Lena drops onto the sofa beside me and leans forward like an eager kid. “Tell us everything.”
“Harley Isles,” I declare, watching the shock cross their faces. “I met her this morning and I can already tell that she’s the woman for me. No fucking doubt about it.”
Jase buries his face in his hands. “Harley? Please say you’re joking.”
“I’m as serious as I’ve ever been.” On second thought, I add, “More serious.” Because if we’re being honest, seriousness is not a strength of mine.
“Who’s Harley?” Lena asks, looking from me to Jase and back again.
“She’s Seth’s baby sister.” Jase flops into an armchair and shakes his head. “Leave her alone, Dev. You’ve just got a crush because you know Seth would string you up if you even looked at her sideways.”
“Not true,” I counter. “Have you met her? If you had, it wouldn’t seem so unbelievable. She’s gorgeous, and a total badass.”
“I haven’t met her,” he admits, running a hand through the ends of his hair. “But I know you, and it’s probably just a crush. Promise me you won’t act on it, because you’ll regret it within a week if you do. Trust me. I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m looking out for you.”
I frown. I know he means well, but I’d hoped he might be happy for me. The last loner of our threesome finally meeting someone who could take him down a peg.
“I can’t promise that. I told you, I think she’s the one.” Something aches in my chest and I rub it. The thought of leaving her alone feels wrong all the way down to my bones. “I won’t do anything to make Seth lose his shit though.”
Fortunately, Lena seems to read my expression because she smiles softly and tucks her hair behind an ear. “Tell me about her.”
“That’s more like it.” I force myself to grin. “There’s the enthusiasm I wanted to see. Hmm, where should I start?”
“What does she do?”
Jase grunts. “I can’t believe you’re indulging him.”
She ignores the cranky fucker. “Go on.”
“From what I understand, she’s been a professional muay thai fighter in Thailand for the past eight years, but she’s just moved here and Seth is debuting her as his first female pro fighter.”
“Oh, wow.” Her eyes light up with curiosity. “I have so many questions. How old is she? Because I would have thought, being Seth’s sister, that she was on the high end of the age scale for an athlete.”
I shrug. “Not sure. Maybe mid-twenties. Much younger than him, anyway. Momma Isles might have had an oopsies baby.”
“She’s twenty-six,” Jase mutters, eyeing us as though he resents us for making him a part of this conversation.
“There you go. Only a year older than me, and she’s hot as hell.” I grab my phone from my pocket and pull up a photo of her beside a Thai guy who might be her coach that I found online. In it, she’s wearing gloves, a sports bra, and a crooked smile, her hair slicked back against her forehead and her eyes gleaming with triumph.
Lena cocks her head and appraises her. “I have to say, she’s not who I saw you ending up with.” I start to scowl, but then she adds, “She’s much better.”
Damn right, she is.
“Who did you see me with?” I ask, unable to resist.
She grins. “A busty babe who’d be content to hang off your every word and inflate your massive ego.”
I should be insulted by that, but in the moment, I don’t give a shit.
“She’s a babe, that’s for sure.” Studying the photo more carefully, I notice the way the man’s hand rests possessively on her shoulder, and I don’t like it. A sense of wrongness blares in my head. Switching the screen off, I decide not to look at it anymore. I’ll find a better picture.
“Is she as smitten with you as you are with her?” Lena asks.
Jase scoffs, and we both glance at him. “I may not have met her, but I doubt Harley Isles is the type to be smitten.”
“I’ll bring her around.” Maybe she was hesitant about me, but we were vibing. That zing of awareness between us can’t be faked, and she didn’t take the opportunity to shoot me down when I handed it to her on a silver platter. “She definitely felt something.”
“Good for you,” Lena says.
