“Let’s get one thing straight. Raven is my bestie and should she come to town and meet you—well, you’d love her, too.” I toss the cookie right back in front of her. “There. You’ve got two friends now. I bet that’s two more than you had before Isatdown.”
Her left eye comes shy of winking. I can tell under that dark beauty she’s percolating like a kettle. “Nice. And you’vegotone.”
“Youmeantwo.”
“I mean one.” She lifts her brows with delight as if she’s cornered me. Lex is a hard ass, and I think that’s honestly why I put up with her. If my mother trained me to do anything, it’s to love a hard ass. “Once Raven finds out you’ve lied, cheated, and stole her brother, you’ll be deficient one very bestfriend.”
“Ouch.” I swallow past the Raven-sized lump that’s spontaneously settled in my throat. “Touché.” Thoughts of Raven chasing me around Hollow Brook with the working end of her stiletto play on a loop in my brain. “So, what was the big emergency? You have another ploy to land me inhandcuffs?”
“More or less.” She bites down on that bloated bottom lip of hers, and her features soften. Lex goes from badass to ass-in-a-sling in a single bound. “My boss let me know The Sloppy Pelican put in for another review. Apparently, they’re in the throes of redoing their entire menu and they’d like a piece done on them in about amonth.”
I take a mock bow. “You can thank me for that. I’m personally redoing the menu. Honest to God, they had the boring food disease. Trust me, I saved them from a sure and sudden death. Most new restaurants specialize in closing, and that’s exactly the train the TSP wasboarding.”
“You’re responsible, huh?” she growls my way. “I should have known. You do realize I can’tdothis.”
“Why in the hell not? So what if Ax might be there? Say hello and get over it. Let him see how stunning you are. Wear a low-cut top and drive him to the brink. We’ll laugh about it over sangrias.” I give a silent applause. “I’m updating things on the bar end as well. Plus, I’ll be there. You can use me as your securityblanket.”
“Puh—lease.” She scoffs out the window. “You and Levi will be rutting in the corner by then. The last thing on this planet I want is to come face-to-face with that man—Axel, not the one you’ll beruttingwith.”
Thoughts of Levi and me naked and hungrily humping behind the fake bird of paradise makes me hot in all the right places. “You really think things will move that quickly?” I’m salivating just thinkingaboutit.
“Only if you’re human.” She grunts. “Look, in a month you’ll be me, and I’ll happily give you the remainder of what I owe, not to mention an extra two-fifty.”
“No way. I’m not going down that thorny road again. Not to mention the fact the boys that own and run the place know exactly who I am. Face it, you’re stuckwiththis.”
She lunges forward and snaps up my wrist. “Then make sure he’s not there.” Those hazel eyes quickly morph into twin pleading doves. “I’ll do it. I’ll be quick and efficient. Just lock that boy in the freezer if youhaveto.”
“First of all”—I carefully pluck myself free—“he came sniffing around the first time you were supposed to be there, because he obviously wanted to see you. Don’t you think that if he can get over the past—so can you? Put your big girl panties on and suck it up, sweetheart. Believe me, you’ll feel tons better once it’s over. Whatever this worst-case scenario you’ve got strumming in your head—trust me, it’s about as far from reality as you can get. You might even have ablast.”
“A blast, huh?” She glowers at me as if she’ll have anything but. “You’d better pray I like the food.” She toasts me with her drink before sashaying out the door in her spiked SteveMaddens.
The food will beexcellent.
Her luckmaynot.
Sunday rolls around luxuriously lazy,inspiring Levi and me to dance in the kitchen blaring “Key Largo” while whipping up a double batch of chocolatey goodness for the cheesy ’80s movie marathon we’re about to partake in. Oh, who are we kidding? We’re going to drown ourselves in chocolate before drowning in each other. Who knows? Tonight might even bethenight.
Levi has been bedroom eyeing me, eye fucking me—call it what you will—but this slow dance we’re embroiled in, his rock-hard chest pressed to mine, those ocean-deep eyes beaming down over me, that lewd grin slowly ticking to life—it’s all I can do not to let the damn brownies burn the house down and drag this mantobed.
My phone blinks to life, and that tense knot that’s been brewing in my stomach ever since my last encounter with my bestie gets a little bigger. I haven’t exactly confessed to Levi that I sent Raven Lex’s picture, partially because of his proximity to her ex. How did my life get to be a complicated version of six degrees of separation? I glance over at my phone. It’s not Raven.It’sLisa.
“It’s my sister.” I sigh as I pick it up to see what threats will be lobbed mywaynow.
Dinner is at five. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The girls are baking a cake. You still love me,right?
It takes a minute for me to wrap my head around what the heck she’s talking about, and then it hits me in the face like thirty-four birthdaycandles.
“Oh God, I’ve almost missed my sister’s birthday!” I look to Levi in a panic. “Comewithme.”
“What?” Now it’s his turn to panic. “What do we tell her?” He flicks a finger between the twoofus.
“That I picked up a really cutehitchhiker?”
A dark rumble of a laugh strums from him as he pulls me in close and lands a kiss to the softest spot on my neck. “I think maybe tonight is the perfect night to test the waters—as far as sisters go. How about we go for thetruth?”
A crooked smile comes to my lips, but I can’t help it. “That you’re my married boss and I’m eager to have a full-blownaffair?”
He belts out a laugh that dies as quick as it came. “Maybe go easy on thedetails.”
