’s not normal,” Jansen mutters as RJ storms away.

I glance at Trips, who’s staring at the stairs, his hands tugging at the dark red strands of his hair like it’ll help him put the world back together.

“Do we follow him?” I ask.

Walker tucks me against his chest. “Honestly? I have no idea. I don’t think I’ve ever seen RJ freak out.”

Trips turns back to us. “Leave him. He’ll be able to see if Bryce is on the loose. We can’t take next steps until we know more.”

“And he’ll calm down once he feels back in control,” Jansen adds.

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