Jace’s skin seems to glow with a reddish tint. “Not in the mood for your shit after that bomb. Are you fucking serious?”
I lock my steady stare onto his. “Deadly.”
He narrows his eyes. “Why the fuck are you telling me this?”
“I’m finally ready to do something about it.” Our future relies heavily on his shoulders. I wonder if he can feel the crushing weight.
His chuckle is hollow. “Does that include stabbing your best friend in the back?”
My stomach lurches and I swallow a mouthful of bile. “I’d never do that to you.”
“That’s fucking rich considering we’re having this conversation.”
I hold up a palm. “Calm the hell down. Nothing has even happened yet.”
His jaw tics. “Sounds to me like you have plans to change that.”
It’s my turn to spit through clenched teeth. “I wouldn’t have said anything if that wasn’t the case.”
He grinds a finger into the center of my chest. “You better be referring to more than just fucking her.”
I smack his hand off me. “Don’t degrade her that way.”
His entire body starts shaking. “Me? You’re the one talking about getting busy with Sutton.”
I groan into my fist. “Will you knock it off? I wanna date her. Do things the right way. Take her out. Make her mine.”
The sneer curling his lip says he doesn’t believe me. “How fucking sweet. You’re writing a fairy tale.”
The raging bull inside of me snorts to life, pawing the ground and aiming to attack. “Stop being a dick.”
Jace leaps to his feet. His meaty fists are twitching at the ready. “Wanna fucking go? You’re already taking shots at me. Might as well make it official.”
If he was any other man, I’d already have his ass pinned to the lawn. “Sit the fuck down. We’re not fighting over this. You either approve or not.”
“As if it actually makes a difference.”
“It sure as shit does, especially to me.”
To my surprise, Jace drops down into his chair. “So, what, you actually expect my consent or some shit?”
“That’d be nice.”
“I can’t fucking believe this.” He rakes rigid fingers through his cropped hair. “How does Sutton feel about you? Have you even asked her?”
I drain the rest of my beer. “She’s currently pissed as shit.”
“Can’t say that I blame her. I’m not your biggest fan at the moment. Seems to be a common theme for you.”
“Thanks for the moral support, asshole.”
“Not sure what outcome you had in mind,” Jace mutters. “You two as a couple has never been on my radar.”
I falter at his words. How can that be possible? His dad made it seem like I’ve been obvious as hell. “For real?”
He shakes his head with a scowl. “You boning my little sister wasn’t something I thought to consider.”
Another round of flames ignites in my veins. “Will you shut up with that? This is real for me.”
