AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Talk about a complicated couple.
She grumbles under her breath.
Slade turns around. “I have gone from boiling point to simmering because you don’t need me hollering at you, but woman… you are pressing my buttons. I am tired, cranky, and I swear, if you get out of this bed again without my assistance, I am gonna put you over my knee when you are well enough to receive a spanking”—he raises his voice—“so, donot.Play. With. Me!”
I think Phoenix may have pushed one too many of Slade’s buttons, and she’s got no more buttons to try without him imploding from the determined scowl on his face.
The big man is lecturing her the whole time she’s glaring at me, which really is the wrong thing to do. I can’t help a wicked smile splitting my lips apart. What can I say? I choose to play with her like she is a squeaky toy. It’s our thing.
When her eyes narrow at me, one eyebrow slowly arches. I know Sweetness is plotting against me, and hell, if I can’t help barking a laugh at her.
“You think this is funny?” she hisses at me.
I tried. I honestly did. But I throw my head back and laugh like a manic barbarian.
Getting myself under control, I say, “Color me intrigued, Sweetness. I do have to meet this Ophelia, purely because of your reaction.” I know I am naughty getting her riled up, but this game of mine is a way of keeping Phoenix and Slade from arguing and me winning a bet.
Slade has given up commenting. Instead, he’s shaking his head at the two of us.
Phoenix mutters under her breath inaudible mutterings I don’t doubt are about little ol’ me. She snatches her cell phone up off the bed, snapping a picture of me and stabbing the phone’s keyboard vigorously while still muttering away.
What the hell is she doing?
I cock an inquiring brow. “Sweetness, to whom are you sending my mugshot?”
She glances over her phone with a manic grin plastered on her gorgeous face and continues typing. “None of your business.”Oh, I beg to differ.
Now I want to break my own rule and roll my eyes at her instead, but like a snooping big brother would do, reacting fast, I snatch away her phone before thinking twice about what I am doing.
“Hey! Give me that back, I’m not finished.”
“You snooze, you lose, Sweetness.”
“Oooo you little shit! Give me my phone back!” Phoenix’s reaction is priceless: mouth open, eyes bulging, fire and brimstone in the air.
I hold the phone against my chest. “No. I think you are misbehaving. Let me take a look at what you have been up to for myself because we both know you took a creeper photo of me.”
“Did not. It was a nice enough photo. Now give it to me. Please.”
Hmmm, let me think.
“Naah.”
“Slaaade, help me.”
Nowshe attempts to use her womanly wiles.
“The big guy will do no such thing. You started this, Sweetness.”
“Did not.”
Phoenix knows she can’t get out of bed because the big guy will be all over that.
I skim her message. The opening line in capitals (nonetheless): BEWARE OF THIS HAIRY COCKY ASSHOLE, AKA TUCKER ROYAL! It gets followed more or less by an unfinished warning to give said ‘cocky jerk’ a wide berth if Ophelia sees me lurking around Mack & Cooper Investigations.
Awww look at that. Sweetness has been speaking highly of me—inner monologue sarcasm at its best.
Phoenix looks at Slade and points her finger in my direction. “Are you going to do something about him?”
