Page 10 of Honey Undone (The Hornets Nest #5)

SARAH

I was juggling a bag of snacks and my Dungeons and Dragons books when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Shit. It had become a dangerous habit to look almost instantly in anticipation for Jensen.

I hated it but in the kind of way that every time it was him there was a stupid grin on my face and a swarm of rabid butterflies in my chest.

You gotta stop wearing that jersey to games.

Why?

My number is on the back of it, Adeline! Thirteen calls just today asking about my sexual preferences, thirteen.

Sounds like you’ll be busy for a while.

I marched up the walkway to the apartment building, and shifted the bag in my arm as I stepped into the elevator and checked my phone again.

Not too busy for you. We could go get dinner tonight, I just finished practice.

Sorry, D&D with the girls

Dungeons and Dragons?

Yeah

You’re full of surprises, what about after?

It’s gonna be a long night.

I giggled at his panic and shoved my phone back into my pocket. We were doing D&D at Sunday’s apartment this week and while she was really good at making drinks thanks to her brothers and the bar…she was terrible at feeding us.

I kicked the heavy door with my foot and it swung open almost immediately to a smiley Rhea. Her hair was pulled back into space buns at the top of her head and she was wearing the cutest pair of black overalls with a cropped black tee.

“Are you expecting company?” I teased her as she went full grabby hands for the bag. I tickled her bare ribcage as I followed her into the kitchen where everyone else was. Kaia was sitting on top, sipping out of a cup and picking at Cosy’s dice bag with a distant expression on her face.

“Hey Minty,” Sunday cooed as she shut the door of the fridge with a slam way too loud to come from her tiny body. “You need to break the tie,” she said holding up a blender of pale green slush, “daiquiris or margaritas?”

“Both?” I smiled at her, “I thought we were getting drunk?”

“Someone’s sexually frustrated and snippy today,” Kaia teased without looking up from the bag.

“I hope all those dice are cursed,” I said to her and Cosy gave me a dirty look.

“Take it back,” she said with a serious look.

“Fine, I hope whatever dice that Kaia picks out to use today are cursed. ” I winked at Cosy who took that as enough of an apology for bringing her into the middle of it.

“Have you fucked him yet?” Kaia looked up at me through her long lashes, her dark hair spilling over her shoulder.

“No,” I said .

“Why not?” Kaia pushed.

“I’m busy,” I responded and leaned against the counter next to Rhea who was digging through the bag with her head down.

“We could have cancelled tonig—” Sunday started but I shot her a silencing glare and she fired up the blender in awkward response.

“You’re stalling,” Kaia said the second the blender was turned off.

“No I’m not,” I said, Sunday handed me a drink and it smelled like citrus and rum. I took a sip and nearly choked to death. “You have to add juice,” I laughed at her.

“There’s juice in that!” She feigned innocence but the bottom of white rum on the counter was practically empty and the drink tasted like antifreeze in a pretty glass. “You said you wanted to get drunk.”

Kaia was still giving me a judgmental glare when I relaxed against the counter and drank more of my drink with a sour look.

“What are you scared of?” Rhea asked.

“Don’t gang up on me, not tonight…” I whined and slumped over sideways.

“Answer the question, slut.” Kaia poked me with her foot. “And if it has anything to do with being too busy, too tired, unbothered or anxious about commitment…”

She added when I opened my mouth to say I just didn’t care enough to chase.

“Mmhm,” she laughed. “You posted two extra thirst traps this week and I know they weren’t for us! We get to see that ass for free every day,” she teased.

I groaned but it came out more of an exhausted squeal that gave away just how nervous I was about everything.

“He asked me for one,” I confessed and all four of them stopped what they were doing.

“Asked for one what?” Cosy sounded confused.

“A picture,” I said.

“Like a nude?” Kaia giggled.

“No like he—” I sighed, unable to probably explain what happened. “He asked for a photo that I hadn’t posted yet. Like one just for him.”

“Just for him?” Sunday yelped like a feral animal .

“Which one did you send him?” Kaia asked, completely un-phased. I pulled my phone out and showed them. “Holy shit, Addy.”

“Have you heard from him since, was there proof of life afterwards?” Rhea laughed, her eyes trained on the screen. “Minty, was there proof of life?”

