Page 116 of Hymns of the Broken
“Well, well, well,” she drawls. “If it isn’t my best friend living the enemies-to-lovers-to-poly-dilemma fantasy. Should I be worried about getting replaced?”
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling. “Relax, you’re the emotionally stable one. They wouldn’t survive you.”
Ash grins at her. “You trying to test that theory, Blondie?”
Macee eyes him over her sunglasses. “You’re cute. In a wet rat kind of way.”
“Ouch,” Ash mutters, holding his chest. “I think I need CPR.”
Jace leans over toward her. “He’ll be fine. Verbal abuse is basically foreplay to him.”
Silas just mutters, “You’re all idiots,” and keeps eating his bacon like it’s the only thing keeping him grounded.
Riot nuzzles into my neck and says something that makes my elbow jab into his ribs. I feel his smirk against my skin.
I glance at Jasper. He’s watching us. Not saying anything. Justwatching. The heat in his eyes is different now. He’s trying not to unravel in front of everyone. Like he’s weighing how much longer he’s going to pretend to play the calm game.
Ash cannonballs again. Water explodes everywhere.
Macee shrieks. “YOU DICK!”
And somehow, despite the chaos, the heat crawling up my neck, and the two boys practically caging me in with their attention, I feel lighter.
I glanceout toward the pool again, where Ash is now doing backflips off the diving board while Macee fake-applauds from her throne-like lounge chair. Everyone looks so carefree, like this is just another summer day. As if nothing is complicated, or on the verge of unraveling.
I sigh and say it before I can stop myself. “I wish I’d brought a swimsuit.”
Jasper’s head tilts from where he’s still sitting, arms crossed over his chest. “I had a few brought here for you.”
I blink. “You did?”
He shrugs, that barely there smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. “Wasn’t sure which you’d like, so I told the stylist to send a variety. They’re in your closet.”
My heart does that annoying skip thing again. I try not to show it, but I’m pretty sure Jasper sees it, anyway.
Macee suddenly appears beside me like the chaotic fairy godmother she is. “Well, come on, slut muffin,” she says, looping her arm through mine. “Let’s go pick something slutty.”
Jasper laughs quietly under his breath, and I can feel his eyes trailing me as Macee drags me back toward my room.
Once the door shuts behind us, Macee spins and flops onto the bed like she owns the place.
“So,” she says, propping her chin in her hand, “are we gonna talk about the fact that you walked out this morning with bedhead and sex glow while two grown men stared at you like you hung the goddamn moon?”
I pause mid-rummage through the closet. “I—it’s not like that.”
“Oh, babe,” Macee purrs as she gets up and looks in the drawer, then pulls her hand out holding up a black bikini with silver rings on the hips. “It’s exactly like that.”
I groan and fall back onto the bed. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I shouldn’t want both of them. What if somebody gets hurt?”
She moves to sit down next to me. “They’re grown men. They know what they’re getting into… and if they don’t,” she says, putting her hand over her heart, “then may they fight to the death.”
I smack her arm. “That doesn’t help!”
She laughs and lies back. “It wasn’t supposed to.”
We lie there for a moment, silence hanging between us, until she nudges my shoulder.
“Pick a suit. You’ve got two guys ready to fight over you out there like Edward and Jacob. I expectFMCenergy.”
