Page 117 of Hymns of the Broken

JASPER

Riot’s leaning against the back patio railing, a beer dangling from his fingers, but his eyes are locked on the glass doors like he’s expecting her to walk through them any second.

I’m not proud of it—but I’m doing the same damn thing.

“She’s changing,” I say flatly, sitting down at the table beside Silas and cracking open a water bottle.

Riot doesn’t even look away. “Yeah, I figured.”

“Figured you’d be the one dragging her up there,” Ash mutters from where he’s toweling off his hair, always two seconds from being kicked in the face by Silas for running his mouth.

“Didn’t want to interrupt the best friend reunion,” Riot says, finally dragging his gaze away to look at me. His smirk’s casual, but there’s something hard in his eyes underneath.

We stare each other down for a beat too long.

Jace breaks the tension by snorting through a donut. “God, just make out already. Your tension is making my bacon soggy.”

Silas groans.

Riot rolls his eyes and pushes off the railing just as the door opens.

SAWYER

The second I step out onto the patio, five heads swivel in my direction like I just dropped out of the sky.

The heatof their stares hits me harder than the summer sun.

The bikini Jasper had brought for me?

It’s black. The triangle top dips low, hugging my chest in soft matte fabric, held together with delicate silver chains that glint every time I move. The bottoms ride high on my hips, the sides nothing but those same dainty chains that shimmer against my skin with every step. Cheeky cut in the back. Practically criminal in the front. I feel naked. I feel powerful. I feel hot.

Riot’s beer is halfway to his lips, but he never drinks it. His eyes rake down my body so slowly it burns, and the look he gives me after? Like he’d kneel and pray to the devil if it meant getting a taste.

Jasper shifts in his seat, tongue sliding across his bottom lip like he’s trying not to say what he’s thinking. Or trying really hard not to get up and claim me right here.

Ash stands up and lets out a long, low whistle. “Jesus Christ, Sawyer.”

Jace throws a pool noodle at him. “Shut up and move, you’re blocking the view.”

Macee struts out behind me in her own bikini and oversized sunglasses. “Told you that you were about to cause problems.”

Riot’s already walking toward me. “You’re fucking sin, you know that?”

Before I can answer, Jasper appears on my other side.

“Get in the water,” he says, voice low. “Before I decide, the patio’s a good place to bend you over.”

Macee fans herself dramatically. “Yup. Definitely a throuple now.”

I smirk and toss my towel onto a chair, every step I take toward the pool is precise.

“I’m going in before you both spontaneously combust,” I mutter, glancing between Riot and Jasper.

Riot’s already peeling off his shirt, muttering something under his breath about needing to cool off before he commits a felony. Jasper doesn’t move—but his eyes don’t leave me, even as I dive in, the cold water stealing the air from my lungs.

When I surface, Macee’s grinning like she’s got front-row seats to a scandal.

“You’redefinitely not allowed to complain about being unwanted anymore,” she calls, raising her glass. “You’ve got two guys ready to drown each other for a spot at your side.”