I study Ben for a long moment, really paying attention to him for the first time in a long time. At my side,
I can feel Daphne do the same. And as I watch I notice…
the
Well, I notice the way that he looks at Rafe. The way that he tilts his head back to look up at my
brother, the way heughs at Rafe’s joke – which is not very funny, to be honest way his eyes don’t
leave him even as Luca begins to talk.
And my spine stiffens just a little bit as I realize…
But I nce at Daphne, wondering if she sees what I see, but not wanting to bring it up because, I
mean, Ben’s never brought it up. And who am I to specte on something that he might very well want
to keep to himself?
But as I nce Daphne, I realize that she’s actually not looking at Ben at all. Instead, her eyes are fixed
on Jackson, of all people, as he stands with his hands in his pockets, listening intently but not adding to
the conversation.
My little wolf jumps to her feet inside me, her teeth bared. But I brush a hand over her fur, even though
I, too, am jealous. Because Daphne – she doesn’t know about my im on Jackson, does she?
And even if she did who the hell am I to say anything at all about her liking him? After all, I’m basically
in a rtionship with Luca, who is standing two feet from the man I’m getting all jealous over.
Who the hell am I to scold anyone for looking with interest at someone else?
“So,” I say, leaning closer to bump my shoulder against Daphne’s. “You like ‘em big, hmm?”
She starts a little and nces at me, but then she bursts intoughter as she realizes that she’s been
caught staring at Jackson. “Yeah, Ari,” she says, stretching her arms over her head as she grimaces a
little in embarrassment. “I guess between Rafe Sinir and that other one over there, you’ve figured
out my type. I like a big boy.”
I grin. “I mean, they’re all big,” I say, shrugging.
“I know, we’re just spoiled,” she sighs, propping her chin in her hand and gazing over at all of the eye
candy. Even Ben, the smallest of the group, is well–muscled and over six feet tall. Rafe and Jackson…
they’re just something else.
Jesse, maybe overhearing us, suddenly separates himself from the group andes to flop down on
Daphne’s other side. “Did I hear you two talking about me?” he asks, too casual, trying to keep the
smirk from his face. “Something about dreamboats? Celebrity crushes? Undying love?”
“Sorry, Jess,” I say,ughing at him and standing up, wanting to give him a minute alone with Daphne
to shoot his shot. “As much as I love you, cousins are not my type.”
“I knew you were wise, Ari,” he says, grinning at me as I step away. Then, he turns his attention back to
Daphne. “So,” he says, smiling gently at her. “Let me down easy, Daph. Which one of them has stolen
you away from me?”
She grins, shaking her head at him, but she doesn’t say a word.
Jesse groans, tilting his head back. “Oh no,” he murmurs, devastation in every line of his face.
“What!?” Daphneughs.
“You’re not saying anyone,” Jesse says, his eyes shut, shaking his head. “Which means…it’s
Rafe.”
Daphne justughs again, harder now, and Jesse opens his eyes, peeking at her. “It’s always Rafe. Do
you know how many loves of my life I’ve lost to that man? If he wasn’t my cousin, I’d toss him straight
off a cliff.”
Daphne grins. “Sorry to break it to you, your Grace, but don’t bother killing your cousin thinking that
would fix anything. I’m not even sure you’d be my second choice.”
Jesse gapes at her and then nces over at the group of men. He gasps then, turning back,
“McClintock!?”
Daphne grimaces and Jesse groans again. “Cruel woman,” he mutters, dragging a hand.
down his face.
“You’ll always be a dear friend, Jesse Sinir, Daphine sighs, stillughing, enjoying the hell out of
herself.
“The words of death.” Jesse sighs, still smiling at her. “Friendzoned. But I ept it. I’m at good friend, if
you’ll let me be it.” He offers his hand to her, ready to shake on it. “I’ll even put in a good word for you
with my good–looking cousin.”
Daphne smirks, looking at Jesse askance with some suspicion in her eyes. “This isn’t just a ploy to trick
me into falling in love with you, is it?” she asks. “Oldest trick in the book, you know – pretending to be a
girl’s friend, get herughing, console her when she cries, and then BOOM! Before she knows it, she
wakes up in your bed.”
“Well, as amazing as that sounds,” Jesse says, tilting his head to the side and giving her a significant
look that makes Daphneugh again. “No, I mean it,” he says, still offering hist hand. “If you want me to
be your friend, I’ll be your friend. No tricks, no strings attached.”
“Hmm,” Daphne says, narrowing her eyes a little as she slips her hand into his, epting his offer.
“Honestly, Jesse Sinir, I think I was hoping you’d try for me a little harder than
that.”
