Page 77 of Rules of Association

Taking this in, Nina and Christine looked from the picture to each other and then to me. Then, as if they had communicated everything silently, Nina reached an arm forward and returned Connor his phone. Holding up a staying finger, Christine said in a sing-songy voice, “Give us just one moment, please.”

Still synchronized, the two of them flipped from being behind my back to at my front, their backs to Connor now. When I took in their faces, I was afraid of what was to come.

“Afriend?”Christine whisper-screamed.

“What kind of friend?” Nina followed up directly after.

I made a face. “The normal kind? What other kind of friend is there?”

“Um, the sexy kind, duh! No one knows a man that beautiful and is just his friend,” Christine squeaked.

“No one butme,” I corrected.

Nina’s eyes seemed to light with something like realization as she peeked a look back at Connor and then to me again. “Is this the friend that wastherefor you?”

I flipped a quick look at Con who looked amused. I stuck my tongue out. “Yes, he’s my best friend. Has been for a while.”

Christine snorted. “Oh,I bet. Did you see that photo? You two are positively domestic!”

“We are positively nothing,” I grumbled. “Other than friends—are you guys done now? Or does everyone in my life insist on acting ridiculous all of a sudden? I don’t even know why he’s here.”

“To pick you up,” Con said again from behind us. We all looked at him to see that he was standing casually with his hands in his pockets waiting for me. “We have somewhere to be and I don’t want you out alone.”

I glared. “Can it, Con. I’ll deal with you in a second.”

Eyes glowed from the women in front of me, they might as well be shaped like hearts. “He lets you talk to him like that?”

“Chop, chop Ceci,” Connor said, looking down at his watch. “If you make us any later I’m carrying you out of here over my shoulder.Again.”

Gasps.

Yep. They were gasping like schoolgirls. “Youlethimtalk to you like that? It must be love.”

“Alright,” I said, untangling myself from the two women and reaching over the counter for my jacket. “While this issofun, I think I’ll go with the big guy now. I’m sorry for the intrusion guys, I’ll let him know the rules, really.”

We left to the mesmerized finger-waving of the two girls huddled together. I was almost positive they were watching Con’s ass as we went.

We weren’t a whole three steps outside before I turned on him. “What the hell, Ferguson! You can’t ambush me like that.”

He didn’t even stop walking. Instead, he roped an arm around my waist and pulled me along with him. “I wasn’t kidding,Fernandez. We’re late.”

“Late? For what?” I asked

He moved us along the sidewalk, bypassing my car that was parked on the street and going to his. “We have somewhere to be.”

“That’s news to me.”

He reached across me, opening the passenger door. “Good thing I’m here to deliver it, then.”

“Connor, would you tell me what is going on?” I asked, reaching absently for the seat as I moved to get in.

“I’m taking you somewhere,” he said, still being secretive. Trading me between his hands, he moved an expert grip from my waist to my hips, then shoulders in order to shuffle me from one side of his body to the other. “No, here, get in the back. You need to change.”

Grabbing a small bag from the floor, he closed the front door and opened the back. Climbing inside, I caught the door in my hand before he could close it. “Con? What’s up? Why are you showing up like this out of the blue?”

Without batting an eyelash, he started to pry my hand from the doorframe. Scooping my legs up at the knee, he tucked them into the car safely out of the door’s swinging range all the while shoving the bags from the front seat at me.

When I just stared up at him wide-eyed and clutching the bags to my chest, he leaned an arm on the top frame of the car, peering down at me like this was normal. “I told you, I’m taking you somewhere. You’ll see what it is when we get there. And I’m picking you up because I don’t like you hanging around here by yourself. Any further questions?”

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