Page 14 of Good Girl

Darcy grins down at me, the kind of grin that says he would totally be down to be my partner in any mischief I might like to come up with. “Well, breakfast will be ready in about a minute, so why don’t you come over to the table and say good morning to everyone?”

While his words may have sounded like a question, I take them like an order and slowly approach the other three. Honestly, if it weren’t for Darcy’s hand on my lower back propelling me forward, I probably would have taken far longer to make my way to them.

As I approach, Derek turns back to the stove. Something sizzles, making my mouth water. Xavier has his back pressed against the outside of the counter and watches me. My nickname for him from last night resurfaces, and I can’t help but find it even more accurate this morning.

Hunter.

He watches me like I’m his prey. It’s difficult to remind myself that he enjoyed the taste of my blood on his lips, with his halo of sandy blond curls and soft hazel eyes. The scruff on his cheeks has been shaved clean, giving him a boyish look.

When I get within reaching distance of him, he offers me his hand. With as much confidence as I can muster, I release my grasp on my teddy and place mine in his, allowing him to pull me forward. He doesn’t say anything until I’m flush against his chest, my head resting on his shoulder, his arms around me, and the bear hanging loosely by my side.

“You were perfect last night.”

The words are barely above a whisper, and I melt into the hug. I’ve never been called perfect before.

I look up at him as I pull back. He is watching me, his face giving away absolutely nothing, and I almost convince myself that I imagined his words. His hands squeeze around my waist before he lets me go, his fingers releasing one at a time, like he has to convince each digit to relinquish its hold on me.

Viper—Hudson—is to Xavier’s left, in between the end of the counter and the table. His hands are shoved into the pockets of his navy chinos, and his blond hair is styled in that up-and-away look men do with their fringe. The smile on his face doesn’t reach his icy blue eyes. Something in the way he watches me almost freezes me to the spot. Wariness, maybe?

Internally, I laugh at myself. How could I possibly make this man nervous? There are absolutely zero things about me that are threatening to them. There are four of them and one of me, they are all larger than me and, in Xavier’s case, twice my size. They have the power, the money, the life experience.

I’m the one who should be wary.

But I’ve weighed the pros and cons of this situation, and even if this weekend turns out to be a fucked-up hell, it won’t bemuch worse than what has already happened to me. And there is the money. Worst case, I walk away with the twenty K they’ve already sent to my SugarLife account.

“Good morning, Emmy,” he murmurs once I stop in front of him, his eyes capturing my own.

He doesn’t move to touch me, and because I refuse to let the awkwardness win, I put the bear on the counter beside him, place my hand on his chest and rise up on tiptoes. He stays completely still as I place a light kiss on his cheek. “Good morning, Hudson.”

It feels super weird to say his name out loud.

I lower my heels and give him a few seconds to make a move, but when he doesn’t so much as blink, I step to the side. I trail my fingers down his chest and over his side as I circle around him and head into the kitchen.

Derek is holding a frying pan and tongs, transferring sausages onto a plate. He glances at me as I approach and smiles. “Morning, baby.”

Coming up behind him, I wrap my arms around his apron-covered waist and press my cheek into his back. “Morning.”

The very natural urge to call him Daddy is only stopped by sheer willpower. I have no idea if I’m allowed to call them that outside of a scene. I can only blame the shock and exhaustion for calling DarcyDaddylast night. Derek’s back muscles shift under my cheek, then his hands grip my forearms, gently prying me away from him.

My heart sinks. Did I—

I suck in a sharp breath and almost let out a squeak when he suddenly turns around, grips me under my arms, and hoists me up until my butt lands on the counter right next to the plates he’s placed food on. My knees immediately fall open when he leans against them, stepping into the gap between my thighs.

He doesn’t say anything, simply stares down at me. His gaze flicks to my lips, and déjà vu hits me from last night with Darcy. I lift my chin the smallest amount possible and maintain eye contact with him, ready to drop my mouth away if his lips don’t look like they intend to land on mine.

Derek doesn’t hesitate. His lips on mine are firm, hungry, but I can feel the restraint in him. His hands cradle my back, and I lean into the kiss. He breaks us apart a few seconds later, and I bury my face in his neck.

He gives me a squeeze. “Breakfast is ready. Let’s sit down and eat. We have some things to talk about.”

My insides lock up. Oh shit, have I fucked up already?

Chapter 8

Emery

Five minutes later, I have a mug of hot chocolate and a plate with sausage, eggs, toast, and strawberries. I’ll be lucky if this doesn’t put me into a food coma. This is my normal food intake for an entire day.

Besides asking to pass the various plates around, so everyone could serve themselves, the table is quiet. Too quiet. Afterforcing down one bite of butter-covered toast, I lean back in my chair, stomach churning.

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