Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

TRISTAN

"What'd I miss?" Declan walks into the lounge, surveying the room. His eyes immediately fall on Layla, with her ruddy cheeks and overly tousled bun.

Conor swallows hard in an attempt to gather himself. "Layla was just letting us know what a good girl she's going to be for Tristan."

Declan's brows furrow in confusion. "We've all decided she's going to be really fucking good for him," Finn goads.

"Do the lot of you need a cold fucking shower?" I shake my head.

"Wouldn't hurt," Liam shares, overtly adjusting himself.

Turning my attention back to Layla, I lightly grip her chin and tip her face back to mine. "I do love you all disheveled, but why don't you take a minute to freshen up before your friend gets here?"

She nods, and I place a quick peck on her forehead. My eyes trail after her as she crosses the room until she passes through the doors to the club. Having visited here once, she knows that all the restrooms are well stocked with everything she will need.

"Seriously," Declan squawks as he walks behind the bar. He grabs a glass and fills it to the brim with whiskey. "What the fuck did I miss?"

"Tristan is in big fucking trouble with this one," Conor shares.

Liam snarks, "I could've fucking told you that this morning when he asked me to get some guys to move her shit over to his place."

Momentarily ignoring everyone's sudden fascination with my sex life, I pull up an app on my phone to order the lunch I promised. I browse through a few restaurants before settling on Mexican. I swipe through the menu and order a few different taco dishes with two sides of chips and salsa that should be arriving within the next fifteen minutes.

"The guy at her place. With what happened to Quinn," I lament as I finish the order. "I can't risk it. I can't protect her if she isn't with me."

"Oh fuck," Conor plants his forearms on the bar before me and stares at me for a moment. "You aren't just fucking her. She actually means something to you."

"Yet I left her with you assholes to keep her safe for the morning."

"I totally fucking misread this situation. I thought there was going to be some weird, semi-incestual orgy later," Finn jokes .

"For fuck's sake!"

"I mean, in his defense," Liam adds, "You are sending mixed signals letting us all watch you spank her tight little ass."

"Careful," I warn, knowing full well I brought this upon myself.

Layla is undeniably a gorgeous woman, and I would be na?ve to think that my brothers wouldn't find her attractive. But there is a fine line between appreciating what is mine and lusting after it. A line I want to ensure they all know is not okay to cross.

At least, not without my permission.

Mulling the glass in his hand, we suddenly garner Declan's attention. "That's what I fucking missed? In the ten minutes I was in the shower, you came out here and put on a show?"

"Sorry, old man." Finn pats him on the back. "It was a good show too."

"If we're done swooning over my girl, can one of you blokes make up a pitcher of margaritas for her?" I ask with my attention primarily on Liam and Finn, who know their way around behind the bar. "I'd prefer not so much tequila that she's fecked after one glass, either."

"So, Kiska?" Liam asks, slicing limes.

"We made a stop to let them know we aren't exactly receptive to the message they were trying to send." Declan continues to twirl his glass between his cut and bruised hands as he begins to give details of our delay .

"It just so happens that the guys from last night, the ones that hurt Quinn, were there," I share.

Conor grabs a glass, pours it full of whiskey, and offers it to me. "Well, that fucking explains your appearance when you got back."

Turning to the others, he says, "Head to fucking toe in blood."

"The two dead guys at the club and the one from Layla's apartment should send a pretty strong message of our own," I add.

There's a knock at the door, and Layla walks from the hallway leading to the club, "I've got it," Layla chimes.

"Don't," I bark as Liam wraps his fingers around the shotgun behind the bar.

"What?!" she exclaims and pulls the door open. "It's just Jorge."