Outcast (Wiltshire University Book 1)

Chapter 12

"And that's Bree. Sorry." I looked up at the sound of Tanner clearing the empty bags off the counter next to my head. He flashed me a sympathetic smile as he walked past me heading down the hall to those bi-fold doors I noticed last night.

"Bree is perfectly lovely as am a; stop apologizing for me and mine," Braxton, expertly cracking eggs into a large bowl, called after Tanner.

"I will, just as soon as you and yours stop giving Cali a hard time."

"Methinks the gentleman doth protest ta much," Braxton sing-songed tossing a wrapped block of cheese at Tanner who deftly caught the flying dairy product and ferried it away in the fridge.

"Right then," Braxton snatched up an egg in each hand holding them poised over the counter, his emerald eyes finding mine, "omelettes California style ok?"

"Yes, thank you," I eked out, sitting upright under his gaze but keeping the hood up. I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but I was too embarrassed to ask.

"Tanner?" A male voice called from the front door.

"Kitchen."

A guy who had to be the poster child for the all-American boy next door walked into the room. Mr. All American was as big as Zane, with broad shoulder, straight brown hair, crystal blue eyes, and a set of matching dimples, the kind that ran the full length of his cheeks when he smiled, walked into the room.

"Brax is making omelets?" he grinned spotting the food.

"Yup. You have time for one?"

"I'll make time," he exclaimed his grin widening as he rubbed his stomach. "So where are those water-logged electronics you wanted me to take a look at?"

I did a double take. This was Finn, their tech guru? When Tanner mentioned one of his friends was really into tech, I pictured some slightly chubby or at least socially awkward looking guy who would ramble on about why he hates Apple and Android and how he'd modified basically everything to get around the bloat of any operating system that wasn't his. This guy looked like he belonged on billboards or on the pages of ESPN's Body Issue not in some dark cave dealing with wiring and programming or whatever it was tech gurus did.

Oh my god! Do not think of him naked. Stupid Zane with his stupid sports magazines with stupidly attractive naked athletes making this moment incredibly awkward. I ducked my head back down focusing on the fuzzballs again hoping no one noticed my drooling.

What is it with these guys? So far Tanner and all of his friends are jaw-dropping gorgeous. Is it a requirement to be in their club? Club? What are they five? Like they have a club. Ugh! I am such a dork! Ok, I'm going to stop talking to myself in my head right now. God! What if they could hear me? Then I really would have to crawl in a hole and die. Oh my god, are they looking at me? How long have I been talking to myself? No wait, Finn is waiting for Tanner to answer. I'm good, as long as I stop talking to myself in my head like now.

"I've got them in the den, I'll go grab them," Tanner responded, popping out of the room for a moment. Ok if they noticed my sudden inability to function around people, they didn't draw attention to it.

"Coffee is fresh," Braxton indicated jerking his head towards the pot while he poured the egg mixture into the pan. "Uh, sorry, a dinnae catch yer name love, would ye fancy a cup of coffee?" Braxton asked me as Tanner walked back into the kitchen with my phone and computer in hand.

"Crap. Nobody tell my mom I forgot to make introductions; she would skin me alive."

"Should we also fail ta mention yer potty mouth?" Braxton asked with a mocking grin.