Page 179 of Just This Once

“I guess,” I agreed, only to lean down and press my lips to her brow. “And thank God for it.”

EPILOGUE

PARKER

“Hey, handsome,” a sultry voice greeted me before a feminine hand slid its way up my elbow to my shoulder. “What’s your name?”

Turning from Damien who’d been talking to me, I glanced at the stranger curling herself around my arm before lowering my gaze to the limb that she was trying to claim.

“Hands off, sweetheart,” I told her, shrugging her away. “This seat’s taken.”

“Well, you’re no fun.” Pouting, she fell back a step and scowled at me as if that would induce me to change my mind. But then she noticed Archer and lifted her eyebrows athimin interest.

“Sorry, I’m taken too,” he assured her, lurching back and lifting both hands before she could even attempt to coil herself around him.

“Dammit,” she muttered moodily. “Where are the available guys?”

I pointed. “Try the garage. There’s a cup pong game going on out there, and I know of at least two single boys who are playing right now.”

Eyes brightening at that idea, she turned away and disappeared into the garage.

Damien and I glanced at each other and started to chuckle just as another set of feminine arms wrapped around me from behind.

Jesus. What was up with all the horny women crawling around this party tonight? Had Hudson slipped something into the drinks or what?

Before I could shake this broad loose as well, she said into my ear, “I really wish you’d stop telling them you were taken before I show up. I’ve just added something new to my bucket list: get into a hair-pulling, eye-scratching girl fight over you.”

Chuckling, I turned into her arms so I could grin down into her blue, blue eyes. “Will you stop adding shit to that damn list?” Still smiling, I reached out to smooth my fingers along her cheek. “At this rate, we’re never going to finish it.”

I think she was up to twenty or twenty-one items now.

Smiling back, she snuggled closer. “That’s the point, isn’t it?” she countered slyly. “To keep adding more reasons to live life to the fullest?”

I leaned down to run my nose along her jaw as I answered, “With you, life is always full.” Then I pressed a sweet kiss to her mouth and added, “Of trouble.”

Eyebrows furrowing into a scowl, she nudged me in the gut, muttering, “Hey, I’m innocent.”

“As if,” I scoffed. “Now, fess up. What’d you do this time?”

“Nothing!” she insisted, only to grin a moment later. “Except maybe hide a fake snake in Keene’s bed.”

“Now there’s my girl,” I said with a proud chuckle as I kissed her brow. “Nicely done.”

“Seriously,” Thane broke in, interrupting us, as he joined our group. “Are you two permanently connected at the hip now or what?”

After slugging my arm in greeting, he sent Damien a head bob of thanks when Damien handed him a beer.

Twisting the cap off, he winked at Hope. “I honestly don’t think I’ve seen you apart since you got out of the hospital. They didn’t literally sew y’all together, did they?”

As he tipped up his bottle for a long drink, Hope took a big, obvious step away from me and lifted her hands to twirl in a circle. “Lookie,” she announced. “No strings attached. Hell, I can even do this.”

Stepping toward my best friend, she hugged him and laid a big wet kiss on his cheek.

“Hey, hey,” he greeted, waggling his eyebrows at her suggestively and throwing an arm over her shoulders to keep her at his side. “Now that’s more like it.”

When they both looked at me for some kind of response, I folded my arms over my chest and scowled, refusing to give them one. But seeing Thane’s arm around her grated too much. And two seconds later, I broke. “Okay, dammit. That’s enough.” Snagging my girlfriend back, I yanked her to my side and scowled at Thane. “Don’t you have your own woman to hang on?”

He had been starting to laugh over my jealousy, but the mention of Christine caused him to falter.

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