Page 36 of Wrecked Rose

I grin, then let ’er rip. “All these buff bods in little swatches of fabric, bare, sweaty chests, and thick thighs all rolling around together. I’m in my version of heaven.”

Scarlett lets loose a loud, snorting giggle. She hugs my arm to her chest. “You fucking slay me. Do us a favor and never invest in that filter you were born without.”

“Never. Promise.” My gaze drifts over the happenings in the gym. I note that there are two separate wrestling mats rolled out across the floor where pairs of wrestlers are already competing. I assume they must be in different weight classes, as the guys across the gym are much smaller than the big dudes right in front of us.

Scarlett spots Beau and waves. He holds up a hand acknowledging us, then goes right back to concentrating on getting ready for his match. Tucking her flame-red hair behind her ears, she grimaces a bit. “Besides getting you out and about, I’m glad we’re here for him. Lyla was sad that her meet is happening directly after the wrestling match. Coach Hall said she’s not allowed to attend because she’s afraid she’ll end up running herself ragged rushing back and forth between her warm-ups and his matches.”

“Well, crap. I guess we’ll have to cheer extra loud. The only problem is, I’m not exactly sure when to cheer.” I give them my most awkward grin.

Daph shrugs. “I came to a tournament with Micah before break. I just cheer when he does. They get points for takedowns, reversals, escapes, and something else I’m not remembering. They can also receive deductions for misconduct. The problem is, I can’t tell what is what.”

I laugh. “Okay, so watch Micah for cues and we’re good.”

It’s not long before Micah, Xander, and even Aria join us, and we sit down on the bleachers together to watch Beau do his thing. The plan when he’s done is to troop over to the auxiliary gym to cheer on Lyla as she competes in her gymnastics meet.

Like a heat-seeking missile, my gaze roams the gym and lands on Griff, who is hanging out with Jack and Callum, watching their buddy Mitchell wrestle. As I watch them joke around, Greg Smythe and Daniel Lucey, who I’ve never really gotten a good vibe from, sit down with them. I observe their shenanigans for a few seconds. Jack the asshole seems really tight with them, so I’m relieved when Griff doesn’t pay them much attention.

I tear my eyes from him. No good will come of me freaking mooning over him. With a sigh, I focus on Beau, the beast, who appears to be kicking some serious ass on the mat in front of us. Micah stands up, hollering, both hands in the air as Beau pins his opponent—or I think that’s what happened, anyway.

A while later, I’m making a quick trip to the bathroom, head down, looking at my phone. The men’s bathroom lies between the two sets of gym doors, and when I glance up, I see Jack, Callum, and Griff exiting from the other end and coming in my direction. They’re laughing and talking about something that happened in one of the matches. Jack makes the motion of flipping someone over and slamming them to the mat.

Oof. Looks painful.

To my surprise as they get closer, Griff acknowledges me. “Hey, Max.”

I give him a nod, and we come to a halt outside the bathroom door. My eyes connect with Griff’s for a split second, and I wonder what he’s thinking because I can’t read him. I release a pent-up breath. “Hey.”

My attention is dragged from Griff to Jack because he’s making an obnoxious face as he stares at me. “Are you here watching the wrestling matches so you can scope out your next bit of spank bank material?”

“Dude. He’s here supporting Beau, you ass.” Griff grits his teeth as he scowls at his friend.

Jack laughs and nods with crazy eyes. “Yeah, right.”

I quirk a brow and point at them, circling with my finger. “So, are you ladies traveling in a group to the bathroom?”

Callum’s mouth drops open with a short burst of laughter. I’m guessing he totally didn’t expect me to fire one back at his friend and is… amused.

“Well, at least if we’regirlstraveling in a pack, you won’t be trying to look at our dicks in the bathroom,” Jack quips.

I roll my eyes. “Yep. You’re dickless.”

He snorts. “This one’s brave.” He sneers at me and slaps Griff on the chest with the back of his hand.

Griff steps aside, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opens them to look at his buddy, I can see the fiery anger simmering in his eyes. He looks like he’s about to pop off and punch him. Callum must also sense that something is about to go down, because he backs away a few paces.

Griff’s anguished gaze slowly meets mine as if to ask,What do you want me to do?

I jerk my head, knowing it’s best if I handle this on my own and not drag Griff further into it. “What do you mean by ‘this one,’ Jack?”

Jack’s hateful gaze flicks to mine. “Nothing. I gotta piss.” He pivots toward the bathroom. “Do me a favor and wait until I’m done to come in.” He pushes through the door, and it swings shut behind him.

Callum’s brow pinches together, but he says nothing. If his befuddled stare tells me anything, it’s that he wasn’t involved in Sam’s beating, and he’s not interested in being involved in any of this mess either.

“You know it had to be him,” I murmur, my voice deadly calm, disguising the fury racing through my veins. My blood pounds in my head, making a whooshing sound.

Griff gives me a curt nod, and his words come out strained as he studies me. “I know.”

Callum throws up his hands. “I’m out. I want no part in whatever the fuck is going on.” He backs up a few paces, shaking his head before he turns and strides away.

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