I sat up and searched for my pajamas. Once I found them, I put them on. When Colt returned from the bathroom, I tossed him his boxers and shorts.
He gave me a tiny grin as he stood there naked and perfect. “Are you kicking me out?”
“No, but you need to get ready for schoo—”
The sound of the front door unlocking followed by the alarm cut me off.
“Shi!” Creed yelled into the house.
“Get dressed,” I whispered to Colt before dashing out of my room. I could hear the beeping of Creed entering in the alarm code as I rushed down the hall. The alarm was off by the time I stepped into my living room and found Creed, looking as if he had just rolled out of bed.
“Hi,” I said and he looked in my direction.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Did Colt stay here last night?”
As he asked that, Colt walked into the living room and stood beside me.
Creed studied us, looking from Colt to me.
Colt cleared his throat. “I’m going to leave so you two can talk.” He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss before heading for the door. Creed’s eyes followed his twin as he walked out, then looked back at me, frowning. “You forgave him?”
“I did.”
“But not me?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “He and I talked and he apologized.”
“And then you slept together?”
It took a lot of effort not to react. “He spent the night.”
He moved closer, with a predatory look in his eye that made me retreat backward until my back met a wall. He didn’t stop his approach until his body was pressed against mine and his hands were flattened on the wall, caging me. “You look like you’ve been thoroughly fucked, Shi. Your lips are swollen, your cheeks are pink, and your hair is wild, like it got well acquainted with the mattress.”
All I could do was gape at him like a drowning fish for a few heartbeats before recovering. “What if I was?”
His hands fisted on the wall. “I’m jealous.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still mad at you.”
“That’s why I’m jealous,” he snapped.
“You can fix that.”
He pushed off the wall and took a step back. “I would. I’d get on my knees now and beg you to forgive me, but I can’t get over that you ran. You ran instead of talking to us, which was something you were mad at us for not doing.”
“I wasn’t running from you.” My shoulders slumped a little. What I was about to tell him was going to piss him off more than he already was, but I went on to tell him anyway. I told him about the text message and everything that had transpired after.
“Why didn’t you say something?” he snapped. “That was so incredibly stupid, running off on your own like that.”
“First of all, I was mad at all of you, and second, if it had been Mr. X, he would have killed you to get to me. I had to separate myself from you.”
“You should have told us. I don’t care how pissed you were or are.” He shook his head. “I find it hypocritical that you're mad at us for making decisions about you when you turn around and do the same exact thing.”
“You don’t know what he’s capable of,” I seethed. “He’d gut you in front of me and then strangle me with your insides to teach me a lesson. He’s a psychopath who thinks I only belong to him. If he ever found me—”
“He won’t,” Creed assured me.
“If he did, I’d do whatever I could to save you four from what he did to my family. If that meant running, I’d run. If I had to fight him, I’d fight.”
Creed opened his mouth to argue and I covered it with my hand. “If I had to walk back into the home he murdered my family in—the one place I’m terrified of, because I barely escaped with my life—I’d do it. So long as you were all safe.”
Creed shoved my hand away and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. He slammed his lips onto mine. In between kisses he said, “I’m so mad at you I could—” His hand smacked my butt, startling me.
“Creed,” I admonished between kisses.
Both of his hands squeezed my butt before he lifted me. I quickly wrapped my legs around his waist and he walked me to the dining room table. He set me down and cupped my face. “I’m sorry,” he said, pulling away. “I fucked up and I promise not to make decisions that involve you without talking to you first, so long as you promise to do the same.”