Page 16 of Joel

“Well, yeah.”

She lets out a laugh, and nods to my phone as it sounds again. “Better check it so we don’t get sent to the principal’s office.”

“Sorry,” I say, reaching for my phone on the nightstand. A notification warns me there are over twenty text messages.

Blakely: Joel, we need to talk.

James: Leave the poor man alone.

Ella: We know what happened yesterday out on the Bering Sea.

Jasper: Don’t bother denying it. I was there. I told them everything.

Serenity: We saw your truck at the hotel.

Blakely: Saw it? It’s still there.

Jaxson: Can you all lay off the man? If he’s getting laid, you should be happy.

Ella: Getting laid???

Jordan: It’s about fucking time, man.

Mara: We can’t lay off! What if his soulmate leaves and he never gets to tell her how he really feels!

Jonas: I’d apologize for outing you, but this is just too much fucking fun.

Jasper: Don’t steal all my credit.

Jonas: It was a joint effort, and you know it.

“Fuck me,” I say, running a hand over my face. I switch the sound to silent, but the texts just keep on coming.

Vanessa: Don’t be like me and waste years before you find each other back.

Jasper: My incredible, beautiful, talented wife has a point.

Blakely: We want to meet her.

Ella: Yes! Bring her to The Iceberg tonight!

“You okay there?” Kylie glances purposely at my softening cock. There’s a sparkle in her eyes that suggests she’d be more than happy to bring it back to life. But also an understanding that something is…off.

“They mean well,” I say, tossing my phone aside. “But right now, I kind of want to kill them.”

Kylie places her hand on my thigh. “Want to tell me about it?”

“It’s stupid, really.”

“Stupider than renting a boat from a shady old man, ignoring your instincts about renting it in the first place, and having to watch it sink two hours later?”

“I’m going to have a word with Mr. Thorton,” I say in a growl.

“Hey,” she says, cupping my face until I meet her amber gaze. “Talk to me, Joel.”

“There’s six of us in the J-Squad,” I explain. “We’ve been together since bootcamp. We’ve also all been single until we got stationed together here. And one by one, they’ve all gotten married.”

“You’re the last one standing?”