Page 20 of It Must Be Fate

Thayer glares at him and jumps to stand on our bed, revealing her very skimpy, very wet, silk pajama set and sending my blood pressure skyrocketing in the process.

“Bellamy!” she calls. “I’m kicking your boyfriend out of my house.”

Rogue turns towards the door just as Bellamy walks in. Taking advantage of the opening and his momentary distractedness, Thayer jumps on his back and wraps her forearms around his throat.

“What the—”

“Just kidding, Roguey. You can never get rid of me, no matter how much of adickyou continue to be. I’m your family now,” she says, stuck on his back.

“Get off me, you animal,” he growls, ripping at her forearms to try to release the hold she has on him. “You’re soaking wet.”

Bellamy starts laughing in the background, enjoying the play fighting happening between her boyfriend and best friend.

She’s the only one.

“And whose fault is that?” Thayer singsongs.

“Get off him, Thayer,” I snap.

Her head swings towards me, her expression startled. She immediately slides off Rogue, dropping down to the floor.

Of our friend group, I’m the jovial, good-humored one, so my severe tone surprises her.

“Ah, fuck.” Rogue straightens, having taken one look at my face. He grabs Bellamy’s hand and tugs her after him out the door.

“What is it?” I hear her ask.

“I give it less than two minutes before they’re tearing each other’s clothes off and I don’t want to be there when that happens.”

“Hey, I’ll be getting you back for this!” Thayer calls after him, but he closes the door behind him without responding.

“No, you won’t,” I inform her. “This ends now.”

“But—”

“I’ll talk to Rogue. He won’t prank you again.”

Thayer reaches for me but I grab her wrist before she can touch me, holding her hand just off of my chest. Her eyes widen.She tries to retract her hand but I don’t let her, instead using my hold to tug her closer to me.

“I don’t like you touching him, Silver.”

“I was messing around. I didn’t want him thinking I was being serious about kicking him out given his abandonment issues. And you know he’s just like another brother to me, even if it’s one sided. The only thing he cares about is Bellamy, so you’re being jealous for no reason.”

Over the past couple of years, the girls and Tristan have integrated into our original trio like life before them never existed. Each of us had experienced loss or struggled with our parents in some way and that common thread had brought us closer together, creating an unbreakable bond. We’d found family in each other and I knew I could trust those seven people with my life.

But that didn’t mean the protectiveness I felt over my girl ever went away with my friends.

If anything, my possessiveness grows stronger with every passing day because so do the stakes involved with potentially losing her. The more indispensable she becomes to my survival, the more the thought of not having her is crippling.

I join Thayer’s other hand with her first at her lower back and use my hold to pin her against my chest.

“All I saw was your wet body against his. He felt exactly what I can feel right now – every single inch of you. Every single inch that belongs tome.”

Thayer shifts and her hard nipples graze against my chest, making me shudder.

“That’s right,” she whispers seductively, pushing against my hold to get on her toes. I let her and she sucks my earlobe. Goosebumps erupt down my neck and chill me. “I belong toyou. I don’t need a reminder. There’s no one else I think about or dream about.”

“Dream?” I question.

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