Page 50 of No Summer Hotter than You

“He sure does, doesn’t he?” She laughed lightly. “I mean, for a temporary girlfriend he barely got with two days ago, I’m sure you know a little about the shape of his dick.”

Her words were loud enough over the crowd for my friends and me to hear, but low enough that the guys couldn’t hear over their loud banter. In the middle of a crowded, loud bar, this conversation was only between Evelyn and me with my friends as witnesses.

I slowly blinked in her direction with a smirk. “Is that what you think I am? Just his temporary girlfriend?”

“You two are just friends,” she replied with certainty. “Your friendship suddenly becoming a romantic one is too well-planned with our trip here. If you two thought that I wouldn’t catch on, then you’re wrong to underestimate me.”

I tilted my head curiously. “Why are you going after him when he’s made it clear he doesn’t even see you in the same way?”

Evelyn’s face immediately flushed crimson. She looked over to where Anthony stood behind me with the guys in their own little circle and us women in our own. He wasn’t close enough, but his elbow grazed against my arm from time to time.

When I glanced over my shoulder, I could see him leaving, taking his warmth with him. He walked behind me without a single glance in my direction as my body ached for him to look at me or even place his hand on the small of my back. With him gone, I turned back to Evelyn to see the way her red lips tugged into an unbothered grin.

“Because I can,” she finally said and slipped away into the crowd surrounding us.

Her departure hung thick in the air, ruining the great mood Alicia, Jackie, and I were in.

“I’m going to get some water,” I announced.

“Sure, let’s go up together,” Jackie said, smiling softly at me.

“It’s—” I started before I got interrupted.

“Let me get it for you,” Kelvin quickly interjected. He had been standing and idling on the side of both of our little group. He had been watching me the whole night, which didn’t go unnoticed by me.

I gave him a tight smile. “It’s all right. I’ll go by myself,” I said, turning toward the bar. I waved off my girls and Kelvin since I needed a moment to be alone. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

All the alcohol from my one and only drink was proving too much and I needed to clear my head with water. My brain was too hazy and slow now since I downed all my Long Island in one gulp, and I regretted it immensely. I meant to slowly sip it throughout the night, but Evelyn got the better of me.

The cocktail made it hard for me to prepare for whatever she or maybe even Kelvin had in store for Anthony and me tonight. This evening was meant to be about having fun with our friends, and I was supposed to take it mellow and easy. However, Evelyn showed me her cards and I got agitated. I let her get under my skin, which I should have never.

She still wanted Anthony and would stop at nothing for him, regardless of our relationship—fake or not. I knew I was right when I told Anthony we should be worried about Evelyn. Now I was going to have to tell him, I told you so.

CHAPTER 21

anthony

“We need to talk,” said a familiar voice the moment I stepped out of the restroom, and then a hand reached out and grabbed me.

I turned and saw Evelyn. My hands were still damp from the cheap paper towel I used after I washed them, so I easily slipped out of her grip. But she didn’t care. She forcibly grabbed my forearm and dragged me to the dark back corner of the bar.

“Whoa, whoa. Evelyn, you need to stop,” I said as I pulled my arm out of her weak grip.

She looked at me with intense eyes, making me feel uneasy. I stood with my back pressed against the wall so I could keep an eye on the crowd just in case she called Kelvin for backup. I wasn’t sure what she was planning, but I had a feeling it wasn’t anything good.

I put my arm out to keep her at a respectful distance from me. With how forceful she was, I wasn’t sure what she was actually capable of. Just because she was smaller in frame and stature meant nothing if she had the will.

What the hell was going on?

“What are you trying to do?” I asked.

Her eyes narrowed. “Kelvin and I aren’t stupid, Anthony,” she said. “You and Shoua are just friends.”

I grinned, knowing she had absolutely nothing on us. If the people I knew best in my life couldn’t even tell between what was real and fake, how could someone we barely knew make this assumption?

“And your proof? I want to hear what evidence you have stacked against us,” I asked.

Her lips curled into a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Evidence?” she replied, her voice dripping with confidence. “Kelvin and I have been watching you two closely, and the way you act around each other always felt rehearsed and stiff.”

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