Page 121 of Forever Wild
“They care about you. Both of you.”
Scarlett joins in. “And you have been at each other’s throats for years. We’re not sure if all that animosity has made you the best couple we know or the worst.”
I snort a laugh and Jack’s hand rubs down my arm.
“To be determined,” I say, and he growls quietly, then kisses my neck.
When I look back up, Bridget and Scarlett are watching us with matching grins that make my skin feel tight. It takes only a quick scan of the room to see that all eyes are on us.
We spend the next few minutes trying to blend in, making small talk and hanging out with our friends. But there’s a nervous energy with everyone we talk to and even when they’re being nice, it feels forced, like they don’t know how to act around us.
“I knew I should have just kept you to myself tonight. This party sucks,” he says, trying again to make light of the situation. “Do you want to go?”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I got this.” I take a step onto the coffee table. “Excuse me, everyone.”
Maverick is manning the music and when I give him a nod, he turns it down. That gets everyone’s attention.
“Sorry to interrupt. I have an announcement.”
All eyes are on me. They still have those nervous, worried expressions that make me feel like a kid, but I’m not and I want them to know it. “Jack and I are sleeping together.”
There’s a chorus of groans around the room. If they didn’t want to hear about my sex life, they shouldn’t have put their noses in it.
“Fuck me,” Jack mutters quietly next to me.
I place a hand on his shoulder. “That’s right. We’re having sex. Hopefully, a lot of it.”
“Ev,” Ty says and rubs his forehead with two fingers.
“In case you all didn’t realize it, I’m not a kid anymore. I can take care of myself,” I say.
“I don’t care. If he breaks your heart, I’m kicking his ass,” Declan says.
“Fine. If he breaks my heart, then you can all kick his ass, but only after I do.”
I see Ash’s shoulders shake with laughter and Declan nods. I glance at my brother for his reaction.
“Cheers to that,” Tyler says with a small smile I know is for my benefit. The room seems to relax and I breathe a sigh of relief. I love these guys, but they can be a little too much.
I motion to Maverick to turn the music back up and step down in front of Jack.
“What about if you break my heart?” he asks, wrapping his armsaround my back.
“I guess you’ll have to grow out your Barnaby beard again and find some new girl to make me jealous. I really wanted you to rub that beard all over my body.”
His eyes darken. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. Something about it really did it for me.”
“I got something else I could rub all over your body.”
Ty steps up, wincing and covering his ears. “I did not need to hear that.”
Jack laughs.
