Page 160 of Wicked Minds
“Baby, I’ll do all the things with my tongue.”
She bursts out laughing, and I wave goodbye to my teammates when we enter the food court, spotting Royce sitting at our usual table. “Go sit with Royce. I’ll grab food for you.”
After telling me what she wants, I watch her sidle closer to the table before queuing up to get us food. With a tray in eachhand—most of which contains food for me—I make a beeline for the table.
I lift my chin in ahelloto Royce as I set a tray in front of Riley before claiming the seat next to her, not wanting to interrupt the two of them as Riley relays some theory she learned in her psychology class.
Shoveling a forkful of chicken and rice into my mouth, I can feel eyes on us, and I know more than a few people are wondering what the hell the deal is between the three of us. Pretty sure most of campus knows now that Riley and I are a thing. Except Royce’s sudden reappearance back in the food court and the fact the three of us eat together every day, and how he brings her to school and drops her home as often as I do, has all the nosey assholes intrigued. Especially because Royce isn’t a PDA person, so unlike me, he isn’t all over Riley in public.
Thankfully, Riley seems to have stopped giving a crap about the whispers and curious eyes. Guess that’s what happens when you have actual real-life problems to worry about.
“So you’re saying, if I yawn in class, it’s not because I’m bored, but because I’m trying to keep my brain alert?” I query, catching the tail end of what she is saying.
“Exactly.”
“But what if I’m also bored.”
Rolling her eyes, she snarks, “Then you’re also bored.”
“Does that mean I’m giving back to society if I yawn and then someone else yawns because I yawned? Because by that logic, I’m helping to keep their brain alert so they can take in more of the boring lecture.”
Sighing, Riley picks a slice of pepper from her salad and flicks it at me, earning a rumbling laugh from Royce.
Her smile slips as a shadow falls over our table, and I glance up to find Grayson standing there, looking uneasy as his gaze bounces between the three of us.
For a moment, I think he’s going to ask if he can sit, and I’m pretty sure Royce and I have already decided that it will be Riley’s decision. So if she says no, we’ll make sure Grayson doesn’t push it.
However, because he’s Grayson and he’s an asshole, he simply drops his tray on the table and claims the open seat beside Royce, looking at each of our shocked faces with his typical arrogance.
Dickhead is going to get punched, if he’s not careful.
Riley might want us to repair our friendship, and okay, yeah, I wanna do that too. I’ve hated being pissed at him. However, if he says a single thing out of line to Riley, I won’t hesitate to punch him hard enough to choke on some teeth.
Dismissing Grayson, I drop my gaze to check on Riley. She’s staring wide-eyed at him, her lips pressed into a flat line, but she doesn’t object to his presence. Once she notices me looking, she gives me a subtle nod that she’s okay.
An awkward silence reigns over the table as Riley and Grayson lock eyes. I swear, I don’t dare breathe as I wait for whatever cutting remark he’s going to deliver and the inevitable bruise I will have to leave on his face. But then he goes and blows my mind with a simple nod of his head—a silent peace offering. Riley reciprocates with a waned smile, and just like that, the bubble of tension pops.
I exhale, blowing out the tightness in my lungs before saying, “Did you know you can give back to society simply by yawning?”
Riley groans, and Royce chucks a chip my way, which I catch in my mouth.Mmm, yum.And for a little while, all is right in the world.
46
RILEY
“Grayson?” I question, staring stupefied at Royce across the table in the food court. “I don’t know that that’s a good idea.”
“It’s that, or you call in sick,” he states, arms folded across my chest.
“Seriously? I’m not calling in sick because you can’t babysit me tonight. That’s ridiculous, Royce.”
He arches an arrogant brow. “What’s ridiculous is you thinking I’m going to let you set foot in that club withhimthere and not ensure there are eyes on you at all times. I’d rather it be me, but I can’t get out of this meeting with Xander tonight. I’m sorry.”
“Royce, you don’t need to apologize. You’ve given up every weekend to be at the club.” I can tell whatever this meeting is, its timing has seriously pissed him off, but it must be important; otherwise, I know he’d reschedule, despite my assurances. “I really don’t think sending Grayson in your place is a wise idea, though. In case you hadn’t noticed, we don’t exactly talk to one another.” He’s sat with us at lunch most days—if he’s not at the office—and I catch him watching me frequently, but we haven’t spoken a word directly to each other since that day he showed upat my apartment. I’m trying to give him time to come to terms with everything… and admittedly, I haven’t a clue what to say to him.
What do you say to the guy whose world you’ve obliterated, who also happens to be your daughter’s half-brother, and the guy whose dick you keep finding yourself bouncing on?
It’s a niche situation. Not one that most self-help books or the internet have an answer for.
