Me: An interesting one.

Bento: For sure. My bet is you’ve got some chick over.

He’s wrong. Raven isn’t some chick. Then again, I don’t know how to correct him. I mean, what is Raven to us exactly? Our friend? Employee? Our long-lost Willow? Who the hell knows?

I don’t even bother replying. I just tuck my phone into my pocket.

“Yeah, he’s done.” I open the fridge and grab a bottle of juice. “I’m still not sure what to tell Benton when he asks about her, because I know he’s going to. In fact, the fucker’s probably going to flirt with her.”

Jax’s lips sink into a frown. “Maybe she and I should just stay here, then, and you go meet him?”

I mentally roll my eyes at him. He already likes Raven, and it’s so obvious. The problem is, so do I.

“You really want to do that to her?” I question. “Just make her sit in the house when we promised she’d have fun tonight?”

“Do you really think going to meet Benton at the Crossing constitutes as fun?”

“For her, probably.” I twist the cap off my juice. “She’s told me enough about herself that it’s pretty obvious she hasn’t had any friends before. So, parties and picking up liquor and just driving around town and having fun aren’t anything she’s probably done before.”

Jaxon absorbs what I said then pushes away from the counter. “You’re probably right, but we need to make sure to be careful.”

“I totally agree.” I take a swig of juice then follow him out of the kitchen.

Right as he’s about to step back into the living room, he pauses and glances back at me. “And I think you’re right about not telling Zay about this. At least for now.”

I nod in agreement, and we leave it at that. I just hope Zay doesn’t find out. Otherwise, drama is going to take over our house big time.

5

RAVEN

Do you ever get that feeling when people walk into the room, and you know they’ve been talking about you? I have. A lot. Mainly since I’ve been bullied most of my life. Usually, they say mean shit about me and would go the extra mile of telling me every word that was said.

When Jax and Hunter enter the room again, I’m fairly convinced they were talking about me. Part of me wants to believe what they were saying wasn’t bad, but my insecurities creep up on me.

“Is everything okay?” I ask as they approach where I am sitting on the sofa.

Hunter nods as he stops in front of me, while Jax lingers just a ways back from him.

“Absolutely.” Hunter extends his hand toward me and offers me a smile.

Jax, however, seems a bit twitchy. I wonder why.

I place my hand in Hunter’s. “So, Benton’s good with getting us alcohol?”

“Yep.” Hunter continues to smile as he lifts me to my feet.

I don’t know how he can do that—smile so much. But, I guess, if I had as pretty of a smile as his, I’d smile that much, too.