Page 41 of Touch My Shelves

They each fire off, “We can work here. All we need is our laptops.”

“The change of scenery will do us good.”

“And we’ve missed you, man.”

These arseholes are full of a crock of shite, but I’ve missed them. We can’t all be in the same location often, but we do keep in touch by video calls or texts. “Nope, not buying it. Let’s start off with the gossip you think I need to know.”

Alec stares at me sharply. “You would want to start with that one.”

Eli tosses an empty wrapper on the table and picks up a bag of chips. “Rip off the bandage, man. Just tell him and get it over with.”

Jack grunts. “Okay, fine. Scarlet Rivers is putting out on social media that she’s in the running for the part of the grandmother of Meeka.”

The three go from girlish snickers to full-on belly laughs. Eli sobers enough to say, “Isn’t that karma slapping her in the face. She wanted to play Meeka ten years ago and now she’s aged into the grandmother’s part.”

There are many ways I could feel about this news. She’s biologically my child’s mother, but she’s never earned that title. She used me, trying to get a part back when they were casting for the first season. Getting pregnant was just as much of a traumatic surprise for her as it was for me. Yet, Freeya is the best part of my life.

“How can they cast parts I haven’t even written yet? I’m still working on the last book of the first series.”

Jack slides his eyes to mine. “From the pitch and synopsis you turned in. You know how this stuff works. Networks always want to get ahead.”

Eli shifts his head and looks around the group. “The concept is topnotch creative. I see awards in your future.”

“You don’t seem upset about Scarlet,” Jack comments.

I’m not anything about her. “She can try. She can even get the part if she’s right for it, but I see a very gruesome and early demise for Meeka’s grandmother. Now what’s the rest of it?”

Alec is the one to spill the real news. “We’ve been hired to work with you on the screenplay.”

“You’re kidding. That’s great! But you know that’s at least a year away, right?” I expect a bigger reaction from them until I see them staring at something over my shoulder. I turn in my seat to see Poppy walking up the steps from the beach.

“And who do we have here?” Eli asks as he jumps up from his chair and rushes to take a basket from Poppy. It’s not heavy; she can easily carry it herself. Jack and Alec rise with their mouths hanging open like fly catchers. I hope they do swallow a fly. A bee would be better.

Glancing back at Poppy, I want to swallow my own tongue. She usually wears a cover-up over a one-piece black swimsuit, but today she has on a bikini top and has pulled on a pair of cut-off, ripped jean shorts. She looks hot as fuck.

Her breasts spill over the two tiny squares of fabric as they try to confine her creamy mounds. Rigid nubs poke through the thin material and I wonder if she wore it to drive me crazy. Probably not, since she’s been avoiding me.

My gaze goes to the area just above her left nipple where I’d marked her during one especially mind-blowing fucking. My cock stirs just thinking about it. The bruising is no longer there and, from the depths of my soul, I want it back. I want her to have my mark on her body telling these assholes who she belongs to. But she doesn’t belong to me, and she wouldn’t appreciate my possessiveness. We are nothing to each other.

I thought if we cleared the air the other night, we might be able to slide back into being friends, but then she started talking about dating that loser Adan Murphy. Now I’ve been consumed with thoughts of her with someone else. My gaze turns dark as I watch the three men’s stares lock onto Poppy.

“Who the fuck is that?” Alec asks and I glare at him.

Jack wipes drool from the edge of his mouth. “Would you look at those—”

“Hey,” I snap. “Don’t disrespect her like that. That’s Freeya’s nanny, Poppy.”

Alec and Jack ignore me and slither their way to Poppy, with me following closely behind.

“So, you’re the nanny?” Eli smoothly says with a full, whitened-teeth smile. I glance at the other two guys as they fight to keep their gazes above her chest level. My fists clench as I note their eyes drop when they think she isn’t paying attention.

Poppy smiles back and extends her hand. “Yes, I’m Poppy. And you are?”

Eli takes her hand in both of his and I growl beneath my breath. “I’m Eli Griffin and I’m Brax’s dearest friend.”

I snort.

Jack nudges Eli out of the way and snatches her hand before it drops to her side. “And I’m Jack Robertson, at your service, anytime. Day or night.” He delivers that line with a kiss to her knuckles. I want him to kiss my knuckles and I’ll gladly push them down his throat.

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