“Daphne,” he says, her name a sigh on his lips as he shakes his head and raises her hand to his
mouth, “if you ever really want me to stop being your friend and try Instead?…just say the word.” And
then he presses a kiss to her knuckles – a real one this time, not a joke like it was before.
And Daphne? She finds herself smiling at Jesse now, a little intrigued despite herself.
I walk away as Jesse and Daphne talk, letting them have a minute to themselves, trusting Jesse to be
the gentleman that I know he can be. I’m not very surprised, though, when Jackson loosens himself
from the group at the fire and steps over towards me.
This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.
I also don’t miss the fact that Luca watches him go and meets my eyes, clenching his jaw and looking
not very pleased. But I smile at him and he nods before turning back to my brother and Ben, continuing
whatever it is they were chatting about.
“So, are you surviving?” I ask, smiling up at Jackson and giving him my full attention for the first time
since others started arriving. “It’s not so bad, right?”
“It’s not,” Jackson says, hesitating as he runs a hand through his hair and looks around. “Although,
honestly, it’s a little exhausting you guys do this every night?”
–
“Yes, Jacks,” I say, grinning at him, unable to take my eyes away. “It’s called having friends.”
He turns back to me and scrunches his face a little bit, like he doesn’t like the idea very much, which
makes me burst outughing.
“And how are you handling the girl,” I say, turning a little to tilt my head towards Daphne, who is talking
pretty intently with Jesse on the couch.
Jackson scowls a little. “How’d you know I was nervous about that?”
“Oh, just all the blood rushing from your face, and the look like a deer ready to bolt from the road when
it faces down a sixteen–wheeler,” I say, giving a casual shrug. Jackson smirks, ncing at me and
shaking his head.
“I just don’t know a lot of girls,” he murmurs, his voice so low I can barely hear it.
“Really?” I ask, frowning at him. “Did you go to like, an all–boys school or something? Don’t
have any girls in your family?
you
Jackson turns to me for a second, studying my face like I’ve said something a little ridiculous. And then
he justughs a little. “No, Ari.”
“No to what?” I ask, confused suddenly. “No cousins? No…boys school?”
“No to all of it,” he says with a sigh. “I never went to school. I don’t have cousins.”
“You never went to school!?” I ask, kind of appalled. I stare at him, my mouth open. I’m shocked first
that he was homeschooled, which is so rare these days, and second that I didn’t know
any of this after months of getting closer to him. “Are you like…an only child?”
“Ari,” Jackson says, turning his head at me like he’s surprised, too, that I don’t know. “I don’t have
parents.”
My mouth just hangs open as I stare at him, frozen, because…
Because what the hell!?
I had no idea! I mean, he never mentioned anyone, but he never mentions anything –
1 step closer to my mate, a thousand questions flooding my mind, but before I can ask Daphne stands
up and clears her throat, immediately drawing all of the boys‘ attention to her. I’m thest to look,
distracted as 1 am by this bombshell that Jackson just dropped.
“Actually.” Daphne says, suddenly awkward as she looks around. “Shall we have that…toast?”
Rafe, ever considerate, immediately moves to her side and begins to open the bottle of wine as Jesse
grabs some paper cups from the bathroom, apologizing for theck of ssware even though he
knows none of us care.
I sigh, ncing up at Jackson with a frown to let him know that this is not the end of this conversation.
He ignores me, though, watching the action and epting his little ss of wine as Rafe and Jesse
come around.
I ept mine too, Luca moving to my other side and toasting my little paper cup with his.
“Thank you so much for having me tonight,” Daphne says, smiling around at us and raising her own
little paper cup in the air after Rafe has filled it with thest of the bottle. “To…new friendships, yes?”
She smiles around at us and I smile back, but I hesitate when I see that…
That Daphne, she’s more nervous than she usually is, especially after a night ofughing with us.
Something’s not quite right, is it?
I’m frowning at her as she catches my eye, but then she lifts her cup again, saluting me in particr,
and I don’t want to be rude so I raise my own cup in her direction and then drink it down.
I make a little face, though, because the wine – it’s more sharine than I’m used to. I nce up at
Jackson, who is likewise frowning at his empty cup, and then over at Luca, who nces around before
his eyesnd on me.
“That’s…” he says, studying his ss. “Is something…wrong with it?”
“I’m sorry,” Daphne whispers, and all of our eyes snap to her, my own going to the still–full cup of wine
in her hand. “I’m so, so sorry, everyone,” she says.
And as soon as she says it, I feel the exhaustion overtake me. I give a little gasp as Jackson crumples
to the ground at my side, and then Luca and Rafe and Jesse and Ben all fall
I catch Daphne’s eye, guilt and devastation on her face as 1, too, copse to the ground.