Page 86 of Madness & Mayhem
“They won’t,” I whisper.
“They better not,” he growls, grabbing his shirt behind his neck and tearing it over his head. His tattooed chest ripples with tension, the black ink swirling around his rib cage and up his neck. My mouth waters, and I press my thighs together as my fingers drop to the waistband of my pants. I shove them over my waist, kicking them over my ankles and shoving them aside.
Reign’s eyes flare, darkening with need as they drag from my toes up to the top of my head.
“Hey, guys! Are you coming or what?” Kyler shouts from outside. The low rumble of the hot tub jets filter through the doorway, and I glance over my shoulder and out the window, seeing everyone sitting in the hot tub and waiting for us.
Reign steps toward me, his naked chest brushing against me. “Behave, baby Lake.”
I press on my tiptoes, brushing my lips against his. “Always.”
“Never,” he whispers.
I smirk at him, dropping to my heels and skirting around him. The cold air wafts over my skin as I step outside, and I let out a shiver as my bare feet crunch into the snow. The soles of my feet burn, and I pick up my pace, hopping on the steps and swinging my leg over, slipping inside the hot tub.
The warmth instantly envelops my body, and my muscles relax as I slouch down until the water curls around my neck. Glancing over my shoulder, I watch as Reign walks out with another bottle of wine clutched in his grip.
He is much more relaxed as he walks through the snow, his briefs molding to his thighs. He’s relaxed as he walks up the steps, swinging his leg over and into the water. He grips me with his free hand, pulling me out of the water and settling in behind me. He pulls me down onto his lap, and I settle onto his thighs, my blood warming as he wraps a strong arm around my waist.
He hands me the bottle of wine, and I pull the cork off, tilting the tip toward my lips and taking a pull.
The wine is sweet, curling around my tongue and sliding down my throat.
“This is so crazy,” Eloise says, tilting her head back toward the starry sky. Her eyes settle closed, and her body moves every so often as the jets pelt into her body. “I wonder what Vienna is thinking right now.”
“Probably watching the news and waiting for us to all get arrested,” Posie chuckles.
“Missing Creed,” Kyler says solemnly.
We all fall into a silence, each one of us letting out a heavy sigh.
“We should drink to him,” Archer says after a moment, breaking the silence.
We all nod, and Archer lifts his bottle into the air.
“To Creed, probably the best man we’ll ever know. He was the backbone to our crew, and I hope he realizes how much he’ll be missed,” he says, his voice turning raspy at the end.
He blinks, bringing the bottle to his lips and taking a few large swallows before passing it on.
Reign is stiff beside me, but he grabs the bottle, lifting it into the air. “To Creed.”
“To Creed,” we all say, and the bottles get passed around to each of us. We all take a drink, Creed on our minds and in our hearts. Both bottles get passed around until they are empty.
“Life is never going to go back to normal, is it?” Eloise asks after a while, snuggled up against Kyler.
He traces his wet finger along her collarbone, a contemplative look on his face. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Hellcrest Heights will never be the same,” Archer murmurs, staring off into the woods. “We started the chain reaction over a year ago when we killed Zane. The dominos have been falling, piece by piece, ever since that day.” He shakes his head, turning his gaze to mine. “I wouldn’t take it back, not even a second of it.”
“This is where we’re meant to be,” Reign mumbles from beside me, tightening his arm around my waist. I push against the ground, until my back molds against his front.
Settling my head against his shoulder, I glance up at him, a soft look on my face. “I agree.”
The stars begin to fade as the sun starts to rise, until we’re all intoxicated in the morning light. Posie starts dozing off, her arms folded under her face as she rests her head on the ledge of the hot tub. Archer’s eyes are half lidded, his own drowsiness filling him.
He shakes his head, droplets of water flinging from his hair and through the air. “Come on, Pose, time to go to sleep,” he grunts, leaning over and lifting Posie into the air.
She grumbles under her breath, though I don’t even think she knows what she’s saying.