Page 35 of Chasing Sparks

Since I refuse to dive into the abyss of my life with Lucille, I decide to focus on something directly involving Oriana.

“Did you tell some woman to give me her number?” I ask, crossing my arms as I lean against the bookcase.

“The other day?”

My jaw slackens at her response. “Has there been more than one?”

Ori rolls her eyes and offers me a casual shrug. “Truthfully? It’s a daily occurrence. But no, I’m not giving anyone your number or telling them to hand off theirs. I’m fully aware of your bachelor status, but I draw the line at helping you field women.”

At least this topic annoys her, because it sure as hell annoys me.

“You’re pawning me off on other women?” I push off the bookcase, narrowing my gaze at her.

Ori huffs out a breath, clearly aggravated. “Hardly.”

“Then why talk to them?”

“Because they ask about you. Constantly.” She throws her hands up in exasperation. “What should I tell them? Tell me what to say, so I’ll know for future reference.”

“Tell them I’m not interested.”

The side of her mouth quirks upward. “Blanket statement? Regardless of how hot or sexy she may be?”

“Yes.”

“Really? Okay.”

I cup her face, tracing my thumbs along her cheeks. “No more hunting dates for me. If someone wants to approach me, they can ask me directly.”

Definitely the wrong response.

A muscle jumps in Ori’s jaw. “Got it. Did you guys look at the house?”

She’s desperate to change the topic. I’m desperate to provide her some reassurance.

“I’m not calling her, Ori.”

But my words don’t have the intended effect as she averts her gaze. “She will be bitterly disappointed, I’m sure.”

Zane walks over, waving around a half-eaten sandwich. “I can’t believe you got meatballs and eggs. Best sandwich ever.”

“I overheard you saying something about it the other day,” Ori says offhandedly. “I hope it’s good.”

“Amazing,” Zane replies, shoving another bite into his mouth. “Ori, how about you forget this guy and marry me instead?”

A grin breaks across Ori’s face at his offer, but I’m not smiling. I glower at my buddy over Ori’s head. Doesn’t matter if he’s kidding. This is the second time he’s mentioned stealing Ori from me.

He’ll learn the hard way I don’t share.

As if picking up on the tension, Ori points to the table and chairs in the center of the room. “Come on, guys. I know you’re putting your social lives on hold to help me out, so let’s not waste anymore of your weekend.”

We gather around the table and dig into our breakfast. Figures the woman would bring us a gourmet feast.

“I’m going to ask the question that we’re all wondering,” Zane proclaims, pointing a finger at Ori before stuffing the rest of his sandwich in his mouth. “How in the world did you afford this place? Are you secretly a queen of some small but wildly wealthy land?”

“Of course,” Ori replies, not missing a beat as she waves her hand with a regal air. “An evil queen, to be sure, and you’re all now my captors.”

Then she laughs and I realize how different she sounds from Lucille. While both women have smooth voices, Ori’s laughter is lilting. Kinder.

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