“Me? Oh, I’m just giving your communication style a try,” he says, waving Alexander away. “Maybe you’re right; maybe grunts are more effective than words.”
Alexander and I look at each other, then back at Lucas.
“Alexander has a better chance at becoming a beauty queen than you do taking a vow of silence,” I say dryly.
It earns me an angry grunt from Alexander.
Lucas slumps forward onto the counter with a defeated breath. “Okay, fine. I’m distracted.”
We wait patiently for the explanation, but nothing could prepare us for the moment he straightens and says angrily, “I got myasshanded to me in court today.”
I gawk at Lucas. Alexander’s beer freezes on the way to his lips.
After a moment, I turn toward Alexander and say, “I don’t know if I’m more surprised at the fact, or hearing himadmitthe fact.”
“Definitely the second,” Alexander mutters.
“Ugh,focus,” Lucas says with a rare glare. “This is serious. I haven’t lost like this since…actually, I don’t think I’veeverlost like this. The guy absolutely wiped the floor with me.”
“So…what happened?” I ask carefully.
Lucas blows out a frustrated breath. “Opposing counsel’s private investigator got their hands on some case-ending information.” He frowns and grumbles, “Information my clientshouldhave shared with me, but thought he could hide. Apparently, the PI managed to dig it up anyway.”
I bite down on my amused smirk. Alexander doesn’t bother hiding his.
“Ifmyteam didn’t even know about it, how the fuck did this PI find out?” Lucas complains. “Where was he even looking?”
“Why do you assume it’s a he?” I ask, only half-joking. “Women are probably way better at sleuthing.”
Lucas snorts. “If it’s a woman, I’d like to meet her. I could use her on my team.”
Just then, Scarlett appears in the kitchen. “A lot of animated discussion going on over here,” she comments as she reaches for the side dishes. “What are you boys talking about?”
While she’s close enough, I quickly press a kiss to her hair. “Lucas got humbled by a woman today.”
Scarlett’s eyebrows rise. “Really? Wow. Can I meet her?”
Lucas rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to retort, but we hear my mom call out, “I would also like to meet her!”
The apartment fills with laughter. Even Alexander cracks a grin.
“You guys are bullies,” Lucas grumbles, reaching for one of the side dishes. But he still affectionately hip checks Scarlett on his way to the dining table. “I’m never being vulnerable with you again.”
By the time dinner is over and the pastries Lucas showed up with have been consumed, I’m eager to be alone with my girlfriend again. And Scarlett can read every thought in my head because she’s smiling when I shut the front door a little too forcefully behind Lucas and Alexander.
“You don’t think they’ll be offended you kicked them out?” she asks with a laugh as I stalk toward her. “Between this and the teasing?—”
“No more talking about my brothers,” I grumble, pulling her down onto the couch with me. “I’ve shared your attention enough for one night.”
She curls up in my lap with a happy sigh. “You always have my attention.”
“I’m happy to hear it,” I say, wrapping my arms around her. I drop my cheek to her head as one hand starts to brush along her thigh.
When she yawns, I pull back to look at her. “Tired?”
She nods and snuggles closer. “It’s just been a long month. It’ll be a relief when my semester is over.”
I start to massage her back. “You’ve been working hard. You should take a break after finals, actually do something to relax.”
