Page 49 of Unmask
“Kreed,” I snapped, whirling on him, “I swear to God. Shut. Up.” I turned back to my cousin, my expression pleading. “Give me five minutes. Please.”
Brock’s eyes narrowed like he was calculating how many bones he could break in exactly five minutes. “Make it two. I don’t trust you alone with him for longer than that.”
Kreed laughed, low and smug. “Smart man.”
Brock didn’t find it funny. He glowered at Kreed one last time, eyes full of warning, before stepping back into the hallway. He muttered something under his breath, probably about how many different ways he could bury a body, and stalked off.
I turned toward Kreed, who was now lounging against the side of the bed like he hadn’t nearly ignited World War III. His black T-shirt clung to his chest, rumpled and slightly twisted from sleep, and his boxer briefs rode low on his hips.
Ugh, I despised how good he looked in the aftermath of chaos.
“I really hate you,” I muttered, grabbing the nearest pillow and smacking him across the face with it. The sound was muffled but satisfying.
Kreed caught the pillow one-handed, unbothered, that devil-may-care grin already tugging at his mouth. Before I could retreat, his other hand snaked out, fingers wrapping around my wrist with practiced ease, tugging me off balance until I stumbled forward, right between his legs.
My breath hitched as my knees brushed the inside of his thighs.
“No, you don’t,” he murmured.
Unfortunately for both of us, he was probably right, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. Or him. Or the way his touch turned my spine into liquid steel. “Last night changes nothing between us,” I muttered, placing my hands on his shoulders, trying to create space I didn’t actually move into. Now I had to go downstairs and deal with my cousin.
The pad of his thumb caressed the inside of my wrist. “And this morning?”
“Never should’ve happened,” I whispered even though the lie sat like glass in my throat.
His smile slipped, just barely, and I hated the speck of disappointment I caught before he looked down. His hands fell to his sides, fingers twitching like he wanted to grab me again and couldn’t justify it now.
I stepped back, the space between us stretching with every inch.
He let me go.
Brock wasn’t joking about his threat, which gave me a single minute to throw on a sweatshirt and hoodie and use the bathroom. Kreed was waiting for me when I emerged, looking far too calm for what we were about to face.
I’d deal with him later.
I could only handle one freaking problem at a time, and currently, Brock was a more pressing matter.
Following behind me, Kreed and I headed downstairs. Voices carried from the kitchen, and I realized Brock hadn’t come alone. Kreed’s elbow brushed mine as he came to walk beside me through the hallway, and I snuck a glance at him, seeing the amused expression morph into an unpleasant frown.
He was outnumbered.
I took a deep breath before we rounded the corner, my eyes sweeping through the packed kitchen, and I blinked. The whole damn crew was here. My cousin’s crew—the Elite.
Brock stood by the counter, coffee in hand, arms crossed in a brooding statue form. Josie was perched on a stool beside him, legs crossed, her hair in a sleek high ponytail, and judgment in her eyes the second she saw me enter the room with Kreed in tow.
Fynn leaned against the fridge, Kenna curled into his side like they were made of the same damn soul. Micah sat on the edge of the kitchen island, lazily flipping a butter knife between his fingers, Mads shaking her head at him. Ainsley was frowning at Micah. Kenna and Josie exchanged some silent, sister-telepathy look, and Grayson… I scanned the room again to make sure I hadn’t missed him. He wasn’t here, which meant he was probably home with his daughter, Kensie.
Shit.
Kreed stiffened beside me. Not such a tough guy after all, but fuck me, if I didn’t want to hold his hand.
You do not need to offer him support,I reminded myself.
“You brought the crew,” I said to my cousin.
Brock grinned, sipping a cup of coffee that literally made my senses buzz. My cousin’s aqua eyes brimmed with a mix of concern and suspicion. “You’ve been quite busy the last few days.”
Ugh. The cameras.Of course, Brock had seen Kreed and Raine. “Not on purpose. Trust me. People have a way of just showing up.”
