“At least I didn’t call you a child.”
He smirked. I didn’t like it. I knew that smirk. He believed he had the upper hand, though he clearly didn’t. “So you want me to think of you as a woman—is that what you’re saying?”
My mouth opened and closed at least twice before I gulped and looked away, then whispered, “You’re still stupid.”
I was really good at comebacks.
Austin chose that awesome moment in time to charge up to me with a man in tow and yell, “We’re going to do shots!”
“Pass.”
“Thatch?” Lucas coughed out. “Found yourself a girl, have you?”
I looked back and forth at each of the men. If Thorn knew the dude, that was bad news for Austin. She deserved a good guy, a nice guy, one she could take home to her mansion and make sweet love to while her maid brought her grapes in bed. Not . . . him.
“Oh, hey, Lucas—sorry, didn’t see you.”
“How was surgery?” Lucas asked, completely ignoring everyone but mainly me, which was dumb. I wanted him to ignore me.
And maybe if I kept repeating that in my head, I’d actually start believing it.
“Typical, boring.” Thatch sighed and flashed a sultry smile my way. His wavy blond hair touched his shoulders, making him look like a really hot surfer. “And you are?”
“My best friend,” Austin purred. “I begged her to come out tonight and—” Something must have clicked in Austin’s brain, because she stopped talking, and her eyes zeroed in on Lucas. “YOU!”
“Oh hell,” Lucas muttered. “Hi, Austin, nice to see you’ve grown into your ears.”
“And yet here you are.” Austin shook her head. “Years later, and your nose, still big. I bet your good friend Thatch can help you out with that.”
Lucas’s nostrils flared on cue, while Thatch hid a laugh behind his hand and coughed out, “Well, this is fun! You guys all know each other?”
“I’ll give you the short version,” I piped in. “Lucas almost married one of my sisters before sleeping with my other sister the night before said wedding that didn’t happen. Austin and I were bridesmaids, so she was spending the night. In a drunken attempt to leave the house without getting shanked by my grandfather—who fought in Nam, by the way—Lucas ran into Austin’s brand-new Mercedes with his SUV.” I grinned. “I skipped the really fun parts, but you get the idea.”
Thatch whistled, while Lucas mouthed “Thanks” in my direction.
Austin added a dreamy sigh. “I loved that car.”
“I’m sure your parents were more than happy to buy you another,” Lucas added with no regret in his smooth voice.
And although he was spot-on, I felt the need to defend my friend. I was just about to when Thatch interrupted.
“Hey, I live just down the road. Why don’t we all take the party to my place and order pizza? I’m starving, and as much as I’d love to take Austin out alone, I’m pretty sure that one or both of you will end up dead if left to your own devices—so let’s go.”
“I like him, so take-charge,” I whispered to Austin.
“Good with his hands,” Austin added.
“Sexy too. He wears jeans well.”
“He can hear you,” Lucas said.
“Oh, he was meant to.” I winked at Thatch and gave him a little wave while Austin grabbed her purse and jacket.
I followed everyone out of the crowded bar, because at this point going home to my empty apartment meant I’d lose whatever war that was beginning between Lucas and me.
One of my heels caught in a crack in the sidewalk, and I tripped.
Lucas caught my arm and hissed out a curse. “Learn to walk in them or don’t wear them at all, Avery.”
There would be blood, folks.
There would be blood.
Chapter Nine
LUCAS
“What the hell was that?” I was torn between strangling Thatch or hitting him over the head with the pizza box. “They can’t be here!”
Thatch yawned behind his hand. “Sorry, man, I’m supertired. Can you repeat?”
I punched him in the shoulder. “The hell, man! That’s Avery, little girl Avery, the one that’s working for me now. I texted you about her yesterday! And that’s her best friend. You can’t just screw her best friend and then expect it not to affect my workday! I have to see Avery on a daily basis—you screw her friend over, and she’s going to blame me!”
Thatch’s eyes narrowed. “And you care why?”
“Because she’ll make my life more of a living hell.”
Thatch peered around the corner as Avery’s laughter trickled into the custom kitchen. “Yeah.” His eyebrows rose. “You realize she’s like a fourth your size, right? You could sit on her, and she’d probably puke up her pizza.”
“I’m sure that’s what I’ll do, then. Thanks for the wisdom. When I’m at work, irritated as hell, I’ll just sit on my new intern?”
He shrugged.
“Helpful,” I snapped.
“Look, Austin’s hot.” His grin was shameless. “And I haven’t gotten laid in a few days. Besides, she doesn’t seem to care that I’ve done nothing but stare at her tits for the past two hours. Get this, she asked to see my bedroom.”
“Oh gee, Thatch, maybe while you guys are back there you can show her your comic book collection.” I punched him again and swore while he cackled.