Page 13 of Unravel Me

I leap to my feet, my knees colliding with the table, shaking the dishes. I catch the wine glasses before they can topple over. “Absolutely. For sure. Yes, of course. I love meeting fans.” I touch Alessia’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

Scott leads me through the restaurant and into a dark hallway.

“Next time I down half a bottle of two-hundred-dollar wine in ten minutes, I need you to pretend there’s a kitchen fire and escort all the guests out. I’ll cover the bills. Got it?”

Scott chuckles. “Loud and clear, Mr. Lockwood.”

* * *

“So you kissed her.”

“I didnotkiss her. Have you been listening to me at all?”

Carter shrugs. “That picture on Instagram says you kissed her.”

I shove Carter’s shoulder, and he trips sideways in his rollerblades, stepping over the curb and shuffling onto the grass, where he catches himself against a tree.

“Motherfucker,” he bites out, leaping back onto the road, tearing after me at full speed as I take off ahead of him.

Before he can catch me, Emmett wraps an arm around his head, pulling him back against him. “Don’t poke the bear. Adam’s gone grizzly mode.”

Garrett barks out a laugh. “Adam never goes full grizzly.”

Jaxon loops around me and turns, skating backward so he can smirk at me. “I went full grizzly on three girls in his parents’ bedroom on Friday night.”

I point at him. “You’re at the top of my shitlist.”

He wags his brows and spins, the five of us settling into stride together, coasting down the quiet road. “So you didn’t kiss her?”

I tug on my ball cap at the uncomfy memory of last night. I walked Alessia to her car, thanked her for the nice/awful time, but when I opened her door, she slung her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine. I stood there in shock before her tongue wormed its way into my mouth.

I’m not entirely proud to say that, for a whole three seconds, I considered it. I let her tongue glide against mine, and my mind wandered to a place where I wondered what it would be like to give it up for one night, to forget about what I want and get some release for once in so damn long.

But I came crashing back down to reality with the flash of her phone as she took a fuckingselfieof us mid-kiss, and thank fuck for that.

“I stopped the kiss and said I didn’t feel a connection and that it would be best if we went our separate ways.” I stroke my cheek, where I can still feel the sting of her palm. “She slapped me and said, ‘Thanks for wasting my time,’ before she got into her car, slammed her door, and drove off.”

Carter chuckles. “Never thought it’d be you getting slapped out of all of us.”

Jaxon touches his cheek and smiles. “I’ve earned my fair share. It’s fueled by some wild energy. Normally ends back in bed, or against a wall. Once, we even dropped right to the—”

“I don’t need to hear it,” I cut him off. “And now there’s a picture of me and her floating around the internet forever.”

Garrett pulls his phone out, snickering at the photo I’ve seen a hundred times today, the one Alessia tagged me in at the crack of dawn. “The caption is the worst part.”

Emmett takes the phone, clearing his throat before reading Alessia’s words out loud in the voice he reserves for his impression of his wife, Cara. “Had the best night with this man, but was so sad when I had to tell him I didn’t feel a love connection. Sad emoji. Three out of five on the kiss scale. Needs some tongue work.”

“Needs some tongue work, my ass,” I grumble, skating up my driveway. Giggles and shrieks flow from the backyard as I flip the lock on my gate. “AndItoldherI didn’t feel the connection!”

“Grizzly mode activated.” Carter makes claws with his hand. “Rawr.” His eyes light as they land on his daughter, but before he can get there, Garrett races by, scoops her up, and hugs her against his chest.

“Hi, angel,” he coos, dotting her face with kisses while she squeals with laughter. “Uncle Gare is here.”

Carter groans, balls his fists, and starts yanking his rollerblades off. “Jennie! Come get your boyfriend!”

Cara rolls her eyes from where she’s sunbathing on her stomach. “Act your age, Carter, not your shoe size.” She grins up at Emmett as he claps a hand to her ass. “Hi, baby.”

My patio door slides open, and Jennie and Olivia slip out. Both their eyes light up at the sight of their men, shirtless, sweaty, and fighting over the sweetest baby. Garrett finally gives Ireland up in favor of sweeping Jennie into his arms, burying his face in her neck.

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