Page 57 of Rook

My belly bottomed out at the sudden change. But also at being manhandled by one of Rook’s brothers.

Sure, Raff was just a flirty guy. But he shouldn’t have been putting his hands on someone who belonged to his club brother.

Rook would rightfully be furious. And in my experience, that anger would be directed at me for allowing it, more so than on his brother for perpetrating it.

Panicking, I pounded my fists into Raff’s back as we got to the lower landing.

“Put her the fuck down, man,” Rook said. His voice was calm. But I knew calm could be deceptive. So when Raff put me on my feet and headed over toward the woman waiting on his bike, I turned toward Rook, eyes a little wide.

“I didn’t ask him to pick me up.”

“Yeah, I know. I was there,” Rook said, those brows of his pinching again as he handed me my shoes to slip into.

“I didn’t fight until he was on the ground because I didn’t want to fall.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He was still watching me like some sort of experiment gone wrong, like he was trying to figure out what combination of ingredients had gotten screwed up.

“Hey, Tessa,” Colter called, making me look over to see him standing next to my car with several women in tight dresses. “You mind giving the girls a ride?”

Thank God.

A buffer against any questions or weird looks from Rook.

“Sure,” I said, offering him a smile I didn’t feel as I approached my car.

With that, the girls shuffled into the back, Rook climbed in the front, and we were following the bikes toward the clubhouse.

As soon as we got there, I made a beeline for the spread Detroit had left on the island. He’d opted for easy finger foods that leaned a little heavily on the carbs and grease to try to cushion all the alcohol that was going to be consumed.

While I wasn’t going to drink, I loaded up a plate, hoping the food would fill the weird sloshing feeling in my stomach.

Accustomed to loud, crazy club parties, I moved over toward the dining chairs and ate my food while the music swelled, while the beer pong table was pulled out, while the rules were laid out that not only do the losers drink, but they lose an article of clothing.

I’d seen many a naked poker game in my life. Not to mention people literally fucking right in the middle of a party. So, yeah, there was nothing shocking when a pair of boobs flashed out. Then a whole ass as a skirt was lost, leaving a girl in nothing but a G-string.

I refused to seek out Rook, to know what girl he was flirting with. Or more.

Instead, I kept my gaze on the interactions between the two mostly naked girls and Raff and Colter as they decided to switch teams.

Raff playfully covered his eyes to protect the girl on the other team’s modesty.

Colter wrapped a casual arm around the same girl who was all too happy to plaster her bare chest to him as he aimed and sent a ball sailing into a cup across the table.

Once I finished my food, I set the plate in the dirty dishwasher, then made my way casually toward the hallway, like I was just seeking out the bathroom. When what I really intended was to go to Rook’s room and crash while the party raged, trying not to think about what Rook was doing. And with whom.

It was none of my damn business.

It wasn’t like we were together for real. He could sleep with whoever he wanted.

Hell, even if we were together for real, my life told me that even that didn’t mean monogamy.

I’d just stepped into the freight elevator and was starting to pull down the door when someone else grabbed it from the outside, dragging it back up again.

“Going somewhere?” Rook asked as he stepped inside, sliding the door closed behind me.

“Oh, I, uh, was just going to your bedroom. You can stay down there and have fun. Coach, Raff, and Colter are, you know, outnumbered.”

“Yet, somehow they’ll manage,” he said, slamming his hand into the emergency stop button when the elevator was between the two floors.

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