The Order of the Cronus Series, page 42
Now I was really embarrassed. “How do you know that I’ve liked him?”
She smiled softly at me. “Hastings, you are one of the most confident, secure, lively, and friendliest people I know,” she said. “But every time Saxton has ever tried to talk to you, you would either turn into a shy wallflower, or rudely ignore him. For a while there, I thought you really didn’t like him.” She set her coffee cup down beside her on the counter. “It wasn’t until recently that I realized that it wasn’t that you didn’t like him, but that it was because you did like him.”
“Oh, my God.” I covered my face with my hands. “Do you think he knows?”
Kincaid let out a lyrical laugh. “I doubt it,” she replied easily. “Men are stupid.”
After dragging my hands down my face, I began fiddling with my cup. “Well, now you know why I behaved like a complete slut and let him use me in the bathroom. I’ve liked him for so long that…I…I didn’t want him to change his mind, you know.” I shrugged pathetically. “Like, he might change his mind on our way to his place or my place.”
Kincaid’s eyes narrowed as she walked towards the island. She leaned over the counter, her hands clasped together in front of her. “What do you mean, you let him use you?” The tone of her voice was no longer playful. “What did the fucker do in there?”
“No, no, no,” I quickly rushed out. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…I hardly acted respectable, so what else does a guy do with a girl who isn’t respectable?”
She straightened her back, but no longer looked deadly. “Screw that, Hastings,” she said. “Guys want sluts on their cocks, but then have the nerve to turn around and act like they don’t deserve a certain level of respect because they acted like sluts, and that’s bullshit. We have to act like sluts to land a guy, but if we do, then we’re not worth keeping for the long haul. It’s fucking stupid.”
“I’m not arguing the fairness of it,” I told her. “However, it is what it is.”
“So, is that what you’re embarrassed about? That you screwed in the bathroom or that you didn’t tell me about your crush on him?”
I let out a deep sigh. “All of it I guess,” I admitted. “I mean, I know you don’t want the details, but after we…uh, finished in the bathroom, he took me to his place, and I barely got home this morning around six.”
“So, did he…like…make you meet him by his car like you guys were having a sordid affair or something?”
I shook my head. “No,” I grumbled. “He actually held my hand as we exited the bathroom, and all eyes were on us.” I could feel the heat of embarrassment on my face. “I hadn’t…well, let’s just say that I hadn’t muffled my screams.” Her lips twitched again, and my eyes narrowed. “This isn’t funny.”
“Okay, okay,” she chuckled. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t look sorry,” I harrumphed.
“I am,” she lied. “I promise. So, what happened next?”
“We walked out of Drummond’s party together, holding hands and everything, then went to his place. He…uh, we stayed up until around three, and then passed out.”
She cocked her head at me. “You know that Saxton doesn’t take girls to his place, right?”
“Of course, he does,” I argued. “I was just here, Kincaid.”
“Hastings, I’m not calling you a liar,” she said. “I’m telling you that you are the first and only girl that I’ve ever heard of that has been in Saxton’s bed.” She looked a bit unsure. “I don’t know what’s going on, but…my guess is that it wasn’t a one-night stand.”
I winced.
I’ve always been told not to believe anything a guy says while he’s fucking you because it’s all lies. That heat-of-the-moment kind of babble. Saxton had said a lot of pretty things last night, but I hadn’t taken anything from what he said, other than to let the dirty talk get me off.
Kincaid noticed my wince. “What? What’s wrong?”
“I…uh, kind of snuck out of his bed this morning,” I confessed.
“Y…you…wh…what?” she sputtered.
I groaned. “I know, I know.”
Kincaid let out a choked sigh. “Granted, I’ve never seen Saxton serious about a girl since we’ve been in high school, but if he’s serious about you, I can’t imagine he’s going to take your walk-of-shame this morning lightly.”
“I wasn’t ashamed,” I corrected. “I was embarrassed. There’s a difference.”
“Not much,” she replied dryly.
“So, what do I do now?”
Kincaid threw her hands up in surrender. “Oh, no, missy,” she replied. “You’re my roommate, and he’s my best friend, so just call me Switzerland on this one.”
My eyes narrowed. “If I had something handy, I’d throw it at you.”
She grinned. “If I were you, I’d save all that energy for when you have to explain to Saxton why you snuck out of his bed.”
I flipped her off because I had nothing else.
Chapter 15
Saxton~
It was late Sunday afternoon, and I was still pissed.
Most people would assume it was my ego that was still pissed, but it wasn’t. While I’ve never had a girl leave me high and dry in bed before, this wasn’t about my ego. This was about Hastings sneaking off after I’d made it clear what was between us now.
I also couldn’t deny how right she had felt in my bed. Most of my conquests happened at their place, and if not, hotels were aplenty in Serenity Springs. I’ve never brought a girl back to my place before because this was my sanctuary. The only girl who has ever spent the night here has been Kincaid, and she had her own room here. That wasn’t anything that was public knowledge, but she did. I didn’t have any roommates, and even if I did, my condo had three bedrooms, so there’d still be room for Kincaid.
