we’ll grab some lunch or something.” AKA, get the hell out of the apartment before he jumped her bones.
Her mouth tightened in a resigned line. “Fine. I’ll unpack. But I don’t want lunch. I’m kind of pissed off and the only thing that’ll improve my mood right now is Choctastic Verryberry Swirl.”
He gave her a blank stare.
“It’s an ice cream flavor,” she muttered. “There’s a place a few blocks from here that sells it.”
“You want to go out for ice cream,” he said, perplexed.
“Yes.” Those delicate eyebrows lifted in another challenge. “That’s what friends do, no? Go out for ice cream, have a friendly conversation, walk down the sidewalk while keeping a respectable friend distance between each other.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s what friends do,” he said lightly. “Come on, your new room awaits.”
They were two steps to the hallway when his cell phone rang. Sliding it out of his pocket, he glanced at the display and saw Dylan’s number flashing on the screen.
He was about to ignore the call, but Jen stopped him. “Answer it. I think I can manage unpacking by myself.”
Frustration gathered in his chest as she flounced off. With a sigh, he brought the phone to his ear and said, “Hey, man. Now’s really not a good time.”
“Why? Are you washing your hair?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Dylan laughed. “Seriously, why do you sound so weird?”
“I’m about to take my new houseguest out for some Choctastic Verryberry Swirl.”
“I don’t know what that means. Is that a code?” Dylan paused. “Are you being held hostage and this is your way of signaling me? Blink twice for yes.”
“How’s that going to work? You can’t see me, asshole.” Cash shook his head, unable to contain his amusement. Life was never boring with Dylan Wade around. “And I’m not being held hostage. I really am going out for ice cream with my new roomie.”
“O’Connor moved out?”
“Short-term. He’s giving up his room so Carson’s sister has a place to stay.”
“The LT’s sister is staying with you?” Dylan sounded mystified. “Why?”
“Long story.” He shot a quick look at the empty hallway, then lowered his voice. “This is bad, man. Like really, really bad.”
“Oh, I get it—total cockblock, huh? You can’t exactly bring chicks home and parade them in front of the LT’s sister.” Dylan made a sympathetic noise. “And speaking of chicks, did you ever find that girl’s number? The one you met at the bar this week?”
A hysterical laugh bubbled in his throat. “It’s her.”
“It’s who?”
“Carson’s sister. She’s the girl from the bar.”
A beat of silence, and then his friend began to laugh. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Cash said glumly.
“That’s awesome. See, I told you everything would work itself out.”
“This isn’t awesome. It’s a total fucking disaster.”
“Uh, didn’t you tell me how badly you wanted to hook up with her?” Dylan reminded him. “And now she’s crashing at your place. Dude. Forget about the ice cream and have sex with her instead.”
“I can’t.”
“Okay, I have to ask this again—are you being held hostage? This whole conversation is confusing me.”
“I can’t sleep with her. Carson said she’s off-limits.” He sighed. “The threat of drowning may have been involved too.”
A soft whistle filled the line. “The LT threatened to drown you?”
“Yep.” Cash chewed on the inside of his cheek. “But he was yanking my chain, right? He probably wouldn’t care if I hooked up with his sister, right?”
“No, he really will kill you,” Dylan said matter-of-factly. “Trust me. One time he caught me flirting with Holly and threatened to clock me if I ever did it again. But you know me, I totally did it again. It took two weeks for the swelling in my eye to go down.”
“Wait, you got that shiner from Carson ? You told us some loser sucker-punched you at a
Her mouth tightened in a resigned line. “Fine. I’ll unpack. But I don’t want lunch. I’m kind of pissed off and the only thing that’ll improve my mood right now is Choctastic Verryberry Swirl.”
He gave her a blank stare.
“It’s an ice cream flavor,” she muttered. “There’s a place a few blocks from here that sells it.”
“You want to go out for ice cream,” he said, perplexed.
“Yes.” Those delicate eyebrows lifted in another challenge. “That’s what friends do, no? Go out for ice cream, have a friendly conversation, walk down the sidewalk while keeping a respectable friend distance between each other.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s what friends do,” he said lightly. “Come on, your new room awaits.”
They were two steps to the hallway when his cell phone rang. Sliding it out of his pocket, he glanced at the display and saw Dylan’s number flashing on the screen.
He was about to ignore the call, but Jen stopped him. “Answer it. I think I can manage unpacking by myself.”
Frustration gathered in his chest as she flounced off. With a sigh, he brought the phone to his ear and said, “Hey, man. Now’s really not a good time.”
“Why? Are you washing your hair?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
Dylan laughed. “Seriously, why do you sound so weird?”
“I’m about to take my new houseguest out for some Choctastic Verryberry Swirl.”
“I don’t know what that means. Is that a code?” Dylan paused. “Are you being held hostage and this is your way of signaling me? Blink twice for yes.”
“How’s that going to work? You can’t see me, asshole.” Cash shook his head, unable to contain his amusement. Life was never boring with Dylan Wade around. “And I’m not being held hostage. I really am going out for ice cream with my new roomie.”
“O’Connor moved out?”
“Short-term. He’s giving up his room so Carson’s sister has a place to stay.”
“The LT’s sister is staying with you?” Dylan sounded mystified. “Why?”
“Long story.” He shot a quick look at the empty hallway, then lowered his voice. “This is bad, man. Like really, really bad.”
“Oh, I get it—total cockblock, huh? You can’t exactly bring chicks home and parade them in front of the LT’s sister.” Dylan made a sympathetic noise. “And speaking of chicks, did you ever find that girl’s number? The one you met at the bar this week?”
A hysterical laugh bubbled in his throat. “It’s her.”
“It’s who?”
“Carson’s sister. She’s the girl from the bar.”
A beat of silence, and then his friend began to laugh. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Cash said glumly.
“That’s awesome. See, I told you everything would work itself out.”
“This isn’t awesome. It’s a total fucking disaster.”
“Uh, didn’t you tell me how badly you wanted to hook up with her?” Dylan reminded him. “And now she’s crashing at your place. Dude. Forget about the ice cream and have sex with her instead.”
“I can’t.”
“Okay, I have to ask this again—are you being held hostage? This whole conversation is confusing me.”
“I can’t sleep with her. Carson said she’s off-limits.” He sighed. “The threat of drowning may have been involved too.”
A soft whistle filled the line. “The LT threatened to drown you?”
“Yep.” Cash chewed on the inside of his cheek. “But he was yanking my chain, right? He probably wouldn’t care if I hooked up with his sister, right?”
“No, he really will kill you,” Dylan said matter-of-factly. “Trust me. One time he caught me flirting with Holly and threatened to clock me if I ever did it again. But you know me, I totally did it again. It took two weeks for the swelling in my eye to go down.”
“Wait, you got that shiner from Carson ? You told us some loser sucker-punched you at a
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