The buzz in my head retreats.
“Jonah didn’t tell me you were so funny.” She loses the battle, a burst of laughter escaping her lips. The melodic sound further calms my temper.
Small talk erupts all around me, but I don’t hear a word. I’m stuck analyzing what the hell just came over me. I never get possessive over girls. I was half a second away from giving my best friend a beat down.
Raven and Eve go back to the lounger, and I throw Blake a chin lift. He responds in true Blake form, cocky smile and the middle finger salute.
The Stripper Sisters saunter to one of the lounging areas and whisper back and forth to each other. I relax seeing they’ve decided to sit on the opposite side of the pool from Raven and Eve who are back to their loungers by the bar.
Damn, I need a beer.
I walk behind the bar where the guys are camped out in front of the television.
“What the hell was that about?” Blake shoves a handful of popcorn in his mouth.
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
“You almost flipped the switch on your boy for spewing the kind of shit he says to every girl he meets.” Rex laughs and rubs the back of his neck. “One more word and I’d have been pulling your ass off him.”
I nod and grab a beer. No doubt in my mind I would have beaten Blake for disrespecting Raven.
“Never thought I’d see it.” Owen’s back from settling down his wife and caught up on recent events. “You got it bad, my man.”
Dress removed, I’m staring at a bikini-clad Raven. She’s not covering or sucking in her stomach. No bashful body language that would expose her insecurities. Her olive skin glistens in the sun as she laughs and talks with Nikki and Eve. She looks so natural and at ease in her own skin in my backyard, hanging out with my friends, as if she’s been doing it for years.
“Hey, Jonah.” Owen calls my attention away from the girls. “She’s one fine piece of a—”
A growl rumbles deep in my chest.
The guys explode into laughter.
Owen smacks me on the back. “Yep, you’re hooked, brother.”
Raven
The murmured voices and rhythmic thumping of rap music lull me into semiconsciousness. I close my eyes and relax, soaking up the last warmth from the sun before it drops behind the mountains. Male laughter erupts. I turn and watch Jonah with his friends, his dimples highlighting his bright smile. I slide my sunglasses down my nose for a better look. He’s stopped laughing, but still smiling as he engages Owen.
I track his movements while he walks around the bar to sit on a barstool. His back muscles flex powerfully, as he brings his drink to his mouth. Brightly colored tattoos decorate his arms from his wrists to his shoulders with one flowing over and onto his chest. I want to get a closer look, run my hands along his arms as I study his body art. I wonder if his skin is as soft as it looks. If it tastes like he smells. Citrus and spice.
“This place is sick, Rave.”
I jump at the sound of Eve’s voice. Shoving my sunglasses up my nose, I pat my cheeks to bring down the heat. Eve is on the lounger with me, a gossip magazine resting against her thighs.
“Yeah.” I clear the lusty sound from my throat. “I’m always in the garage. I didn’t know all this was back here.”
I scan my surroundings. The modern outdoor kitchen and bar, flat-screen TV, lagoon-style pool with Jacuzzi, and a fire pit. But the best parts of the backyard are the loungers. They’re made for two, complete with large queen-sized mattresses and outdoor pillows.
“When you guys make it official, you have to have me over . . . like a lot.” Eve looks at me over the tops of her sunglasses with a smile lighting her face.
My eyebrows pull together. “Make it official?”
“Yeah, you know, admit you dig each other.” She shrugs before licking her finger and turning another page.
“Whatever.”
It’s all I can say through the full-on grin I’m sporting. As much as I wish I didn’t, I feel something for him. What girl wouldn’t?
Even the women Blake brought seem to fall into a trance when Jonah’s around—not that I blame them. A swell of nausea threatens at the thought of Jonah with a girl like that. Their huge, clearly medically enhanced, br**sts and lips push up and out for anyone’s attention.
“What’s going on over here, baby girl?” Blake plops down at my hip.
There is something about this guy that goes beyond his super-hot, bad-boy, fighter good looks. That alone would make any girl fidgety. His light brown hair is buzzed short, drawing all the attention to his bright green eyes. His looks alone are enough to leave a trail of broken hearts in his wake. But it’s his composure, a slight expression he wears, that makes him dangerous, like his eyes hide a dirty secret he masks with a friendly smile.
“If I flip a coin, what are the chances I’ll get head?”
Eve turns to Blake, her jaw wide open, and closes her magazine with a smack.
“Eww, Blake. That’s gross,” I say through a fit of giggles. “Please tell me that doesn’t actually work on girls.”
“You see how many dates I have at this barbeque. What do you think?” He turns his attention to Eve. “How about you, Barbie? You up for a game of nak*d leap frog?”
“Ugh! I’m going to get a drink. Rave, you want anything?”
“No thanks.”
Eve gets up, and Blake is not shy about watching her butt until she disappears behind the bar.
“Is it something I said?” His crooked smile tells me he likes making girls uncomfortable.