Plus, even if Hastings hadn’t heard a word that I’d said last night, I’d kept her up until three this fucking morning. You’d think just sheer exhaustion would have kept her in my bed until noon. Lord knows that I had struggled to get up at a decent hour today.
When we had walked out of the bathroom together, everyone’s eyes had been on us. Even with the music blaring, anyone who had been near the kitchen or service restroom had heard us behind that bathroom door. Hastings hadn’t made an effort to be quiet and neither had I.
There’d been smirks, stares, smiles, and narrowed eyed, but I hadn’t cared about any of it. Making sure Hastings’ hand had been in mine, I had escorted her from the party, making sure that anyone who’d been paying attention could see the obvious affection that I was showing her. Normally, I worked on being discrete, but Hastings had become my girlfriend in that bathroom, whether she had realized it or not.
A knock on my door had me setting my phone down. Drummond’s parties were always lighting up social media the next day, so I’d wanted to check and see if there’d been anything on there about me and Hastings. So far, there’d been nothing negative. However, I suspected that might have something to do with my last name. No one wanted to piss me off, and that went double for the fact that I’ve been hanging around Fox, Stone, and Ross. It was one thing to piss me off, quite another to piss off all four of us.
Opening the door, Kincaid stood on the other side, one of her raven brows arched in question.
I rolled my eyes, then let her in.
After shutting the door behind her, I asked, “Do you want anything to eat, drink?” While it might be a bit too early for dinner, Kincaid was a snacker. Most of the snacks in my house were hers.
“Is it too early for a beer?”
This time, I arched a brow. “It’s never too early for a beer.”
“There are anonymous groups all over the world who would disagree with that statement,” she countered.
“Good thing we’re not members of any of those groups,” I tossed back before following her into the kitchen.
I grabbed two beers, twisted the cap off hers, then handed it to her before leaning back against the counter. Kincaid made herself comfortable at the kitchen bar, taking a nice, long, healthy drink of her cold beer.
This should be interesting.
“So, are you here because of Hastings or Fox?” I asked, getting right to the point.
Kincaid’s back straightened, and I knew it wasn’t because I had mentioned Hastings. “Nothing happened,” she replied. “He just took me home.”
“Kincaid, you can’t keep ignoring him,” I told her, though it wasn’t anything that she didn’t already know.
“It’s been working fine so far,” she argued.
“That was because you guys hadn’t been thrown together like you have been now,” I pointed out. “He was pissed last night, Kincaid. Whatever reason he’d gone to Drummond’s party for, it no longer mattered when I told him you were there.”
“That’s not my problem, Saxton,” she replied. “Fox Harrington is not my problem.”
“But he is,” I fired back. “And that’s the problem. You’re refusing to acknowledge that he could be a problem, Kincaid. Do you seriously think he’s just going to fade away quietly? It’s been three years, and he’s still pissed at you. If you don’t make allowances for him, shit is going to go south quickly.”
“Look, I’m not stupid, Saxton.” She took a deep breath. “While we didn’t talk much last night, it wasn’t hard to figure out my next move.”
“Which is?”
“As long as I don’t…entertain anyone else, I think Fox will be appeased enough not to push things too far or hard.”
I scoffed.
Seriously.
This girl wasn’t stupid, but I think her feelings for Fox were clouding her judgement.
“You’re delusional,” I said. “You still see him as the guy who used to adore you, Kincaid. He’s no longer that guy. He’s the guy whose heart you broke. He’s the guy whose been nursing some serious resentment for three years. He’s the guy who is bitter, pissed off, and wants answers.”
“So, what would you have me do, Saxton?” she snapped. “It’s too late to back out now. It’s too late to stop this. I’ve signed the contracts.”
I walked over and sat down next to her. I grabbed her face in my hands, and I wasn’t sure what I was fighting for right now, I just knew that I was fighting for her. “I am with you all the way, Kincaid. You know this. That being said, there is nothing wrong with changing your mind.” She was about to tell me to go get fucked, I was sure of it, but I slapped a hand over her mouth. “I’ll never think less of you if you choose happiness. Apollo would never think less of you if you chose happiness.”
Her eyes narrowed, and I was one second away from her biting my hand off, so I quickly let pulled my hand back. “I am choosing happiness,” she lied.
Ignoring her lies, I said, “I am with you, no matter what, Kincaid.” Making sure my eyes held hers, I repeated my vow. “I am with you, no matter what.” She threw herself at me, and I held her for the longest time.
Kincaid reminded me of a CIA operative. She was determined, focused, brilliant, capable, and deadly. However, she was also alone. Apart from our friendship, she had no close friends. She had no one else that she loved besides me and her parents. She was like a lone soldier, not caring about anything but her mission. She was also cold enough to dismiss the casualties of her inner-war, and fox Harrington happened to be one of them.
When she finally pulled away, she said, “Tell me about Hastings.”
I decided to let her change the subject. “I’ve liked her for a while.”
Her brows furrowed. “And why didn’t I know about that?”
I shrugged as I leaned back a bit. “She’s your roommate. I didn’t want to complicate things,” I explained. “Plus, we had the whole initiation to get through.”
“So, what happens now?”
