Page 57 of Hotter 'N Hell

We looked nothing alike. She was a brunette with blue eyes. I might trade blue eye colors with her, if that were possible. Hers were definitely more unique. She was beautiful, but I had expected that. The girl had gotten both Cash boys to fall in love with her. Both pretty damn fast too. If Gathe had told me the truth, then Crosby had only been seeing her for a little over a month when he was killed. Bane had been hot after her within two months’ time, even though she was pregnant with his dead brother’s baby.

She was standing there, staring at me, nervous, uncertain, like she was considering bolting.

No need, Crosby’s Number One. I don’t care anymore. I have beef with God now. Not you.

“So, we finally meet,” I said, holding up my glass to her in a salute. Not sure why I had done it, but the vodka might have had something to do with it. “Please, don’t run off. I’m just eating this salad, having a drink, and thinking I should have stayed home and watched Netflix.”

I took another drink, watching her over the rim. She still looked like she might turn and run. What had they told the girl? Scratch that. I didn’t want to know. It would piss me off, and I was already dealing with too much shit to addpissed offto the list.

“Seriously, come in. Get whatever you need. Heck, fix a drink and sit. The great room is filled with pointless noise over a basketball game that has no real relevance or impact on any of their lives, yet they are cheering and shouting at the screen as if it does.”

She walked farther inside, dropping her gaze to the ground and biting her bottom lip. Was she always so timid? This was her house now. She should act like it. It sure as shit wasn’t mine.

Girl, get a backbone. Own it.

“Halo,” I said, “you’re gonna need to loosen up. Gathe won’t leave me the hell alone about coming over here. Being a part of things again. So, here I am. And here you are. Let me ease your mind. I don’t care that Crosby cheated on me with you. I also know you didn’t know about me. Okay, I cared before. Yes, it hurt. But I’m over it. Right now, I’m the other woman. The man I want, his number one is God or Jesus. Are they the same? I don’t know. Are you Catholic by chance? Because if you are, I have some questions.”

She was looking at me now instead of at the floor, and the corner of her lips was almost curving up. It wasn’t a smile exactly, but at least her body wasn’t so tensed up anymore. Shehad relaxed and might not take off sprinting for safety.

“I, uh…no, I’m not Catholic or religious. But I do believe that God is the father and Jesus is the son. The Christmas thing—Jesus was born. Then, there is Easter, where he rose from the dead and went to heaven to sit by God. Something like that.”

I nodded and stabbed some more salad with my fork. “You know more than me. Do you know that the Catholics wave large green leaves, uh…palm leaves—that’s it. Anyway, they wave them around on a Sunday that they call Palm Sunday while walking into the church behind the priest.” I stuck the forkful in my mouth.

A small laugh bubbled out of her. It was sweet and feminine. Nothing like mine. Yep, no similarities at all.

“I didn’t know that, no.”

I finished chewing and swallowed. “Are you gonna stand there, or are you waiting on me to tell you that you can get what you need? Or have a seat. Or get food. Because in case you missed the memo, this is your house. You don’t need me to tell you it’s okay.”

She scrunched her nose. “I just…well, I’m…I feel awkward. With you.”

I nodded and took a drink, then reached for the stool beside me. “Yeah, well, we fucked the same guy,” I told her. “Sit down. Have some salad.”

Her eyes dropped to the stool, and then she walked over to it and had a seat. She was an obedient one. The thought that Jude would have liked her, too, hit me, and I winced. Not going there.

“Uh, maybe I should just get my food and go,” Halo said.

I snapped out of my internal hell. “No. Sorry. Honestly, whatever facial expression I was making just now was not about you. I’ve had some revelations about Crosby and me. It wasn’t real love. Sure, we loved each other. But I love every guy in that room, Bane excluded—no offense, but he’s just an ass. Anyway,we are a family. I love them. But just like those guys, I wasn’t in love with Crosby. He was just all I knew. He was comfortable…” I paused and took a drink. “And, well, he met you and felt things. Things he hadn’t felt before and realized it. What he felt for you was strong. It rocked him. Lit up his world. Changed the way he saw life. It was more exciting. There was a warmth in his chest that had been cold.”

Halo shook her head. “I don’t think it was like that. He was still with you. I was just something different.”

I laughed. “Trust me, it was. It just took me feeling those things for someone to realize it. I hadn’t known what we were missing until I had it with someone else. But seeing as I am not as lovable as you seem to be, I am still not the first choice.”

I saw the flicker of emotion in her eyes. Seriously, what color blue was that? And those slate-colored rings around them were fantastic.

“I imagined you many times, and this was never what I thought you’d be like,” Halo said.

I raised both eyebrows. ““What? Did you picture horns and a forked tongue?”

She laughed louder this time, and her eyes twinkled. They effing twinkled. I guessed if your boyfriend was gonna cheat on you, then at least it was someone who looked like her. If I were into girls, I’d be crushing on her. That was probably the vodka talking again.

“Not exactly. I had…well, I expected you to be gorgeous. That wasn’t a surprise. But I thought you’d have a haughty, elitist way about you.” She grimaced as she said it. “Instead, you’re charming and funny. You have a confidence that isn’t intimidating, but draws others’ attention. I mean, in a fascinating way. Does that make sense?”

I took the stick with olives from my glass, then looked at her. “You’re married with a kid, and I’m not into girls. And even if Iwere, I’d be scared of Bane. Sorry, but it’s not gonna happen for us.”

This time, she tilted her head back as she laughed, placing her hand on her stomach.

I was kinda funny. Funnier with the vodka. I ate another olive as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Okay, I wasn’t that funny. But then she did live with Bane, and he was a bore. Poor girl was deprived.

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