Page 8 of Flaunt
“If you’re moving out, where are you going?” he asks, dropping the nuts into my palm.
“I’m staying with Ashley for a while.”
His forehead pulls together. “Excuse me?”
“What?”
“Say that again.”
“I’m staying with Maddox and Ashley. Why?”
He spins around and yanks his phone from his pocket.Swipe, swipe, tap, tap.
“Hey,” Maddox says through the speakerphone almost immediately.
What’s he doing?
“You’re letting Sara stay with you?” Banks asks, staring at me.
I smile just to watch his annoyance grow. He narrows his eyes in a mischievous way that makes me laugh.
“It’s not funny,” he whispers.
“Yes, it is,” I whisper back.
Maddox sighs. “It’s just for a little while. A couple of days, max.”
Banks frowns. “What about me?”
“What about you?”
“You kicked me out as soon as you got married because you needed alone time with your wife. I believed you and respected that. I don’t come over nearly as often anymore. But now you’re letting Saraactually move in with you. She’s not even family. I’m … I’m …insulted.”
He looks up. It’s my turn to smirk. His eyes narrow in what’s probably supposed to be a warning glare, but it’s more of a smolder.
It’s no secret that Banks and Maddox are very close—Ashley said he’s the third wheel in her marriage. She also says it’s a good thing she adores Banks because she can’t get rid of him. It didn’t hurt anything that he got into a bar brawl to save her from her piece-of-shit ex, Eton.
My stomach tightens as memories of that night shuffle through my mind.
He didn’t hesitate to jump into the melee. When a punch was thrown at his brother, Banks had his back. And when he noticed Ashley trapped in a booth with Eton, he did what had to be done to get her out.
He was a knight in work boots, switching from goofy sidekick to ultimate fighter in the span of two seconds. Watching him in that situation was impressive. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even break a sweat—proverbially speaking. He was calm, cool, and a sexy badass.
Witnessing that moment is one of the reasons I can’t just be annoyed at Banks.He’s actually one of the good ones.
I look up as he sighs.
“I’m done with you,” Banks says to his brother.
And then there’s this side of him.
“Oh, you are not,” Maddox says. “You’ll be over here for dinner.”
“I’mreallymad.”
“Ashley is making roasted chicken,” Maddox says. “And I heard something about chocolate cake.”
Banks sighs again, the fight in him waning.
