“Yes, prove it,” Aiden speaks for the first time tonight, finally lifting his head from Elsa’s ear.

“We can think of ways.” Cole proposes.

“Or we can make them.” Aiden raises an eyebrow.

“I might have a suggestion.”

“Or two.”

“We can start right now.”

“Yes, let’s make this night a bit more fun.” The smirk on Aiden’s face shines with pure sadism.

Cole, however, remains serene. Unaffected even.

The most boggling thing is that during that back and forth, Aiden and Cole never looked at each other or exchanged glances. They were plotting mayhem without any prior plan.

Talk about team play. Or maybe it’s more than that between those two.

“I agree.” Xan’s voice comes from behind me with mischievousness.

“What are you doing?” I whisper.

“Making Ronan pay by throwing him in front of those two.” He brushes a kiss against the lobe of my ear. “Watch and learn, Green.”

Ronan flips off Xander, who returns it with a huge grin, as if he’s been waiting for this his entire life.

“Being Death is cool.” Knox wraps an arm around Ronan’s shoulder, instantly forgetting about their team-level disagreement. “Everyone is afraid of you on the field.”

“Thank you, Van Doren!” Ronan squeezes him in a bro clutch. “I’m promoting you to my closest friend and firing all these fuckers.”

“I never agreed to being fired,” Cole says.

“You mean you were my friend?” Aiden scratches his chin. “I don’t remember that.”

Cole snaps his fingers as if he recalls something crucial. “But we do remember what you did last week when –”

“Don’t make me go Death all over you, Captain.” Ronan is smiling, but his usual playfulness and warmth are gone.

“Fine.” Cole sighs. “Then let’s play a game.”

“I love games,” Aiden encourages.

“Me, too,” Xander chimes in, but his finger continues caressing my skin underneath my top in a sensual rhythm.

“Bah, merde.” Ronan flops to the sofa opposite everyone else and diagonally from us. “What game?”

“Something simple like…” Cole’s gaze strays to Teal, who remains focused on her phone. “Truth or Dare.”

“Let’s make it more interesting by only doing dares,” Aiden suggests.

Elsa rolls her eyes. “Why am I not surprised you want that?”

“Because I’m going to win and make you do that dare, sweetheart.”

“In your dreams, Aiden.”

“We’ll see about that.” He stares at her for a beat too long. It’s as if he forgets everyone else is here, just like I do when I focus on Xan’s warmth behind my back and his finger wrenching tiny bursts of pleasure from within me.

“Now, where were we?” Aiden addresses everyone else. “Right, dares. Let’s do that.”

“Teal loves dares.” Knox rubs his hands together.

“She does, huh?” Ronan smiles genuinely for the first time since they started ganging up on him.

“Oh.” Cole’s eyes ignite. “That’s a surprise.”

Lie. He knew it all along and is now pretending like he didn’t plot it from the beginning with Aiden.

And Xan’s knowing help.

“She does. They’re her favourite.” Knox falls down beside her. “Aren’t they, T?”

“Shut up, Knox,” she hisses at him without breaking eye contact with her device.

“Why not? The more the merrier, sis.”

“Not interested.” Teal chances a glance at Elsa, but Aiden has already gone back to whispering in her ear, so she might as well not be here.

“Come on. Surely you can give it a go?” Cole asks in a persuasive, gentle tone that I’m certain resembles the devil’s when he’s luring people to sin.

“Afraid of losing, ma belle?” Ronan winks.

“Never.” She meets his gaze for a beat too long, then focuses on the phone again.

“Leave her alone,” I say. I won’t stay still as they corner her.

Teal peeks at me for a second, silently relaying her thanks and I nod at her.

“Stay out of it, Green,” Xander whispers in my ear, eliciting goosebumps on my skin.

I glare at him. “No, I won’t stay –”

My words die in my throat when his other hand snakes between my legs. Even though I’m wearing jeans, all he has to do is touch my nub and I’ll moan.

Shit.

“Now,” Xan murmurs. “How about that alone time?”

“You’re not fair.” I clamp my thighs together so no one sees me. That only increases the pressure and my breathing.

“You know what’s not fair, Green?” he speaks against my ear, causing me to shiver. “Wanting you and not being able to do something about it. I’m done with that phase.”

He pulls me further against him and the bulge of his cock rests hard and thick at the small of my back.

I bite the corner of my lip so I don’t groan aloud. I don’t think I can keep my reaction bottled any longer.

Everyone else is busy with Ronan and I’m not hearing them, but anyone can look in our direction and notice Xan’s hand between my legs.

Like Cole.

I’ll die of embarrassment if he catches us again.

“Fine.” I jerk up to a standing position, interrupting the conversation.

Knox and Ronan give me a quizzical reaction, but Aiden and Cole exchange a sly glance.

Please don’t tell me it’s written all over my face.

“We’re leaving.” Xander wraps an arm around the small of my back, a victorious smile on his face. “Kim wants to sleep early.”

“Tuck her in safely,” Cole says.

Aiden lips twitch in a smirk. “After all, you just won your case against the court of human rights law.”

“Screw you, King.” Xander flips him off.

“Wait.” Elsa wiggles from Aiden’s lap, even though he doesn’t want to let her go.

She reaches me in a few steps. “I thought we’d spend time together tonight. I’ll watch K-dramas with you?”

“That’s the first time you haven’t called them soap operas.” I grin.

“You know what they say, it takes practice.” She pauses. “So? Are we going to spend girls’ night together?”

“I vote against that,” Aiden says.

“Me, too.” Xander pins me to his side. “Later.”

Elsa and I exchange an apologetic glance before Xander practically drags me with him out of Aiden’s house.

As soon as we’re outside, he removes his jacket and drapes it around my shoulders, nodding with satisfaction as it swallows me. “Now, you won’t be cold.”

I hit his shoulder.

“Ouch. What was that for, Green?”

“What was all that about? This is supposed to be a night with friends.”

“Friends are overrated.”

“Now, you’re being cynical.”

He hugs me by my waist and connects his forehead against mine. “I just want to be with you, Green. Not them. I hate anything that distracts me from you.”