Page 106 of The Reluctant Hero

“You mean Trevor, Max and Asher, right?”

“There’sanotherone?” She looks horrified again. “Please tell me he isn’t a dick too.”

“He’s the gym teacher,” I explain, trying not to laugh.

“That poor woman,” she sighs.

“Gabe’s sister has a poly relationship goin’ too.”

“I’m surrounded, and I had no idea,” she mutters with wonder. “How the hell does it work?”

“Talkin’,” I tell her bluntly. “We fuckin’ talk about shit before it gets bad.”

“Mikael, too?” She sounds like she doesn’t believe me.

“Mik can’t talk to a woman for shit. He needs the help,” I scoff.

“He does not,” she protests with a glare.

“How would you know?” I lean closer with a sly smile.

Her cheeks erupt in flames as she backtracks. “I don’t. He’s just sweet.”

I’m dazed at that assessment. Mikael. The man that she admitted could break her like she was a toothpick. A man that has broken grown men into pieces for sayin’ one insultin’ word to Gabe. Sweet.

“Oh, darlin’, he’s got you wrapped up tight, don’t he,” I grin in pure pleasure. “You be sure to let him know because he thinks he’s fuckin’ up. Not able to talk to you and gettin’ caught starin’. That’s fuckin’ hilarious.”

“Shut up,” she smacks my arm with a hand and settles in her seat with another huff.

“Jake and Cade share women, too,” I point out helpfully. Might as well get it all out now before Jake locks her in a tower and gives Cade the only other key.

“That I can see,” she shakes her head. “They’re attached at the hip.”

“You’ve thought about it with them?” I tilt my head, curiosity takin’ over. I’ve eased up on my anger with them. Whatever they were tryin’ to prove in that class backfired, and they’re payin’ the price without my interference. I don’t have to help them figure their shit out, but I don’t have to keep themfrom her, either. That ain’t how it works when we all want her so bad.

“Not them,” she quickly denies. At first I think it’s too quick. Suspicious. And then she looks me in the eye and I can see her reservations.

She thinks they slept with her friends. Why am I only now rememberin’ that?

“What about us?” I point out the refusal that didn’t come. Not Jake and Cade. But no mention of the three of us.

“I... I don’t know,” she mutters and turns away from me.

“You can take your time figurin’ it out,” I tell her in a casual tone I don’t feel. I want her to say yes now so I can take her home. Watch her torment Mik until he’s so tongue-tied he has to walk away or jump her bones to defend his honor.

“You’ve been expecting this,” her soft murmur says she’s talkin’ to herself. “That’s why you two were giving him shit today. I thought everything was normal, and he’s been setting it up for a while.”

“The fucker doesn’t know how to handle you.”

“And you do?” She gives me a raised brow look that makes me think twice before I answer.

“Course not. No one does. And I don’t want to. I want you in my face with rage any time you feel like I need some attitude. I want you makin’ fun of Gabe until he can’t see straight. I want to see every side of you I can and then see some more.”

Her expression goes soft and confused. It wasn’t supposed to be romantic. It’s the truth. I want her as she is. Fuck, even the meek version when it’s real and not depression. She can back down when she wants, too. As long as she stays.

“Why do you share?” She asks the first question I expected from her.

“We aren’t whole people, darlin’,” I try to explain. If I could borrow Gabe’s no-nonsense logic or Cade’s charm for asecond, that would be great. Sadly, she’s stuck with me as myself here. “We each have problems that leave us feelin’ like we need to back each other up. Like we’re one person instead of three. Alone, we won’t make it. Together, we do all right.”

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