Cricket (Cricket Kendall Book 1), page 25
He chuckles awkwardly. He’s blushing, and it’s making his hair look redder than ever.
Okay, he was right. I am totally embarrassed. But I can’t just blow off his question. I bite my lip and stare at him thoughtfully. I decide to ask him a question first.
“If I said yes, that it upset me and I asked you to undo it, wouldn’t you feel angry or jealous?”
He gives me a considering look before turning back to the road. He looks like he’s not sure how to answer either. “Honestly, it doesn’t really bother me to think of your liking either of them, or even just wanting to have sex with them. As long as you feel the same way about me and want me the same way.”
“Really?” I laugh nervously.
“Yeah. I know it sounds…I don’t even know how it sounds. I like you so fucking much. I’ve never met a girl I liked this much or that could hold my interest for more than two seconds. But me and you? I know I can’t be the only one that feels something between us.” He turns his heated gaze to me. “If you told me you liked me back and felt the same way, but that you also have a crush on Hollis or Cas, I’d be fine with that. I love those guys too, so I get it.”
My heart is beating like crazy. This conversation is so not going how I expected it to a few minutes ago. I rub my thumb over my lip and will myself to be brave enough to say the truth out loud to him. It seems like he already understands how I feel, even if it is hard to make sense of.
“I really like you too, so much. Whenever I’m alone with you, I think about what it would be like to really be your girlfriend, and I want that. That’s why I’ve been trying so hard not to sleep with you, because I know it would mean something to me. That’s not something I’ve ever felt before.” I glance sideways at Theo, and he has this gorgeous smile on his face. I clear my throat and lower my voice. “But I do like Cas. And Hollis. Not just one of them. And last night, I tried to kiss Cas.”
Theo parks in front of the diner and looks at me. He’s still smiling, but he does a double take when he sees the look of guilt I can’t keep off of my face. He turns to me and pushes some of my hair back.
“Hey, I meant it when I said it wouldn’t bother me. I was already pretty sure you liked them without you having to say anything. I’m mostly just over the fucking moon excited to hear you say that you like me. It makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world, I swear to god.”
“It’s not fair of me though! Because I don’t want to see you with another girl. I don’t care what you did before we met, but now, ugh, it would make me feel miserable.”
He grins. “I don’t want any other girls. Just you. And maybe it has something to do with our magic and shit, but if I saw any other guy besides Hollis or Cas touching you, I’d want to fucking kill him.”
“I sincerely doubt Hollis or Cas feel the same way.”
“Are you kidding?” Theo laughs. “They’re totally into you. I’ve never seen them so worked up over a girl before. And I can tell it’s been messing with them, trying to figure out their boundaries when it comes to me and you.”
I sigh in exasperation. “I know they like me. I meant about sharing. Or whatever the hell we’re talking about.” I cover my eyes with my hands and grumble, “Jesus fucking Christ, I can’t believe we’re actually talking about this.”
Theo pulls my hands away. He has this wicked smile on his face and a tiny glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “That is exactly what we’re talking about. Come here.”
He grazes his fingers over my cheek until his hand is on the back of my neck. He tilts my head toward his. His eyes stay on mine, and my breath becomes shallower. I feel my magic buzzing wildly beneath my skin. I can count the freckles across his nose and under his eyes, and his eyes slowly travel down to my lips. His smile softens and finally, fucking finally, he leans forward and presses his lips against mine.
I don’t move, expecting him to jerk back the way Cas did last night. When he doesn’t, I kiss him back. His lips are so soft, and I feel a moan building up in my throat. Theo pulls me closer and growls lightly. It turns me on so much that I gasp and open my mouth to feel his tongue against mine. He runs his tongue over my bottom lip, and then he goes completely still. Before I can fully register that he’s stopped kissing me, he pulls back forcefully and grimaces like he’s in pain.
He looks absolutely horrified, touching his mouth with his fingers. If the same thing hadn’t already happened with Cas, I would feel completely devastated and like something was wrong with me. But instead, I cover my mouth with my hand and giggle uncontrollably.
