Page 163 of Knockin' Boats
When he stepped back, I slipped my arm around his waist and tugged him toward me.
“So, what’s up?” I asked. “You come over uninvited often or…”
“Ouch. Put the claws away,” she said. “I’m here because my boy?—”
“Your boy?” I cut in sharply.
“Myboyhad a rough day. Yourboyfriendneeds his friends right now. Don’t you think?”
Her acknowledging my relationship with Ash settled me a little.
“Yeah, sorry. Of course I agree.”
“You don’t need to be jealous,” Ash said softly. “Mel knows I’m totally in love with you. She wouldn’t do anything to fuck that up.” He shot her a pointed look. “Right?”
“I’m just here to toast the demise of Dickface Rick.”
“You heard that, huh?”
She tapped her cup against mine. “I sure did. I applaud your ridiculous insults and I raise you one. I say that Rick is a wrinkled,limp-dickedspermatozoon.”
“Spermatazoon?” Ash said with a laugh.
“The scientific word for one single sperm. Because that’s what he is. Just a smear that should have gone into the toilet instead of fertilizing an egg.”
“Damn,” I exclaimed. “You’re much edgier than I remember in high school.”
She chuckled. “Oh, you just never got on my bad side. I can be a nasty bitch.”
“True words,” Ash said.
I raised my cup. “To putting that spermatozoon where he belongs.”
“In the fucking toilet,” Mel added.
“I’ll drink to that,” Ash said.
We all raised our cups and took a drink. Wine wasn’t really my thing—which Ash knew—so once we’d finished the first cup, he went inside to grab me a beer.
Mel and I sat on the two deck chairs, and when Ash returned, I patted my thigh. Ash was about an inch taller than me, with broader shoulders and a hard, muscled body. But I didn’t care. Iwanted my man close, even if my leg slowly went numb while he sat on my lap.
“So what are we going to do about this dickface for real?” Mel asked. “We can’t let him fuck with Ash anymore.”
“I just hate that my mom can’t see it,” Ash said. “Nobody else ever sees him for what he is and I’msosick of it.”
“I’ve always seen through him,” Mel countered.
“Yeah, but you’re my best friend, so you have to.”
I tensed at the wordbest friend,jealousy briefly flaring. I was Ash’s best friend, damn it.
Ash added, “And Sawyer is my boyfriend. So he sees it too.”
I relaxed. Boyfriend was an upgrade, right? Or at least equivalent to best friend. Definitely better thanformer best friend.I’d take it.
“It’s not because I’m your boyfriend that I see Rick for the maggot he is,” I said.
“Ooh, maggot. Good one!” Mel crowed.
