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“No, and that’s all the more reason to. Listen, I’ll sit up here with you all night if that’s what you want to do, but I think it’d be good for you to go out and spend some time with your brothers. You haven’t been around that much. They’re going to start getting suspicious. Plus, it’d be good for you to be around family. It’s your favorite thing in the world.”
“My boyfriend may have killed someone, and you think the solution is to go play pool?”
“There’s dancing too.”
“Cove…”
“Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“Yes.”
I laughed. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be a nun.”
“I basically already am. Hayes won’t touch me, remember?”
“Haven.” I sighed deeply. “It’s time you learn that your pussy holds all the power. If you want him to touch it, then give him a reason to.”
My best friend did not understand men. Thank God she had me to steer her in the right direction or who knows what’d come of her future.
From the moment we walked into the pool hall, the place was packed to the brim with people. Luckily, we found an empty table near the back. It was the first time we were out with all her brothers in what felt like forever. I couldn’t remember the last time they were together like this, and I knew Haven would thank me for making her come out with them.
After we ordered food, Jace questioned her. “You okay?”
He was always so perceptive—it was so fucking annoying.
“Yeah.” Haven nodded. “I’m just tired.”
Jace proceeded to ride her ass, making me roll my eyes.
Unable to help myself, I asked, “Why are we picking on Haven?” Bringing their attention over to me, I stated, “She’s eighteen now. She’s allowed to have a life. You all did.”
I was over the fact they thought they could continue to control every second of her life. It was bullshit. None of them had someone breathing down their necks twenty-four seven. They could all make their own decisions, and their sister deserved the same respect.
“It doesn’t matter how old she is.” Jace nodded at her. “She’s our little sister.”
“Except she’s not so little anymore.”
“All righty…” Haven interrupted. She was aware this could escalate quickly.
Jace could push my buttons as if he knew every last one.
“So on that note,” she informed, “I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
After she left, it was fair game.
“If you keep hounding her like you do, Jace, she’ll end up pushing you away.”
“You’re suddenly an expert on what’s none of your damn business?”
My hands fisted under the table. If anything could trigger me to go off on him, it was Jace using the exact words he did on me when I was eight. Trying to control my temper, I didn’t want him to know his words affected me.
Instead, I played it cool and stood.
Leaning close to his ear, I whispered, “You mean like you stealing and destroying my pack of cigarettes was yours?”
“You know one cigarette takes fourteen minutes off your life?”
“Like every time I’m around you? Well shit,” I exclaimed, mocking him. “I must have lost years off my life just from you.”
His brothers weren’t paying us any mind. They were too busy flirting with women.
“Do you have a smart-ass response for everything I say?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and spoke with conviction, “I’d love to stand here and continue with this deadly conversation, but I don’t want to waste any more of my time on you. Besides, I can’t process how your delusional mind works, Jace, because I can’t get my head that far up your ass.”
And… he fucking smiled. A shit-eating grin I wanted to slap off his face.
“I wish I could say this was fun, but let's be honest, the pleasure was all yours. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go flirt with men around my age because the last thing I want is for guys to think I’m hanging out with my father.” I stepped aside to leave, but at the last second, he gripped my arm.
“Cove, use that snarky mouth on me again, and I’ll give you something to bitch about.”
I didn’t hesitate in spewing…
“Don’t start a war you can’t win, G.I. Joe.”
Three
Cove
I walked away, not giving him a second glance.
I made a beeline to the bar, using my fake ID to buy a beer. I waited for Haven to walk out of the bathroom, and once she did, I met her halfway and grabbed her hand to pull her onto the dance floor.
The crowd parted for us as the music switched from the live band to a DJ spinning the latest hits. People made it nearly impossible to dance. There was barely any space to move, which was always my favorite. I loved being the center of attention, and being a cheerleader for the last four years made it easy to know how to please a crowd.
