Page 140 of Till The Sun Dies (Checkmate 2)

“Yes.”

“And Bishop and Jess are sharing a room, right?”

“Dude!” Marc snaps. “How are you discussing this so calmly? You’re asking about your sister’s bed buddy right now!”

Luc rolls his eyes. “Jess and Bishop… so that leaves Laine in the cold.”

“Not in the cold.” I sit up in bed and brush my spare hand over my face. “I’m sharing her room, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. There’s no way anyone was letting her stay alone, and she was determined not to split Jess and Bish. Which left Laine and me the odd ones out. She volunteered to sleep in the fuckin’ car, Marcus, so cool your shit before you blow a gasket.”

His face turns a darker red for every second this call lasts.

“I’m her friend. We’re here as friends.”

“Bishop treating Jessie well?” Luc asks quietly. “He’s good to her? You trust him?”

“Yeah.” I glance toward the unopened bathroom door. The shower’s still going. The door still locked. “I trust him with my life, Luc. He’s good for her, and he’d kill to protect her. You don’t have to worry about Jess anymore. She’s set for life.”

He gives a contemplative nod and lies back against the headboard the way I do. “Um… The thing with Laine–” He plumps his pillows in agitation.

“I know, Luc. Laine’s yours, not mine, not for touching. You’ll kill me if she cries. I got it.”

“No. Actually, I was gonna say I trust you. Ya know, if you wanted to tell her how you feel, you’ve got my blessing.”

“You what?” Marc explodes.

Unlike a year ago when Luc might twitch with fear, he simply shakes his head. “I trust you. When my sister is ready to date again, I’d choose you over any of the other fuckwits in the world. She tried strange, and she nearly died. You’re a good man. You’re good for her. If you were coming to me to ask, I’d tell you it’s cool.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He shrugs. “I mean, don’t touch her, don’t hurt her, don’t break her heart or make her cry, because if you do, I’ll snap your neck. I know how to do it and make it look like an accident. But other than that, I’d be honored to keep you around.”

“Well… shit, Luc.”

He flashes a playful grin. “What can I say? I’m an enlightened man, and I’d hate to break a friendship for half a year just because I was a stubborn prick.”

“Fuck you, Lenaghan!”

Silent until now, Scotch watches our exchange and chuckles at Marc’s outburst. “Marc will come around, Ang. Don’t pay him any mind.”

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t.”

“So…? You’re gonna ask her out?”

“Why does no one else think this is weird?”

Kari pokes her head into Luc’s frame and flashes a wicked grin. “Morning, Marc.”

“Ugh!” His screen goes blank as he escapes the fact his sister isn’t a child anymore, and when she stops giggling, Kari’s eyes meet mine.

“I got rid of his negative ass. You’re welcome.”

“How much of that did you hear?”

“All of it.” She pushes curly hair off her face. “You should ask her out. I think she’s ready.”

“She’s not ready. Two nights ago, she was a shaking mess when some creep looked at her wrong. No.” I shake my head, as though to convince myself. “No. She’s not ready.”

“But is she a mess whenyoulook at her? No.” She answers her own question. “She’s not. I get creeped out by dudes when they stare too long, too. It’s a built-in survival instinct. Women have been preyed on and hurt for as long as time has existed. It’s the reason we rarely walk alone at night, and if we don’t have one of those peep holes in our front door, we just don’t answer the damn thing if we’re home alone. That dude didn’t creep her out because of what happened to her… or, well, maybe a little, but not entirely. He would have creeped her out no matter what. Butyoudon’t creep her out. I think she’s ready, Ang.” She lays her face against Luc’s chest and manages to force Scotch out of the chat. She rolls her eyes. “They’re so soft. They got their happily ever afters, so they don’t get to dictate ours anymore. I’m happy with Luc, and trust me when I say, Laine’s ready. She might not be ready for anything that includes sex swings and other wild shit, but she’s ready for something sweet and slow.”

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