Page 22 of Séance

Full stop.

I can’t stand a man who has to ply a woman with wine to get them into bed. It’s a pet peeve of mine, and I’ve stolen more than one girl away to protect her, but I never sleep with them after, not that anyone would believe that. Instead, I lecture them about self-worth and self-respect and that they can do better before releasing them back into the wild.

Otherwise, I don’t care where or how I get my dick wet, but something tells me that was before I met Rue.

There is something about her, some otherworldly quality that I can’t place.

She’s the type of woman who would ruin a man, but they would still go to her willingly. As she wanders farther into the house, I lean back against the door and watch her completely destroy the men without even trying. Though she has an innocent air, she oozes sex appeal that has the guys panting after her like dogs.

When they saunter into the kitchen, Hicks showing her around the house, I slowly lock the door, the bolt sliding home with a finality that thuds in my chest. Maybe a smart man would run in fear, but anticipation heats my blood better than any drug.

I expected to die as a happy bachelor, but I was fucking wrong.

As I trail after them, I do so with a certainty that I’m looking at our future, and I can’t fucking wait.

With a spring in my step, I observe the guys and try to decide the best course of action. If I told them my idea, I’m pretty sure they would shoot it down and earn me a few smacks for even suggesting such a thing.

They would see it as us just passing her around between us, which I find disrespectful and personally insulting. Not to mention a few of them are jealous fuckers, so they wouldn’t do well with sharing.

No, I have to handle this delicately.

Maybe a hands-off rule until they each have a chance to fall in love with her would work. It wouldn’t take much, since she pretty much has them under her spell already. I’ll admit she’s so stunning, it’s a little intimidating, and I’m never shy around women.

Even Jaceson and Gunner are drawn to her, and they are the most reserved of our group. Jaceson normally just ignores women, never really talking to them or even noticing them in the room. They are like furniture to him. Gunner notices them andkeeps his distance. I think he’s terrified of accidentally hurting one.

Rue is a wounded soul, just like us. I think that appeals to each of the guys. We’re suckers for damsels in distress, and more than a few of us have hero complexes.

Fuck, with our upbringings, it’s unsurprising we have a weakness for those with souls as broken as ours. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others. Hell, Hicks practically runs from personal drama, but he’s usually the first to throw money at the problem. Even Ellis has a soft spot for the quiet underdogs.

Seeing her bruised and battered has me struggling with my own demons.

The only thing that keeps me grounded is the fact that she needs me here and now.

I won’t go off half-cocked.

I need information first, then I will destroy the fucker who dared to touch what is ours.

For now, I watch and wait.

There is something unusual about Rue, like she views the world differently than the rest of us. Her teal eyes can pierce a person’s soul, seeing things better kept hidden, but she doesn’t shy away from our darkness.

No, it’s almost like she’s drawn to it.

It matches her own.

Whether she knows it or not, Rue needs us just as much as we need her.

I’ve been best friends with the guys since kindergarten. They aren’t bad men, just heavily flawed. Though they might seem impervious, they are more fragile than anyone realizes. They’ve been too hurt and damaged from life, and one more blow could shatter them.

Our future is at a turning point, even the others can sense change coming our way.

Rue has the power to either bring us together or shatter us completely.

It’s both terrifying and exhilarating, and I’m determined to do everything in my power to make sure it’s the first option, and not the second.

Chapter Seven

RUE

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