“When you say inevitable, are you referring to my fist meeting your face? Or maybe my foot kicking your junk? Because those are two very real possibilities.”
“You’re hot when you’re hostile. But then again, you’re always hot.”
I snort and it turns into giggling. “You really need to work on your lines. Or maybe shut up and let your handsome face and hot body do the work for you.”
Instead of being insulted with my remarks, he beams.
“You think my body is hot? Wait till you see me naked.”
I hold my hand up in front of his face. “Can we change the subject? I’m trying to eat my dinner.”
Adam’s phone vibrates on the table in front of him. Picking the iPhone up, he opens the message. My eyes skim over the screen, widening when I see a large pair of tits. This dude is unreal.
“Larsen, what do you do for work?” Violet asks, thankfully drawing my attention. It’s nice to see her coming out of her shell, and she’s helping me out at the same time.
“I work in computer programming.”
“You must be busy,” she replies.
“Fortunately, business has been great.” He smiles at her.
Adam nudges my arm. “Don’t you want to ask me what I do for work?”
I spear the steak with my fork. “Not particularly.” I pop the bite into my mouth, and before I can stop myself, I hum with pleasure. “You might be an arrogant jackass, but you grill a mean steak.”
“I knew you’d love my meat.” My only reply is a quick eye roll.
“What project are you guys working on now?” Larsen asks Adam.
“We’re finishing up a renovation we’ve been working on for the past few weeks. We redid their kitchen, a bathroom, and added a deck to the back of their house. All we have left is to add a front porch.”
“I don’t envy you guys working in the heat. I’ll take my air conditioned office any day,” Larsen replies.
“Yeah, the heat sucks, but building things with my own hands makes up for that. Not to mention all the fun Rex has working with me.”
Rex nods. “You might be a pain in the ass most of the time, but when we’re working, you’re a beast.”
“Thank you. I’m gonna focus on the compliment and ignore the untrue insult.” Adam smiles good naturedly. “Rex, you’re not so bad yourself. We do the work of four men.”
At least he’s got a great sense of humor. He’s got that going for him. And good looks too, I grudgingly admit. Unbelievably good looks, my subconscious chimes in with the unwanted clarification.
Fine. I can admit he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever met. That doesn’t mean I’m susceptible to his game. Especially, since I know he must have an interesting romantic history. Although, even calling it that is definitely romanticizing his fuck and chuck ways.
I didn’t delve into the deeper details of his report, but from a cursory glance I noticed the longest relationship he’s had lasted less than a month.
Not that my own history is much different. I’ve never been one for becoming emotionally involved. In fact, I deliberately choose the men I date based off of two criteria:
1.) He has to be physically appealing to me.
2.) He has to only be physically appealing to me.
If his personality is also attractive, I’ll pass on pursuing anything beyond a casual acquaintance.
“What’s the plan for tonight?” Adam’s deep voice penetrates my musings.
Glancing around the table, I wait for someone to answer, but everyone seems to be watching me.
“I’m talking to you, Rocky.” Adam jostles my arm with his.
Me? Well, that explains all their eyes on me. “I’ve got big plans.”
“Tell me more.” His voice lowers to a gravelly husk that I find extremely sexy. But I refuse to dwell on that fact. I’m only human, after all.
Instead, I reply, “I’ve got a hot and heavy date with my kindle.”
Adam looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Can’t your book wait? You’re away for the weekend. We should all be going out.”
“I’m beat,” Danika interjects.
“Me too,” Rex quickly agrees.
“You two want to go screw,” Adam states. And on this one thing I have to agree with him. Rex hasn’t been able to keep his hands off my friend all day. And I’m thrilled to see someone so in love with her. She deserves to be happy, and Rex certainly puts an ever-present smile on her face.
An unwanted pang of jealousy washes over me. One that annoyingly niggles my gut and has me wondering why I’m feeling this way. I've never been the jealous type. Envying others for their looks, their income, who they fall in love with, or any other reason, isn’t in my make up.
I was raised by a hardworking, single mom who provided well for me on her own. My father and she divorced when I was ten, and I’ve seen him a total of three times since. My mom never took a penny from him—not that he ever offered to pay for anything. Once he left, she didn’t want him having a financial claim on me.
My mom taught me to stand on my own two feet and not depend on anyone else—especially a man—to provide for me. Everything I’ve accomplished is due to my own hard work. I haven’t been handed anything, and that makes me inordinately proud of myself.
So what if occasionally I get lonely.
So what if I sometimes wish I had someone to talk about my day with or massage my tight shoulders and neck at the end of my long work day.
It’s a small price to pay for the life I lead.
Besides, having someone to share those things with comes with a price that’s too high for me. I’m not willing to give up control of my own destiny, and there aren’t any men worth having that I’d reconsider my stance for.
“I’m not opposed to going out,” Violet jumps in, offering her surprising opinion.
Adam high fives her. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
“I’m on board,” Larsen agrees.
“What about you, Rox?” Violet asks, aiming her pleading gaze at me.
Dammit. I don’t want to spend any more time with Mr. Manfax than I have to, but how can I let my friend down? I can’t. “I’ll be the designated driver.”
Vi squeals excitedly. “You’re the best.”
“How much time do you ladies need to get ready?” Larsen inquires.
“We both need to shower, so give us an hour,” I answer.
“Do you need any help washing your back, Rocky?” Adam questions.
I can’t say his cheesy, predictable line is unexpected. I’d be more surprised if he didn’t ask.
“No, thanks. I’m a big girl.”
“Oh, I noticed.” His gaze lowers to my chest before climbing up to connect with mine. He winks.
Violet pops to her feet with obvious enthusiasm. From the covert glances she’s been shooting Larsen, I can tell she wants to take advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with him. And though I’m less than enthusiastic about how my night will go, I push my chair back and rise. These are the kinds of moments where you earn your friendship stripes.
Adam starts his truck and fastens his seat belt. “Unfortunately, there’s not much nightlife around here, so I’m taking you to one of our favorite places.” His eyes meet mine in the rear view mirror. A sinking sensation assails my stomach. I hope it’s not a premonition about this evening and what it’ll bring.