AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can’t say the same,” she answered.
His mouth tugged on one side, causing a respondent tug in her special places. Five more minutes, and she’d be back in love.
“Bryce doesn’t need more complications in his life right now.”
“And by complications, you mean what, exactly?”
“The Chicken King’s virgin daughter.”
“Oh, cool! That sounds like a Harlequin romance. I would definitely read that.” The Chicken King’s virgin daughter was nowhere to be seen at the moment. “And how do you know Paulie’s a virgin, huh? Maybe she’s the town slut.”
Yeah. This wasn’t going well.
“I doubt she’s the town slut.”
She bristled. “What are you implying, Lucas?”
He gave her a strange look. “Nothing. Just that Paulie doesn’t seem like the type.”
“Well, what if sheisa slut, huh? Maybe Bryce likes sluts.”Time to shut up now,Connor’s voice—her conscience—advised sagely.
“I’m sure he does.”
“So what’s your problem, then?”
“I’m trying to have a rational conversation here.”
“Yeah, and I haven’t seen you in ten years, and you just waltz into my bar and start insulting me and bossing me around. I do know about your uncle and how sick he is, because guess what? I visit him. I like him. I bring him magazines and cookies, and he likes my dog.”
“You have a dog?”
“Yes, I do, so just...you just, um, put that in your pipe and suck on it.”Smooth, O’Rourke. She tried to look haughty and dignified. “Maybe I happen to think that Bryce needs someone to help him through this difficult time.”
“Maybe he has other things to deal with.”
“And maybe I’m right and you’re wrong.”
He tilted his head to one side. “I’m getting the sense that you’re still mad.”
“I’m not.”
“Leave my cousin alone, all right?”
“Make me.”
He rolled his beautiful (damn them) eyes and walked over to Bryce, hugging him.
Humph. He hadn’t hugged her.
“Let’s stop being stupid, shall we?” she muttered to herself.
Lucas said something, then smiled. Shit, that was agoodsmile. Hardly ever saw it, that was the trick. She, on the other hand, smiled like a pubescent monkey or jackal or hyena or some other animal that smiled a lot. “What do you think?” she asked Victor Iskin, a regular at the bar who had a well-documented love of animals. “Do hyenas smile more than monkeys?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Do I look like a hyena right now?”
“Can’t say that you do, dear.”
