10. Ford #2
“Coffee?” Bryan hesitates. “Oh!” Recognition dawns on him, though I can’t decide whether or not it’s legit. “Nice to see you again.”
“You too,” I lie.
His handshake is firm enough, but it doesn’t erase the dread in my stomach.
All right, dread is a bit of a stretch. Annoyance?
Jealousy? Both are pretty fucking spot-on.
It’s not that I like June. Okay, I do like June.
But not in an I-want-to-make-babies-with-you kind of way.
Okay, I do want to make babies… Well, not babies, babies.
I want to fuck. A good, solid fuck would do wonders for me right now.
Clear my head. Remind me of my principles.
That sort of thing. Trouble is, I know June, and I know fucking isn’t on the table.
Not with this one. And if she deserves better than me, she sure as shit deserves better than a guy like Bryan, too.
“So, how was your date?” I ask. “Good enough for a second one, clearly.” I glance at June beside him. “Lucky man.”
Biting the inside of her cheek, she holds my stare even though I know it’s killing her. Question is, is she mad or amused or annoyed or turned on or—
Bryan’s awkward chuckle grates on my nerves as it breaks my little staring contest with June. He lets my hand go and pushes his hair away from his forehead. “Careful, man. I’m right here.”
For now, I want to say, but I bite my tongue.
Let’s see how easy it is to walk on this guy, shall we?
I fold my arms again, keeping my feet spread wide and my cocky grin on full display.
“Only returning the favor,” I quip. “Or did you forget how you hit on our girl here while pretending like you didn’t even notice she was with someone the first time we met?
” The tone is light enough that I could get away with sweeping it under the rug. Or not.
Your ball, Bryan.
“Did he just say she was with someone?” Roman questions.
“Did he just say our girl?” Violet murmurs.
“He says that about everyone,” Jagger whispers as if they’re having their own conversation. “He thinks it’s part of his charm.”
It’s true. Not the charm part, but the fact that I claim everyone as my own in hopes of making them feel a connection to the Harden name. Since my brothers are kind of dickheads, someone had to step up. The question is, does Bryan buy it? That June is no one special? Or does he see the truth?
His smile is tense. So tense, I can practically see the wheels turning in his head.
Does he push it? Does he let shit go? He’s a guest here.
And he’s meeting his date’s friends. Probably not the wisest idea to push shit, right?
To be fair, I should probably cut the guy some slack.
If the roles were reversed, there’s no way I’d let some asshole claim my date right in front of me, no matter where we were or who we were with. Does Bryan share the sentiment?
Decisions, decisions.
Bryan hooks his arm around June and glances at the raging bonfire a few feet from us. “Quite the fire.”
Coward.
“Yeah, it is,” Jagger says.
“Good thing I’m off duty, or I’d have to ask if you have a permit—”
“We do,” Roman confirms. “Though I would’ve kept it on me if I knew a fireman was attending the party.”
June grimaces. “My bad—”
“He’s kidding,” Violet rushes out. “Not about the permit, obviously, but the, uh, the need to carry it around. Right, Roman?”
“You tell me, Bryan,” Roman replies. He rolls his broad shoulders. Not threatening. Hell, he probably doesn’t even notice he’s doing it. But it does the truck. “Do I need to take a quick trip back to my place and grab it, or are you going to let us off with a warning?”
The same forced smile stretches across Bryan’s face. “Nah, I’m kidding. Besides, we’re right by the ocean, and it looks like you’ve taken the proper precautions to make this a safe event.”
Gee, thanks.
I want to deck the guy for his self-righteous word vomit, but I stop myself because, well, we wouldn’t want to cause a scene, now would we?
“So,” June interjects. She wets her bottom lip and tucks her hair behind her ear. “How do you know IndieCent Vows?”
“Our uncle is the drummer,” Jagger answers.
“Are you serious?”
“As ED,” I confirm.
Her brows furrow.
“Erectile dysfunction,” I clarify. “It’s a very serious disorder that plagues—”
Violet’s chin hits her chest. “Not this again.”
Amusement spreads through me. It dispels the little rain cloud that arrived as soon as Just Bryan mosied over here and wrapped his arms around my June Bug.
It isn’t the first time Violet’s heard my spiel, and it won’t be the last. To be fair, it also isn’t the first time June’s heard my spiel, either.
Or at least the start of it, though I didn’t dive into the specifics during our impromptu tutoring session.
Regardless, there’s just something about the way women roll their eyes anytime Erectile Dysfunction is classified as anything other than trivial.
It’s half the reason I bring it up—ha! No pun intended—just to see the look on their faces.
Violet’s doesn’t disappoint. Then again, neither does June’s.
With her eyes on the sand, and her skin tinged with embarrassment, I wonder how red she’d turn if I said penis or cock.
Hell, she might even clutch at her neck in search of her proverbial pearls. It wouldn’t surprise me.
There’s just something about good girls and my desire to…sully the hell out of them.
If only she wasn’t Violet’s best friend, then maybe I could do it. I could sully the hell out of her. Taking her from behind. Watching her full breasts overflow in my hands. The way they’d sway as I bent her over, and—
“Ford!” someone gushes behind me. A familiar blonde in a leather jacket and a low-cut top rushes toward me, snapping me from my thoughts.
Alyssa Brown. The beachfront has become more and more packed since June’s arrival.
I’d been so ensnared in our conversation that I hadn’t noticed.
Through the crowd, she weaves while my uncle’s band begins the first few notes of the night.
When she finally reaches me, Alyssa says, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! ”
Of course, she has. Alyssa and I have been fuck buddies for a solid year. Nothing official or anything. But when it’s late, and I’ve had a few, I know she’s down for whatever with no strings attached.
“Hey, Alyssa,” I greet her. “Been a while.”
“And whose fault is that?” She loops her arm through mine, her breasts pressing against the outside of my bicep as she peers up at me, waiting for an answer. I should feel turned on or at least interested in the prospect of this going somewhere tonight if I want it to. Instead, all I feel is numb.
It’s mine. I know it, and she knows it, too. Hell, there’s at least six unanswered messages waiting on my phone, but I haven’t had it in me to respond. It’s not that I haven’t been in the mood for a solid fuck, it’s just…I don’t know. I guess the mess with Ethan has been screwing with my head.
Yeah, Ethan’s definitely the problem.
I glance at June. Those pretty blue eyes peek through her dark lashes, her lips parted the tiniest bit.
What are you thinking, June Bug?
And why do I care?
“Come on, June,” Bryan urges, his arm still wrapped around her shoulders. “Let’s find a drink.”