Page 30 of Twisted Needs

“I’m sex-positive.”

“No, you just like torturing Em.”

I smirk. “That too.”

He laughs loud enough that Dave yells at us from the other side of the bar to shut the fuck up.

Nights like these feel sacred. Just me and Luca talking about literally anything we could think of while the world manages a way to work around us. He’s my best friend. My brother. We’ve both gone through so much shit together as teammates. We’ve shared fights…we’ve shared struggles…Hell—we even shared a few women back in the day.

If I had one person in my corner, it would be Luca.

Which is exactly why the moment the bell above Verona’s front door rings and Anders walks in, guilt slices through me so sharply it almost makes me sit up straighter.

He pauses just inside the entrance, scanning the room beneath the low amber lights.

His hair is damp like he showered right before coming, long curls brushing the back of his neck in a way that’s starting to drive me a little insane. He’s wearing his usual baggy jeans and plain black hoodie combo with rings on his fingers that glint beneath the bar lights.

“I was wondering when you would grace us with your presence.”

Anders rolls his eyes, but he’s already leaning in for the hug Luca pulls him into.

I shift over automatically so Anders can slide onto the stool between us. The second he sits down, his knee brushes mine. My entire body goes tight.

“Did you drive?” I ask him before I can stop myself.

Anders turns toward me with a crooked grin that immediately feels dangerous. “If I drove, then I couldn’t drink.”

“Of course.”

Anders’ expression flickers. “This ain’t my first rodeo, Captain.”

Luca groans like a stressed-out parent. “Anders.”

“What?”

“You stress me out.”

“I’m literally twenty-one. Not even the law has shit to say about it.”

“The law has never met you.”

Anders laughs under his breath and reaches for the bowl of stale pretzels sitting on the bar. “You don’t sound so confident in your parenting abilities.”

“You were feral,” Luca mutters. “I deserve a medal for putting up with all the shit you put me through.”

“But look at me now. So charming. So employable.”

“You don’t even have a job.”

“I’m pursuing academia. Or something. We’ll see. You know unemployment is a really touchy subject for me.”

Dave wanders over and gives Anders a skeptical look. “ID?”

Anders digs his wallet from his back pocket and slides it over dramatically. Dave barely glances at it before handing him a beer.

I watch Anders take the first sip and immediately regret it. His throat moves slowly when he swallows while foam catches on his upper lip. He wipes it away with his thumb without thinking, and something ugly and possessive rattles low in my stomach.

Luca’s talking again, but I’m barely listening.