“So he didn’t choose for you, then.”

I closed my eyes. Jesus. Why did he have to know me so well?

Turning to him with a half-hearted glare, I said, “Instead of being such an annoying smartass, could you do something productive and help me find things I can give Antony to wash? He’ll be here in…” I looked at my watch. “Six minutes.”

“Why is he coming?” he asked even as he was already coming into my room and opening my closet.

“I told him to do my laundry.”

“You literally did it yesterday.”

“Well, the point is to annoy him, not to make sense,” I snapped.

“Annoying himwould be making him wash a bunch of stinky clothes and dirty socks, not half-worn things that smell of cologne and deodorant,” he said even as he started helping me.

He had a point.

“If you’re so smart, why don’tyougive him the orders.”

Maddox whipped his head toward me immediately, an evil glint already in his eye. “It would be my pleasure.”

“I take it back. You cannot,” I said immediately, because I definitely wasn’t giving Antony up. Not even to Maddox.

“Why not? I would definitely do a good job at annoying him and making him miserable, unlike you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You don’t even know him. You don’t know his weaknesses.”

“And you do?”

My knuckles went white as I held the hamper. I didn’t respond.

“Don’t think I missed the way you call him ‘Antony’ while he isn’t here, or the way he winces when you call him ‘Andino’ to his face.”

Perceptive. Annoying. Infuriating. Three words that perfectly described my best friend.

“Congratulations, you have two working brain cells.” I turned around, looking for clothes over my desk, where there would obviously not be any, but I just didn’t want Mad to see my face.

“I’m ready for you to tell me what happened, Henry.”

“Ha. Not today, pal.”

I heard and felt the way Maddox stomped to my side. “I have a right to know what sort of monster is hidden under that stuck-up exterior, Henry.”

Groaning, I put down the hamper and faced him. “He’s not a monster, Maddox, I just don’t want to tell you.”

Icy blue eyes tried to stab me by sheer force of will. “I’m your best friend. You’re going to tell me.”

“Am not.”

God, we were like two petulant brats.

“Stop being stubborn.”

“Then stopinsisting.”

“Iwillafter youtell me.”

For a moment, I considered it. If anything, because if Maddox was one thing, it was loyal to the bone. He wasn’t going to let this go.