Page 133 of Mad As Hell

I leaned against the doorframe. “Funny, because it looks like you’re in bed with Linc.”

She winced. “Okay, it’s exactly what it looks like. But I was cold, and Court was getting up to make breakfast…”

My brows rose as I connected those dots. “So, you’re saying you jumped into Linc’s bed when you left Court’s?”

Linc grinned, loving her discomfort as she squirmed.

“It was only sleeping,” she muttered, her gaze skirting away as pink splotches bloomed across her cheeks.

I held up my hands. “No judgment from me. I’m just looking for Ryan and heard you two.”

“Sorry,” Linc apologized, a wicked glint in his eyes. “We didn’t mean to be so loud, did we, honey?”

Bex slapped his chest. “You’re the worst.”

He caught her fingers and held them. “You know I love it when you get rough.”

With a squeak, Bex jerked away and practically tumbled from the bed. Clearly she’d swiped one of their shirts to sleep in. The oversized top fell to her knees as she moved away from the bed.

“I’m just gonna… go.” Bex turned and ducked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it for good measure.

I turned my amused look to Linc. “Do I even want to know your intentions toward my best friend?”

Linc sat up, the sheets pooling around his lap as he rubbed a hand through his dark hair. “Can I get coffee before the inquisition?”

“No inquisition,” I replied, shrugging a shoulder. “But I will tear your balls off and make you watch as I feed them through a woodchipper if you hurt her again.”

His hands instinctively covered his crotch. “Jesus, Maddie.”

“I mean it,” I added, my tone serious. “Don’t hurt her.”

All the teasing from earlier vanished. “I don’t plan to. I know we fucked up before, and I’m sorry.” He met my gaze and held it. “I apologize for not believing either of you. I should’ve given you a chance to explain.”

“Thank you.” I shifted my weight on my feet. “But seriously, what is going on with you three?”

The corners of his mouth tipped up, but I didn’t see any happiness in his smile. “Court and Bex have been dancing around each other since they were kids. The timing’s always been shit, but maybe they’ll get it right for once.”

“And you?” I watched him closely, seeing the man beneath the playboy exterior he showed the world. Linc wore his sarcasm and jokes like armor, and this was one of the few times I’d seen what he kept hidden from the public.

He shook his head. “I just want my friends to be happy.”

My head tilted. “You deserve to be happy, too, Linc.”

He turned to me, and the haunted look in his eyes almost made me step back. “I’ve done a lot of stuff you don’t know about, Maddie. You keep looking at me like I’m one of the good guys, and I haven’t been. Not for a long fucking time.”

“Good is relative,” I said, forcing my tone to be mild and unaffected. “And I know you’ve all made some choices that I’ll never understand, but you’re trying to be better. That counts.”

His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy sigh. “Maybe. But even if I were a fucking saint, I can’t balance the scales of what my father has done. None of us can.”

I shook my head resolutely. “That’s not on you any more than Gary’s shit is on me. All we can do is try.”

“Maybe.” He looked away, not convinced and trying to shut me down.

“I’m going to go see what’s for breakfast.”

His smile slipped easily back into place. “Make sure Ryan doesn’t eat everything before we get down there.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure, because we all know how controllable Ryan is.”

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