Page 31 of Delinquents Turned Fugitives
Hesitantly, Andros put a hand on my shoulder. The huge man slowly pushed me backward and stared down into my eyes. All sorts of things flitted across his expression from worry to relief to exhaustion back to worry.
I had no idea what he saw on my face because I was feeling too many things. Things I didn’t understand, couldn’t even bother to interpret, things that might have been real or prompted by exhaustion and all the intensity of the heist and everything that followed it.
Our stare-off grew longer … into that territory that hovered between awkward and heated. He opened his mouth—
But at that very moment, Zavier came barreling out of the back room.
My thief saw Andros and gave a fist pump. Then he scrambled over to us at inhuman speeds, using his Tock power to manipulate time and propel himself faster than humanly possible. His dark brown hair flew back as he smashed us both in a bear hug. “Yes! Two for two!”
As soon as I could extract myself from his grip, I leaned back and asked, “So, Gray’s good?”
Instead of answering, Z dropped his hold on Andros, clutched my arms and spun me in a circle before he pulled me in for a kiss. The kiss was as happy and giddy and as full of relief as he was; when he pulled back, he nuzzled his nose to mine before declaring, “Best. Night. Ever.”
“Excuse me for putting a damper on the party, but aren’t you with Grayson?” Lysa interrupted.
Z wouldn’t let me go; he slung an arm around my shoulders as I turned to face her.
Her arms were crossed and fury glowed on her face.
“She’s with all of us.”
Oh, Z, way to just drop that truth bomb on a stranger,I mentally chided.
Lysa worried a strand of her bright hair as her eyes bounced from me to my crew and back to Z. I wasn’t certain what she saw in their faces but confusion marred her face for a second before she asked, “Wait. What? Are you guys like Sweet Butts?”
I nearly choked on giggles. “You mean the girls that run around and sleep with every guy in a motorcycle club?”
“Whoa—” Z held up a hand, simultaneously squeezing my shoulder to warn me not to let my laughter continue. “No! No, no, no. Not like that.”
Lysa narrowed her eyes and glanced from him to me before she decided to focus her questions on me. “You just snap and they come running?”
“Not exactly—”
“You get to have sex with them whenever you want?”
Z protested. “That’s a totally mutual decision—”
“Yeah. Still Sweet Butts.”
Z grabbed my hand and yanked me toward the porthole door at the back. “I’m not listening to that. Also, I’ll have you know … I’m not sleeping with Hayley. She’s gotta seduce me first.”
“So … are you like the Old Lady?” Lysa called out.
Z just flipped her off as he pulled me into the back room.
Her raucous laughter followed us inside.
