Page 20 of Into the Woods

My gut cramped at the memory of that night. Becca had been drugged and damn near raped by one of my former fraternity brothers. Maddie had saved her by alerting Ryan and the rest of us, but I’d never forget how delicate and perfect she’d felt in my arms.

And how I’d utterly failed her.

I’d pushed her away to keep her safe, and it hadn’t worked.

“Is it so fucking hard for you to admit that you have feelings for her?” Linc pressed. “That you’re not some emotionless cyborg? It doesn’t make you weak to need her, Court. And you aren’t the only one she left—I might not feel the same way you do, but I care about her, too.”

I stared at him, trying to wrap my brain around what he was saying. “You really like her?”

“What’s not to like? She’s an amazing woman. She’s smart, funny, gorgeous…”

The noise that came out of me wasn’t entirely human.

Linc met my gaze. “She’s also head over fucking heels in love with you, you fucking idiot. And I think you might feel the same way, if you let yourself.”

I didn’t know what to say. Trying to wrap my head around it was too much.

The door to the garage opened on the other side of the room and Ash appeared, two pizzas and a six-pack balanced in his hands as he kicked the door shut. He took one look at us, and then his gaze zeroed in on Linc. “Started without me?”

Linc shrugged. “I saw an opening. I went for it.”

Ash shot him a knowing smirk. “Pretty sure that’s how you’ve justified hitting on every woman you’ve ever fucked, too.” Then he looked at me. “Hungry?”

The smell of grease, cheese, and meat wafted over to me. My stomach gave an appreciative rumble. “I could eat,” I admitted.

Linc slowly came back around the couch. “Truce?”

I sighed heavily. “Yeah.”

Ash crossed the room and set the pizzas on the coffee table in front of the massive, U-shaped sectional sofa that dominated the room. With a huge TV that took up the majority of one wall, this was our makeshift movie theater and gaming room, and the general place we all hung out.

Linc dove for one of the boxes, flipping open the lid and grabbing a slice of pepperoni and sausage. He took a massive bite, then huffed a breath around the searing heat. “Shit. Hot.”

“Fucking animal,” Ash groused, shaking his head. He left and came back a minute later with three plates, which he passed out.

Linc made a face as he accepted the dish. “Remember when we could just eat pizza on our couch and no one gave us shit if we stained something?”

Ash gave him a reproachful look.

“All I’m saying is, bachelor life was a helluva lot easier before Maddie.”

“So, you think life would be easier without her?” Ash challenged, looking annoyed.

Linc shook his head emphatically. “Fuck no. I love Maddie. She’s like a super-hot, not-blood-related little sister. And God knows Ryan’s slightly less of an asshole now that he’s put a damn ring on it.”

I snorted at his descriptions.

“Anyway,” Ash said loudly, turning to toss me a beer, “it’s good to see you coherent. I was starting to wonder if you were just going to fuck away your last semester.”

I frowned, popping the top of the can. “I have independent study this semester. I already put in my internship hours with the firm when Ryan was on trial for attempted murder. All that’s left now is to check in with my advisor every month before I hit Stanford in the fall.”

Linc’s face fell. “I can’t believe you’re moving to Palo Alto.”

“It’s three years, buddy,” I reminded him. “And my law degree is something we need.”

Both guys nodded, because it was true. I planned to major in international law with a double focus on criminology. Phoenix International was truly international, and our company needed a team of lawyers—that I would spearhead—who were dedicated to knowing which laws could be used in our favor and which we could bend to our will.

“I know Ryan talked to you about our expedited timetable,” Ash added, taking a bite of his own pizza loaded with chicken, bacon, and roma tomatoes. The weirdo even had the pizza place put ranch on it instead of pizza sauce, which was sacrilegious to Linc but tasted pretty damn good to me.

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