Page 86 of Captive of Outlaws
“Never,” Tuck echoes.
“No, never,” agrees Will.
“Not even LJ,” Rob says.
LJ grunts, but it’s a grunt of assent.
“We don’t think of women like that,” Rob goes on, “and certainly, never, ever you.”
I want to crumble in front of them. The relief is palpable through my body, a small wave of warm pleasure.
“I just...I can’t stop thinking about last night,” I say, burningwith shame.
Tuck licks his lips, darts a glance at Rob, then Will. “I mean, me neither,” he says. “I don’t know about you two, but...”
Rob gives a long exhale through his nose and nods. Will scratches the back of his head a bit awkwardly.
“I’m so...embarrassed, I guess?” I say. “I know that’s not the point right now, but—”
“It is.” This, from LJ. He barely looks my way, but I feel the intensity of his gaze all the same. “He wants to make you feel ashamed. Manipulate your emotions. Guy’s a total bastard.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I mutter. I keep my eyes trained on my mug, but can’t help but feel a tiny flutter of pleasure knowing LJ doesn’t think I’m a slut.
“Seems the coffee brought your sense of humor back,” Rob says, but he smiles, and even relaxes a little. He sinks onto the bench of the piano. “All right. So, Maren...” He glances at the other three, then at me. “Do you want to stay here? For good?”
“Hm?”
The question takes me by surprise. Although maybe it shouldn’t. It’s not like I don’t know these guys now—75% of them carnally, in fact.
And it’s not like I have anywhere else really to go.
But I’m still hesitant to answer.
“I...think so,” I say. “I mean, yes. I like it here, crazily enough.”
“Thatiscrazy,” Will says. “A four-man bachelor pad full of smelly boy stuff?”
“Hey,” Tuck objects. “The stuff is not smelly.”
“Yeah, and watch whose bachelor pad you’re insulting or else you’ll end up pad-less,” Rob adds.
“Hang on,” I say. “You’re just letting me stay indefinitely? Just like that? What about your whole no-girls-allowed thing?”
Rob sighs. “Okay, first of all, I never saidno girls allowed.I believe the exact words were that I would never allow a woman to come between us.”
Will chokes back a laugh. Confusion color’s Rob’s face until he realizes what he’s just said.
“Oh, for...” Rob groans, rolling his eyes. “You know what I meant.”
Will laughs, fully losing it, while Tuck looks bashfully at the ceiling, like he’s pretending he can’t hear any of this. Even LJ snorts. I feel my face flush what I’m sure is a brilliant crimson.
“No, no, I get it,” Will says, calming down a bit. “You just want us to edge her the whole time?”
“Jesus Chr—enough,” Rob says. “Focus, please. Where were we?”
But now Tuck’s grinning. “Having some kind of DTR.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Rob runs a hand through his hair, fighting back a smile. “Look, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Boys—I don’t want a woman coming between usin the sense of tearing apart our bond,” he enunciates clearly, “and I think we all understand that. But that’d only be an issue if Maren chose one of us over the others—”
