THIRTEEN #3
“Not only about how you’ve been acting since my wedding, like you’ve got a spring in your step.
I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but I did.
But, brother, you’ve mentioned a mythical chick a few times when you’ve been drunk.
How she was the most perfect woman on earth.
” Tomb made quote marks with his fingers.
“Your words, not mine. You said she’d dumped you, and you never got over her. ”
Splice blinked and put the bottle to his mouth. “I said all that shit?”
“More than once. I never got a name, but when you got to a certain level of drunk, you’d spill about this woman. So, that’s Lisa?”
He let out a grunt. “Mm. I don’t wanna waste an opportunity that’s landed in my lap, Tomb. You get me? I’m not a coincidence-kind-of moron, but I’d be a fool not to take advantage of seeing her again.” And then Splice voiced the shit he’d known for weeks now. “I wanna pursue her.”
“How does Lisa feel about that?”
Lines appeared on Splice’s forehead. He looked at his phone again, and it was closer to ten now. The boil of anticipation at the thought of talking to her soon warmed his belly. He ditched the half-drunk bottle into the metal trash can.
“We’ve been talking every day for weeks. But as friends, I’m not sure yet if she’s feeling anything for me. I’ve gotta take it gently with her for now.”
Get a foothold in her life, make her addicted to having Splice around, so she’d miss him if he wasn’t there. And then he could unleash his charm like the Kraken. She’d fallen for him once before, and Splice liked to think he had fine-tuned his attraction since then.
“I feel like a proud dad watching his son all grown up.” Cackled Tomb and Splice cocked an eyebrow at his hilarity. Then Tomb leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, head cocked Splice’s way, his smile dropping. “But Splice...”
“What?”
“You’d better bring your plans forward. I’ve heard Nina and the other old ladies talking about fixing Lisa up on dates. Like a lot of dates.”
Splice’s head snapped up, his eyes burning with possessiveness, his skull threatening to blow a goddamn gasket if even one date was arranged.
He’d stop it, he decided.
He’d be so fucking ruthless, devious, or murderous.
Whatever it took, so she would never sit opposite another guy like she had that night in the restaurant.
He’d nearly broken his fingers when he’d seen her in that Italian place and listened to how that prick motherfucker had condescendingly spoken to her.
No way he’d go through that again and have the possibility that Lisa might like another guy.
“Do me a solid and distract your old lady. Don’t care how you gotta do it,” he all but growled and made Tomb laugh at this new misery Splice had to consider.
“What are you boys talking about so seriously?” they heard, and Tomb’s head whipped up as Nina pulled open the sliding patio doors, bringing herself into the yard.
“Come here and sit on my lap, princess.” Tomb growled, patting his lap, and his smiling wife folded her petite body over his legs.
Thank God it was time for Splice to get gone, so he didn’t have to watch Tomb burying his mouth against Nina’s neck.
They didn’t give a shit about burning his retinas with their PDA.
“I’m heading home.” Splice got to his feet. “Thanks for the eats, Nina.”
Splice was eager to call Lisa, so he didn’t dawdle. Around the front, crossing the street to his house, he dialed her contact number, and her sweet voice filled his ear after three rings.
“Hey, sweetheart. I’m just leaving Tomb’s place. Is your work finished?”
His steps ate up the space in a steady gait, and Splice let himself into his house, heading to his open-space kitchen he’d modernized when he’d bought the place.
Now it was all chrome and light marble countertops, with a sliding patio door leading out to the backyard, letting in a lot of light to the kitchen during the daytime.
Even the living spaces had plenty of light, thanks to the tall windows. Upstairs were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an ensuite in the primary bedroom. Tomb, at the time of construction, had joked that Splice was building a home for a family; he’d told his friend to fuck off.
But now it seemed he’d built the house for more than just himself.
He could easily picture Lisa sitting at the island drinking her morning coffee or lounging in the living room watching one of her shows she was addicted to. There was even a bedroom perfect for an office for someone like her.
But he was getting ahead of himself.
As he smiled, listening to details about her working day, he fished out a cold beer from the fridge and slid out of his leather cut, hanging it on a hook.
Right here, he thought, was where he wanted to be.
No one would ever believe a man like Splice could change, or that he’d want to change his old patterns and behavior of not attaching to anyone or anything.
All it had taken was a woman who’d once meant the world to him coming back into his universe.
And Splice wanted to turn his world upside down to fit her into it with him.
Game on, sweetheart, he smirked darkly.