You’re Mine by Penny Brooks novel Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Easton

“Storms suck ballllssssss. '

Ryan kicks a piece of firewood.

“How do you only have like two days worth of firewood and zero storm gear in this place? '

I shrug.

“No idea, I'm not exactly a cub scout, then again”— I turn to Blake—“Anything you'd like to add to this Mr.

I[-have—at—least—seventeen— survival—patches. '

Blake flips me off.

“l was nine and you're a dick. '

I burst out laughing.

Damn, sometimes I miss him, and then I remember Aisha sucking my dick sophomore year and I get all better.

“Well ... '

I look around the shed.

“I think other than the blankets, junk food, and the rest of the firewood this is as good as it’s going to get. '

“Yeah, '

Ryan agrees.

“At least it’s not too cold yet at night and we won't starve. '

“And we do have girls to spoon, '

Blake points out.

I immediately want to be like my girl, my spoon, go fork somewhere else, then remember he has Aisha and feel my balls actually tremble.

“About that. '

“What? '

Blake looks genuinely relaxed when I'd be making SOS signals in order to escape being alone with her.

“Are you guys like... '

I make a gesture with my hands that makes zero sense, then finally just say, “Fucking.

Are you fucking? '

Blake doesn't even blink.

“Would that bother you? '

“No! '

I pretty much yell.

“Not at all, you do you, man.

['m just curious because you brought her up here and people don't typically bring others up here to talk about feelings and knit. '

“How would you know? I knit a damn good sweater. '

Blake crosses his arms.

“He knits? '

Ryan asks.

“He does, '

Blake answers with a grin.

“But, for your information, we're just friends.

I’ve been reaching out to her lately, you know, it’s the anniversary of her brother's death tomorrow and it just seemed like the right thing to do. '

My stomach drops.

How could I forget Deacon? I never could.

Never would.

That night.

The way he looked at me like I’d betrayed him.

And the way he drove off in pain.

And never came back.

“Yeah, Deacon was a good guy, '

I find myself saying, hiding my secrets, my past, digging deeper into the mud, and praying that nobody sees the dirt under my nails.

“Didn't you know him pretty well? '

Ryan asks.

I shrug.

“Yeah, I mean, I knew a lot of the guys from other schools, especially the football teams, but I wouldn't call us close. '

“Huh. '

Blake smirks.

“That's funny. '

“What is? '

I try to keep my tone even.

“Nothing. '

He smiles.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just thankful you let us crash here tonight, so we don't repeat history and all that. '

“History? '

Ryan scratches his head.

“Oh wait, didn’t a huge storm hit? '

‘Yup. '

Blake locks eyes with me.

“The biggest storm to hit the family, I'm surprised more people weren't hurt. '

My nostrils flare.

“Storms happen. '

“Yeah. '

Blake grabs one of the blankets and grips it in his hands.

“Sometimes, they do.

It's about how you handle them in the moment though that defines everything. '

“We still, um, talking about lightning? '

Ryan asks.

“Yes, '

we say in unison.

“Let's go, '

I say gruffly.

“The girls are waiting and probably super scared and cold. '

“Nah, not my girl, Sadie’s a fucking beast, a warrior a— '

“—Get it offfffffl '

Sadie’s voice comes down the hall.

We all start running and stop when we see Sadie dancing in the middle of the living room, flapping her arms all over the place.

“Stop moving! '

Aisha yells.

“You're making it worse! '

Harper adds.

“It’s alive! '

“IT’S A LEAF! '

Harper yells.

“Sit the hell down before I smack you! '

Sadie stops moving and looks down at her arm.

“{t felt real. '

“God, you guys are lunatics! '

Aisha screams, then realizes we're all standing there, watching them, and her face softens.

“A leaf flew in through the door when Harper opened it to look out and they thought it was a mouse or a bat, who fucking knows.

Point is, you guys are all crazy and I'm already exhausted.

Where's the whiskey? '

Aisha’s eyes are full of tears.

And I know why, the thunder making her flinch again.

She grabs a blanket and sits on the couch, wrapping it around her, then reaching for the whiskey that was there the whole time.

She tips the bottle back in one huge gulp before setting it down and staring straight ahead.

Harper shares a look with me while Sadie sits across from Aisha and makes a valiant attempt to look friendly.

They don't know though, do they? Not what happened.

Not why this is hard for Aisha.

As much as I hate her, I do get it.

I feel it in my bones.

My soul.

Like Deacon is still here, haunting us, reminding us of memories I'd rather forget.

For one brief moment, I look at Aisha and she looks right back, her eyes meeting mine in a way that’s almost familiar, friendly, like she’s sharing the pain.

But, as quick as it happens, it goes away, and she leans forward, her tits nearly falling out of her dark black tank and says, “So, strip poker, then? '

“Sure. '

Blake laughs and sits next to her, pulling Aisha to his side, like they're together.

She doesn’ t flinch, but she does elbow him and scoot away.

“I think we'll need more drinks for this. '

“Yup, '

Aisha agrees.

Blake meets my gaze.

“The booze still in the same spot in the garage? '

“You know the way. '

Maybe too well.

“Cool. '

He gets up and looks down at Aisha.

“Wanna help me carry them in? '

She crosses her arms and pouts, “Baby I’m so tiiiiiiiired. '

“Fine, fine. '

He winks.

“What about you, Harper, wanna help me carry some beer in? '

Harper looks to me.

I kind of hate that she thinks she needs my permission.

Hell, I'll kick his ass if he tries anything, so I just smile and say, “She’s woman enough to carry all that booze in here, right, Harp? '

“Right. '

She jumps to her feet, and then yawns, stretching her arms over her head.

Her shirt rides up, giving me a perfect view of smooth skin and full hips.

Blake’s hungry look isn’t helping my generosity in letting him be close enough to breathe the same air as her, but what else am I supposed to do? “Let's get it. '

Blake leads the way and Harper shares a smile with me before following him.

I'm totally calm, at peace, ready to put things behind me when Aisha starts to laugh.

“What? '

I frown.

“You high or something? '

“You're an idiot, '

she says, grabbing the playing cards from Ryan.

“If you think that you don't have some serious competition when it comes to Blake, you're wrong. '

“Huh? '

I almost laugh.

“That cock sucker? '

She smiles.

“Never underestimate the underdog —and the one guy who can possibly make you look and feel like a dumbass at school, other than that dip shit over there. '

She points at Ryan.

“But clearly, he’s about to get laid, so he doesn’t give a shit about you right now, he just wants pussy. '

I wait for Ryan to defend me, but he’s already making out with Sadie and her hands are tugging at his pants and before I know it, they're stumbling out of the living room, which means I get to play strip poker with Blake, Aisha, and the girlfriend I just confessed my love to.

Awesome.