6
Mark
“What the fuck was that?” Trystan asks.
“I’d like to know too,” Colin guffaws.
“You getting soft on our Ava?” Garrett teases.
“Just making sure the little pretty prep boy didn’t step where he didn’t belong,” I tell them.
They all snicker like someone just pointed out Cindy’s pretty pink panties peeking out of her jeans in the eighth grade. Schoolboys. All of them.
“Was he encroaching on your territory? Were you staking your claim?” Colin raises his brows. What’s with the brows? I subtly growl into my drink, annoyed as hell.
Was I staking my claim? Ahhh, shit…
“What?” I scoff at him as if that’s crazy talk. “No.” I suck down a healthy gulp of my beer, which only causes them to laugh harder. “Come on, it’s Ava. We can’t stand each other, remember? Ava’s free to do whatever or whomever she wishes.”
“Within reason,” Garrett mumbles. I snap my eyes to him, and he glares right back, calling me on the bullshit my mind is refusing to catch up with.
I’m over this conversation. I look up at the game, jaw twitching with pent up anger, and try to focus on the replay of some soccer shit.
I don’t even care to look at who’s playing.
Matter at hand, it’s not so much what they’re saying that’s got me in a tizzy.
It’s her, and it’s me. I don’t react this way typically to anything with tits and an ass, least of all Ava.
I’m typically easy. Easy on the eyes, and yes, easy on the women.
I don’t chase hard, and I certainly don’t “stake a claim”.
The woman either wants me or doesn’t, and if it’s the latter, I move on.
There’s plenty of pretty faces to smile at.
So, why, of all the damn women who have crossed my path, am I even giving this woman, who can’t stand me mind you, this much attention?
In a very short amount of time, I’ve stood up for her, fake boyfriended her, cooked for her, taken care of her, turned down a sure-thing for her, and cock-blocked her potential hookup.
I rub my hand back and forth across my five o’clock shadow, analyzing my actions.
I’ll admit it, I’m attracted. Intrigued.
The other night with her piqued my interest in ways that haven’t been roused in, hell, I can’t even remember.
There’s a reason for that. It’s never. I have never been this intrigued by a woman before.
I’ve never wanted to be consumed by anything past a few romps in the sheets.
It’s always been that simple for me. I’ve never wanted a real relationship.
“Hey, big boy. You finally gonna buy me a drink?” a familiar voice whispers seductively in my ear.
Mindy. Again. I turn my head slightly to the left where she’s standing, and sure enough, she’s managed to arrange her shirt to reveal an even more dangerous amount of cleavage than she flashed me with initially about an hour ago.
They are…tempting. I fondly remember the feel of them in my hands even, but I’m not interested in another meaningless roll in the hay.
My dick argues with me, but I tell him to shut the fuck up.
I make eye contact with Mindy and smile.
Her eyes glitter with mischief. She enjoys stirring the proverbial pot.
I think she only came back because she caught the interaction between Ava and I a few minutes ago, and it called to her like a siren singing pirates to their watery deaths.
“No, Mindy, I’m sorry. I’m about done here for the night.
” I catch Ava glaring at us out of the corner of my eye.
She purses those pretty red lips and tosses her hair over her shoulder as she turns back to the discussion with the ladies, and I can’t help the sick satisfaction that brings me.
It shouldn’t excite me at all. Normal Mark would tease her a bit more and lean into this Mindy situation.
Gah… The internal debate of pissing her off more wars with the idea that I am beginning to like how our dynamic is changing.
Mindy’s fingers trail up my arm, full of carnal promise. It would be so easy…
“That’s okay by me too. I wouldn’t mind getting out of here early with you.”
I puff air through my cheeks. She’s not taking the hint. I look over to the guys who are watching the exchange with keen interest in what I’m going to choose.
“I’m not really looking to hook up tonight, Mindy. I do appreciate the offer though, hun. Would you like me to walk you to your car?”
Mindy rolls her bottom lip between her teeth.
I can see the let down, but she’s getting used to my refusals.
She nods her head once and reaches for her jacket and purse.
I tell the guys I’m walking her to her car then taking off for home, alone.
Colin looks proud, but doesn’t hesitate to mention how bad it might “appear” to the girls.
Garrett and Trystan just do their usual, “I’m gonna chuckle into my beer and watch the shitshow unfold” routine.
I follow Mindy out the door, and sure enough, the disgusted faces from our group of ladies follows me when I toss a wave goodbye.
I don’t owe them an explanation though. Not a single one of them is mine.
It still stings a bit to see that wall I was beginning to break down build back up in Ava’s eyes.
???
Ava
The blood in my veins silently simmers as I watch Mindy flirting with Mark out of the corner of my eye.
I swear, the minute she catches a whiff of anything percolating between the two of us, even if it’s only banter, she comes running like she needs to stir the fricking pot before the sauce starts to scorch on the bottom.
It’s infuriating. Her tits are basically on full display, and there he sits, rubbing his five o’clock shadow and staring at them.
I mean, they are practically in his face, so it’d be kind of hard not to look right at them, but she knows exactly what she’s doing.
He looks over my way, and our eyes lock.
I purse my lips and go about my business as if I don’t really give a crap about what he does.
“Mindy’s at it again,” Holly states the obvious.
“I wonder what fake boobs feel like,” Jane ponders aloud. We all snicker.
“Do you think they’re soft and squishy like one of those stress relieving balls full of goo?” Sydney chimes in, and we all giggle.
“I guess we could always ask Mark to explain it to us,” I say through gritted teeth. I toss back the last of my margarita. I pull my water to me and twist the red straw in circles, enjoying the way the ice swirls around it.
“Uh uh… Is he really–” Holly’s question trails off, and we all turn to look at what she’s going on about.
My once simmering blood flash freezes on sight when I see Mark leading Mindy out the door.
He tosses a nonchalant wave at us all, as if he’s not walking out the door with some chick when ten minutes ago he was telling me Whistle Boy wouldn’t have a clue how to handle me and that orgasms were great for cramps.
“It sure looks like it…” Jane continues for Holly. Holly watches out the window with blatant curiosity. I can’t watch him take her home. She all of a sudden smiles. Sydney gets a text and reads it out loud.
“He’s not taking her home,” Sydney says.
“He left with her,” I say, looking at Sydney point blank. “Whatever, he’s free to screw around with who he wants.”
“He said something to her, hugged her, then put her in her car,” Holly says, watching from the window.
“He’ll just meet her at his place,” I rationalize.
“He turned a different way than her. They’re not going to the same place.”
This gets my attention.
“He went the opposite way?”
Holly nods.
“I told you, Colin just texted and said he wasn’t taking her home. He wasn’t in the mood to hook up and turned her down. He was only being polite by walking her to her car.”
“Interesting,” Jane mumbles.
So, he wasn’t going to hook up with her, but he was okay with letting me think he was. I snort incredulously and grab for one of the tortilla chips in the basket. They’re practically gone now. We ate way too many. My favorite phrase for him spills from my margarita flavored lips.
“He’s still a pig.”