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With a noncommittal shrug, Vin said, “He’ll survive, baby.”
Her jaw slacked.
Rogen snickered.
Recovering quickly, she asked Vin, “Are we in junior high again?”
“Oh, right,” Vin said with a nod, a glint in his emerald eyes. “Rogen laid me flat for…” His gaze flashed to Rogen. “For what, exactly?”
“For telling Mrs. Peterson in English class that I used CliffsNotes when I wrote my paper on Hamlet, because I hadn’t read the book.”
“Yes, now I remember.” Vin smirked. “I had to give you up on that one, man. Everyone should read Hamlet.”
“And War and Peace?” Jewel tossed in, pinning Vin with a look.
He grinned. A knowing smile that told her he instantly recalled the first time they’d realized they were hot for each other—and had done something about it.
“I offered to lend you my copy,” he told her.
She gave a slight shake of her head. “It’s, like, a million pages long. I didn’t have the attention span back then.”
“Because you were trying to help Bay and Jonathan pick out the proper condoms.”
“Whoa,” Rogen interjected. “Bay and Jonathan Higgins? Not a fucking chance in hell.”
Jewel turned to him. “’Fraid so. Until that night they planned to have sex. Blew up in their faces when their parents showed up at their hotel room. I told Jonathan not to leave any trails. But he used his dad’s credit card, for God’s sake. Pre-paid, no less, so it was already on the statement before they’d even made it into the lobby.”
“Fuck.” Rogen laughed. “Jonathan never was too bright. Too many concussions on the football field, I always suspected.” He took a seat by the window.
Jewel sat next to him. The flight attendant, Melinda, emerged from the galley and Jewel requested an ice pack for Rogen’s lip.
Vin scowled at her doting. Said, “I thought it was to the victor that went the spoils.”
“Not when it’s a sucker punch, asshole,” Rogen told him.
“You two aren’t seriously going to fight over me, are you?” Jewel asked, consternation brewing. Then she added, “Wait. What did you fight over?”
“You,” they both said in unison.
She grimaced.
In a serious tone, Vin said, “Rogen never should have told you about Holly.”
She mulled this over, the consternation becoming a bit of a cyclone in the pit of her stomach. She dared to ask, “You both regret our night together?”
Vin shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Rogen heaved a breath.
Neither spoke as Melinda returned with the ice pack, which Jewel delicately applied to Rogen’s lip.
The attendant said, “Welcome onboard, Mr. Angelini and Mr. D’Angelo. I’m Melinda. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask. We have catered food and a fully stocked bar. I habitat in the galley.” Her tone was a bit flirty at her little quip, but then she turned professional again. “It doubles as an operations center. We have two laptops set up with Internet service, a laser printer, scanner, and high-speed copier. Everything is connected via satellite, so we rarely ever have any interruptions, downtime, or cycling.”
“Good to know,” Vin said with a nod.
Melinda smiled prettily at him and asked, “May I bring you something to drink, Mr. D’Angelo?”
“Pellegrino will be fine,” he said. “Lime twist.”
Her attention shifted to Jewel’s other guest. “And for you, Mr. Angelini?”
