Page 29 of Shot to the Hart

Me

No! As my best friend, you’re supposed to just read my mind when I can’t explain.

Darcy

You are so dramatic. It’ll be fine, he’s just being nice. That’s all.

Me

Yeah right! I’m going back to sleep. Love ya.

My phone pings one last time, but I choose to ignore it and curl into my heating pad, letting the quiet and dim lighting put me to sleep.

18

MAVERICK

HORNGRY

Once I’m back outside, I realize by the glances coming my way that I was gone way longer than I intended to be. I scowl at Dom who has a shit-eating grin on his face. “Don’t say a fucking word Dominic.”

“Fine. No words. But how about this?” He waggles his eyebrows at me before jumping backwards into the pool. I continue to scowl in his direction, even though he’s now distracted by Bella holding onto his neck for dear life.

I join Nik by the grill, the smell of charcoal and hot dogs assaulting my nostrils. “How is she?” he asks, genuinely concerned. I didn’t divulge with the guys why Kodi wouldn’t be joining us, just that she wasn’t feeling well today.

“She’s going through it, dude.”

He chuckles. “Just steer clear bro. Women have two modes when their bodies are raging war on them. Anger and horngry.”

I chortle at that. “Horngry?”

“Yeah man, horny as hell but in a hangry way. It can be hot in the right situation,” he states matter of factly.

I decide that I don’t want to know what he means by that statement and join everyone else in the pool. Dominic and I stand on either end of the shallow side of the pool letting Bella, wearing her pink two-in-one flotation device, practice her swimming back and forth between us until she finally gets worn out and the hot dogs are ready to eat.

Bella was exhausted by the time everyone left, so I got her bathed and down for the night before showering myself. I then head to the kitchen to make Kodi a plate to drop off at her room on my way to bed. However, when I enter the kitchen I hear the television quietly playing in the living room and find Kodi sitting on the couch, a small plate sitting in her lap.

“Hey, mind if I join you?”

“Jesus, Mav. You scared the shit out of me,” she gasps, hand clutched to her chest, “You watchBig Bang Theory?”

“I can’t say that I have.”

“No way! Okay, well we are going to start over from the very beginning because you have to watch from the beginning.”

“Sounds like we need snacks. Popcorn? M&M’s?” I ask her. I wonder if she’s a salty or sweet kind of woman.

“M&M’s in the popcorn?” she questions back, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

It’s so damn cute.

“I like your thinking Darlin’. Be right back.” I wait two minutes for the popcorn to finish before adding in a hefty scoop of the chocolate candies, gently mixing them in so they don’t smoosh, and grab two beers before heading back into the living room. “Snacks and beverages have arrived.”

Kodi immediately presses play on episode one and starts snacking, bopping her head along to the beat of the theme song.

“Okay, so all the guys are socially awkward scientists that end up living across the hall from a mess of a pretty girl, and theydon’t know what to do with themselves?” I ask about halfway through the first episode.

“No, just Sheldon and Leonard live across the hallway. Wolowitz and Koothrappali might as well live there but don’t.”

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