Page 35 of Crew Princess
Cross stepped back. Turning toward me, he added his last words, “And you know that too.”
He had stripped everything bare and left us all exposed, because he was right.
Channing drew in a breath, his chest rising and holding before his gaze slid to mine.
I bit my lip. Yeah. There were still problems with us, and most certainly with me.
He blinked a few times, his forehead wrinkling before he tipped his head up, gazing at the sky. “Fuck.Fuck!” Exhaling, he focused on me. “Your boyfriend just owned me, and here I was, thinking I had the upper hand.”
My throat swelled. I didn’t know how to respond to that.
Apparently, neither did Cross, because he kept quiet.
Finally, Channing said quietly, “You remain at the house. You got it?”
Cross’ eyes flicked up to his.
Channing nodded at him. “You too. Shit ain’t ideal, but you’re right.” His eyes closed a moment, and an ominous threat hung in the air between us as he said, “Don’t get pregnant, Bren. I mean it.”
“I won’t. I’m not. We’re always safe.”
I shifted on my feet, my belly heating up and rising north.
“Jesus.” Channing glanced up again, just for a moment. “What do I need to know about this town rivalry?”
The tension in the air had eased.
My lungs could inflate once again. We were on to crew business. That was a good middle ground for us, a bonding ground even.
Cross spoke for us. “That’s ours to deal with.”
“Cross—” Channing said.
“It’s high school stuff. That’s our terrain. Not yours.”
“It’s mine if it’s going to hurt people in the community.”
“What? You’re going to go fight a bunch of Academy Crusties? You need to loosen the strings, give us some freedom. We’ll take care of it.”
“People got hurt the last time this happened. Someone almost got raped.”
“And that guy went to prison. I’ve heard the story, and that guy was one of ours.”
“Broudou was not one of ours,” Channing hissed right back.
“He was from Roussou. You know what I mean.”
Channing stared at him, thinking. His hands dropped, and his shoulders loosened. “Fine. I’ll back off if you do one thing.”
Cross and I waited.
“You come to me before you step over a line you can’t unstep from. You hear me?”
Cross nodded.
My brother’s gaze pierced me. “Bren? I need you to give me your word.”
I forced my head up and down. My throat burned.