“Fuck, that really hurt.”
“So, Hawthorne really did alpha you, huh?”
His eyes widen. “Jesus, that’s what happened to Cas?”
“Yeah, but it only took two seconds. It took a little longer with you.”
“Man, I bet he was pissed.” Theo snickers.
I nod and confirm that he absolutely was. “Did Hawthorne tell you we could only be friends because of, you know, the mate thing?”
Theo blushes and shakes his head. “I don’t think so. I think he’s waiting for something else.”
I scrunch my eyebrows together in thought. “Him and Aurora wanted us to meet. For me to meet all three of you.”
Theo nods and looks unsure about something. He shakes it off and brushes his thumb over my bottom lip. He gives me a playful smirk. “Well, that was awesome while it lasted. I’ve only been thinking about doing that since the moment I first laid eyes on you. I’ll have to thank Hawthorne for making it especially memorable.”
I giggle again. I’m glad things are still easy and natural between us. I start to open my door so we can go inside and eat, but Theo stops me.
“If you really want me to undo the order I have on Cas and Hollis, I can. Hawthorne won’t undo mine, but...”
I shake my head. I know my cheeks are probably still flushed. “No, it’s probably easier this way. Especially since I don’t know how they feel. So, for now, we’ll all just be friends.” I lean over to kiss him on the cheek and grin. “But just know that I’m still totally crazy about your sexy ass.”
Theo scrunches his nose up and laughs. “You are fucking perfect, little witch. Let’s go eat.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Theo holds my hand as we walk into the diner. It’s not very busy. There are just a few elderly people eating breakfast, and some construction workers sitting at a booth together. There’s only one waitress I can see, and she smiles when she sees Theo.
“Morning, sweetie. Sit wherever you like. Someone will be right with you.”
Theo nods at her and pulls me over to a booth in the corner of the restaurant. I scoot in on one side, expecting him to sit across from me. Instead, he sits beside me and puts his arm around my shoulders.
I shake my head at him, but I’m smiling. “Matilda doesn’t work this early, does she?”
He scrunches his nose and laughs. “I don’t think so. The lady who just told us to sit down owns this place. If you keep coming here with me and the guys, they’ll all end up loving you too.”
Someone clears their throat. I look up to see Jack holding two menus. I grin in surprise. “Hey, I didn’t know you worked here!”
He gives us a nervous smile. “My aunt and uncle own this place. I just fill in when they need extra help.”
“No shit.” Theo smiles. “We’ve been coming here for years. I didn’t know Maggie was your aunt! Your parents own that sporting goods store just outside of town, right?”
Jack looks surprised, but he laughs. “Yeah, they do.”
Theo grins at me. “We’ll take you there soon. You’re gonna need a snowboard if you want to keep up with us this winter.”
I grin excitedly. I didn’t know the guys snowboarded, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since they grew up here in the mountains. I’ve never been before, but I have a feeling I’m going to love it.
“Cool,” Jack says. “Let me know when you want to go. I’m sure I can get you guys a discount. Anyway, what can I get you guys to drink?”
He hands us the menus, and Theo raises his eyebrows teasingly at me. “Is it too early for your chocolate milkshake?”
“It’s never too early for chocolate,” I say.
He chuckles and looks back up at Jack. “Chocolate malt for her and a cherry coke for me, please.”
I flip open the menu and look at all the breakfast options. Everything looks so good. When Jack comes back with our drinks, I order French toast with scrambled eggs and bacon. Theo orders a huge plate of bacon, sausage, eggs, and hash browns. As soon as Jack walks away after writing down our orders, his aunt walks over and leans against our table with a bright smile.
“I feel like I haven’t seen your handsome face here in ages! How’ve you and the boys been?”
“We’re good. We were in here the other day, but I guess we missed you,” Theo says.
She smiles and turns her gaze to me. “Is this your girlfriend?” She doesn’t give him time to answer before reaching her hand out for me to shake. “I’m Maggie.”