“What did she say?”
Kincaid shook her head. “Nope,” she popped off. “I’m going to tell you like I told her, I’m Switzerland when it comes to whatever is going on between you two.”
“Switzerland, really?”
Her shoulders sagged a bit. “Okay, maybe not Switzerland, but I’m minding my own business on this.” As much as she cared about Hastings, I knew she’d always pick me if it came down to it.
“She spent the night at my place last night,” I finally told her, even though I knew she already knew this.
"So I heard,” she teased.
“Yeah, well, once we have a little talk, she’ll be my girlfriend,” I told her.
“Plan on storming the castle?”
“Not today,” I admitted. “I need to…figure some shit out first.”
Her brows rose. “What shit?”
“I’m trying to calm down, Kincaid,” I admitted. “If I go over to her now, it’s going to get ugly.”
Kincaid grinned. “You really are a caveman underneath all your calm demeanor.”
“All men are,” I informed her. “Don’t kid yourself.”
She didn’t say anything for a long time, but finally she asked, “Is it just me or does it seem like things keep getting…muddier?”
I thought about that, and she wasn’t wrong. “Nope, it’s not just you.”
“What a mess,” she grumbled.
I had nothing to argue against that.
Chapter 16
Hastings~
It was Monday morning, classes going strong, and everything seemed to be on track. Nothing untoward was going on, and I’d even woken up early enough to get some food in my belly.
So, why was I having a crappy day?
It could have been because I haven’t heard from Saxton since I’d snuck out on him Sunday morning, or it could have been because I was stupid. Both options were possibilities. However, I was putting my money on being stupid. I’d had Saxton Voss right where I’ve been dreaming of having him, and like a panicked idiot, I’d ran when the sun had come up.
I had twenty minutes between classes, so instead of moping about Saxton Voss, I had pulled out my notes for my next class, working my best to get my head in the educational game.
However, it must not have been working because a raised voice had quickly distracted me.
“You better get your shit together, August,” a female voice hissed. “I am not going to end up like Jennifer.”
“Will you shut the fuck up, Laney,” August hissed back. “Keep your fucking mouth shut and you won’t end up like Jennifer.”
“Oh, yeah?” she scoffed. “Well, what happened to Stone? You said it would all work out. You said I’d have him.”
I only knew one person named Stone, and that was Stone Lexington. I also only knew one person named August, and that was August Remington. Doing the math, the girl could only be Laney Spinner.
A few weeks ago, there’d been a huge falling out between Rylee Madden and her roommate Laney. The only reason that I knew this was because Rylee had come over one night to ask Kincaid for some help with something. I wasn’t sure what had all come of it because it’d been none of my business and Rylee and I hadn’t been friends, but whatever happened, Rylee Madden was now Rylee Lexington, and the entire world knew it. I also knew that Kincaid’s been hanging around with Rylee a lot these days.
“How the fuck was I supposed to know they’d get married like that?” he snapped. “Had you not fucked up the plan, we would still have had some time.”
“Me?” Laney screeched. “You’re blaming me for not being able to seal the deal?”
“Watch yourself, Laney,” August warned. “They’re not the only people in all this that can ruin you.”
“Fuck you, August,” she spat. “I’ve got too much dirt on you to be scared of you.”
“Do you, though?” he taunted. “What do you have, Laney? It’s your word against mine, and don’t you ever forget it.”
“So, what’s the endgame, August?” Laney asked. “They’re married now. If you didn’t have a chance with Rylee before, do you honestly think you have one with her now? She’s in love with Stone.”
“She’s not in love with Stone!” he yelled at her before lowering his voice again. “She’s confused. She got roped into this and doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
“You are insane if you think she’s not in love with him,” Laney countered. “Anyone with working eyes can see those two are in love with each other. You’re the only one who refuses to see the truth.”
“Mind your own business and do what you’re told, Laney,” August replied. “Leave the rest to me.”
“It’s your funeral,” she returned snidely. “Stone Lexington is going to kill you if you keep going after his wife.”
“Quit calling her that,” he growled. “I already told you that she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
“That’s not true,” Laney argued. “But even if it were, it doesn’t make her any less married to the guy. Rylee is his wife, August. Get over it already.”
“Just stick to the plan, Laney,” he shot back.
A few seconds went by before I finally let out a deep breath. A deep breath that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding.
What in the hell?
Quickly gathering up all my stuff, I fired off a text to Kincaid. I wasn’t sure if she was in class or not, but I’d just have to wait for her response if she was. However, I received a text within twenty seconds. Texting her to meet me by my car, I made my way to the student parking lot.
I wasn’t sure why, but things felt…urgent. I felt like I’d just overheard something important, even though it was clearly none of my business. I wasn’t friends with Stone or Rylee Lexington for me to take such a personal interest. Still, I was friends with Kincaid, and they were her friends, so that automatically put me on team Stone and Rylee.
There was also the tone of August’s voice that had me concerned. There was just something in the way that he spoke about Rylee that didn’t sound normal or healthy. What kind of man still thought he had a chance with a woman after she married someone else? And what was all that talk about her just being confused and getting roped into marrying Stone?
