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She inhaled deeply and then huffed out a nervous breath. “Why do you like me?”
“Oh my God,” he growled as he suddenly picked her up and strode with her through the yard. “There’s a million reasons, and over time I’ll do my best to tell you every one. Tonight I like you because you let me put my pecker in your—”
“Dude, why is Dad wearing a tuxedo—” Nox Fuller stumbled to a stop on the front porch and just stared, his mouth hanging open wide enough to catch at least sixty-nine flies. “I’m sorry,” Nox said, blinking slowly. “I came to surprise my little brother for his birthday, but I must be hallucinating.”
Landon cleared his throat and settled Lucia onto her feet. She gave a little wave. “Hi. I’m…” she cleared her throat too. “I’m Lucia.”
“No shit. I’ve known you your whole life. Ma! Did you know Landon was bringing a girlfriend?”
“Yes. It’s why your dad is wearing that dumb tuxedo.”
Nox’s face was comically blank as he stared at Lucia, and then he looked over to Landon. “Can I tell her?”
“Nox—”
“Landon has had a boner for you forever.”
“Nox!”
“Um, thank you for taking all of those pictures,” she said, wishing the heat would drain out of her blushing cheeks.
“You showed her the pictures? He was obsessed. I mean…obsessed. He had this picture of you in a bikini taped to his ceiling so he could—”
“We’re all good, Nox!” Landon barked, dragging Lucia behind him by the hand.
“It’s good to see you again,” she said as they passed Nox.
“You smell like my brother. Hey Ma! Lucia Novak is here, and she smells like Landon.”
Landon turned, punched Nox hard in the shoulder, and growled, “Be normal for once in your freaking life.”
Nox rubbed his shoulder and said, “Ow. I don’t even know what normal is.”
It was about then that Lucia got her first glimpse of Clinton, who was indeed dressed in cutoff jean shorts and a tux jacket that looked to be two sizes too small for him. He had ripped the seams at his arms and shoulders. “I have too many muscles,” he said.
“He means he drank too many beers,” Nox said, brushing past them.
Clinton was standing there with a towel over his forearm and a bucket of iced-down beers in his hand. “Beverage?” he offered.
Lucia pursed her lips and stepped forward, pulled out a beer bottle and twisted off the cap. “Thank you.”
Landon was staring at his dad like he’d lost his mind. “What are you doing? Where did you even get that suit jacket? And what is the towel for?”
“I think it’s to wipe the condensation off the beers. I saw it on TV.”
Alyssa Fuller was standing next to him, shaking her head. “It’s nice to see you again, Lucia.” She leaned in and hugged her, and Clinton whispered weirdly, “You just touched Lucia Novak and you didn’t even die.” And then he stiffly turned away with his bucket of beers and made his way into the dining room.
“Is he okay?” Landon asked.
His mother sighed. “He’s put a lot of pressure on himself since you told us Lucia would be joining you. He will probably settle down.”
Lucia watched as Clinton yanked the bucket of beers out of Nox’s outstretched grasp and snapped his teeth at him. “These are only for our guest.”
“I can’t drink that many beers,” Lucia offered helpfully.
Behind Alyssa, there was another woman Lucia had seen a handful of times, but had never actually met. Nox’s mate introduced herself. “I’m Nevada.”
“You’re…pretty,” she blurted awkwardly, because Cadence had been preaching that she needed to compliment women more if she wanted to make friends. “And so are you,” she admitted to Alyssa Fuller. “And I am thankful.”
