Mad Boys (Blue Ivy Prep, #2)(74)

The doubt should have stung, yet the reality was right there. We’d all judged her last year. We’d all…done a lot of shitty things—some shittier than others. But I liked that we’d become friends this year.

“Can’t know until we try. I can go running with you if you want. Make sure Lachlan leaves you alone.” Kind of like I had at the gym over the last couple of weeks of the fall semester.

KC studied me, a faintly puzzled frown on her face. “But he’s your brother.”

Discomfort shifted through me. All I could hear was Mom ranting about us choosing KC over her and Gibs… over family. So yeah, Lachlan was my brother. He, even more than Ramsey, had known about my interest in KC last year and it didn’t stop him from chasing her.

From tormenting her.

From kissing her.

“He is my brother. But I want you to be my friend.”

“Brothers are important,” KC told me as she came back to the door to face me. “I’ll never ask you to choose between us. No one should.”

“Brothers aren’t that great.” I shrugged. Lachlan was annoying as fuck, and Ramsey could be such a control freak at times.

“I wouldn’t trade mine for anything in the world.” She grinned again. “Lachlan’s a dick, but he’s still your brother. Don’t give up on him.”

“I’ll think about it,” I agreed, grudgingly. “Go shower. I’ll make coffee.”

Her smile flashed to life again. “Thank you.”

I retreated to let her close the door, and it wasn’t until I was at the coffee machine that it hit me. She wouldn’t trade her brother for anything in the world?

What brother?





Thirty





KC


“I vote we hire someone else with a stamp to do this,” Aubrey said, as we hauled the crates into my suite. We weren’t going to her suite to do it.

“We did hire someone,” I reminded her, grunting to get the door open. It opened despite my struggle, and I nearly toppled into the room. Jonas saved me from landing on my face as well as catching the crate of letters so I didn’t dump them.

He kept an arm around me for beat until I was steady, before taking the crate fully.

“Thank you,” I said, grinning and leaning into the door to hold it open for Aubrey. “We’re going to kind of take over the sofa and table…unless you’re studying.”

With a nod, he set the crate next to the coffee table, then took Aubrey’s and put it next to it. “It’s fine,” he said. “No homework this weekend.”

“Lucky you, I have a paper to write still.” I made a face. “Be right back.”

He followed us to the hall. “There’s more?”

Aubrey groaned. “Yes, unfortunately.”

“I’ll help.”

She shot me a look and waggled her eyebrows. I mouthed shut up and she smirked.

“Thank you, Jonas,” I said with another warning look at Aubrey. She just threw an arm around me and laughed.

“He better behave,” she murmured. “Or I’ll stab him with a spoon.”

“He’s fine,” I hissed at her. “We’re friends now.”

“You can be friends all you want, and I can still stab him with a spoon if he’s a dick.”

Three steps down and in the lead, Jonas paused to glance at us. “She’s right, she can stab me if I’m a dick to you.”

Aubrey blinked, but a hint of a smile touched Jonas’ mouth.

“But only if I’m a dick to KC.” He looked at Aubrey pointedly. “You don’t get the same considerations.”

“Noted,” Aubrey countered. “I’ll be watching out for my friend.”

“Me too.” With that firm nod, he continued down the steps. Aubrey glanced at me then made a face and I laughed at her.

Fifteen minutes and three trips later, my quads were hating me for the stairs, but we had all of the crates up here.

So. Many. Letters.

“Next time, warn me and I’ll get a hand truck.”

“Hopefully, next time won’t be so many.” I flopped back on the sofa. I’d already run six miles before dawn with Lachlan. Jonas met us when we got back with coffee for me and a smirk for Lachlan.

It was kind of funny how much Jonas was sticking it to Lachlan. I should probably discourage it, but frankly, I was enjoying Lachlan not getting his way. I’d cut out my tongue before I admitted to missing the brain melting, panty burning, and toe-curling ninja kisses.

Since that day in my room, he hadn’t kissed me once. Good? Bad? Honestly, I had no idea. Lachlan seemed to be growing more human each day, and I liked it.

But I wasn’t sure that I should like it.

“You realize this is more than last time, right?” Aubrey prodded me to move so she could sit down. With a grunt, I sat up and stared at the stacks of mail.

I wasn’t the only one. Jonas eyed the crates like they were going to explode or something. “So you get this much regularly?”

“Eh,” I said. “It varies. We’ve always tried to answer the mail ourselves, especially the handwritten notes and stuff.”

“Yep,” Aubrey said as she dropped onto the sofa next to me. She wasn’t in any more of a hurry to dive in than I was. “Problem is, they held back on everything since the fire, and I think we just forgot to ask.”