Page 27 of Pucking Possessive (Kings of Castlebrook #2)

LILAC

H ayden’s driving. Madi’s in the passenger seat, twisting to talk to us between his road rage outburst. Callum’s next to me in the back seat, his hand warm on my thigh, his lips brushing over my neck every few minutes like he can’t help himself. I lean into him, content, completely content.

Through the window, I catch sight of Tristan and Winter on his motorcycle in the lane next to us. She’s pressed against his back, her arms looped tight around him. It makes me smile.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

Madi’s voice is chipper when she says, "Karaoke!"

I laugh. "I thought Winter said no karaoke."

Madi shrugs. "She says that every time. But it’s what we do. It wouldn’t feel right if Tristan wasn’t threatening to kill Callum."

That makes me laugh harder. It really does feel like something out of a twisted Hallmark movie. Murdery, but sweet. And maybe that’s exactly why I feel so grateful to be part of this group.

Hayden nudges Madi. "Someone texted me. Can you get it, baby?"

She reaches over, fishing his phone out of his pocket with practiced ease. Her thumbs move fast, reading it.

"Ramsey and Reese are coming. And oh god, Justin? Why is Justin coming?”

Hayden snorts, catching Callum’s eyes in the rearview. Something about that look makes me uncomfy like the two of them are up to something.

I frown. "Why are you guys looking at each other like that?"

Madi sighs, half-laughing. "Justin is Reese’s boyfriend. And Ramsey is… well, Ramsey."

Hayden flips on the blinker and lets Tristan’s bike merge in front of him as we turn down another road.

"He’s a better man than me. Because that motherfucker would be dead,” Callum spits the words.

"Who? Ramsey or Justin? I’m so confused," I say, turning toward Callum.

He chuckles and drags his knuckles up my side, brushing just under my chest. It’s subtle, but I know what it means. One of those moments he mentioned, the ones where he wants to pull my top down and take my nipple into his mouth just because he can’t stand not having it.

I shift slightly in my seat, heart skipping. Just the thought of it makes my core clench. I love him. God, I love him so much I feel like I’m floating.

"If I were Ramsey, I’d kill Justin. And if I were Justin, I wouldn’t have left my girl at a different school for Ramsey to be near her. To look at her. To touch her. He fucking has movie nights with her," Hayden grits out.

Madi reaches over and gently touches Hayden’s hand where it’s gripping the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white. "I’m not Reese. I don’t have a boy best friend I have movie nights with. You can stop."

Her voice is teasing, and the little giggle that follows makes it obvious. She likes the way Hayden gets like this. Possessive. Obsessive. She eats it up.

It’s a lot. Over the top, for sure. But it works for them.

"Is he okay?" I whisper to Callum.

Hayden answers instead. "No."

Definitely not okay.

Madi leans over and kisses him quickly, smearing her lip gloss across his lips with a kiss. He blinks, stunned, then glares into the rearview mirror at me when I say, "Promise no killing Justin tonight."

"Or anyone, maybe?" Madi adds.

Hayden exhales through his nose. "Promise," he mutters to Madi. Then he adds, "But I’m not going to be nice to him."

"Me either," Callum says.

I turn to look at him. "Seriously?"

Callum just shrugs, like it’s obvious. "Ramsey likes Reese. And we’re friends with Ramsey. Therefore, Justin is dead to me until Ramsey decides to kill him. And then he’s dead to everyone."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "You guys really are too much."

When we pull up to the karaoke place, Callum helps me out of the car and I glance up at him. “So what did your friend Elijah say?”

Callum’s jaw ticks as he closes the door behind me. “He’s looking into it. Nothing is really adding up because the guy who lives in the old Whittaker mansion wouldn’t be able to pull off the shit that’s happening on campus. But all signs point to him.”

I blink. “Then what does that mean?”

He reaches down, threading his fingers through mine, and lifts my hand to his mouth, brushing his lips across my knuckles. “Ramsey looked into texts sent to the girls who’ve been killed. He seems to think you’re the target.”

My breath catches. “But… why haven’t they come after me?”

Callum’s expression darkens. “That’s what doesn’t make sense. If it’s you they want, why wait?”

I lean into him, trying to chase away the chill that crawls up my spine. “I don’t know. But I’m glad they didn’t.”

His grip tightens around my hand. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, baby.”

I rest my head against his shoulder. “I know you won’t.”

We’re hand in hand, walking across the parking lot when a loud, black lifted truck comes roaring up, engine snarling like a beast. I let out a squeal and grip Callum tighter.

“What the fuck?” Hayden bellows, yanking Madi behind him.

The window rolls down and I feel Callum instantly relax beside me.

A man with a flannel shirt rolled up to his forearms and a black cowboy hat sticks his head out the window. His eyes land on our joined hands and he smirks.

Caiden Grey.

I recognize him immediately. Callum’s cousin. The infamous bull rider from Castlebrook Falls.

“Jumpy?” Caiden asks lazily, looking directly at Hayden and Callum.

I can’t help it, I laugh. Madi tugs on Hayden’s arm like she knows Caiden would happily wrestle and hogtie a hockey player just for the fun of it. If you ask me, it might do Hayden some good.

“What are you doing here?” Callum asks, and then scans the side of the truck saying, “Who’s truck is this?”

Caiden leans an elbow on the window frame. “Got a little situation going on.”

“Don’t we all. What can I do?” Callum asks, clearly instantly ready to help him.

“I need you to meet me at the Gilmore dorm at two am. Bring your ragey friend,” He gestures his thumb toward where Hayden had been standing when he first pulled up. “Don’t be fucking late,” he demands as he rolls up the window and peels off with a growl of tires.

“My old dorm?” I ask Callum. But before he can answer, it clicks. “Chapel? They hate each other. What’s he want with her?”

Callum wraps an arm around me and starts walking us toward the door. “Nothing you can intervene in, so don’t worry about it. He’d never hurt her. So whatever he’s here for must be important.”

I glance up at him, skeptical. “How did he even know we were here? You clearly weren’t expecting him.”

Callum sighs. “You, Madi, Winter, and Chapel all have trackers. And all of us have access to them. If something ever happens to me, one of them would make sure you’re okay.”

He rubs his thumb over my knuckles. “I trust them. They trust me. You guys are safe, so that’s all that matters. Caiden thinks he’s funny by using your tracker to pop up on me.”

We reach the door and he holds it open for me. I glance over my shoulder when I say, “I’ve heard some things about Caiden. And he doesn’t come off well in most of them.”

Callum chuckles. “Everything you heard is true. But he’s loyal to me, so I’m loyal to him.”