I grab my shoes and start to wander down the beach in the direction of my house.
Alex follows. “Where’s Westwood? Shouldn’t he be taking you home?”
“Haven’t seen him since the ex showed up,” I mumble, and run a hand through my hair, which is tangled from the foray into the ocean earlier.
I ignore the slight pang I feel at my own statement. It really is cold. I rub my arms again and suddenly am blanketed in something warm and fuzzy. It’s Alex’s Saints zip-up hoodie, which he had been wearing.
“I’m not cold, so just shut up,” he orders before I can protest.
“You’re always such a charmer, Rue,” I say in French, but smile gratefully and shove my arms through the sleeves. They’re way too long and my hands don’t emerge at the ends.
“He’s not with Liz. I meanpas comme ça,” Alex tells me.Not like that.
“How do you know?” I ask, and then stop and add, “It doesn’t matter if he is anyway.”
“Yeah, it matters.” He laughs and squeezes my shoulder. “You want to bang him.”
“So classy!” I snap back.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
I turn and look at the dark rolling waves without saying another word. He lets out a trademark Larue belly laugh. “I also want to bang Zac Efron and George Clooney. So what? It’s not going to happen.”
“Sweetie, you don’t know those two. And you don’t live next door to them.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me closer. “Currently, George and Zac don’t want to bang you. But Avery does.”
“Shut up with your theories already, Alex,” I snap. This time, I’m actually almost mad. “Seriously. Just let it be.”
Alex ignores my request completely as we turn off the beach and head down my street. “I know Westie’s got more self-control than a robot, but his little misadventure with that Liz girl proves he’s a man and not a eunuch. And you’re completely irresistible, but he still can’t close the deal. He’s a fucking rookie. It’s infuriating.”
“If he wanted it, he would come and get it,” I say, and I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. Why am I talking to Larue about this, of all people? Oh, well, too late to stop now. “It’s probably better we don’t have sex because it could never be anything more. I’m not meant to be with someone like Avery.”
“Yeah, that sounds…what’s the expression I’m looking for?” He grins, and I see a flash of that charisma that women seem to love. “Really fucking dumb.”
“Seriously,” I say firmly as we get to my place and I make my way up the porch. I notice the light is on next door. “That Liz girl is from his hometown and she’s probably a nurse or something noble. Something great for his image.”
“A kindergarten teacher,” Alex corrects. “At a Montessori school, whatever that is. Her redhead friend is too. I was chatting her up, trying to see if…you know…”
He grins and a cold slap of reality hits me in the face. We may have some decent sexual chemistry, but Avery needs much more than that. Liz can give him that squeaky-clean milk-and-cookies image he requires. He’s probably figured that out—finally—tonight. I climb my porch steps and dig my key out of the pocket of my shorts.
“He really wasn’t happy to see her, if that makes you feel any better,” Alex says calmly, and follows me up the stairs. I unlock the door, and inside I hear giggling coming from the kitchen. Maddie’s giggles. And then Ty swears in a deep, lust-filled voice.
Alex and I exchange glances.
“Parsons…,” Alex calls out hesitantly. “Are you doing some naked cooking in there? Because ready or not, here we come!”
Alex takes my hand and leads me down the hall into the kitchen. I have the urge to cover my eyes. I do not want to see Maddie and Ty naked.
Alex stops short in the kitchen entry. Maddie is sitting on the counter in nothing but Ty’s T-shirt. Her legs are parted and a half-naked Ty Parsons is occupying the space between them. He’s in a pair of boxer briefs. Boxer briefs that my roommate has her hands in the back of. Ty is holding a Ben and Jerry’s container in one hand and a spoon with melting ice cream in the other.
“Food sex! Love it. Carry on!” Alex sits down at the kitchen table and smiles. Maddie rolls her eyes and Ty puts the ice cream and spoon down on the counter.
“Show’s over,” Maddie announces. She moves her eyes from Larue to me. “Hey! I thought you were already asleep.”
“I was. At the beach. Alex woke me up and walked me home,” I explain.
“Have you guys seen Westwood?” Alex asks.
“Seen him? No. Heard him? Yes,” Ty responds. He’s still wedged between my roommate’s legs with his back to us, but he’s turned his head toward us as he talks. “He and the stalker ex have been screaming at each other for about an hour.”
