Page 2 of Into the Woods

Maddie folded her arms and glared at me. “Are you fucking kidding me, Court Woods?”

Shit. First- and last-named.

And then, because why not make it a goddamn party, Linc popped up over her shoulder. His brown hair was mussed, and he’d clearly just woken up, but his eyes snapped open wide at the scene he’d stumbled into.

“Who the hell is this bitch?” the woman on my other side practically growled.

My eyes slid closed, but not before I saw Maddie’s eyes flash and Linc mime the Catholic cross over his heart.

This wasn’t gonna end well.

“You’re in my house, bitch,” Maddie snarled, coming into the room like she damn well owned it, because she did.

Well, she and her husband/fiancé, Ryan Cain. It was a complicated relationship. First he’d thought she was her evil twin and hated her, then they fell in love and got married. After that Maddie had been kidnapped and institutionalized by her psycho dad, who also had their marriage annulled by a shady-ass judge. But it had all worked out when Ryan shot Maddie’s father and killed the bastard.

They planned on getting married again at some point, but they both seemed content to use the wife and husband labels no matter their legal relationship status.

I was happy for them, except for right now—because Ryan, although one of my best friends, was also Corinne’s very overprotective big brother. The only thing he loved as much as Maddie was Cori, and the girl I’d brought into their house had just insulted them both.

Yeah, I was twenty kinds of fucked, and none of them in the fun way.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Look, Gloria—”

Her face pinched. “Gretchen.”

“Totally what I said,” I went on, not giving a shit. “It’s been fun, but this?” I gestured to the space between us. “We’re done. Time to go.”

Her jaw dropped open, and I had the tiniest memory spark of her on her knees, opening her jaw just as wide as my cock sank into it.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I shivered as something a lot like shame prickled up my spine.

Maddie looked at me, and beneath the anger, I saw the disappointment. It was one thing for me to act like a fuckup on my own, but Cori had been dragged into this. Cori, who had already been dealt a shitty hand after her dad tried to kill her and then her house burned down. And that was after losing her grandfather, the one stable adult role model she’d had in her life.

She went to a special school that excelled in helping kids and young adults with autism. The past few months had been hell, but she’d slowly been turning it around. She’d been so damn excited when Ryan and Maddie planned to bring her here, to their new home, for a long weekend.

And I’d ruined it.

“You heard him, honey,” Maddie practically spat. “Get out of my house.”

With a huff, Gretchen got up, totally naked. Linc let out a little cough and looked away, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Bending over to pick up her dress, Gretchen flashed me her ass and cunt, even giving a little exaggerated wiggle as she shimmied into the strappy green fabric. I cleared my throat and looked away, what was left of my morning wood going completely soft.

I shot Maddie another look, hoping it conveyed my apologies for all of this.

Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched.

Gretchen slipped on her heels and looked back at me. “Court, I—”

“I will literally drag you out by your hair,” Maddie threatened. “Then I’ll kick your ass for making me mess up my manicure.”

Gretchen spun. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Whoa,” Linc snapped, all teasing evaporating as he crowded Maddie’s back, his eyes shooting fire at Gretchen. “Time to get the fuck out, skankalicious. Go peddle your STIs somewhere else.”

“Hold up.” Maddie lifted a finger that she then pointed at Linc. “We don’t slut-shame in this house, remember? We talked about this.”

Linc nodded, looking properly chagrined. “You’re right. I apologize to Court’s consenting fuck buddy. That being said, our consent to her being in this house is fucking over, so time to go. Whether or not you have any sort of disease is between you and your doctor. And possibly Court, if he didn’t wrap it up.” He shot me a smirk. “You did use protection, right, man?”

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