Page 20 of What I Should Have Known

Curiosity rolled through me, returning to my earlier assessment when I recognized she didn’t actually pick up on my flirting. Maybe it had something to do with that blonde girl in all of the photos with Kat. Her friend was tall, with legs for days and a smile that would snatch any guy’s attention. She was the type to draw eyes. Most of the time. But, for me, it was the short, thick girl beside the blonde that constantly caught my attention.

Her eyes, like a crystal-clear lake in the middle of a forest, swallowed me whole. Gentle cheeks with a smile so bright and wide that I couldn’t help but grin to myself as I studied the photo of Kat. She had her hair pulled up into some messy bun with mud caked down one side of her. Shorts and a simple T-shirt did nothing to hide plump curves I wanted to dig my fingers into.

Maybe she was a distraction I could pursue right now. Until more shit hit the fan, riding whatever strange wave this was would be nice. It’d been a while since I’d been with someone anyway. Mikey and Griffin seemed really happy and content, something I certainly wasn’t feeling right now.

The bedroom door creaked, opening slowly, and I watched with my hands in my pockets as Kat’s face peaked around the corner. As quickly as possible, she scurried into the bedroom and then pushed the door shut behind her.

“Here, I think they’ll fit.” Stretching her hand forward, she offered me a simple black T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

“Thanks,” I replied and slid them from her palm. Walking over to the cedar chest, I laid the clothes down and began undoing my belt. “How many siblings do you have?” I asked, making conversation.

“I have two older brothers and two younger brothers,” she replied. “Is it just you and Raiden?”

I nodded, unzipped my pants, and shoved them off my hips.

“What the hell are you doing?” she shrieked as a sharp clap bounced around the room.

Pulling my eyes up from the shit-covered jeans now around my ankles, I smirked at the sight of Kat with her hand covering her eyes. “I’m not taking my underwear off, calm down.”

Her fingers cracked apart, and blue eyes peeked out from behind her palm. They darted down my stomach, and the moment they landed between my legs, she squeaked again and quickly hid them back away. “There’s a bathroom down the hall!”

“Well, you should’ve said something before I already took my pants off.”

“In front of me! Without hesitation! Do you have no self-respect?” she gasped, spinning around to face the door.

“Kit Kat, grown men have checked my asshole for ticks more times than I can count, and I’ve taken dumps next to others while having a casual fucking conversation without a wall separating us. I have long since lost any need for modesty,” I explained, chuckling to myself.

“So, you just go around whipping your wang out for any and all to see?”

“No, I’m not some indecent perv.” Sighing, I tipped my head back and exhaled noisily. It’d been way too long since I’d tiptoed this line of wooing someone, and clearly this move had been a mistake. One that I hadn’t exactly thought through before marching straight into. “I’m sorry. I didn’t exactly think about being more private while changing.”

Slowly, Kat turned back around, keeping her hands over her eyes. “I’m so very confused by you,” she muttered.

“Why’s that?” I asked and stepped out of my pants. Snatching the pair off of the cedar chest, I unfolded the new, clean jeans.

“Who takes a crap while sitting next to someone having a casual conversation? Better yet, who says stuff like ‘having men check your butt for ticks’? Since when do you need someone else to do something like that?”

Bending forward, I picked up a foot to slide into a pant leg. “It’s really hard to see your own—”

“Kat, honey?” a woman’s voice sliced through my response.

With one leg raised, I paused, lifting my gaze to the door. Adrenaline sheared through my veins. This was not the plan. This was not happening. Some random woman just asked for Kat and was approaching the bedroom at this very moment. And here I was, wearing nothing but a pair of fucking boxers. Where the fuck was I supposed to go hide?

Kat’s hands fell from her eyes that were ready to bug out of her head, and they locked onto mine.

“Sweetheart? Dinner is ready. Aren’t you going to come downstairs to eat?” the woman said again.

“My mom,” Kat mouthed silently at me.

I raised my brows and shoulders. “What the fuck do you want me to do?” I replied without a word.

She shook her head and then raced forward. Ripping the pants from my hands, she tossed them onto the cedar chest and latched onto my forearm. With her fingers digging into my skin, she dragged me sideways.

“Kat? Sweetie?” her mom questioned, clearly closer to the door than before.

“Here,” Kat whispered to me, pausing in front of her closet.

“I’m not fucking fitting in there,” I hissed under my breath as she pulled open the door.

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