“Don’t fucking call me that,” my best friend mutters. “And move your ass over so I can actually sit down and play.” For a moment, I’m proud of my buddy. Look at him being social. But then my brain turns on.
Using the hand that is not still down Liza’s pants, I reach into my pocket for my phone and tap out an SOS.
Blue: Dude. Get the hell out of here.
Sparky: What the hell?
Blue: Get. Out. Of. The. Living. Room. Now.
Blue: And take the guys with you. Go up to the gaming room. Or out to Wolfie’s. Just leave.
Sparky: And again, I say, what the hell? Where are you?
Blue: Doesn’t matter. Just please for the love of all that is fucking holy, get out of the house.
Sparky: Is this why you want us out of here?
I look at the pic that pops up on my screen. It’s a shot of the kitchen table. It’s empty except for my smoothie cup and Liza’s water bottle. That’s not so bad. People leave cups lying around all the time. The bad part is that at the bottom of the photo, you can see my right sneaker. And Liza’s bare feet. Shit. This table is not as big as I thought it was.
Blue: Yes, you fucker. Now go.
A minute later, we hear some grumbling as the guys walk up the stairs.
Sparky: You’re in the clear, you dumb shit.
I start to relax as Liza breathes a sigh of relief. I pull her close to me and wrap my arm around her so that her back is to my front. “We’re good. The guys went up to Ollie’s old room. They didn’t even know we were here. Well, Sparky did, but he’s a vault.”
“I swear my heart stopped beating for a second,” Liza says. “The idea of being caught is hot, but almost getting caught?That’s terrifying. Definitely not for me. Thumbs down, would not recommend.”
I press a kiss to her temple and pull my hand out of her sweats. I’d be more than happy to get right back to where we were or to move this party to a location with a door that locks, but Liza’s clearly still freaked out.
She clears her throat and tugs at the hem of her shirt.“While the coast is clear, I’m going to head back to my room. I want to, uh, grab a shower before I need to get to the Wolf’s Den.”
I nod as I watch her crawl out from under the table and dash down the hall. It takes me a minute to slither my big body around the table leg and back out into the open space. It’s a wonder I didn’t pull a damn muscle when I pulled us both under for cover. I finish my smoothie and refill iza’s bottle with ice and fresh water so it’s ready to go when she is. By the tim I make it up to my room, I find Dutton camped out in front of Hazel’s cat castle, petting my sweet girl.
“You’re a fucking dumbass,” he says, not bothering to turn around.
I know he’s right, and what he’s referring to, but I play dumb because I’m in a pissy mood. “Fuck you,” I volley back. “You would never have passed O Chem without me.”
“If you’re such a genius, what the hell was that stunt downstairs?”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” I say, shoulder checking him because Hazel is my cat and I should be the one to pet her and tell her she’s the bestest girl.
He gives me a look that says he’s over my bullshit.
“Is this about earlier? The texts I sent? Fine. Thanks. I needed a favor and you gave me one. End of story. I’ve done you enough solids over the years that I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I guess your love language is words of affirmation, so thank you.”
“I don’t need a thank you, and ditching the gaming crew wasn’t a big deal. But the fact that you’re fucking around with Liza definitely is.”
Silence hangs heavily in the air for a second until I break the calm by bursting into a fit of laughter. “You’re fucking joking, right?” I ask my best friend. “You’re lecturing me about girls I should stay away from?”
“I’m not?—”
“You know what? Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should forget about Liza and just see if Mickey has another sister. That worked out so well for you,” I say, not bothering to hide my annoyance. Sparky and I have been friends as far back as either of us can remember, and I’ve always supported him, no matter what.
“That was different,” Dutton says.
“The fuck it was,” I answer back. “You fell ass over blades for a woman you had no business wanting, and our team nearly mutinied. And where was I? Right fucking next to you. Not lecturing you, not judging you. I had your back and Bridgette’s that whole damn time.”
