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“What are you really doing here, evil spawn?” Maddox pushes my jalapeño margarita across the bar with a raised brow. “Your crew’s not in the city.”
I wrap my fingers around the stem of the glass, but he tugs it out of my hand and holds it hostage while he waits for an answer.
Asshole.
As if I don’t know my best friends are all on vacation. My sister is touring the country on her first national ballet tour. And the rest of my family is at the beach. Without me.
Like I somehow could miraculously miss the fact that I’m alone.
“That’s because Lindy, Kenzie, and Brynlee are on some tropical island with the rest of your family, and Gracie doesn’t get home from her tour until next week.” I yank the glass back and manage to only allow a smidge of jalapeño goodness to splash over the side. He’s an ass, but he makes a damn good margarita. “Why aren’t you on vacay with the rest of your family?” I push, kinda hoping sparring with Maddox will make me feel a little less sorry for myself. I don’t do pity parties. Atleast I don’t like to. But I’m not sure even sparring with Madman will fix my funk.
Maybe the margarita will help.
I take a sip, savoring the cool, spicy goodness as it slips down my throat, hoping it dulls my sadness. I’d welcome a little reprieve any way I can get one. Pretty sure I’m getting on my own nerves now.
Not that I’ll admitanyof that to him.
Hell, I barely want to admit it to myself.
Maddox and I have been friends our entire lives. Our moms are best friends, who used to joke that the two of us were destined to be soulmates.
Seriously. Who talks like that?
Oh wait, my mom does because my dad and her have been disgustingly in love since the day they met. The kind of in love where they can’t keep their hands off each other, and he still brings her flowers just because.
Umm . . . No, thank you.
And hell to theno, not with Maddox Beneventi. He’s more like a brother to me than arealguy, and possibly an even bigger pain in my ass than my actual brothers, which is really saying something, considering the three of them are shitheads.
Madman wipes down the bar, then smacks me with the damp towel. “I’m skipping the island this year. Someone had to stay in town, so I told Dad I’d do it. Mom loves this stupid family vacation. I didn’t want them to miss it.”
“Aww, Madman. You’re not going soft on me, are you?” I tease... and drink. And drink some more.
Tonight sucks.
Happy birthday to me.
“Not to worry, evil twin. Not a single inch of me is soft, and there’s a whole lotta inches.” His wicked grin almost makes me gag.Almost.
“You’re gross. Keep your inches to yourself.” I swallow the rest of my drink, savoring the tequila, then nod toward my glass. “Refill, please.”
“Going kinda fast, don’t you think?” Maddox asks pointedly as he empties the rest of the shaker into the glass, then tosses a few little red pepper slices on top. “Might want to slow it down. I’m not carrying your tiny ass home.”
“That happened one time, and you’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
He shakes his head, and my eye twitches.
“Whatever. Cut me a break. It’s the first time in twenty-three years I haven’t been with Gracie on our birthday. I haven’t seen my sister in weeks, and my entire family is already at the beach compound. Much less glamorous than your family’s entire island, but still, that’s where everyone is. Which leaves mehere,on my birthday... Alone...With you,” I groan. “I don’t want to spend my birthday with you, Maddox.”
A deep, sexy, vibrating laugh comes from next to me, which pisses me off. I don’t care how sexy it sounds. Nobody likes to be laughed at. Especially a woman indulging in a pity party on her birthday.
“Excuse me?” I turn my head enough to look at the person behind the deep, rumbly sound, then drag my eyes up...And up. And—oh wow—up some more, until I’m looking at a face. A devastatingly handsome face.Damn. Deep brown eyes, framed by thick black lashes most women would pay a fortune for, hold me locked in place.Hostage. As my brain momentarily short-circuits.
“That’s okay. No excuse needed.” The deep timbre of his voice is melodic and soothing in an annoying kind of way because I do not need to be soothed by a stranger.
I watch as he takes a pull from a beer bottle, then cracks a smile and ...Oh hell. I think my panties just got wet. Thatsmile is so sexy. The kind of smile that holds a cocky, confident promise of all the sinfully delicious things those lips could do.
