Jeremy placed his hand on Kick’s shoulder. Kick’s head jerked around to see who it was but before he could say anything, Jeremy spoke calmly to Stephanie. “Why do you always have to be such a bitch, Stephanie? I’m seriously beginning to wonder about your parents and just what they get up to.” He paused, and I saw her face flinch. Jeremy gave Kick a grin and then continued, “Yeah, I think we might look into that, Kick, and then report back what we find.”

Stephanie’s face contorted into anger like I’d never seen before. “Leave me the fuck alone, Jeremy,” she spat before saying to her bitches, “Come on, girls, these three aren’t worth our breath.” Then she turned and stalked away from us and her posse followed.

I stood there, stunned, not sure what had just happened.

Jeremy slapped Kick on the back and then looked at me with a grin. “All sorted, Evie. That bitch won’t give you grief anymore.”

I frowned. “How do you know that? And what the hell just happened?”

Kick stopped staring after the girls and turned to look at me. “Jeremy did some digging. Discovered that Stephanie’s dad is having an affair at the moment.”

“Oh my god! What a two-faced cow to give me shit about my mother.”

Jeremy came to me and laid his arm across my shoulders, and pulled me close. “Yeah, thought you might like that.”

I looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you.”

He jerked his chin at Kick. “Don’t thank me, thank him. Kick had the brilliant idea to find out what she was hiding and then to use it against her.”

My gaze landed on Kick. He stood still, staring at me with a look I wasn’t sure I knew. It gave me goosebumps. “Thank you,” I whispered, my stomach doing butterflies, “you’re always looking out for me and I’ve never done anything to deserve it.” It was true. For as long as I’d known him, Kick had always stood up for me, and I’d never really given him anything in return or helped him in any way.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and scowled at me. “Don’t fucking say shit like that, Evie. You’d do the same thing for me and Jeremy.”

Kick didn’t usually speak to me like that and it confused me. I stared at him silently, wondering what caused him to do it.

Jeremy punched him in the arm. “Don’t be a dick,” he muttered.

I watched as the two of them glared at each other for a few moments and then Kick looked at me and said, “Sorry, I’m an asshole. But don’t put yourself down, okay? You’ve been there for me more than you know.” His voice cracked a little on his last sentence and he seemed so uncomfortable saying it all. But, at the same time, I could feel the honesty in his words.

I smiled at him and then Jeremy broke the moment with another slap on Kick’s back. “Okay, let’s round this up, guys,” he said as he draped his arm around me again. “I’ve got fucking math homework and I need Evie to work it out for me.”

Kick grinned. “She needs to work my shit out, too.”

I rolled my eyes. “Are you two ever going to do your own work?”

They stared at me like I was an idiot, and then both their faces broke out in larger grins. “Fuck no,” they said in unison as the three of us began walking home.

I laughed.

No matter what I was going through in my life, these two always made my day better.

I hoped I always had them in my life.

***

After Julie left, I headed over to my mother’s house. I checked in with her almost daily. Whereas my father usually kept me at arm’s length, my mother was the exact opposite - needy.

“Mum, you home?” I yelled out as I unlocked the front door and entered her house. Stupid question really, because aside from going to work, my mother hardly left her home.

“In the kitchen,” came her reply.

I kicked off my shoes just inside the front door because Mum had a thing against shoes in the house. As I did this, I noticed the black boots sitting near the door and wondered who they belonged to.

And then I heard a male voice.

Kick.

What the hell? He hardly ever visited my mother.

I hurried to the kitchen and as I rounded the corner, I came face to face with him. I had to grab onto the counter to steady myself so I didn’t run into him. My gaze hit his neck and took in the tattoos there before it travelled up to his face, taking in his beard and brown hair that always had that just-fucked look.

His hands grabbed my arms to also help steady me, and my tummy did somersaults at the contact.

It’s been too long since he’s held me.

“Evie,” he murmured, his deep voice awakening the desire I’d always felt for him. The goddamn desire I’d fought hard to rid myself of. But after seeing him at Jeremy’s funeral, I knew the desire was as strong as ever.

Fuck.

I tried to move out of his embrace but he wouldn’t let me go. I glared at him. “Let me go, Kick.”

He held me for another couple of moments before doing as I’d asked. I placed my hands on his chest to try to force him to step aside so I could enter the kitchen, but he didn’t move, and all I succeeded in doing was shooting more desire throughout my body at the feel of his body again.

He glanced down at my hands on his chest and then looked at me from under hooded eyes.

Those green eyes.

Damn.

“Feels good, baby,” he whispered, his voice thick with unmistakable hunger and those damn eyes penetrating mine, radiating more of that hunger.