“I can’t stand Selene. I wouldn’t buy her a—"
“Why? Because she kicked your ass?” There’s a lightness in her voice, and normally I would love that, but not when it comes to that rabid cousin. “It was for her birthday.”
“Her birthday? You and Eden took her to New York City to see Hamilton.” My wife rented a suite at the Crowne Plaza, went only to the best restaurants, and had a driver on call. “How many damn presents does she need?”
“What? Can you not afford it?” She bats her eyelashes while doing her best to look innocent. She’s about as innocent as a rattlesnake.
It’s a challenge. I can afford it, and she knows it. What she doesn’t know is that she only has access to one of my accounts.
“Not the point. I don’t like Selene, and I don’t want to spend any of my money on her.That’sthe point.”
She sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. “But you said it was my money. She’s my cousin, best friend, and I love her. And the ass kicking she gave you was because she was defending—”
“She did not kick my ass!” My nostrils flare, and I take a deep breath. She’s baiting me, and I won’t let her.
“Calm down. Damn.” She looks me over the brim of her wine glass. “Anyway.” She flicks her perfect wrist, and I note the diamond bracelet. “Selene and Eden are the only two people in this world who have always had my back.”
I walk behind her and put both hands on her shoulders.
“I have your back now.”
She doesn’t answer, and my heart sinks a little bit. She doesn’t believe me, and she’s not in this like she pretends to be. If she were, she’d lean into me and let me have some of her pain.
“But if you can’t afford it—”
Shelets the sentence hang.
“Sweetheart, I can afford it. You can buy her a house a day, and that won’t make a dent.” I turn her to face me. “But I don’t care if that cousin of yours lives in a hut. I. Don’t. Like. Her.”
She shrugs and walks away from me.
“Well, I already paid for the house. No refunds. Sorry.”
“Does your wife spend money like it grows on trees?”
“I don’t have a wife,” Preacher says from across the room.
“Or a girlfriend, Preach, but I’m talking to King. Maybe you should get yourself a bird or something.”
“The fuck am I gonna do with a bird?” Preacher mumbles.
King gives me the side-eye, and I can tell he’s contemplating whether or not to answer. The man has always been private, and he doesn’t like to give any details about his wife or home life. It’s like he wants to keep her all to himself.
“I don’t worry about what my wife spends.” King waves me off. Typical answer.
“I didn’t ask if you worry about it. I asked if Eden spends money like it’s nothing.”
“Not really, no. She buys whatever she wants or needs, and I don’t worry about it. She can have whatever the fuck she wants, and she knows that.”
“Cori paid off her cousin’s mortgage,” I announce to the group.
“The cousin who kicked your ass?” Preacher lets out a loud bark of laughter. “Talk about adding insult to injury.”
“She didn’t kick my ass. You think I was going to fight a woman?” I snap.
“They had you on the floor and beating the shit out of you, Hunt.”
I huff and look away from Preacher, who is grinning like getting jumped by two women is funny.
