Chuckling, he shakes his head. “It’s finally fucking happened.”
“What’s finally happened?”
“You,” he says, pointing his beer at me. “Have fallen for a girl.”
“I have not,” I immediately scoff.
Miles lets out a loud laugh as Eli wanders over and sits on the other side of him, handing us both fresh beers. “What’s so funny?” he asks.
“Oh man,” Miles says, still laughing. “This is fucking great.”
“What is?” Eli asks, confused.
“Kai has fallen in love,” Miles says in an annoying sing-song way.
“I have fucking not,” I snap, finishing off my beer before opening the one Eli gave me.
“What the hell?” Eli scoffs with a laugh.
“Okay, so maybe it’s not love...yet,” Miles says, an annoying shit-eating grin on his face. “But my man-whore brother has officially turned down a booty call in favor of hanging out with his ‘friend,’ Quinn.”
“Holy shit, seriously?” Eli says, grinning as he turns to me. “Dude, what the hell?”
I sit up in my chair, flipping them both off as I say, “I hate both of you right now.”
“No you don’t,” Miles says with a laugh. “And besides, you know it’s true. You might not be in love with Quinn, but you sure as shit want more than this whole friend thing you’ve currently got going on with her. And it’s even more than that because you, big brother, are actually turning down no-strings-attached sex in the hopes that Quinn might change her mind and take you out of the friend zone.”
Beside him, Eli chuckles as I turn and say, “You know, I think I liked it when you were a grumpy shit and talked less, little brother.”
Now it’s Miles laughing as he says, “Whatever. Just admit it, Kai. It’s the first step in acknowledging there’s something more going on here.”
“There’s nothing going on here,” I snap.
Eli laughs, chiming in with, “Really, dude, ‘cause you haven’t stopped looking at her all night.”
“Fuck,” I groan, sitting forward as I rest my elbows on my knees, really not wanting to have this conversation right now.
“You know it’s actually okay, Kai,” Miles now says. “The whole falling in love thing is pretty fucking awesome.” I glance sideways, hitting him with a look that does nothing except make him laugh as he adds, “Seriously, one woman, the woman of your dreams. Every single night. What could be better?”
“I hate you right now,” I mumble.
Eli laughs, holding his beer up as he says, “Look, not gonna lie, losing my wingman will suck, but dude, if you like her, why not go for it?”
“Not fucking helping, Eli,” I tell him, glancing over at Quinn again.
As I look over, for some reason, she turns to me, our eyes locking across the yard. Sloane and Alana have joined their little group, but all I see is Quinn.
Fucking hell, she’s beautiful.
Why the hell has this woman done this to me? Never in my life have I felt this kind of pull to someone. And never in my life have I turned down sex in the hopes that someone, Quinn, will throw me a bone and finally give me a shot.
“Fucking hell,” I groan, my head falling.
Beside me, Miles and Eli laugh as Miles leans over, his hand resting on my back. “Trust me, Kai, this is a good thing,” he says, before he pushes out of his chair and walks over to where Daisy sits with the girls.
It’s late by the time the barbecue winds down. It’s been a good night, though, and even though I haven’t spent a lot of time talking to Quinn which, given the earlier conversation with my brother, is probably a good thing, she’s still here.
“Maybe you should ask her to stay,” Eli says, nudging me with his shoulder. I turn and hit him with a look, and he laughs and adds, “Or at the very least, walk her home?”