She reached out to scroll down and I realized she was asking if Jensen had replied with a nude. “Oh god, no, Rhea!” I snatched the phone back and shoved it in my pocket.

“What? We have to know all the facts to assess the situation,” she argued playfully.

“His dick is not being submitted to the court for evidence!” I crossed my arms over my body and Rhea pouted.

“You’re going to edge that poor idiot to death,” Cosy laughed.

“He’s not the only one suffering,” I said, “I feel completely out of control every time he opens his mouth.”

“So we’re avoiding, it’s not a stalling tactic or scheduling conflicts. It’s a crush.” Kaia declared, snapping her fingers.

“That makes me feel fifteen,” I complained.

“I’m just calling it how I see it,” she said, finishing her drink. “The guy is obsessed and you’re tiptoeing around the situation like he already broke your heart.”

“I haven’t… I haven’t had sex in a while.”

“We know!” All of them said in unison.

I held out my empty glass on Sunday as I turned red from embarrassment.

“What about a booty call, hook up with a random person,” Sunday suggested. “You could always fuck Boone,” she added as she took my glass to refill it. “He’s always had a crush on you… just spare me the details.”

“Boone will fuck anything that moves,” Kaia said. “I’ve seen it.”

Kaia and Sunday had been friends since elementary school and with that came her twin brothers.

It wasn't until junior high when Kaia knocked him out cold during a game of flag football that the two became inseparable.

Everyone knew they were in love except for the two of them.

Boone kept his space when Christian came into the picture but it was heartbreaking to watch Kaia get treated like that when Boone was right there willing to take the mantle.

It was endearing and concerning all at the same time.

I shook my head, “thank you for the offer…I think?”

Rhea leaned over on the marble countertop and laughed at Sunday, “what is wrong with you?”

“I’m sick of family dinners where Brighton yells at Boone in front of my niece about his promiscuous lifestyle.

Daisy and I have heard way too much. She’s thirteen and she can name more STDs than she can name states.

” Sunday poured the drink and handed it back to me.

“It wouldn’t really surprise me at this point if he started in on the Hillcats, he’s gone through half the Hogs on his own team. ”

I giggled and Sunday shook her head, “what? They called themselves the Harbor Hogs, it’s hilarious.”

“She’s not wrong, they could have been anything. Harbormen, Hawks, Helicopters…” Rhea added.

“Hammerheads…Hamsters…” I carried on. “We sound stupid lumped up with them, the Hillcats and the Hogs.”

“You’re distracting her,” Kaia said with a snippy tone. “Stop dancing around it, Addy. Fuck the boy!”

Sunday broke out into the Little Mermaid song under her breath and found space between Kaia’s legs handing her a full cup too.

“We have three days off next week because Coach is at that conference,” Cosy suggested.

“I know it’s not worth a lot but he’s pretty much willing to do anything at this point to impress you.

He spent six hours going over cards with Van during dinner the other night.

Van was ready to kill him by the end of it because he made him cancel on Zoey for it. ”

“He didn’t tell me it was that long,” I sighed. Every stupid thing Jensen did made it harder not to melt into a puddle.

“Jensen is down bad,” Sunday sang and wiggled her hips.

“Can we just play now, I can’t handle this interrogation any more. And the idea of falling in love makes me want to vomit.” I held up both hands before downing my drink with a breathless pant and a twisted face. “More juice next time,” I whined as the rum hit my belly and warmed my chest .

Cosy and Rhea set up the table while I put out all of the snacks. Kaia stayed close to me and wrapped her hands around my face the first second she got.

“I love you and I mean this in the nicest possible way but you need to stop being afraid to be loved.” She stared me in the eyes and I could feel every single conversation her and I had ever had flowing through me at once.

I was terrified of getting attached. Of being dependent on someone else to respect my feelings and prioritize them.

The reality was I saw my brothers once a month and I saw my parents even less.

I had always been the forgotten one and it was preventing me from taking a chance on a guy that might make me feel special because I was scared that what could be given and felt, could be taken away.

“Okay,” I whispered to her and she pressed her forehead against mine. When Kaia got drunk, she got pushy and affectionate.

“Promise?” She asked.

“Promise.” I said, she backed away from me and grabbed the blender instead of her glass and chugged down more of the frozen drink before crying out from the brain freeze.