The fact that he can talk to women like that and still get dates is a testament to how incredibly attractive he is.
I catch Jonah at the bar from the corner of my eye. He’s watching Blake and me, the weight of his stare makes me shift in my seat. I don’t want a repeat of what happened earlier.
“Shouldn’t you be getting back to your dates? I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
Blake looks to the girls, but quickly dismisses my concerns with a wave of his hand. “Nah, they’re cool. And if they’re not, f**k ’em.” Blake rubs his hand back and forth a few times on his buzzed head. Turning his head slightly, he fixes his cocky half smile on me. “You into my boy?” he asks cryptically.
I prop myself up on my elbows. “Huh?”
Leaning forward, he looks me in the eyes. “Jonah tried to take my head off back there. You want to know how often I’ve seen him do that when I put the moves on a girl, even a girl he’s going home with?”
“How many?”
He makes a circle with his finger and thumb. “Zilch. Never.”
I stare at Blake, trying to figure out exactly what he’s telling me and hoping like heck I don’t misunderstand.
“We’re just friends.” Thankfully, I’m wearing sunglasses so he can’t see my eyes betraying my words.
“Just friends, huh?” He rubs his chin then shrugs. “Perfect. I’ll see if a couple of my dates want to hang with Jonah tonight after the barbeque.” He braces his hands on his knees to stand.
No. “Wait.” Reflexes have me grabbing his arm. My heartbeat throbs with panic.
He looks at me. “You got something you wanna say, baby girl?”
I like Jonah.
The words are there, but I can’t bring myself to say them. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? I won’t be able to work with him after suffering that kind of embarrassment. Putting myself out there like . . . No, I need to keep my feelings private. His friendship means too much to me. And really, what kind of chance do I have with a guy like Jonah Slade?
“Yeah, I just wanted to say . . .” I let go of Blake’s arm and lean back on my lounger. “Go ahead. Jonah’s free to date, er, um, be with whoever he wants.” Gosh, that hurt.
Blake studies me for a second before leaning in. “Jonah’s a lot of things.” He looks around the pool then back at me before sliding his sunglasses over his eyes. “But from what I’ve seen tonight, he’s not free—at least, not anymore.”
He struts away, acting completely unaware of the shock-and-awe devastation he left behind. “Raven, a little later we can play Titanic,” he calls over his shoulder. “I’ll yell ice burg and you can go down.”
A laugh rips from my chest, fueled by giddiness from Blake’s admission.
He’s not free . . . not anymore.
Could Blake be right? Is it possible that Jonah could be feeling the same thing I’m feeling?
Eve comes back from the bar and sits at the spot Blake just vacated. “Finally, he’s gone. He’s a sweet piece of eye candy, but the second he opens his mouth . . .” She shakes her head and takes a sip from her water bottle. “Why do you think he’s so funny?” She points her grimace in Blake’s direction.
“I think he’s hilarious.”
I lie back, a face-splitting smile aching my cheeks that has nothing to do with Blake.
Seven
Raven
“My woman can cook,” Owen bellows from the doorway of the kitchen as he brings in a stack of dirty and very empty plates.
Nikki takes the plates from his hands and kisses him lightly on the cheek. “Thank you, baby. Now get out of here before I put you to work.”
These two look like a famous Hollywood couple. Owen has deep mocha skin and short cropped hair. His body is similar to the others: athletic, bulky, and the perfect mix of captivating and terrifying. His rugged masculinity is a contrast to his wife’s caramel-colored skin, soft curves, and long, wavy hair. He gives her a playful swat on the bottom, making her squeak and jump, her light brown eyes sparkling.
She drops the plates in the soapy water. “Thanks for helping me clean up, girl. I’m usually the only other female around that does more than stick my tits out.” She rolls her eyes at the obvious reference to the women Blake brought with him.
“It’s the least I could do. That was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. You’re an incredible cook.” I rinse out a huge bowl that once held a delicious fruit salad.
“Thanks. I get a lot of practice hanging around this group.”
That doesn’t surprise me. The guys alone ate enough to feed a small country. I think Jonah grilled an entire cow.
“Nikki, where do you want me to put these?” Eve asks from the doorway, her arms filled with more plates.
Jonah follows behind her, a few bottles of condiments in hand. He walks to the fridge to put them away.
My gaze is soldered to his form, and I nearly slice open my finger with a soapy steak knife. It shouldn’t be legal for him to walk around without a shirt on. Reckless endangerment.
“You girls don’t have to do this. My cleaning lady comes in the morning.”
“Like dealing with your dirty drawers isn’t enough, you’re going to make that poor woman clean up after the five of you? Uh-uh.” Nikki turns Jonah around and shoos him from the room.
“All right, all right, I’ll go.” He wraps Nikki in a one-arm hug.
She leans in with a grin.
His eyes find mine. “But, Nik, don’t work my girl too hard. She needs to take care of those hands. Can’t have tools sliding from her grip because you overworked them.” He hits me with a wink and walks away.