Love Me (WITSEC #3)(27)

“Why don’t you guys go look around and we’ll catch up later?” I suggested.

“Are you sure?” Isabelle asked, looking torn.

I waved my hand flippantly. “Yeah. I just need a couple of Band-Aids and there’s no need for all of us to go.”

Isabelle relented and we went our separate ways. Colt and Creed led the way to the first aid tent. I was still hobbling and the cuts on my knee throbbed and stung with each step.

Creed held out his goody bag to Colt and reached for me.

“I can walk,” I insisted.

“No.” Such a small word, yet it said so much. He wasn’t going to let me walk. He gave me his back and crouched a little. “Hop on, Shi.”

My boyfriends want to take care of me. I’d promised them I’d work on this particular flaw, and I kept my promises.

I climbed onto Creed’s back. As he carried me, I rested my head against his shoulder. I noticed Colt kept eyeing me, his surprise evident in the way his brows tried to reach his hairline.

“I’m trying.” I didn’t have to explain.

Colt rubbed my lower back as he walked next to us. “I’m proud of you.”

We would have to pass the Desert Stone tent to get to the first aid tent. As we began to pass the large navy-colored tent with Desert Stone Fitness written across the front, I saw Knox, Keelan, and a few personal trainers inside, sitting behind a long table helping a decent amount of people, hopefully signing up for memberships.

Keelan spotted us. He took in Creed carrying me and then said something to the two mud-covered girls he had been helping before standing from the table.

I tapped Creed’s shoulder and told him and Colt that Keelan was coming. The two of them stopped and glanced at the Desert Stone tent. We watched as Keelan walked over to where Knox was seated and leaned down to say something in his ear. Knox looked around the line of people in front of him, his eyes searching, and when they landed on me, he said something over his shoulder to Keelan before returning his attention to the guy he was helping. Keelan made his way out of their tent.

Creed let me down as Keelan approached us. Keelan's eyes dropped to my bleeding knee. “What happened?” he asked and grabbed my arm gently to look over the cut on my elbow.

“She fell,” Colt said.

“She tripped, collided with Derek, and they both went tumbling down the last hill before the end of the run,” Creed explained.

Keelan’s hand went to my chin next, turning it to the side. Was he staring at my ear? I reached up and gently touched the shell of my ear. It was wet and stung at my touch. I brought my hand down and saw that my fingers were bloody. The blood was fresh enough that a drop of it rolled down my index finger toward my palm. Panic began to rise within me. I stepped out of Keelan’s reach, needing space, and rubbed my bloody fingers vigorously on my shorts. I focused on the sound of people around me. The smell of mud clinging to my body. I grasped hold of the thought of taking a long, hot shower when I got home as though I had sharp claws.

“Shiloh,” Keelan started to say.

“I’m all right,” I said as I mentally battled with myself.

Colt grabbed my wrist, and it was then that I realized I hadn’t stopped rubbing my finger on my shorts.

“The blood is gone,” he assured me and brought my hand up to my face. He was right. Apart from the mud, my fingers were clean.

I was able to relax a little. “I can’t wait to take a shower,” I said, because I was still holding onto that thought.

“You’ll have to take it alone,” Creed said.

Colt glanced at his brother. “Yeah, it’s too bad we lost the race.” He didn’t sound disappointed at all.

I looked from one to the other, frowning. “What?”

Creed shrugged. “You crossed the finish line first. You won the bet.”

“Yeah, we tied in second place, or would it be last place?” Colt asked Creed.

I put my hand on my hips. “You let me win, didn’t you?”

They both did a terrible job at pretending to be shocked at my accusation, but they didn’t deny it.

“What did you three bet on?” Keelan asked.

I went to answer and suddenly there was a hand over my mouth. “Sexual favors,” Creed answered.

Technically, that was the truth. But why did Creed feel the need to stop me from answering?

I realized why when Keelan sighed and said, “Fine, don’t tell me.”

Colt coughed. It was obvious he was covering up a laugh.

Was it really that hard to believe I’d agree to a game of dirty stakes? Or that I was the one who’d suggested them? I knew I came off as innocent, and I was, or had been in some ways, but I wouldn’t be that way forever.

“I’m only letting it go because you successfully got Shi to calm down,” Keelan said.

Now that he mentioned it...

“Was that an episode?” Creed asked and dropped his hand from my mouth. He and Colt hadn’t witnessed me have one. Only Knox and Keelan had.

Keelan studied me. “I’m not sure.”

“I was able to stop it before it could happen,” I said. “But the anxiety still builds up and it takes a while to bounce back from. Talking about sexual favors, though, seems to speed up the process.”

Creed grinned.