Page 23 of Their Wicked Ways
“You’re an enabler.” Noah shot River a look and grabbed another pastry.
“You know it.” River grinned and nodded to Gray, who was just putting his phone in his pocket. “Stop sexting and come get one before Noah eats them all.”
“Asshole.” Noah kicked River’s boot with his.
Gray came to stand with us and swiped a donut out of the box. “Don’t be a Jelly Clarkson.”
Noah barked out a laugh. “A what?”
“Jelly Clarkson,” Gray said around a bite of donut. “Jelly. Jealous.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “You’re such a millennial.”
“Fuck off.” Noah kicked his boot. “I’m Gen Z, asswipe. And don’t let Quinn hear you talking smack about his girl Kelly.”
“I’d never talk smack about the gloriousness that is Ms. Kelly Clarkson.” Gray ripped his donut in half and shoved the larger piece in his mouth. “Bite your tongue,” he said, but since his mouth was full, it sounded more like ‘ite oar ung.’
“So, back to you and not drinking coffee.” River fixed his gaze on me. “How can you work the same hours as us and not need gallons of caffeine to function?”
I shrugged, my face heating slightly as they all turned their attention to me. “I guess I just got used to not needing it.”
“Yeah, but you said you didn’t drink it because you weren’t allowed. Was that a ‘caffeine will stunt your growth’ thing?”Noah asked. “Or was it ‘caffeine is a drug and is therefore forbidden’ thing?”
“The second one,” I said, trying to look blasé and casual.
“I grew up like that.” He tipped his cup to me. “Good on you for not getting hooked on the stuff like I am. I wish I could go back to the days when I could roll out of bed and be alert in a few minutes and not have to wait for my magical wake-up juice to kick in.”
“Hear, hear.” Gray toasted him with his cup. “I remember those days fondly.”
Zane and River smirked. Neither of them drank coffee either. River didn’t because it had the opposite effect and made him sleepy, and Zane was one of those people who could fall asleep and wake up on command.
I didn’t drink it because I didn’t like the taste, and even covering it up with sugar and cream wasn’t enough to make coffee worthwhile for me. Plus, the caffeine buzz didn’t last long, and I ended up more tired than when I started.
“Did you hear anything more about the new guys?” Zane asked.
“I texted Quinn all weekend trying to get more intel, and he just said I’d have to wait until this morning to learn more.” River made a face. “But I did get him to spill that they’ve been friends with his stepbrother since high school, and he’s known them for years.”
“Have you met his stepbrothers?” Gray asked. “They’re gorgeous. How is one family so genetically gifted?”
“Said the guy who makes a living being hot and tearing off his clothes and whose little brother has turned down actual modeling jobs random people have offered him even though he’s an academic and not a model.” Zane toasted Gray with his last bite of donut, then shoved it in his mouth.
I bit back a snort-laugh. Zane and River were identical twins and were just as hot as Gray. Even Noah, who wasn’t a stripper, was hot as fuck. It was like working on a crew of models. Thank god I didn’t have self-esteem issues on top of all my other ones, or I’d spend my days feeling like a troll and hating myself.
“Well, I’m curious.” River grabbed the last donut out of the box. “I thought they were old until Quinn said they were his younger brother’s age. Ezra and Wesley. Don’t those sound like old people names?”
The world around me tilted to the left, shimmered, then slowly righted itself. A low buzz filled my ears, and my heart beat so fast and hard I had to stop myself from clutching my chest.
Ezra and Wesley?
No.
No fucking way.
It couldn’t be them.
It was impossible.
Wasn’t it?
“Hey, kids.” Quinn’s voice broke through my haze, but it sounded weird. Faraway and thready, like I was listening to him through a wall.