Page 58 of The Revenge Plan (Forbidden Descendants 1)

I blinked, not expecting to hear that from another guy. “Excuse me?”

The one on the right stepped forward. “We’re here because of Haven.”

“Oh.” I glanced back over my shoulder. “I think she’s still aslee—” When I turned back to them, they’d stepped inside, making me lift my hand in warning. “Hey. Whoa. Just who the fuck are you people?”

The one on the left—who was physically the biggest of the trio—narrowed his eyes and cracked his knuckles. “We’re her cousins.”

But from behind me, someone snorted. “Bullshit, Fox. You’re not even related to me.”

I spun around to find Haven stumbling into the living room, yawning and rubbing her face. Her dark hair was a mess and her legs looked extra-long in the shorty-shorts she wore. Her shirt wasn’t too tight, but it wasn’t that loose either. It was the perfect size to state the obvious: that she didn’t have a bra on, and oh damn, her tits swayed hypnotically under that dark material as she approached.

The guy Haven had called Fox shot back, “Yeah, well, we were raised like cousins. Besides, my sister is married to this one, and he is your blood cousin, so...close enough. Besides, I didn’t want to miss out on all the fun when I learned these two were headed to town.” Then he grinned pleasantly at me and stuck out his hand. “Fox Parker. Nice to meet you. We’re here to threaten you.”

“Um…” I started, only for the one in the middle to nudge Fox aside so he could steal my attention.

“And I’m Colton Cress Gamble, Jr.” He took my hand as if he was going to kiss my knuckles instead of shake with me. “But you can call me Cress.” Then he tightened his grip in order to tug me closer as he winked. “Or anytime.”

When I jerked back a bit too abruptly, the guy to the right, whose name I hadn’t learned yet, smacked Cress in the arm.

“Hey, we talked about this. We were coming here to intimidate the bastard. You were not supposed to flirt with him. Remember?”

“Oh, right,” Cress murmured on a nod, before glancing back to me and sighing. “But that was before I realized how outright tasty he was. Seriously, cuz,” he told Haven, nudging her in the shoulder when she stopped next to me. “Way to go. Please don’t tell me he’s depressingly straight.”

Haven hummed sympathetically before answering, “I’m afraid so.”

“Bummer.” Cress sent me a regretful glance just as Fox clapped his hands together and announced, “And... I think Cress has scared the shit out of him enough for all three of us. Our work here is done. Let’s go find something to eat.”

“I’m not scared,” I muttered, scowling.

Which caused Cress to brighten and step toward me: “Really? So you’d consider being a sport and switching teams just long enough for me to have a little sample?”

“Uh...” I unconsciously stepped closer to Haven, seeking protection. “No,” I answered and then cringed. “Sorry.”

He shrugged, in a your-loss kind of way, but Haven frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Why do you guys want to intimidate Wick? He’s been nothing but nice and helpful to me since I met him.”

“Yeah, but since we learned you have absolutely no taste in men, we got to feeling guilty that we didn’t intimidate the last one enough before he fucked up and hurt you. But don’t worry, kiddo, we plan to look that douche up next. We just thought that since we were in town, we’d get the jump on this one and let him know he shouldn’t fuck with you either. Like ever.” When he lifted his eyebrows meaningfully my way as if to make sure I’d received the message, I lifted my eyebrows right back.

All the while, a strange heat spread through me. He was talking like Haven and I were actually dating, which was—

Haven rolled her eyes. “But Wick and I

aren’t even dating, you idiots.”

“No, it’s worse; you’re living with this one,” the guy on the right insisted.

“As a roommate,” Haven argued back. “Living with someone doesn’t automatically mean you’re fucking them, you know. We have completely separate bedrooms.”

“But I’m thinking it should mean you get some fucking rights,” Cress murmured, eyeing me again. Then he lifted a hand as if to volunteer. “Hey, can I move in with you guys?” Then to Haven, he whispered, “Have you caught a peek of him naked yet? Please say yes.”

Ignoring him, she continued to glare at the other guy she’d been addressing. “Seriously, Beau. Do you honestly think I’ve totally lost my ability to judge people that much just because of Topher?” Her eyes began to water as she sneered, “Wow. Thanks a fucking lot.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned away and stormed off, leaving me alone in the living room with her three cousins...or whatever they were.

“Ooh, ouch,” Fox said. “You better go talk to her.”

I began to nod, thinking they really should apologize for hurting her feelings, especially while she was already vulnerable and down after what Topher had put her through.

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