Page 68 of The Triple Threat

Ellie. My heart thudded in my chest as I realized why the sudden big get together. She was worried about my pop. Evidently making sure he was happy was more important than keeping Bronte away from him. The idea that she’d got her mom to do this for us made me feel as though my lungs were about to give out and that maybe my heart was too big.

“I think he is,” I replied honestly as I took a breath. “But he never really talks about stuff much. He talks about Mom a lot, and how much he misses her, but that’s about it as far as emotions go.”

Melinda’s eyes twinkled with unshed tears and I felt a lump rise in my throat, as it always did when I spoke about my mom.

“I hear him crying sometimes.” I sighed and looked over to Pop who was shooting shit with Jim, Henry and Carter. “Not for a little while though.”

Melinda dragged me into a hug. “We’re always here for you, honey. I know I’m not family, but I loved her like a sister.”

“Yeah, I know.” I squeezed her back and as I did saw Ellie standing in the doorway, watching us. “I think I’ll go get myself a drink now.”

“You do that.” She patted my back and let me go. “Right, I need to check the potatoes.”

I watched her go and was just about to join the guys, when I felt a hand on my arm. Turning around I was a little surprised to see Ellie, particularly as I’d ghosted her for the last two weeks. Yeah, I’d been the bitchy little princess who’d ignored her text messages and sent her calls to voicemail, not that she ever left one.

“Ellie.”

“Hey, Hunter. I’m glad you came. I thought you might stay home.” She looked down at her feet which were covered in fluffy red socks.

“Why because you were a little bitchy last time we spoke,” I replied in a low voice, even though deep down I knew she wasn’t.

Her eyes went wide, and her sweet pink lips parted. Images of them parting as she orgasmed around my dick hit me between the eyes; that didn’t help with my promise to stay mad at her.

“I was not. I was only being honest,” she hissed, giving a cautionary glance over to where her Mom was talking to Darcy just a few paces away.

“Yeah, well there’s being honest and there’s being a bitch, and I think you were the latter.”

And yep, snarky Ellie was back in the room. Hands went to her hips and nostrils flared as she leaned into my space.

“You tell me that isn’t what would happen,” she snapped. “That you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Well, I guess we’ll never know now, will we?” Like a dick, I patted her on the head and walked away and I could practically hear the steam coming from her ears with each step I took.

* * *

To play Cards Against Humanity was not what I considered the best activity. Not in my opinion, as someone who was fucking mad with the sassy little miss who was sitting next to me. At least it gave me an opportunity to be a dick to her; and I had, whenever possible.

“During sex,” Ellie read from the card. “I like to think of blank.”

I had the perfect fucking card for her, and I was so damn glad I’d held onto it for most of the game. I’d been waiting for the ideal moment and this was it.

Ellie read out the first card. “A bag of magic beans.”

No one really reacted, except for Austen, Bronte’s youngest brother who sighed and looked at Ellie like magic beans were the worst kind of thing he could have put in front of her.

She then picked up another card. “Dory, the lesbian fish.”

Everyone laughed and Bronte bounced up and down in her chair giving it away that it was her card.

“Good one, sis,” Shaw, the eldest of Bronte’s brothers said before he took a long swig of his beer.

Ellie picked up the next card and rolled her eyes. “My future husband.”

“Sorry lame I know,” Shaw replied with a grimace.

“Okay, next one.” Ellie grinned and picked up the next card. “Oh nice.”

Her eyes immediately went to me and then back to the card.