Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 108988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
“Great.”
“Marsh, stow it,” Palma reprimanded.
“What? He’s a barrel of fun, can’t you tell?” He threw his arms wide, sitting up straighter. “I’m sorry, but am I the only one with their head still on their body or something? That guy is a criminal—”
“Watch it,” Levi warned.
Marshall looked his way, but continued, “—and he’s dangerous. And now what? He’s dating our roommate? I’m not okay with him being here.”
I wanted to shrink, right then and there. I wanted to disappear. “Look. I told you the situation—”
“The situation has changed, hasn’t it? Were you fucking before?”
“Marshall!” Palma yelled.
“You’re going to watch your tone,” Levi said lowly.
Heath hit the side of the pan with his metal fork. “Marshall.”
He quieted under their protests but shrugged and shook his head. He flicked his eyes in defiance. “I’m not okay with him being here.”
I put the toast down on a small plate and faced him. “So you want me to leave, then?”
For the first time, uncertainty flickered over him. “I didn’t say that.”
“Dude.” Levi was shaking his head.
Marshall shot him another dark look.
“I told you everything last night. If you’re not okay with Creighton being here, then that means you’re not okay with me being here.”
“I—” Marshall scraped a hand over his jaw. Torn now. “I mean, why can’t he just not come around?”
Levi began chuckling again.
“Dude, I am warning you.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” Palma ignored the slight exchange between Levi and Marshall.
“What doesn’t?” Marshall shrugged again, exaggerating the motion. He widened his eyes and spread his legs out farther.
He was settling in for a fight.
“They have a complicated and long history,” Palma started, trying to be patient.
Marshall grunted, shaking his head. “This is our house. We should be able to say who can come and who can’t—”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a text from Creighton.
Eight: Do you need me to come back?
Me: Why would you ask that?
Eight: Levi said your roommate has an issue with me. He’s your housemate. You decide. Do you want me to handle him?
Me: Of course not.
Eight: So you’ll handle him? If he’s making you feel bad, it’s a problem. No one hurts you, Blake. In any way.
I scowled at Levi, who’d been watching me on the phone. He flinched. “Sorry.”
The conversation that had continued now quieted in the kitchen. Attention went from Levi to me.
“What?” Marshall bit out.
I held back a sigh.
Me: He doesn’t understand, but don’t harm him in any way. I mean it.
Eight: Then he needs to shut up.
Me: Eight.
Eight: Quokka.
I couldn’t suppress a growl.
Me: I’ll handle him, but promise me you won’t harm Marshall.
His response didn’t come right away.
They were all watching me, and I picked up my toast, slipping into a chair on the other side of Levi when my phone buzzed. I hit the screen.
Eight: No one is allowed to make you feel bad. No. One.
“He’s not wrong, you know.” Levi had read it over my shoulder.
“Get back.”
“Who’s not wrong? Is that your boyfriend? What’s he not wrong about?” Marshall raised his voice. There was an ugliness to him this morning.
Creighton was the alpha of all alphas, and sometimes guys who weren’t used to being shut down so effectively and put in their place as swiftly as Creighton’s mere presence tended to do, sometimes they didn’t react the best way. Was that what was going on?
I caught the time and cursed. “I have to go if I’m going to make my class on time.”
“You need a ride?”
I gave Levi a considering look. “Did he tell you to be another guard for me?”
“Guard?” Marshall echoed.
Levi happily beamed at me, fluttering his eyelashes a couple times. “Not officially, but he told me to stick around, and I don’t mind giving you a ride.”
“Your truck is here?”
“Uh. A vehicle is here. I don’t know if it’s my particular truck or not, but you know as well as I do that one of Creight’s guys has some kind of vehicle close by.”
One of. That meant there was more than the one usual watcher Creighton had assigned to me. Levi was here. How many others? I shook my head at Levi. “No. I’m good without a ride considering campus is just on the other side of the building.”
“What?” He stared at me, blankly.
Palma snickered. “We live on campus.”
“Oh.” Levi considered that before grunting. “Good to know.”
I really had to go. Creighton had brought my backpack down with him, and I spotted it on the floor in the living room. I went to grab it. As I returned through the kitchen, Heath held out a thermos for me. “Coffee.”
I grabbed it. “Thanks.” I tossed him a grin over my shoulder.
He gave me a small nod, before jerking his head in Marshall’s direction, who was now glowering down at his hands that were in his lap. He’d gone back to lightly kicking against the counter underneath him. Heath commented, “I’ll talk to him.”