The more he thought about it, though, the surer he got thatSami is hot and I was lonelydidn’t qualify as an excuse.
“Who I sleep with is none of your business,” he said instead and immediately regretted it.Aya didn’t deserve him being a dick.
“It is when you’re fucking Ian’s lapdog!”
The f-bomb out of Aya’s usually untarnished mouth made Baz take a step back.This was worse than he had dreaded.
“What the hell are you thinking?You said—”
“I know what I said.”And Sami didn’t need to hear that Baz had insisted he didn’t like him.Not after today.
“So sorry,” Sami chirped.“Riveting as this is, and I do hate to interrupt, but I am very much naked, and I guess my chances for a second round just plummeted to zero, so.”
The corner of Baz’s mouth twitched.He forced it back into check.This wasn’t funny.If anything, Sami wanting to get dressed was a tragedy, albeit one Baz couldn’t begrudge him.
With a scoff, Aya turned on her heel, leaving an icy gust behind.Shit.
Baz ran his hand down his face.What the hell was he going to say to her?
He hated having fights he wasn’t prepared for, hated knowing there was no getting out of facing her anger and disappointment—Sami’s round, glittering eyes caught him before he spiraled.It was the same way he had looked at Baz earlier, when he told him about his shit day.
Baz’s heart settled down.Whatever happened next, maybe this was worth it.
Aya would understand, or she wouldn’t, but she was a good person.She always had Baz’s back.Whatever she thought of him right now wouldn’t override six years of friendship.Probably.Hopefully.
He made sure his robe belt was still secure—much as Aya was the closest thing to a best friend he ever had, they did not have the kind of relationship in which either of them would appreciate Baz flashing her—and followed the rapid taps of her foot to the kitchen.Her arms were crossed.She wore an expression that screamedone wrong step and I’ll slap you with my shoe.Though her heels were by the door and out of reach, Baz stayed on the other side of the kitchen island, just in case.
“I’m sorry I bailed on you tonight.I promise I’ll make it up to you.Can we talk tomorrow—”
“I can see how sorry you are,” Aya spat.“Here I was thinking Baz Hadley has to be on his deathbed to ever miss work and not pick up his phone, all while you’re cuddling the opposition.”
“We weren’tcuddling.”They just happened to be too lazy to move apart, and—Aya didn’t know about that, so who was he making excuses to?Now he truly felt that migraine coming on.
He fetched a mug from the drying rack and fired up the coffee machine.God knew he needed his brain at full capacity right now.
“You promised me there was nothing going on between you!How could you be so stupid?Have you stopped for one second to consider that this is a trap?”
That one, Baz knew the answer to.“I have, actually.But Sami is more than his job.He hasn’t tried to snoop around once, we don’t talk about the case, and trust me, I always knew exactly where his hands were the entire time.It’s just sex.”Great one at that, but Baz had enough sense to not say that out loud.
Aya shook her head.“This is the dumbest thing you have ever done.”
“She’s right, you’re an idiot,” Sami shouted from the bedroom.
Why?Why did he feel the need to do this?
“You’re not a part of this conversation, Sami.”
“Don’t have it so loudly then.”
Seriously?How was he supposed to portray Sami as a somewhat reasonable person when he insisted on showing his worst side?
“Can you believe that guy?”
Aya looked as though there were plenty of things she couldn’t believe, and Sami’s attitude was low on that list; her mouth hung open, her eyebrows drew together in horror.
“Good god.You like him.”
What?!
