Page 27 of Break: Vol. 2

I dropped my flats to the floor and moved towards him, twining my arms around his neck as I tipped my face up, my lips puckered for a kiss. He leaned down and acquiesced to my silent demand, pressing his lips against mine.

Finally, I pulled away because I knew that if I didn't, we would never go to dinner. "Come on," I said, clearing my throat as I reached down for my shoes once more. "I need sustenance if you four are planning on taking advantage of me."

A wicked gleam entered his expression and his hands fisted at his sides. I knew by the way his whole body had stiffened that I had given him an ass load of ideas. I flitted out of the room before he could trap me and quickly donned my shoes while Cody and Darren strode out looking dapper in khakis and polo shirts. Even Taylor looked put together, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. I sniffed the air as a scent swirled around me. At least one of them had put on cologne and it made me question why exactly I needed to eat at all.

Dex strode out a moment later, after having obviously pulled on new pants—slacks—and a nice shirt. "Ready?" he asked, his eyes alighting on me.

I nodded as Darren reached for the door and held it open for all of us. We paused as we realized that Stephan stood on the other side, his face slack with surprise, his hand half raised to knock.

"Sorry," he said quickly, dropping his hand. His eyes looked me up and down for a brief moment. There was nothing that was exactly disturbing in his gaze, but I didn't like the way he lingered on my breasts. I backed up as Dex stepped forward.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Stephan sighed, turning his attention to his brother. "Hey man, I just came to..." he glanced at the rest of us, "talk," he finished lamely.

Dex crossed his arms. "So talk."

I winced at the dark fury in his tone.

"Dexter," Stephan said, a warning in his tone, "can we do this in private?" he asked, looking pointedly back at me.

Dex turned his eyes in the same direction—realizing a second later who Stephan was obviously wanting to talk about. I sighed and turned away. "Go ahead," I said sharply. "We'll wait in here, Dex. Don't worry about us."

"But hurry up," Taylor piped in. "I'm liable to eat one of the others if we don't get to Cordelia's. I'll start with Cody."

Cody rolled his eyes, but Dex nodded and reached out, grabbing his brother by the upper arm and dragging him out into the hallway. Darren, Taylor, Cody, and I shared a look, but no one said anything. I sighed and leaned against the wall by the front door as Taylor and Cody headed for the balcony and Darren ambled into the living room, dropping onto the sofa bed to hang while we waited.

I had my eyes closed and my arms crossed in front of my chest, counting down the seconds, when I heard something. I blinked and looked towards the door.

"—fucking talk about her like—"

"—cool, man. We all do—"

"—give a shit what she thinks—"

"—out, and we can talk again later. I just—"

"—but no thanks. I'm—"

I realized I could hear snippets of their conversation from where I was standing. My eyes widened and when I heard approaching footsteps, I backed away from the door quickly, trying to wipe the guilt from my expression. I hadn't meant to eavesdrop.

The door swung open just as I stepped into the living room and Darren lifted his head as Dex stood in the doorway.

"Sorry about that," he said. "You guys ready to eat?" Cody and Taylor came back in and Taylor rushed forward, heading for the hallway.

"Fuck yeah!" he yelled.

As I stepped out after him, followed by Cody and Darren, I saw that Stephan was nowhere to be seen. When I chanced a look at Dex, he caught my expression and shook his head. I didn't ask. Some part of me recognized that whatever they had been talking about had to do with me—I didn’t ask, though, because, truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to know.

* * *

Cordelia’s was packed.The table we sat at this time had only enough room for the five of us, and barely at that. Still, though, the company was good and the food was delicious. I watched as Taylor and Darren teased Cody mercilessly about something that had happened during our ziplining trip. Dex held my hand on one side and Darren held my other.

Something felt off, though. The back of my neck kept tingling—like an itch I couldn’t quite reach. Or like a sense that someone was watching. I looked around but didn’t recognize any of the faces at the tables nearby. I turned to Dex when Darren took his hand away to reach for a breadstick.

I bit my lip, debating on asking about what had gone down with his family, with his brother. In the end, however, I chickened out and kept my questions to myself.

We ate in relative happiness. The teasing continued, but even the noise of the surrounding area didn’t dim the mood. At least, it didn’t seem to for the others. But I caught Cody glancing my way. I knew I was being quieter than usual. I also knew that Dex was too. He had barely touched his food.

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