Page 125 of Too Far

Time-out.

I am here. This is now.

Everything else will keep.

Chapter 57

Josephine

“Youjustletthemgo to a stranger’s house to spend the night?” Kylian asks.

Locke and I share a knowing look. K isnotgoing to appreciate this line of questioning.

The girls have been gone for an hour, but we’re still hanging out around the table after dinner. Locke and Kylian insisted that since Mrs. Lansbury was charged with dropping off the twins, they’d take over dinner duty. They grilled steaks and vegetables, then made enormous baked potatoes with all the fixings, plus a dish of rice pilaf for Nicky.

The girls gobbled up their food in a hurry, but Kendrick made them sit with us until it was time to clear the table. He may or may not have cut into his steak at a painfully slow pace just to mess with them. Once we devoured our dessert—peach cobbler with huge scoops of ice cream—he sent them on their way.

It feels good to sit around the table with my guys without worrying about cameras or busy schedules. Wrapping my arm around Nicky’s bicep, I nuzzle into his shoulder and breathe in the familiar scents of sugarcane and mint. He shoves back his chair and hauls me into his lap before I can exhale.

This is what we needed. This is what’s been missing for weeks.

Time together. Time to just be.

The time-out was the right call. I’ve never been more grateful for a storm.

Kendrick scowls and raps his knuckles twice on the table. “Hold up. What makes you think I didn’t do my due diligence?”

Kylian scoffs. “You didn’t ask for my help.”

“They’re eight-and nine-year-old girls, Kyller. Not sure you’d be able to dig up much about them on the dark web.”

I smile into Nicky’s chest as Kylian opens his mouth to bicker.

And they like to sayI’msassy.

Leaning back in his chair, Kendrick crosses his massive arms over his chest. “You underestimate me. I called the parents this afternoon. Asked my usual questions—who would be at the house and their ages, including siblings. What the sleeping arrangements are. Who’s staying up with the girls. All that. Their answers checked out. There are only five girls in total. All from the girls’ school. Plus,” he adds, “Jade’s an awful liar and has no poker face. If anything questionable goes down, I’ll know.”

Kylian squints, unconvinced. Or maybe he’s just insulted that K didn’t ask for his help. Either way, he eventually nods. That’s all the approval he’s going to give, apparently. Not that Kendrick’s asking for it.

“Hey, wait.” Locke shifts me in his lap and sits up, brightening. “Weshould play poker. Do you know Texas hold ’em, Hot Girl?” He runs his hands over my hips and around to my stomach.

Dropping my head back on his shoulder, I cock a brow at him. “Do I know how to play poker? Yes. Will I sweep the floor with you before the night’s over? Also yes.”

A cacophony of disgruntled disagreement fills the kitchen.

“If you’re all so confident, then let’s do it. We could even up the ante and play strip poker,” I suggest, looking at each of my guys with a wicked grin.

“I’m a mathematical genius on the brink of earning an honors degree in statistics. You’ll all be naked before I’ve removed my sweatshirt,” Kylian pronounces, sitting up straight in his chair.

Oh, it’s on.

Kendrick rises from the table, rubbing his hands together. “Easy, Daddy Genius. If our girl claims she’s got skills, then we owe her the benefit of the doubt.”

“You can’t just ‘have skills’ in poker,” Kylian counters. “You can have discipline. You can develop a strategy and rely on standard deviation to determine—”

Locke reaches over and hits Kylian with a playful punch. “Bro. Flip the switch. We don’t need a lecture on probability right now. Joey wants to playstrip poker. As in, clothes are coming off, no matter what. If you want to run your mouth, stop the nerd talk and dish up some of your signature dirty talk.”

Kylian raises both brows, giving Nicky a pointed look. Then he sets his sights on me.