Page 32 of My Ex-Best Friends

I’d stopped breathing, wondering how often Sinclair would get to visit me in prison. Billy would’ve been a dead man had he touched Brooke. “That’s a dangerous game, B.”

She held up both middle fingers as she backed out of the kitchen. “I’m going to stay with Aunt Karlene. You three need to figure out what crawled up your collective butt and get over it. You hurt a man tonight for no reason. You owe him an apology.”

I stared after her, feeling like I had just gone through another hurricane. I wiped beer off my face and turned to face my two best friends. Logan looked like he’d been sucking on something nasty and Colt was pacing.

“I do not have beady eyes.” He crossed his arms over his chest and then uncrossed them to jab a finger in my direction. “Something’s happened between the two of you.”

I nodded, not even considering lying. “Yeah. The night you two were away, we ended up in my bed.”

“And I hooked up with her in the backseat of my truck.” Logan shrugged. “Would’ve been more but I had to go out of town for someone. You’re welcome for me doing your job, by the way.”

I winced when he glared at me. “I’m not sorry. I’ve never had sex that came even close to sex with her. It was mind blowing a decade ago but now… Now, it’s fucking life altering.”

Colt held up his hand and scowled at me so darkly that I wondered if he’d finally punch me. Instead, he shook his head and dropped onto one of the stools next to me. “Fuck it. I’m done avoiding her then. If you two are dipping your wicks, then so am I.”

Logan sighed. “Really? Dipping our wicks?”

“Would you rather I say what I’m thinking? That you two fuckers stuck your dicks where mine belongs? That you felt her tight pussy and now it’s my fucking turn?” Colt stood up again and walked towards the front door.

“Where are you going?” I felt an insane urge to get up and race him to the door, as if Brooke would be standing on the other side and whoever got to her first got to take her.

“I’m going to get her. I happen to know Karlene took a random guy home tonight and there’s no way she’s letting Brooke interrupt her.” He shot a look back at me and Logan. “I’m going alone. I have shit to fix with her.”

He slammed the door closed behind him and I winced. Looking back at Logan, I found him frowning at me.

“What?”

He laughed and shook his head. “You didn’t have to nail him with that pass, Noah. He’s a good guy.”

“Yeah. And?” I thought of the way Brooke had been leaning into him, getting closer and closer. “I’m not sorry.”

He grinned. “Me either. And it looks like we’re all just going for it with Brooke now. This can either end up in a shit show or like something we’ve always wanted.”

“She wants us.” I swallowed down a lump of fear. “She won’t run again.”

“Right…”

27

***Colt***

Brooke was sitting on the sidewalk in front of Karlene’s house when I pulled up in my old jeep. She looked up at me and sighed heavily before standing and walking around to the passenger side. I had to fight a laugh at the dejected way she slumped in the seat next to me.

“Did you know she had company tonight?” She groaned when I didn’t say anything. “You let me walk all the way here. Jerk.”

“You used to like to walk off your anger.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and turned to face me. “Colt.”

“Come with me to my boat?” I felt like a fucking teenager again, my nerves right at the edge of being too much. I didn’t know what I was doing. I just knew I wanted to be alone with her. I wasn’t great at talking, but maybe I could try.

She just stared at me for a long while, the tension building inside me until I almost took the offer back completely. Then she nodded. “Okay.”

I let out an embarrassing sigh of relief but she didn’t react to it. Thank god. I drove to the boatyard and parked. The lot was mostly empty, except for a few of the fishermen who lived on their boats. The dock was lit with a few strands of string lights but the ocean beyond was black against the dark sky. Normally the stars would be visible but clouds had swallowed them all up.

I helped Brooke out of the jeep and didn’t let go of her hand as I led her down to the dock and then out to my slip. It was dark enough that she couldn’t see the name of my boat and I was thankful for that. I wasn’t ready to have that conversation.

After making sure she didn’t fall getting onboard by holding both of her hands, I pulled out my phone and turned the flashlight on. I hadn’t been expecting her expression when the light came on. She looked nervous, hesitant. I’d been an asshole to her and then I’d brought her out to a pitch black boat.

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