Very Twisted Things (Briarcrest Academy #3) by Ilsa Madden-Mills Read Free Book Online Page B

Spider and Mila sitting out on lounge chairs, dressed in swimming clothes. I guess they’d come out after I left.
    “Kinda late for a swim, isn’t it?” I snapped.
    They both startled, eyes big as I strode over and plopped down next to them. Monster immediately jumped up to lay on my chest. I scratched her on the head and sighed heavily. Maybe I needed to jump in the water. Cool off my libido.
    “Never too late to hang with friends,” Mila said in a cheery tone, eyeing me warily.
    Spider just shrugged at me and set down his Jack and Coke, his eyes glued to the pink one-piece swimsuit Mila was sporting.
    Whoa. I sat up straighter. It’s like this. Mila’s a straight-as-an-arrow-never-said-the-word-fuck kind of girl. She was not my style—and definitely not Spider’s. She’s our employee and friend, and we’d agreed a long time ago that she was off limits. In fact, Nora had promised she’d kick me in the nuts if Mila got her heart broken out here.
    So why was Spider picking her up and tossing her in the pool with his hands all over her ass? She certainly seemed to enjoy it, shrieking and squirming with her arms wrapped around his neck.
    My eyes darted between the two of them. Were they—? Nah. That was impossible. Because if he was messing with her—I’d fucking kill him, and he knew it.
    They continued to frolic like two school kids, and I got antsy. I needed to get out of here. Get a breather. “Wanna go for a walk, baby girl?” I cooed at Monster, who’d been nipping at my fingers for attention. She gave me a doggy grin and yipped a yes.
    “She never makes over me like that, and she’s my pet,” Spider called from the pool.
    I grunted. Spider had bought her from a roadie a few years ago, but I’m the one who ended up taking care of her. I fed her, walked her, took her to the puppy salon. Hell, I’d even taken her to a movie premiere once. “You’re my baby, aren’t you? The only girl I need,” I cooed to her as she licked my hand.
    Spider climbed out, his lean body dripping water as he walked over to grab a towel. I flicked my eyes at Mila, who was still swimming. “Tell me you didn’t mess with Mila.” I kept my voice low.
    He froze. “Sod off.”
    I stiffened. “Fuck you. She’s too young—”
    “Twenty-three, same as us.”
    I scowled. “I feel responsible for her. Remember the drummer she met in Austin that screwed her over? Took her months to recover from catching him with another chick. Don’t be part of the problem, man.”
    He settled back on the lounger and reached for his drink. “Nothing’s going on between us.”
    “Dude. It’s nearly two in the morning. Nothing good happens late.”
    He lit a cig. “She’s here because her apartment’s being painted. The fumes were making her sick. I would have told you, but you were already in the bed.”
    If that was the whole story, then why did he keep looking at her like she was a slice of his favorite pie?
    I exhaled and stood up, ready for my walk. “All I’m saying is if you touch her—well, then you gotta marry her or some shit.”
    He eyed me carefully, a hard glint in his gaze. “I don’t see why you’d care. You had your chance with her and didn’t take it. Do you regret it? Do you want her now?”
    I groaned. “I also used to wear loafers and button-downs. Things change, but she will always be one of my dearest friends. And that means protecting her from assholes who just want to get in her pants.”
    He blew out a trail of smoke. “Like I said: sod off.”
    I snapped at his nonchalance. “Don’t play with her. She deserves better.”
    He jerked up and glared at me with clenched fists, a red flush on his cheeks. “Why? What’s wrong with me?”
    My shoulders squared. Bigger and bulkier than him, I didn’t doubt that I could kick his ass, but he also had the wiry thing going for him. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded, but take a good look at yourself. You drink too much, get in fights, and use girls.