And I hate losing.
“Sit down, Becker,” I snap, flipping open my planner with a violent flick. “And pray I don’t make you wear a fuchsia sweater with little hearts for our first official photo.”
He laughs, dropping into the chair with feline ease.
“You can try, Angel. But you know I’d make even that look sexy.”
42
Revenge and Fireworks
Cohen
WhatsApp Group: LAKEWOOD LOCKER ROOM ???? (Minus One)
Turbo (Tayler):That’s soft porn! “Easy to take off.” Becker, you’re my hero. Teach me.
Me:Fuck off.
The vibe at The Snowed Inn is a lethal mix of cinnamon, good intentions, and repressed sexual tension.
We’re all gathered around the fireplace. There’s wine, there are dangerously good snacks made by Lina and Sebastian, (currently looking at each other like they’d either stab or strip each other), and there’s a warmth that doesn’t just come from the flames.
And then there’s her.
Sloane.
She’s on the couch across from me, legs crossed, wineglass in hand, wearing an expression that hovers somewhere between “ice queen” and “serial killer on her lunch break.”
Since I walked in, she’s been avoiding me like the plague.
She won’t look me in the eye, won’t talk to me, just shoots me a death glare every time I dare to breathe too loudly.
She’s still furious about the phone call.
Still convinced I’ve got some secret “princess” I’m buying lingerie for.
And me?
I’m having a great time.
Because I know something she doesn’t.
I know what’s inside that glossy package with the red ribbon I casually set on the coffee table.
“Okay,” Sloane claps her hands, trying to reclaim her role as supreme organizer. “It is officially time for Secret Santa.”
Everyone straightens. There’s a murmur of excitement.
I shift on my armchair, dropping my bored act.
“All right, Sloane goes first,” I announce, way too enthusiastically, just to piss her off.
She snaps her head toward me. Her blue eyes narrow into suspicious slits.
“Why me?” she asks, in a tone that screams trap.
I cross my arms over my chest, feeling my shirt pull tight over my biceps. I give her the slow, provocative smile I know makes her want to slap me.
