Page 89 of Descent

I can’t help but laugh at that, still smiling when he opens the door. Instead of letting me slide out, he lowers himself, pushing his body to hang halfway into the car.

“You laugh, but it’s the truth,” he smiles before a seriousness takes over. “We were all very worried about you.”

My smile slowly starts to drop, my eyes moving from his and down to his mouth before back to his eyes again.

“Is there…something…between us,” I hedge softly, my breathing increasing slightly as I do.

Those deep blue eyes sparkle with curiosity as he tilts his head to the side, closing the distance between us as he speaks.

“Do you want there to be something between us, little one?”

I swallow, butterflies fluttering through me at the nickname. I love all the little nicknames my guys have for me. I mean, my boyfriends, obviously. Wesley most definitely not included. We couldn’t be together even if that’s what I would want…not that it is. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have at least one male friend that I’m not in a relationship with. I can’t be greedy and have every attractive man who looks my way…right? Right.

“I-I don’t know,” I answer honestly, hating the way my voice shakes as I do.

He nods thoughtfully before his hand lifts, running his thumb over my lower lip before pulling it down. My lip goes down until he releases it with a simple flick, my lip bouncing back into place though where he touched is still tingling.

“You let me know when you figure it out,” he says, his eyes tracing over my face one more time before pulling away.

Wesley stands up, holding the door open like a proper chauffeur. Sliding out of the seat, I nod my thanks, not sticking around for any more sultry moments together. The more space that I can give us, the better.

Maggie meets me at our usual spot, pulling me in for a hug before we fall into step.

“You waited for me?” I ask.

She nods. “I was with Asher and Ronan when they got word that Vincent found you.”

I grimace at that. “They weren’t mean to you, were they?”

Maggie lifts her eyebrow and laughs.

“Babe, they are mean to everyone who isn’t you.”

Shrugging at that, I continue. “But still, they didn’t…hurt you, did they?”

She shakes her head. “Though I’m not gonna lie, I thought Asher’s head was going to explode while I was playing stupid. Ronan looked like he was two seconds away from stringing me up by my toes,” she laughs.

I shake my head at her. “You know, normally people wouldn’t find either of those things to be funny.”

“Most people don’t have an awesome sense of humor like me,” she shrugs, as she opens the class door for me. “Besides, I know they are just protective of you. How could I be mad at them for trying to love on my bestie?”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help but smile because she’s got a point. They can be overbearing as hell at times, but I can’t forget for a moment how lucky I am to have all of these incredible men that are in love with me, that want to keep me safe and protected.

As we make our way up to our seats, I turn to respond when something catches my eye, forcing my attention back over to my seat.

My stomach instantly turns, my body on full alert as I stare down at the single stemmed rose. I see a small tag attached to it, fear filling me to the brim as I creep towards the flower, lifting the tag with shaky hands.

Only a little longer until we’re together. Stay patient. I love you.

Maggie leans over, reading the note before cursing under her breath.

“That’s not from one of the guys, is it?”

I shake my head as Liam comes into the room, stopping at the bottom of the stairs as his eyes seek mine out. When his eyes meet mine, though, he knows something is wrong. Lifting up the rose, I wave it to him as his mouth rounds and I can see him say, ‘oh shit’.

He gestures for me to come to him and I do as he says, bringing the rose with me. Liam reads the tag, a pinched look crossing his face as his eyes roam around the room. There is hardly anyone here today, maybe because it’s still twenty minutes before class starts. Still, it had to be someone in here, right?

Whatever Liam was looking for, he clearly comes up short before shaking his head again and gesturing for the door.

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