Page 90 of Stranded

He nods and Bower adds, “We know some great clubs we can take you to.”

“You guys would go with me?”

They all lightly laugh, making me frown in confusion. “What’s so funny?”

“Baby,” Weston says, sitting up and draping his large arms over his bent knees, “There’s no way we’d let you go to a club or party without at least one of us. And you sure as shit aren’t playing a drinking game with anyone but us.”

“Why not? Isn’t that something people do at parties?” I ask, unsure what I’m missing here.

“Have you even seen anyone drunk before?” Kingsley asks. I furrow my eyebrows as I take a minute to think about it.

“I… I don’t think so, I can’t remember seeing anyone drunk, anyway.”

“Men have a bad habit of taking advantage of girls when they're drunk, especially at clubs. They can get very handsy.”

“But you guys wouldn’t do that,” I say immediately, knowing that they aren't those types of men.

“Of course not. But if you were around other men who are drinking, they might try to touch you or take advantage of you if you’re drunk, too. You might be too drunk to stop them.”

“Oh.” Dread pools in my belly as I mentally note to removegoing to a clubfrom my bucket list. “Maybe I don’t want to play a drinking game then. That doesn’t sound fun.” I frown at the ground, unsure which part of that unsettles me the most.

“They can be fun, but we’ll play them with you.”

“Can you teach me one, even if we don’t have any alcohol? So I’ll know how to play?”

They glance at each other as they try to think of one we can play here.

“If we had a deck of cards, we could play a modified version of Kings Cup,” Bower suggests.

“I don’t suppose either of you have a deck of cards in your bags?” Weston asks, and they both shake their heads.

I grin eagerly as I tell them, “I do.”

“What? Really?” Kingsley asks in surprise.

“Yeah, it’s really dingy, but it’ll work. My dad had it in his bag to play on the plane. I’ll go grab it from the other hut.”

“I’ll come with you,” Weston says, standing up. I’m about to argue that I can do it on my own, but by the look on his face, I realize he’s not going to let me. And can I really complain if this giant hunk of a man wants to stay close to me?

I grab his hand and lead him through the rain, across the skywalk, to my original hut. It’s where I keep things I don’t use anymore or have no need for. I push the door open and just stare inside from the safety of the surrounding deck. The rain gently hits my head as I contemplate going inside.

Weston pushes his chest to my back, placing his hands on my shoulders and giving them a small squeeze. “Tell me where they are, I’ll grab them.”

“No, it’s safer if I go. This hut isn’t in the best shape, and I’m much lighter than you.”

“You calling me fat, baby?”

“What?! No!” I spin around, afraid I’ve offended him. But by the smirk on his face, I realize he’s teasing me.

His hands move to my neck and his thumbs slowly stroke up and down my cheeks. Instantly, the air thickens around us and my body heats, despite the rain pouring down around us. The smirk drops from his lips as his gaze turns molten, and he licks his lips eagerly.

“Don’t look at me like that, baby. It’s not safe to do anything out here, we’re too high up.” That’s my Weston, always thinking about safety, even when I’m seconds away from jumping him.

He uses his large hands to forcibly turn me back around and face the hut. “Now,” He bends down so his warm breath tickles my ear. “Do you know where the cards are?”

I nod my head slowly, trying to remember what we’re doing here. “Yeah, I think so, in one of my poor attempts at a bag, over there.” I point to the side, actively avoiding looking at the back corner, where there are things that I never want to lay my eyes on again. “I’ll be quick.”

Weston doesn’t say anything as I step forward and to the side where I had pointed. I quickly find the bag I’m looking for but when the floor groans beneath me, I freeze.

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