Mad Boys (Blue Ivy Prep, #2)(71)

“You’re welcome,” I said after I knocked back half of my quad while waiting for his to brew. I could work the machine in my sleep. It gave life and I thrilled to it.

When I handed him the cup, his fingers brushed mine. But he didn’t grab my hand or yank me forward. Progress.

“I guess I should thank you, too,” I said, after a moment, glancing down at my cup before I knocked the rest of it back.

Closing my eyes, I waited for the coffee to work its magic. Not that it was going to be any kind of instantaneous.

“For what?”

“For knocking,” I told him when I opened my eyes and met his gaze. Goddamn he had the greenest eyes. So not fair.

He opened his mouth, and I half-expected him to rattle off something smarmy, but all he said was, “You’re welcome. I do know how to listen. And I was raised with manners.”

“So, when you’re being an insufferable dick, it’s a choice?”

The slow grin curving his lips was too damn attractive. “Guilty?”

I rolled my eyes. “Uh huh. Okay… running.” I pulled a water bottle out and handed him one before I took a long drink myself. Then I got my stuff and dragged on my jacket before I tucked in an earbud and glanced at him. “Am I going to regret this?”

Honestly, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted him to say.

“I hope not,” he said, opening the door to the hall and holding it for me. “You good for the wide circuit?”

“Six miles?”

He nodded.

“I can do six miles.” My blood was already pumping. “Can you keep up?”

“Try to lose me,” he murmured as I passed him.

It was my turn to chuckle, but once we were in the hall I glanced at the door to Aubrey’s suite where I presumed Payton was hiding out.

Lachlan didn’t say anything until we were on the ground floor and pausing to put on our face masks and hats. I had neoprene; he had a green gaiter that matched his eyes.

“What you saw yesterday…”

“Was none of my business,” I told him firmly.

“Ace…”

“I mean it, Lachlan, I don’t want to know what you two were doing or—not doing. Just…”

“Payton is the past,” he said firmly. “I didn’t invite her there or let her in. She showed up; I showed her the door.”

I met his gaze, and he was so damn serious.

“She was naked.”

“I know, I was asleep and she woke me up like that.”

Wait… what? “That’s…invasive.”

“Do you believe me?” He didn’t look away once, I swore he bored right into my soul.

“Does it matter?” I challenged him.

“It matters, Ace.”

I pushed the door open and walking out into the dark with the cold wind hitting knocked the rest of the sleep away from my brain.

“Okay.”

He followed me as I set out for the trail. “Okay? That’s it?”

“You told me. I know. Do I believe you?” I shrugged. “It seems important to you…so I’ll accept your version of events. Fuck knows I’m not asking for hers.”

I held out my second earbud to him before I raised my phone. “Requests?”

“Whatever you want, Ace. I’m in.”





Twenty-Nine





JONAS


The spring term started on Monday, and I got back in on Saturday. I actually spent the last five days of break with my dad rather than stick around Tahoe. Gibs had been too locked into his music, and struggling. That was kind of painful to watch.

Mom was so angry with all three of us. I assumed it was all three, I just dipped whenever her temper spiked. I couldn’t deal with her disappointment or her rancor. So, I found other places to be until my planned trip to see Dad. I almost felt bad for leaving Ramsey behind, but he told me not to worry when he took me to the airport.

“You sure?” I couldn’t help the skepticism. He didn’t like confrontation any more than I did. While I could, and would, just walk away, he would stand there and take it.

“Don’t worry about me,” Ramsey said, bumping my shoulder with his fist. “Mom—she’ll calm down. Just gotta give her some time.”

I eyed him. “She was packing Lachlan’s room to ship him all his shit.” He remembered that, right?

The amusement flickered on his face briefly before he sighed. “Like I said, she’ll calm down. Lachlan leaving was probably the smartest move he could have made.”

On that, we’d have to agree to disagree. Settling up with Mom rather than leaving her fuming was a better path to peace. Then again, not my problem. The time with Dad was good, he finished up the tattoo I’d done for my brothers, but we added some touches to the definition. I talked to him about another one I wanted to add, although he refused that one for at least a year.

“Why?” I asked, even if I knew the answer.

“J,” he said as he paused mid-slice. We were making homemade pizza and the dough was rising for the crust. “You don’t add anything about a girl until you are dead certain a girl is still gonna be there. Nothing worse than having a permanent reminder etched on your body if it doesn’t work out.”