Loving War(43)

***

TRIA



The mixture of terror and excitement collide as I shake with conflicting spurts of adrenaline. My smile hurts. Rye looks down at me, clearly amused as Wren and Ethan talk about boring work stuff.

“So you started that rumor?” he asks, clearly smarter than I ever gave him credit for being.

I shrug noncommittally, and he actually laughs, which still surprises me. Rye always seems angrier than Kode.

There’s nothing wrong with a good-natured feud amongst lovers. Right? He’ll have to forgive me and forgo any sort of retribution if he wants to get me back in bed. So I’m playing with the upper hand right now.

Why do I not feel totally confident with that thought? Oh. Yeah. Because it’s Kode Sterling I’m talking about.

The party seems to be gravitating outside, where I know Kode is. Whispers of what he said to Sylvia Pratt find me, and I burst out laughing. Rye is also grinning—a look that works for him—while shaking his head.

“Man, you’re in so much trouble,” Ethan says from beside me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say with as much innocence as I can muster, following the crowd out to the patio with Rye at my side and Ethan and Wren walking close behind.

“Puh-lease. It’s not like he didn’t have it coming, considering the hell he used to put you through, but you’re playing with fire.”

I’m not playing with fire; I’m playing with an atomic bomb.

At least Ethan hasn’t figured out that Kode and I are together. Apparently Wren hasn’t either, because he looks truly terrified for me.

We make it outside, and Rye tries to walk away. Hell no. I need someone with a lot of muscle nearby just in case I’ve pushed Kode too far. There’s a pool out here, after all.

“Uh-uh,” Rye says as I scurry up beside him, putting my side against his for protection.

“Uh-uh what?” I ask idly, my eyes scanning the crowd for the man who is surely plotting something vicious.

“I’m not going to be your jealousy date or your buffer. Too much drama for me,” he says while cutting toward a girl with a chest that doesn’t look safe. She could tilt over with those things.

“Please,” I whisper pleadingly.

He stands closer to the girl while raising a brow at me. Just as the girl starts to speak, he shakes his head at me.

“Nope. Not my style. Drama-free zone right here.” He motions up and down his body to punctuate his point.

I scowl at him, and he gives me a wink before turning to offer his attention to the girl who is talking to him about his garage. Apparently she knows him.

Damn. I just lost my one line of defense. Ethan is the kind of guy to help Kode toss me into the pool. And Wren will just step aside with a shit-eating grin if Kode comes for me.

Rain walks out, her face drawn up in agonizing boredom, and I rush over to her without actually running. Kode won’t hurt me with her around. She’s too small to inflict any damage on the wall of steel, but she has a hold on all the Sterlings that makes them behave.

“Hey,” she says, groaning as she loops an arm through mine. “Remind to never again be neighborly.”

I have no idea what that means, but I latch on to the arm she has given me like it’s a lifeline.

“Sure. No problem,” I say distractedly, still looking around for the man who is missing.

“Have you seen any of the boys?” she asks. “Including Dane? He abandoned me when the conversations turned to appropriate dinner parties and how to plan them. Kill me now.”

I just laugh, but then Dane Sterling swoops in to acquire the scowling blonde.

“You totally left me hanging,” she scolds.

“Baby, you invited the neighborhood. Not me. It’s every man or woman for themselves at this point.”

He smiles that lopsided grin that has her wobbling beside me. Lost in his thrall, she forgets she’s even mad and pulls him down for a very socially unacceptable show of affection. I start feeling weird standing next to them when the heated kiss leads to sounds of wanting more.

Cursing her silently, I walk away with no armor to shield me from the stormy wrath of Kode. Corbin. Hell yes. Corbin knows what’s going on, and he’s keeping it quiet. Plus, he has very handy muscles.

Never thought I’d see the day where I was intentionally going to see a Sterling for help. Then again, I never thought I’d be spending hours upon hours in Kode Sterling’s bed.

Corbin grins widely the second he sees me coming to him. He apparently knows what’s going on.

“You think I can protect you?” he asks, his eyes glistening with flakes of humor.

“I was kind of hoping.”

He laughs while shaking his head. “I’ll do what I can, but no promises. Kode has more determination than me.”