Page 39 of Too Safe

“I assure you, if I wanted to kiss her, it would not be for the amusement of some second-string chump who gets off on the patriarchy-fueled self-insert fantasy of watching two women be intimate together.”

Stunned silence follows as he slow-blinks at me, like he needs a minute to process my words. Before he can stammer a response, I grab Hunter’s hand and drag her behind me toward the house.

“Joey!” She cackles, chasing after me as I scurry up the stairs. “That was epic. Winslow is still standing there with his mouth hanging open.”

Winslow. Noted.

I smile over my shoulder at my friend. “What can I say? I took a gender studies class in high school. But just so we’re clear, if Iwasattracted to women, you’d be my first pick.”

Chapter 17

Josephine

Ittakesasignificantamount of effort to not move through the house like I live here.

Which is crazy, considering I’ve been a resident of the Crusade Mansion for less than forty-eight hours, and I’ve spent the majority of that time in my room.

If only I could change my clothes or take a few minutes to freshen up, but Hunter has been glued to my side since we stepped foot on the marble floors tonight.

It’s not that I don’t trust her. Or that I don’t want to tell her what’s going on.

But I don’t know how to explain my predicament without revealing the root cause of why I’m being kept here against my will.

“You don’t want a real drink?” Hunter hollers, clinking the rim of her red cup with the top of the bottle of sparkling seltzer in my hand. We’ve been dancing for the better part of an hour—both sweaty and flushed from the sticky night air. Even without the body heat of a hundred plus people crammed into one room, the humidity would be off the charts.

“Too hot,” I reply, practically yelling to be heard over the crowd. “I’m halfway dehydrated as it is. Thought I was going to melt at the game this afternoon.”

“Fair point,” she counters, the two words instantly reminding me of Kylian.

What’s he doing up in the Nest right now? And what the hell is the Nest anyway?

“Want to get some air?” she asks, gathering her hair in one hand and piling it on her head to get it off her neck.

With an enthusiastic nod, I grab for Hunter’s hand and weave through the crowd of gyrating, sweaty bodies, tugging her along behind me.

I have to maneuver around a couple practically dry-humping on the dance floor. I do a double take when I realize the guy in the pairing is none other than Kendrick. Damn. He’s got moves. He doesn’t see me, thank god. The last thing I need is for Kendrick Taylor to catch me ogling him.

We make a pit stop in the kitchen, each grabbing a chilled water bottle from the tub on the counter. Kylian and I were the last to leave for the stadium and the first back to the house, along with the first wave of guests, so there must be staff who come in to get things ready while the guys are at the game.

Just another thing to add to my list for Kylian. He offered to help—he can start by giving me more insight into the way things work around here.

Hunter heads back toward the living room, most likely to go out through the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that lead out to the main deck. I assume it’s crowded out there, so I redirect her toward a door off the kitchen.

A blast of humidity hits me as I slide the door open and step out onto the deck.

“Oh, I’ve never been out here,” Hunter murmurs, shuffling to the ledge to look out over the lake. It’s where I ate dinner with the guys last night. I didn’t think a thing about it maybe being off limits until now.Shit.

“How’d you know this was out here?”

Before I have a chance to come up with a reply, a throat clears.

I startle and hold back a gasp, whipping my head around and peering through the dark.

“Josephine.”

Of-fucking-course.

Decker is lounging on an L-shaped couch, legs spread wide, with his arms resting on the back of the cushions. He’s surrounded by not one, not two, but three women—two of which are still wearing their Lake Chapel U cheerleading uniforms.

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