“I’m Cricket. It’s nice to meet you.”
Jack walks up behind Maggie, and she pulls him beside her with her arm around his waist. “You know my nephew, don’t you? I think you’re in the same grade at school.”
Jack nods and smiles nervously. “Yeah, I have a couple of classes with Theo and Cricket. By the way, what the heck are you guys doing up so early before school?”
Theo gives me a wolfish grin. “I’ve gotta squeeze in some alone time with Cricket before Hollis and Cas capture her attention later.”
I snort and roll my eyes at him. Jack laughs and promises that our food will be out soon. Maggie walks away to check on another customer. When Theo and I are alone again, he pulls me closer into his side and nuzzles his face in my hair. I lean against him contentedly, and we talk. I ask him about snowboarding, and he tells me about some of his and the other guys’ favorite slopes and ski lodges in the area. I’m excited. I’ve only seen snow twice in my life, and I’ve never had the chance to play in it.
Jack brings us our food, and we dig in. It’s so freaking delicious. We still have some time before we need to get Cas, so we don’t rush. After we finish, Theo pulls a few twenties out of his wallet and leaves them on the table. I don’t think our food costs that much, but he doesn’t even look at the bill.
As we walk past Jack, Theo grins and holds his hand out for a fist bump. “See you at school, bro.”
Theo walks around the jeep to open the door for me, and I wrap my arms around him in a hug. “Thanks for taking me to breakfast.”
“Little witch, I wish I could start every day like this with you.” He leans down and kisses my cheek. “Ready to pick up Cas? I normally pick him up first since he lives closest to me, so he’ll be surprised to see you.”
I nod and hop into the passenger seat. My stomach flips over excitedly at the thought of seeing Cas. It still makes me feel a little guilty, but not as much after admitting my feelings to Theo this morning. It takes us about ten minutes to get to Cas’s house, and my jaw drops to the fucking ground when Theo pulls into the driveway.
“This is Cas’s house!?” It’s a fucking mansion. Not even exaggerating. The house is a gorgeous three-story that looks like a super fancy mountain lodge with tons of windows. I squint my eyes toward the backyard. “What the fuck. Is that a lake?”
Theo cracks up at the look on my face. “Cas’s parents are lawyers. We usually use his house when we throw parties.”
I figured the guys’ families had money, as they all dress pretty well and have really nice vehicles. And Theo is always paying for everything, but this is crazy.
Theo tugs on my hair and grins. “Why don’t you go to the door to surprise him? I’ll text him to let him know I’m outside.”
I try to wipe the crazy, wide-eyed look off my face and pretend like I’m not intimidated as I walk up to the front door. I stand there awkwardly, not sure if I should knock since Theo said he was going to text Cas. I glance back at the jeep nervously, but Theo just grins at me like a jackass. I turn around to face the door, put my hand on my hip, and slap a flirty smile on my face.
A few seconds later, Cas opens the door. My heart is beating like crazy. He jerks back in surprise when he sees me, but then his eyes light up and he grins. “Cricket?”
“Good morning, gorgeous,” I tell him in my flirtiest voice.
He steps forward and surprises me by picking me up in a hug. I wrap my arms around him. He buries his face in my neck and makes a cute little growling noise that gives me goosebumps, and he pulls back to hit me with that amazing dimple-smile.
“What are you doing here?” He looks so freaking happy to see me.
“Theo picked me up early and took me to breakfast.”
Cas frowns and I feel a pang of guilt, thinking he’s going to be jealous. Instead, he says, “Damn, I should have thought of that. I’ll just have to come up with something better so I can spend some more time alone with you away from the guys.”
A beautiful woman walks up behind Cas and frowns at us. She’s tall and thin, with the same beautiful, raven black hair as Cas. She looks like she’s about to head to work too because she’s wearing a pencil skirt, a fashionable blouse, and super scary-high stilettos. I would totally not want to mess with this woman.
