Page 82 of Undeniably Enemies

“Hi, kiddo. How was work?”

“Good.”

“Kick ass. You still settled on emergency medicine, or can we convince you to join us up in OB?”

“Never.”

He laughs. “Shame.”

“Stop pestering her with that,” my mother jumps in just as I hear a loud, screeching siren. “Oh shit, the lasagna’s burning. We have to go.”

She disconnects the call, and I giggle as their voices cut out and music starts blaring back into my ears. I start to dance my way through the store, shaking my hips and swinging my arm up into the air like I just don’t care because I don’t. All the haters can keep on hating, but Tay is singing loud and proud in my ears and helping me to forget, well, this entire week pretty much.

Two hours later, I’m already feeling like myself again—sass and sunshine as my dad calls me. Well, with a hint of darkness, but that’s not entirely my fault. I have music blasting throughmy Alexa, a glass of wine in my hand, Tyson dancing and shaking his ass in my living room, and cookies baking in the oven while I whisk the filling for my pumpkin rolls.

“I’m heading upstairs,” he tells me, swinging around the corner and into the kitchen. “Wednesday is grooming night.”

I wince as I lower the volume of the music. “For the thousandth time, laser hair removal is a real thing.”

“Honey, for the thousandth time, you don’t have balls. Lasers and balls do not mix.”

“Oh, and lasers and vaginas do?” I throw back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I can’t speak to that. I just know what I know, and pussies have never been my jam.”

I hold up a hand to stop him before this goes to the next level. “Fine. You… go groom. I’ll bring some baked goods to you tomorrow morning before my shift.”

“My girl.”

He kisses the top of my head since he’s like six-foot-seven and the entire world is shorter than him. I hear my front door open and close only to immediately reopen.

“Wren, turn that machine off and get your bony ass over here.”

I flip off the standing mixer, wipe my smeared hands on a dish towel, and come over to the door.

“What?”

He claps his hand over my mouth and uses his other to point across the hall. “Shh. Look. The light is on under his door, and there’s noise coming from inside.”

I shrug. “So? He lives there.”

“Yes, but you never told me what happened after I left Saturday morning.”

No, I didn’t. Tyson came on Sunday for pancakes and grilled me better than a detective investigating a murder would. I didn’t crack, though.

“Nothing happened.”

“But that man wants you, and did you see the bulge in his track shorts? That is no joke dick.”

I choke. On nothing and throw him a glare.

“Go knock on the door.”

I laugh. “Um, no. You go knock on the door. You can welcome him to the building.”

“Honey, I am a giant gay man. I am not who should be welcoming him.”

I roll my eyes. “You welcomed me.”

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