Page 23 of Laugh

I lied.Fucking Marcus.

Closing my eyes, I shake my head almost imperceptibly, but Beau surprises me when he rumbles out a low chuckle. Now I’m extra angry at Marcus for making him laugh when I’ve barely gotten a squeak out of him.

“Please, ignore him.” I lean my head on the door and sigh deeply.Christ. Where is a deep hole when you need one?

“Never,” he whispers back, causing my eyes to pop open at his playful tone.Interesting. Chris is in a good mood. “Want to introduce me to your friends?”

Grumbling, I hold the door open so he can walk in. “Not really.”

“I’m offended!” Addie complains, then stands up to walk over to Beau with her hand held out. “I’m Addie. We met the other night at O’Reilly’s, but I don’t think we got a chance to talk much.”

Sneaking around them, I run over to the pile of clothes in the middle of my living room where I dropped them and quickly kick them under my couch. I ignore the small worry that Beau is going to be enchanted by my gorgeous friend, and tell myself that even if he is, I won’t be jealous. If I was into vaginas, I’d be all over her too.

“Nice to meet you, Addie. I remember meeting you. You’ve been seeing a lot of Jensen lately, right?”

I whip my head around so fast that my neck cracks, and stare at my friend.Secrets secrets, dear Addie.“Oh, yeah? Do tell you sneaky, close-lipped asshole.”

Addie’s face turns a lovely shade of pink before she shoots a glare over her shoulder at me. “I just didn’t get a chance yet. You’ve been running your mouth since I showed up!”

“Filthy lies,” Marcus interjects, then looks at me. “She totally told me earlier this week.”

Happy to have the distraction, I dig my feet in. “Tell me! But first, I’d like you to note that I’m crushed to be left in the dark. What’s been going on with you and Jensen? Wait, Beau, this is my other best friend, Marcus O’Brien.”

Addie, under her breath, whispers, “I’ll tell you later. So good.” I wink at her to let her off the hook and watch the guys as they greet each other.

Marcus gets up from the couch, a little slower than normal, and I frown at him. “You tired or something? I’d ask if you went to the gym, but I know you despise treadmills.”

Flashing a quick smile at me, he holds his hand out to Beau. “Nah, just didn’t get a ton of sleep. Nice to meet you, Cap. Heard lots about you.”

Beau grips his hand the way boys do, all firm and dominant like, and I giggle at Marcus when he shakes it out after they separate. “Tight grip you got there, buddy.” Then, clapping his hands together, he looks between us. “So, off to class then? You just dropping this pretty lady off, or are you sticking around today?”

“Marcus,” I grit out between my teeth.

Smirking, Beau surprises all of us. “Nope. I’m sticking around today. I’ve decided to thank the pretty lady for all her hard work when we’re finished.”

My head tilts to peer up at him. I ignore the erupting blush on my cheeks at his ‘pretty lady’ comment because he only repeated what Marcus said. I also ignore the way it feels when he zeroes his gaze directly on me. “The hell you say? I told you I don’t need anything.”

Leaning toward me, he says from the side of his mouth, “Suck it up, happy girl. I’ve decided.”

Addie turns to me, fanning her face, and mouths, “Wow.”

Sputtering, I try to argue, but I’m thrown. For the first time, I don’t actually know what the hell I should say right now. This is why I shouldn’t be allowed into the wild during migration season. I’d be the goose flying west when everyone else is going south.

“You ready to go?” Beau asks me, checking his watch. “We’ve got about forty minutes before the guys are supposed to be there. I cut them out a little early from practice today.”

Addie shoos us out the door while handing me my bag. “Go on. We’ll lock up your place, Haddie. Do good things and make good choices. Behave kids and don’t stay out too late!” The last was delivered as a yell through my front door seconds after she slams it shut.

I stare at the bare wood, silently begging for a chandelier to break and squish me. “I…” Trailing off, I have no words to offer as an excuse for my ex-best friends’ behavior.

“I like them. Let’s get going. Maybe we could grab a coffee on the way, if you’re up for it? I’ve got my car running.” Beau’s hand cups my elbow as he leads me out to his idling SUV.

“You left it running? Ballsy.”

Shrugging me off, he opens the front passenger door so I can slide inside. He didn’t do that last time, and now I’m doubly confused by his change in demeanor. “I figured I’d just pop up to see if you were ready. Didn’t know you had friends over.”

“They’re no longer my friends,” I grumble. He offers me a sympathetic smile as he shuts the door and jogs around to get into his seat. Once he’s in, I continue. “Seriously, I’m so freaking sorry if they embarrassed you. I’d like to say they aren’t normally like that, but they really are.”

Pulling out into mild traffic, he sets me at ease. “They didn’t bother me. Honestly, I like them. Besides, Addie and Jensen have been hitting off pretty well from what I hear, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing her around a lot. Marcus seems like a decent guy. You guys dating or something?”

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