Boys of Brayshaw High (Brayshaw, #1)

by Meagan Brandy

Maddoc slides under the covers until his skin is flush against mine. His hand lands on my ass and he slowly slides it down until his fingers hit the apex of my thigh and he pulls, wrapping my leg around his hip,

but he makes no other move. He lays there, body pressed to mine, hands on my bare skin, and falls asleep. And for some reason, with the sound of his steady breathing and warm skin heating mine, my body grows lax. Sleep comes easier than it should.

Quick, heavy footsteps sound behind me and then the board on the back deck creaks with a single foot planted.

“You thought I was running around somewhere, didn’t you?” “Yup.” He shrugs, and I appreciate his honesty.

“Well, your own thing was stupid.” “Hey. They’re not my enemies, they’re yours.” I grow defensive and when his head snaps my way, mine follows. “Our enemies are your enemies.” “Says fucking who?”

Maddoc steps out on the deck, his shirt still off despite the chill,

“Says you.”

I can’t say I hate this playful side he’s giving glimpses of.

“And us. You’re Brayshaw whether you want to be or not, because we said. Your actions only solidify it to outside eyes.”

Captain joins us then, lifting his coffee cup in thanks. “It’s true, Raven. You publicly chose us on more than one occasion.”

“I only did what anybody would do.” I look between the three and grow self-conscious as their facial expressions shift from angrily irritated to ... more. Frownless.

“What?” I...

Captain, the nurturer, takes my vacated spot beside Royce and Maddoc steps forward. “That’s where you’re wrong. Nobody in our world helps because they want to. There’s a...

Laughing, he wraps himself around my back and lifts me off the floor with a tight squeeze. “That’s the point, RaeRae. You’ve got something we wanna figure out,” he teases

Maddoc smacks the back of Royce’s head, and he releases me with a laugh.

I’m pouring a refill when Maddoc’s chest hits my back. For a moment, he just stands there, his hot breath to my neck causing goose bumps on my skin

“What?” I ask,

“You know what...” he whispers slowly. “You left me in bed today.” “I...

“Right,” he murmurs. “And yesterday, you left my bed when I told you I’d be back. That meant stay put. You didn’t.” I curl my toes to keep myself from fidgeting. “Maybe next time say what you mean instead?” “I’m guessing it would have made no difference.” His hand comes up and my eyes follow as he grips my hair, pulling it behind me. “Tell me I’m wrong.” “You’re right.” I clear my throat

lifts me onto the countertop.

Okay, we’re doing this whole flirty thing. Not good since I can’t quite think straight this early ... and having six-foot-something of solid man meat in front of me isn’t helping.

He stares at me,

“What?” “You slept.”

“Without your knife, Raven. You slept, sound a-fucking-sleep, without your security.” “I was tired.” He smirks and steps back. “Right.”

“Stop looking at me like that,” I snap

“Like what?” “Like you know me. You don’t, and you shouldn’t t...

I don’t want to be understood, just as much as I can’t afford to let anyone in.

I look back to Maddoc who now leans against the counter staring after me.

“Careful, Raven. He’s ‘bout there, and when he hits that point, others better stay the fuck back. Don’t feed into it if you’re not ready for what’ll follow.” “What are you trying to say?”

“Maddoc doesn’t get possessive. Ever.” “Bullshit. Everyone said from the get-go he was a bossy bastard.”

I’m talking the way he steps closer to you when you step closer to someone else, us included. Or how he doesn’t like you and Bass hanging out, or how he ...

“You saying you wouldn’t fuck him?” A smile takes over instantly. “I’m not saying that at all.”

head for my room, but when I find Maddoc lying across my comforter, I fold my arms and lean against the doorframe.

“Don’t stand there and stare, Raven.”

“Get over here....

I glance behind me when the other two shuffle back this way, each disappearing into their rooms, neither caring to know what I’m standing here for. Two loud bangs sound, their headboards hitting the wall, indicating they’ve dropped onto the beds.

I look back to Maddoc finding him now studying me.

“We’re hungover as fuck, it’s a three-day weekend, and we have no plans ‘til tonight.” He ...

He doesn’t scoot closer like he did last night – if he even remembers doing so. This time he simply closes his eyes and falls fast asleep.

I lay there wishing away the confusion he’s planted inside me.

His attention immediately drops to my body and damn if mine doesn’t do the same to his. I step back to have a better look at him standing there in nothing but a pair of grey and blue swim trunks.

Captain is ripped. Like ... ripped. Where Maddoc’s got that hard-earned tall and tapered effect of the three, Captain is broader, so his muscles are fuller, but he doesn’t have that hardened look.

It’s the tattoos though that reel you in at the start. He screams bad bad bad and he knows it.

“Putting these in the safe for the night, so stick close by us or Leo, ‘cause you won’t be able to call us if you need to.”

“One, I don’t have your numbers. Two, I don’t have a phone,” I laugh and shut my light off, meeting them at the end of the hall. “And three, I’m a big girl.

“Just do what you’re tol...

“But I’m not sure that table’s any better than a screwed sleeping sack. First night, Cari Thomas fucked Mark Rogers on there, and last night, well you saw Madman gettin’ his dick sucked. Probably wiped his cum on it.” “He didn’t,” flies out before I can stop it.

Collins stares right at me, completely ignoring the chick sitting on his lap.

He’s gauging, watching for signs of possession from the boys to me. He wants confirmation that to get to me is to get to them. But it won’t work.

“Lucky shot?” I shrug. “Passed a lot of time perfecting those trashcan paper tosses.”