Page 24 of Falling For My Best Friend's Brother

“Smile,” I said through gritted teeth. “You know, move your lips upward. It’s not that hard.”

He gave me an unimpressed look. “I’m not a circus performer.”

“No, you’re just the only person here who looks like they’re plotting an escape route, in case someone offers you a drink.”

“I don’t drink punch. It’s usually spiked.”

“It’s a party, Knox. It’s supposed to be spiked,” I said, my frustration bubbling up.

He grumbled something under his breath, but before I could respond, a familiar face approached, grinning like she was already three sheets to the wind.

“Nina! So glad you could make it!” Cindy, the perpetually cheerful neighbor who’d invited us, hugged me like we were old friends. I smiled back, enjoying her warmth. She was probably in her late thirties, with auburn hair and even bigger breasts than me. Once she let me go, she gathered Knox into a hug as well as she squashed him with her bosom, causing me to bite my lip to hold back a chuckle.

The poor guy froze. Not in a metaphorical sense. He was literally standing stock-still, arms awkwardly at his sides, like he’d forgotten how to function as a human.

“And this must be…” Cindy’s eyes flicked over Knox as she pulled away, and she paused, sensing the tension rolling off him in waves.

“Knox,” I filled in, trying to defuse the moment with a grin. A thought occurred to me. He’d never been nice to me, so why should I make life easy for him? “He’s… not really a party person.”

Cindy was positively surprised. “Oh. Are you dating?” Without waiting for either of us to respond, she squealed like a teenager. “Oh my God. You look so cute together!” She looked behind her, as if searching for someone, and then waved said someone over. “Penn, come. Meet the young couple who just moved in. Aren’t they just the cutest?”

A barrel-chested man approached us.

“Oh my fucking God,” I heard Knox mutter beside me.

I couldn’t help the laugh that flew out of my throat as I inched closer to Knox and wrapped my hands around his arm. “Thank you so much for inviting us, Cindy.”

Normally, I would fly off in the other direction if anyone called me Knox’s girlfriend, but he looked so adorable, uncomfortable, and when would I ever get the chance to make his life hell again?

“Sure thing, Nina. That’s a handsome man you’ve got there.” Just as she spoke, Penn reached us holding two red cups. “Here. My husband brought you some drinks.”

“Hi, Penn,” I smiled at him, taking one cup. “Thanks.”

Knox only stared at it as if it was snake venom.

I elbowed him, speaking through clenched teeth. “Take it.”

Knox, not one for subtlety, shook his head. “No, thanks. I don’t imbibe.”

Cindy and her husband shifted uncomfortably. I could practically see her regretting why she invited us.

“So, Knox, what do you do?” Penn jumped in, clearly eager to make conversation. He seemed like a nice enough man.

Knox blinked, clearly struggling to find the words. “Uh… stuff. Work stuff.”

I stifled a scoff, enjoying watching him squirm under the most basic of questions.

“What kind of work?” Penn pressed on, oblivious to Knox’s discomfort.

His eyes narrowed, and I knew he was seconds away from giving the least helpful answer possible. “PR.”

Penn nodded slowly, and the awkward silence stretching longer by the second. Now this was getting painful.

“Knox owns a PR agency,” I interjected, throwing him a lifeline. “He’s great at handling crises and making people look good.”

As well as finding people’s weaknesses and weaponizing them.

“Oh, that’s great!” Penn said enthusiastically. “I could use some help with my business’s online image. We’ve been struggling to—”

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