Page 29 of Triple the Secrets
He was seriously considering throwing the damn phone and being done with it. If the girls didn’t stop texting him random shit all day, he was going to lose it. Whatever the hell had possessed him to give them his cell number, he had no idea, and he was having serious regrets. If the shit they had sent him was actually helpful or important, he might feel differently, but staring at the stupid meme that Wren had sent him about planning a first date, it wasn’t likely.
Rogue: Stop sending me this shit.
Wren: We told you we would help. This is us helping. You should take notes instead of yelling at me.
Rogue ground his teeth together, trying not to curse.
Rogue: I changed my mind. I don’t need your help. I don’t date and I’m not about to start now.
Winter: So you’re the ‘hit it and quit it’ kind, huh? Typical.
Rogue cursed now. He ignored the looks sent his way by Razor and Jax. Instead, he stabbed back a reply.
Rogue: Knock it off, both of you. Go back to braiding your hair or whatever voodoo rituals you do. I have shit to do.
Wren: We’re teenagers, not witches.
Winter: Though if we were, I think you should be terrified of the shit we could do to you if you piss us off.
Rogue snorted, unable to help himself. They might be a pain in his ass, but they were clever. He set his phone down and moved back towards the car he was supposed to be working on. He stopped when he realized that Razor, Jax, Esme, and even Fury, who had apparently shown up, were all staring at him. “What?” he snapped.
“You just smiled,” Esme said in shock, eyes wide as she stared at him. She looked at the other three men. “You all saw that, right? I’m not imagining it.”
“What the hell are you going on about?” Rogue asked irritably.
“You’ve been acting like a damn bear for the last month, cursing and being an asshole twenty-four seven,” she said calmly. “Now, all of a sudden, you get a message on your phone and you smile. So, one of a few things has happened. You got laid, you finally got Scarlett to give you the time of day, or you’ve had a psychotic break and are about to go on a rampage.”
“He didn’t get laid,” Razor mused. “If he did, he wouldn’t have been cursing so much earlier. He’s a lot calmer once he gets his rocks off.”
“Bunch of comedians,” Rogue said sarcastically. “I’m not paying you to sit around and stare at me. So get back to work.” None of them moved. He glared at them, but they stayed put. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he snapped, “Would you all just leave me the hell alone?”
“Not until you tell us why you smiled. It was damn creepy,” Esme said with a mock shudder. Fury snickered.
“I have half a mind to fire you,” Rogue threatened. Not that he’d do it. He might be pissed, but he wasn’t touching paperwork and knew better than to get rid of the one person who could handle it.
“I’d be fine with that,” Fury leered at Esme.
Esme gave him a bland look before turning her eyes back to Rogue. “So?”
He knew she wouldn’t give this up. “Scarlett’s girls keep sending me stupid shit,” he said in annoyance.
“Wait, you’re texting teen girls now?” Jax demanded, slack jawed.
“Not like that, fucker,” he snarled. “They have it in their minds that they need to help me so Scarlett can stop being pissed at me and give me a chance.”
“A chance,” Razor repeated. “Wait, hold on. So you’re thinking of dating the sexy librarian?” His eyes were wide. “You don’t date. Ever.”
“Probably because he isn’t planning on dating her,” Esme said knowingly. “Scarlett isn’t looking to date either, so if you’re just out for a quick roll in the sheets, I’d say go for it.” Her lips pulled back in a slow, sly smile. “I mean, after the performance you gave us the other day when she was here, I’d say you’d both be okay with it.”
Rogue knew exactly what she was talking about. Hell, how many times had he looked over at the wall and remembered what she had looked like pressed against it, his hand around her throat, her eyes wide and hungry as she looked up at him? Or thought about it at night when he was watching the house?
He brought himself out of his thoughts and said sharply, “I’m not discussing it with you. Now, I’m getting back to work and you all should too. Or did you forget we have a business to run?”
“Well, I was coming to tell you I was going to cut out early,” Esme said casually, making him scowl.
“What the hell for?”
“Gabe wants to go to the library,” she said with a smug smile. “Figured Fury and I would take him and then get dinner.”
