Page 9 of These Reckless Hearts

I shriek as he runs around the pool. We bypass our clothes and head straight for his room as I giggle against his back—his ass cheeks jiggling on our short trek.

Once we’re in his room, he throws me down on the bed and wags his eyebrows as he climbs over me, pretending to take big biting chunks out of my body as he goes, growling until I’m laughing so hard, I’m crying.

Yes, Wyatt Longhorn was exactly what I needed tonight.

5

Iwake up to an empty bed but a full heart. I stretch my hands out, curling my fingers in the sheets. My knuckles brush something foreign, so I open my eyes and find a cowboy hat propped on Wyatt’s pillow with a note on the brim. “For you, Tits.”

I bite my lip, holding back the maniacal grin surfacing. I pull the covers away and swing my legs over the side of the bed. Utter peacefulness swallows me as I hold the hat in my hands. My feet hit the tiled floor, and I half run to the bathroom to try it on. I situate it on my head, glancing right and left, and I think it looks pretty damn good, actually. I take it off for a moment only to steal a pair of Wyatt’s boxers and a t-shirt before placing it back on my head and heading toward the kitchen. As soon as I open Wyatt’s bedroom door, the familiar smell of delicious bacon hits me.

Lucas is milking this, but I’m not going to complain. I’ve never had food as good as Wyatt’s.

I tiptoe out to the kitchen where Lucas is the first to see me. He smirks but pretends to frown. “Oh no, he’s ruining her.”

I chuckle, but the look on Wyatt’s face when he turns is so well worth it. His mouth drops. He shoves the spatula he’s holding into Lucas’ chest and comes toward me, placing his arms around my waist. “Well, hello there, ma’am.” He dips me backward, and the hat tumbles off my head and onto the floor. He rights me, pulling me toward him to place a tender kiss on my lips.

“I hate to break this up,” Lucas teases, sounding like he couldn’t give two shits about doing just that, “but I’m still waiting on my pity breakfast.”

“Fuck off, Govern,” Wyatt says against my lips. “Tits and I are having a moment.” He cups the back of my head and kisses me senseless. When we finally pull away, both of us are breathless, and I sway on my feet as Wyatt returns to the kitchen as if nothing happened.

Lucas watches me. His bandages are off today, and the reminder of his injuries twists my stomach. I bend to pick up the cowboy hat and walk right to him. “How’d you sleep?”

“Tossed and turned. Mostly thought about buying a big bed so all of us can sleep with you.” He screws up his face adorably. “Then debated whether or not that would be worth it, considering I’d end up having to sleep next to Wyatt, too.”

“I’ll have you know, I’m a really good bed companion.”

“Dude, I’ve slept next to you in a tent. I know exactly what I’d be getting myself into, which is why I said I was weighing the pros and cons.”

I lift a brow at him. “And did you come up with a decision?”

“Yeah, I decided anything is worth it as long as I’m next to you.”

His words filter over me like a bucket of sunshine, and I bask in them. I bring my hand up to trace my fingertips next to Lucas’ wound. It’s going to scar. There’s no way around it. “I’m glad it was me,” he answers, as if he caught on to my line of thinking. He twists his neck so I can get a better view. “I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if it was you.”

“Don’t say that,” I whisper, my heart skidding to a halt. “What someone else does to us is uncontrollable.”

The front door opens, and I peer over Lucas’ shoulder. Stone comes striding in, a huge bouquet of red roses in his hand. He stops when he sees me, cheeks turning pink. “Damn it. I was hoping you wouldn’t be up yet.”

I tease my lip, staring at the bright crimson petals. I’ve never gotten flowers before. In high school, the student council sold carnations that you could send to your crush on Valentine’s Day. Each year I’d yearn for one, but one never came. Something Meghan was all too quick to point out. “Those…are for me?”

“Well, they’re certainly not for Wyatt.” Stone stands there staring at me, and I do the same. Neither of us makes the first move. Butterflies dance in my stomach, wings teasing my nerve endings. Finally, he steps forward, loafers skimming over the tile. His dark sunglasses are propped on top of his head, a rich boy exclamation point on the rest of his attire—a pair of gray khaki shorts and a lime green polo. He looks like he’s walking off the cover of a magazine—complete with the backdrop of fine furniture and everything. I don’t understand how I ended up here considering where I began, but I’m going to hold onto this with everything I have.

Lucas turns away to give us a private moment, and I meet Stone halfway. He tosses his car keys onto the kitchen island and reaches for my hand. “I know I have a lot of groveling to do, and this in no way makes up for any of it, but it’s a start. I’m hoping, anyway. That’s for you to decide.” His fingers entwine with mine, like roots digging through the earth on a sunny day.

He hands the flowers to me, their beauty punctuated by an ornate, black vase. I let go of his hand to take them, leaning in to breathe in their absolutely divine and intoxicating aroma.

“I wasn’t sure what your favorite flower was.” He hesitates, peeking at me. Seeing this unsure side of him only endears him to me more.

“I don’t know, actually,” I admit, biting the inside of my cheek to keep my emotions from shining through.

“Then I’ll keep buying you different kinds until you decide.”

I lift onto my tiptoes to kiss Stone’s cheek, the stubble gracing his jaw scraping over my lips. I settle back to inspect him. Sunken, dark eyes meet mine, definitely not normal. His pallor is a little off, too, and I make a mental note to watch him. Lucas’ injuries took a lot out of Stone, but he’s home now, so something else must be bothering him.

I move to the coffee table and set the flowers down before I notice the card in them. I pluck the envelope off the plastic stick and open it. Stone hovers nearby, watching me intensely. My fingers shake a little, my nerves getting the best of me as I read the note.

I’msorry I did that to you, Dakota. If you’ll let me, I’ll keep making it up to you. All my love,

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