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I cleared my throat.
He jerked around, bashing his elbow on the fridge. “Shit.” He rubbed at it.
“Good morning,” I replied.
“Good morning.” He hit the button on the coffee machine to turn it on.
“You appear to have lost your t-shirt.”
“And your nipples appear to be trying to break out of yours.”
I adjusted so they were covered by my arms. Kinda. “Why are you looking at my boobs?”
“Why are you looking at my chest?”
“I can hardly miss it.”
“There you go, then.” He pulled a mug down from the cupboard, completely unbothered, and put it under the spout and set the coffee to pour.
It was happening.
I dropped my gaze to my bowl and shoveled a huge spoonful into my mouth. It was too much, and I had to spit some out into the trash so I didn’t choke to death.
Discretion was not one of my great abilities, and a poker face was not something I possessed.
Ethan side-eyed me, giving me a look that said he was wondering what the hell was wrong with me.
It’d been asked many times.
I still didn’t know the answer.
Ethan spooned sugar into his mug three times, added the cream, and stirred. He left the creamer on the side as he lifted the mug and took two huge mouthfuls.
He coughed immediately, throwing the full mug into the sink where it clattered against the stainless steel and hot coffee splashed all over the tiles.
I put down my bowl. “What’s wrong?”
The look he gave me was murderous. “Did you switch out the fucking sugar for salt?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, picking up my water to take a drink.
He snatched the bottle from me before I had a chance and glugged down half the water. He slammed it onto the counter and stuck his tongue out, disgust etching into his expression.
With a shudder, he stormed off toward the bathroom, and the tap in there roared to life.
I laughed silently into my hand. Oh, man, this was so worth whatever was coming my way as revenge.
Famous last words, probably, but whatever.
“Fucking salt,” Ethan said from the bathroom. “Fucking Ava.”
I pressed both hands over my mouth to hide my laughter.
Yep. He was pissed.
He stomped back into the kitchen, eyes narrowed. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”
“Generally, no,” I replied, dropping my hands. “But right now? Absolutely. This is the best morning I’ve had in a long time.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked up at the ceiling. Then, slowly, he walked over to me and stopped just inches in front of me. He was still shirtless, and I swore I could feel the anger just emanating off him.
“Ava,” he said in a low voice. “You just started a battle you can’t win.”
Jerking my chin up in defiance, I met his burning, blue gaze. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
He held eye contact for the longest moment before he finally said, “We’ll see about that.”
CHAPTER SIX – AVA
Sibling Rivalries
“You actually put salt in the sugar jar?” Reagan raised her voice to be heard over the sound of the entire bar roaring with delight as the Panthers scored a touchdown.
I winced at the noise and waited until they’d stopped hollering like Neanderthals to respond. “Yep. Apparently, we’re now at war.”
Halley wrinkled her nose. “What are you going to do next? That’s a pretty savage move. I don’t know how else you can really get at him.”
“You still have the ballsac card, right?” Reagan asked, dipping her fries in ketchup. We were tucked away in the corner of the bar while I was on my break, and since it was five-thirty, we’d all decided on a slightly early dinner.
“I do,” I said, putting down my burger and wiping my mouth. I swallowed and continued, “But that’s only for use with the hedgehog. Otherwise, I need to come up with some ideas and fast.”
“Steal the insoles from all his shoes while he sleeps,” she said immediately.
Halley nodded. “You can also go through the cookies and take one bite out of every single one. Works on just about anything.”
“Have you done that?” I asked, grinning.
She dabbed the corner of her mouth with her napkin. “It’s the last time Preston touches my candy.”
Reagan smirked.
I pulled my glasses off and used the bottom of my shirt to clean the lens. “All right, so that’s two, but I really need more than just that. I get the feeling this is going to be painful for me. I need to return that in spades.”
My friends both nodded. We ate in silence for a few minutes before Reagan clapped her hands.
“Switch the toothpaste out for shaving cream.”
I screwed up my face. “I think he’ll notice that, though. The texture is completely different.”
Halley nodded. “That’s a basic one. He’ll be looking for that. You need something more discreet.”
“Take all the batteries so he can’t use anything?” Reagan suggested.