She speaks in French. “Cassian, either step outside or bring her inside. Don’t just stand in the door like that.”
Cas rolls his eyes and steps outside, still holding me. I wish he would put me down. She’s crazy intimidating.
I expect her to close the door, but she steps closer to us and looks me up and down. “Well, she’s definitely prettier than that other one you used to bring around. Hopefully, this one actually has a brain.”
Okay, yep. I officially love his mom. Cas sets me down and groans. “Mom, this is Cricket. And she speaks French, so thank you.”
She widens her eyes in surprise and gives me another appraising look. “This is the little witch girl?”
“Yes, that’s me! It’s nice to meet you.” I smile and hold out my hand.
Her eyes light up, and she shakes my hand enthusiastically. “I’ve been so curious to meet you! Where did you learn to speak French?”
“My grandmother lives in Annecy, and she told me I wasn’t allowed to visit until I learned the language. That definitely gave me motivation.” I hope my accent isn’t too far off.
She laughs and turns to Cas. “Why haven’t you brought her over to meet me before now? She is delightful!” Cas shrugs and gives her a scowl. She scoffs at him and smiles at me. “Would you like to come over for dinner one night?”
I want to agree right away, but I look at Cas to make sure he’s okay with that. When my focus is on him, he smiles. Neither of us answer because Theo sticks his head out of his window and shouts, “We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry! Sorry, Althea.”
She waves at him. “Good morning, Theo! Tell Cassian that he needs to bring Cricket over for dinner one night.”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem. We’ll figure out when she’s free, and I’ll have Cas text you,” Theo says.
“What, are you guys controlling my schedule now?” I snort at Cas.
Cas chuckles and puts his arm around my shoulders so he can lead me to the jeep. He turns his head to look at his mom as we’re walking away. “Bye, mom! I’m gonna be home late. We’re taking Cricket out to the forest after school again.”
Still smiling, she waves goodbye to us. Cas focuses his smile and attention on me as we walk around to the other side of the jeep. He opens the passenger door and holds his hand out to help me get in. Once I’m seated, he reaches in and buckles my seatbelt for me, which makes me laugh because it’s so silly and cute.
He pauses with his hand still near my hip and his face close to mine. He smiles wolfishly and rubs his nose against my cheek. “I told you she’d love you, babe.”
His voice is all sexy and growly, and it’s making my toes curl. He pulls away and turns his head just enough to smirk at Theo. Oh god. Of course they’re going to do this stupid shit. I can’t tell if it’s worse than them acting jealous or not, but I feel my face flush as I turn to look at Theo. He’s got this dumbass smirk on his face too, and he looks extremely fucking amused.
“Are you done now?” Theo asks.
Cas growls quietly and kisses me on the cheek before glaring at Theo and slamming the passenger door closed. Theo bursts out laughing and turns to grin at him when he hops into the back seat. I hold my breath, waiting for one of them to say something stupid. Thankfully, Theo just chuckles and pulls out of the driveway. I breathe out a quiet sigh of relief.
Thirty seconds later, Theo opens his mouth. “So, Cas. I heard Cricket tried to kiss you last night.”
Yeah, I spoke too soon. Of course he was going to say something stupid.
“She thought I was rejecting her because of your fucking alpha shit. I’ve never wanted to punch you so bad in my life, dude.” Cas chuckles.
Theo barks out a laugh. “I didn’t know it would work like that. It actually really fucking hurt.”
When Cas raises his eyebrows in confusion, I clear my throat and mumble, “Theo kissed me this morning and the same thing happened to him.”
Cas is silent before he snickers. “Serves you fucking right, asshole.”
I can’t believe they’re talking about this, like, I don’t even know. I think back to what Theo said this morning, about them sharing me, and my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest. There’s no way they all feel the same way. It’s not normal. But my magic is vibrating inside of me ever so slightly, and I feel this insane sense of rightness when I think about it. I glance at them. They’re still talking and ribbing each other, but neither of them looks upset or angry. They give me adorable smiles when they catch me looking.
