Free Hanging Pawns (The Fate Series Book 2) by Emersyn Vallis

I think is his name, wears it the best.
    “Mea… You look familiar.” Simon steps closer, scanning over me. “Have we met?”
    The smell of cedar coming off his clothes is powerful as it lingers in the air around me.
    Taking a hard swallow, I back away from him.
    “I don’t believe so, I think I would remember meeting you three.” I hesitantly laugh, trying not to cough in his face.
    “Excuse him, he doesn’t understand personal space.” The one I think is Chase says, hooking his finger in the collar of Simon’s shirt and pulling him back.
    “However, he is right, you do look familiar, could be the hair… We get mistaken for brothers all the time because of our hair,” he jokes.
    I laugh at his obvious joke and watch Simon from the corner of my eye continue to stare at me like he’s trying to uncover some sort of secret.
    “I do go to school with you… maybe you saw me yesterday?” I shrug.
    “Were you with our roommate?” Dean wiggles his brows at me.
    He’s actually adorable in a nerdy, want-to-pinch-his-cheeks kind of way.
    “Yes, that was me,” I sigh.
    The guys look at each other. “That’s it.” Dean snaps his fingers.
    “So the message,” Chase blurts out.
    Pulling out my keys, I turn and unlock the door.
    “If you could just tell them I’m home, I would really appreciate it.” I smirk as their jaws hit the porch. “Oh, and Simon… is it?” He looks up at me with a cold stare. “Your cookies were…” I roll my eyes up and hum, slamming the door in their faces.
    “Son of a bitch! She is one of them!” someone yells out, and I laugh to myself.
    Okay, so I can kind of see the fun in teasing them…

    It’s around ten by the time I finish my homework, and I realize Josh hasn’t been around to annoy me. Rolling onto my back, I stare up at the ceiling thinking about how comfortable it was with him earlier. But I shouldn’t be entertaining the idea of him. It’s not like it could ever go anywhere. My mother would have a heart attack if I ever dated someone she couldn’t control, and I have a feeling Josh doesn’t bend to someone else’s will… also he has nothing to offer her in trade so that makes him like me in her eyes… nothing.
    I suddenly hear yelling coming from downstairs and against my better judgment, I get up to find out what’s going on.
    When I get downstairs I instantly regret my decision and think I should have stayed where I was. A card game is going on at our dining room table and the guys are yelling at Molly and Morgan about always stacking the deck. Clearing my throat the guys sit back in their chairs and apologize as I walk in.
    “She’s alive!!! Come nerd, sit and play!” Molly is waving her hand for me to come and sit in the empty chair on their side.
    “Now it’s three on three… Don’t go crying to your pain-in-the-ass mother when you lose… again,” Molly taunts them.
    The guys toss their cards down on the table to be shuffled and dealt.
    “What are we playing? Poker, Rummy?” I cheerfully take a seat next to Morgan who is seated across from Chase. Simon eyes me from his chair across from me, and I give a polite smile.
    He is so different from his brothers. I let the thought go, remembering how different I am from my family. I remember spending countless hours in the kitchen with the staff learning how to play cards when I was younger so this should work out well for me.
    “Nope… Spoons.” Chase rubs his hands together as he gives Morgan a determined look.
    “I’m sorry, what? You guys are freaking out over Spoons?”
    Laughter bursts from my lips at the idea of these guys taking such a juvenile game seriously and then it hits me… of course they would.
    “They cheat too much to play poker with.” Morgan glares at Chase.
    “I told you! That was Grams! I swear I had nothing to do with that!” He holds his hands up in defeat.
    “You’re blaming an elderly woman?” Molly shakes her head at him. “There is a special place in hell