“Well, hello to you, too,” a female voice growls from behind, and I’ve never felt like a bigger piece of dog crap.
Lucky jumps in front of me along with Ava, and I do a quick sweep behind them in the event Grant decided to tag along. Grant could save this somehow. He always seems to know the right thing to say, and, right about now, I can use him to save my neck.
“What’s up?” I give her shoulder a light tap as if I had never uttered the insult I just inadvertently doled out. “Eli was just asking if you’re taken.” I try to shrug it off, hoping she’ll get where I’m coming from. Lucky doesn’t want anyone to think we’re together, does she?
Her cheeks turn red as stop signs as her anger simmers. Those lilac-colored eyes boil over with what looks like hellfire, and I’m not sure if it’s simply because she heard the rejection or if she’s genuinely hurt by the idea.
“I am free.” She links her arm through Eli’s and bats up at him with those mile-long lashes. “In fact, I was just telling Ava that I am single and ready to mingle.” She leans in until their faces are within firing range, and my gut wrenches at the sight. “Anyone ever tell you that you have amazing lips? The things I could do to that mouth.”
Jet gives a frantic wave from the other end of the room and points hard down at the happy couple.
“All right.” I slice my hand between them, separating them without much effort. “Save the fun for later, kids. We don’t want to steal the show.”
Before Lucky can protest, Scarlett runs into the room with her crimson hair whipping around like flames. “They’re here!” she whispers as loud as possible, enough to where the room quiets down.
Rex dims the lights, and as soon as the twins’ shadows darken the entry, we shout a collective, “Surprise!”
Knox has his girlfriend by his side and Trixy is dolled up, looking more like she belongs at Briggs than she does any U.S. high school. They start making the rounds, and Ava pulls Lucky in their direction.
“What’s up with the karate move?” Eli seems unimpressed by the fact I broke up their personal party. “Never mind. I get it. You’re into her.”
“I’m not into her.” I lower my voice this time in the event I get my balls kicked in for shooting her ego down twice in one night. “Her brother was giving you the finger. I was saving your legs so you can live to kick another day. Be thankful.”
He cranes his neck to get a better look at Lucky. “Yeah, well, if you’re really not into her, I’ll keep my next meeting with the queen of mean private. Come to think of it, there are a few things I’d like to do with her without the watchful eye of her brother around.” He gives a greasy grin, and I come this close to sucker-punching him in the gut.
“Rein it in, dude. She’s off the roster. I’ll find you a decent girl to call your own—if for the night. Just point your compass somewhere else.”
Knox comes over with Janelle, and I pull him in for a quick pat to the back. But Janelle lunges at me and lands a kiss to my neck before pulling away. Her eyes widen as if it were our little secret, and it makes me feel like a creep. It’s not normal to kiss someone like that, is it? I mean, I’ve heard of a European kiss, a holy kiss—Janelle is neither European nor is she holy in my eyes. Something about her is entirely too friendly, but then, she and Knox seem solid.
I glance away in an effort to avoid making eye contact with her, and instead, my gaze seals over a beautiful girl who looks as if I’ve just knifed her puppy.
Lucky gives me the finger before traveling deeper into the crowd.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Knox cranes his neck. “You should have her come over and meet Janelle.”
“They’ve met.”
Eli raises a brow in my direction.
“And she’s not my anything. Lucky and I are just friends.” The small crowd before me parts, and there she is, hands on her hips. That stunned expression on her face might as well have come in the form of a slap. She heard. Of course, she did.
Scarlett and Rex shout for everyone’s attention, and the entire room sings “Happy Birthday” to my new stepbrother and stepsister. Dad and Lynette thank everyone for coming and ask us all to sign a card the size of a refrigerator near the door.
“Hey, Lucky.” I head toward her, and she speeds deeper into the crowd.
Damn. I can’t seem to say anything right tonight. I never should’ve let that kiss happen. I should have said something stupid and nixed it after she laid that first one on me. I could have played it off. Hell, who am I kidding? I initiated it as much as she did. But if I didn’t, if we didn’t—we could have still been Lucky and Lawson, not some disastrous couple locked in an argument we should never be having.
Lucky and Lawson. It has a nice ring to it. Lucky and Lawson sounds an awful lot like a perfect couple. I frown at my own conclusions as I bump into Jet and his overstuffed biceps.
This right here is why Lucky and I aren’t a couple, and we never will be.
“What’s going on?” He pulls Daisy in, and I give a brief smile. Daisy and Jet happen to know the truth of what happened that night that I shirked my princely duties, and I’m hoping they continue to keep it to themselves.
“Just looking for your sister. You know, making sure she’s staying out of trouble.”
Scarlett and Rex swing in with a breeze, cooling me down from the sweat beading on the back of my neck. Having a conversation with Jet about his feisty little sister just doesn’t feel safe anymore.
“You’re looking for Lucky?” Scarlett’s eyes enlarge the size of two green Frisbees. “Don’t tell me you’ve got a crush on her!” She hops a little when she says it as if this excited the hell out of her.
