Page 60 of Scheme
“I’ll take the risk,” Kit replied in a low voice. His eyes raked over me, lingering on my denim jeans and half-tucked white shirt like it was lingerie. That look waspotent. Already, my body was primed to respond even though my brain very much disliked the idea of showcasing my heat-tinged scent in front of these people.
“Single beds?” Nico asked, striding into the room behind me and breaking the spell. As discreetly as I could, I gulped down a lungful of air to clear my head.
This weekend would be testing in more ways than one.
“Oh my,” Violet murmured, looking around disapprovingly. “And they know your heat is approaching. That was… uncharitable of them.”
I snorted. Maybe Kit’s friends knew we weren’tactuallygoing into my nest together when the time came. If we were in a real courtship, I’d be feeling extra needy right now and demanding as much closeness as possible, but we weren’t, and I didn’t feel that way.
Mostly.
At least, I didn’twantto feel that way.
“It’s only two nights, it’s not a big deal,” I assured them because Kit looked like he was getting ready to bust out the forehead vein again. “Shall we head downstairs? See what’s in the fridge for Violet to cook?”
“Don’t even get me started on that,” Nico muttered, falling into step with Kit as Violet linked her arm through mine. “We’re only here for you guys.”
Violet gave my arm a squeeze, shooting me a reassuring smile. “It’s no hardship, we love Brighton.”
The others were waiting in the kitchen when we got downstairs, pouring glasses of bubbly for everyone.
Sal tensed ever so slightly when he saw Kit, but he must have decided he was safe when Kit didn’t immediately bring up the sleeping arrangements.
“Well, we’re all here!” Coleman announced. “Shall we toast?”
I accepted the glass of bubbles Beckett passed me, waiting as Coleman dramatically cleared his throat.
“To Kit! Our favourite wandering friend. It’s good to have you home, brother. Long may you stay and actually spend time with us for a change. Cheers to Kit!”
“To Kit,” I murmured, less enthusiastically than some of the others present.
Kit gently tugged me back with an arm around the waist as conversation broke out around us, plucking the glass from my hand and setting it down.
“I’ll find you something else to drink, what do you want?”
“I’m fine with water, honestly.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t drink,” Coleman said, wrinkling his nose and looking at me like he’d just made another mental strike against my name. “Let your hair down a bit, this is meant to be a fun weekend.”
“Good thing I’m plenty of fun without alcohol,” I replied easily, accepting the glass of water Nico handed me. Coleman’s answering smile didn’t meet his eyes, and the disapproval fairly radiated from the rest of his crew, but it was hardly the first time someone had called me boring for not drinking, so I ignored it.
“I could make fettuccine alfredo,” Violet announced. “But I’d need to get double cream. There’s a shop round the corner, isn’t there?”
Sal groaned. “Let’s just get a takeaway, that’s too much effort.”
“I’ll go to the shop,” Kit volunteered. “I want to get Margot some sodas anyway.”
Strange that the force of all the disdain hadn’t made me blush, but Kit’s offhand comment about wanting to get something that he thought I neededdid.
Well, maybe it wasn’t strange. Maybe I was just in far more danger of growing attached to Kit than I thought.
No, I was fine. I understood the parameters of the arrangement. There were no risks here.
Kit rested a hand on my hip, leaning around to brush a kiss against my cheek before excusing himself, and my heart started beating a little faster than I was entirely comfortable with for a gesture that was meant to mean nothing.
“Let’s head outside,” Beckett suggested, already throwing open the French doors that led from the kitchen to the sun-drenched courtyard. “Grab a bag of crisps, yeah, Sal?”
Violet looked as though she was dying inside, probably doing her best to push away visions of elaborate charcuterie boards as Sal ripped open a bag of crisps and tossed it into the middle of the long outdoor table.
