“So, Moreau, just to do my duty and stop pissing off our esteemed captain any further: Why are you so unfocused?
Lucas snorted, picked up his water bottle, and squirted some into his mouth through the grill of his helmet.
Your sister drives me crazy, and I get hard simply hearing her laughing, was probably not a good answer.
“Cool,” Dax said curtly. “I thought so. Then we’ll talk about my problem: You’re single, aren’t you?”
Man, he’d rather they didn’t talk about any problem at all.
“Do you use Tinder?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Not interested.”
“Tinder? Not interested in the women on Tinder? Or a relationship?”
“Yes.”
Dax laughed. “That’s a sensible attitude, because everyone on Tinder is a bunch of creeps who only want one thing! Especially the men. So what the hell is Anna thinking, randomly messaging guys? And then attacking me for reading over her shoulder?”
Ah, that was what their discussion had been about.
Moreau squirted more water into his mouth, which had suddenly become strangely dry.
What you gave me, any other man can give me. So maybe it’s time to find one.
“Maybe Anna only wants one thing,” he murmured. During their time together, he never got the feeling she was interested in anything more. Which made their arrangement so perfect. And it was good that she had found someone else because then, she wouldn’t bother him anymore and…
Moreau rolled his neck.
Yeah, this was good. Let her fuck as many Tinder guys as she wanted. He didn’t care.
Dax obviously did though. “Shit, I think you’re right,” he said, pained. “That’s the fucking problem! She’s been doing this for years. I like to pretend I don’t notice because, God, the mere thought…” He grimaced. “But I swear, when I was at her place a few months ago, she had a fucking man hiding in her closet.”
Lucas glanced away as his face reddened.
Dax narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin. “She jumps into bed with jerks who are completely wrong for her just so there’s not even a hint of a chance of anything serious. Shit, she wouldn’t even have time for that anyway because she works herself to death just to prove how independent she is, and that she doesn’t need anyone’s help.”
“You did the same thing, Dax,” Lucas reminded him harshly. He didn’t like the double standards Dax was laying down when it came to Anna.
“I know! And by God, I don’t judge her for not believing in happy endings when it comes to relationships and wanting to…live it up or whatever. But she had this stupid rule that she wouldn’t really start living until she graduated at the top of her high school class. And then she would really start living after shewas done taking care of Mom. Then she wanted to really start living after she finished med school and was a real doctor. And now she has all that — and she’s carrying on as before. And it doesn’t make her happy. And…shit.” He ran his hand over his face. “If there’s even one person in the world who deserves to be happy, it’s Anna! But I can’t protect her from every little thing. I can’t force her happiness.”
Lucas lowered his gaze. He’d had a sister too. He knew what Dax meant. He hadn’t been able to protect Laney — she’d been more interested in excitement than happiness, too.
“Say, couldyousay something about Tinder to her, that it’s a shitty idea?”
Lucas whipped his head up. “What?”
“Well, I can’t do it and neither can Jack. Lucy and Penny flipped us the bird, and Fox had a fit of laughter. You’re the only one who’s never hit on her, and knows what it’s like to have a sister.”
Fuck.
Well, at least now he knew that he and Anna had been discreet. If Dax suspected anything, he never would have suggested this.
“No,” Lucas said anyway, because he was absolutely the wrong candidate for the job.
