Page 201 of Scarlet Wars
“Of course you do,” Emile murmured, his voice soft.
Sean leaned closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine. “Dibs on telling Caden they’ve crashed his study,” he whispered.
“I get to tell him they raided his Scotch,” I whispered back.
Rocco’s gaze sharpened. “Oi, we can hear you.”
I smiled innocently. “Good.”
And then my thoughts drifted to Caden. Less than an hour apart, and I already missed him.
Jesus. I was turning into a pathetic, clingy girlfriend cliché.
But still, the setup felt off without him in it. This was his crowd, his world. Plus, where the hell was he?
Maybe he was on a mission with Rachel.
Doing something important.
A flash of jealousy seared through me, fast and irrational.
Another knock on my door jolted me out of my slightly spiraling thoughts.
Jackson entered, scanning the room with that casual ease he always carried. “I heard there were cocktails?”
I snorted, already translating him another before he even sat down next to his husband. Jackson accepted the glass with a small smirk, nudging Sean with his knee as he leaned back comfortably.
Sean took another sip of his drink. “So, Saoirse’s still leading Caerleon Manor?”
Rocco nodded. “Yeah. And she’s doin’ a damn good job of it too.” His smile faded slightly. “Though she’s been a bit weird this week.”
I frowned. “Weird how?”
He shrugged. “As if somethin’s botherin’ her. Lashin’ out at me, complainin’ a bit more than usual.”
“It’s probably shark week,” I said with a shrug.
Emile frowned, confusion creasing his brow. “I don’t understand.”
I arched a brow, my lips curling into a sly smile.
“What?” he pressed.
“Shark week. As in, the waters have…colored red,” I hinted, my gaze expectant.
He blinked. “What waters?”
“Oh my gods,” Sean groaned beside me. “Dude, it’s herweek.”
“To go swimming?”
“NO!” we all shouted in unison.
“The color of the water,” I said slowly, like I was explaining it to a toddler, “is red.”
“Whatwater?” Emile repeated, clearly still not getting it.
I sighed. “Of the fuckingtoilet.”
