Carter splutters on his beer, and suddenly he’s not laughing anymore.
Becca leaps up and dashes around the coffee table, fishing inside her purse, jerking her head up, freezing when she spots her wallet lying there on the ground next to Amber.
“You fuckingbitch!”
A thrill shoots through me as I watch her give the thief a kick.Nice to finally meet someone who shares my values.Lewis grabs her arm and nods at Carter to come calm her down before turning to face Amber.
“I invite you to a party, and you steal from my friends?” His voice is as cold as ice. “Absolute disgrace, dude!”
It’s his catchphrase, but the way he’s said it tonight, there’s nothing lighthearted about it. Amber hits pause on her floor-rolling for a second.
“Not true!” She looks around her nervously. “That crazy bitch just attacked me out of nowhere. I fell over and knocked the bag on the ground, the wallet just slipped out!”
She’s good. She’sreallygood. Her excuse absolutely sucks, but I’d give her an A for effort. Great reflexes, too. Back home, I’d have introduced her to Emil, for sure. He always gets hard for a busty pickpocket.
Carrie narrows her eyes. “Wow. Pretty amazing you noticed that happen—were you falling in slow motion, or something?”
Amber catches Lewis glancing at me, and her bottom lip starts to tremble. “Come on, Lewis! You know me!”
“I know what I saw,” I say calmly.
He stares harder at me, like he’s trying to figure out how much he trusts me. My heart is pounding. I need him to trust me. He bends down to scoop up the ball, sending it sailing through the air to Jeff.So strong. So precise.
“Get the hell out of here, Amber.”
“And don’t you ever come back!” Insert evil-boss laugh.
She scrambles to her feet and shoots me a nasty look, before heading straight for the front door, and I cross my legs, sinking back into the cushions, a warmth spreading across my chest as I realize the coast is finally clear.
He chose me.
Me.
Lane blows his cheeks out. “Wow.”
“That was epic,” Adam says.
Jeff’s eyes are shining. “That was some fucking throw, girl!”
“It was a little messy,” Donovan corrects him, “but the aim was on point.”
Before I know it, people are clamoring around me, throwing their arms around me, patting me on the shoulder.
“Thank yousomuch—you’re my hero!”
Did I mention I hate hugs? Like,reallyhate them? It’s visceral, and I need Becca to stop before someone gets hurt. Again.
“Carter, get your woman under control,” Lewis whispers to his friend. “Firebird’s got her unhinged face on.”
Carter tugs Becca away, before turning to me. “Amy, thank you—seriously. We owe you big-time. Anything you ever need, just ask. Okay?”
“No body-burying requests, though,” Lewis warns. “That was a good shot, Amy… But from now on, maybe try talking before going straight to assault?”
His tone is mellow, mild. A little judgy, maybe, but not harsh. I’ve lost track of how often I’ve been told to think before I act. But this time, it’s different. This time, it’s coming from him.
17LEWIS
You wanna grab food with us?” Don asks as he wanders into the living room, frowning when he spots me pulling on my sneakers. “Don’t tell me you’re going runningagain?”
