Page 27 of Sweet Like a Psycho (Secrets of Suburbi 2)

Damien laughed. “I forgot how hot she was. I couldn’t help myself. If anything I was giving you a compliment.”

“Commenting on her looks isn’t giving me a compliment. It’s…sexist and demeaning.”

“Sexist? Don’t tell me you’re turning into a feminist on me.”

I clenched my hands on the wheel.

“She has you wound around her little finger and she doesn’t even like you, Tucker. What the hell are you doing wasting your time with a chick like that?”

“She does like me. We’re just having a disagreement.”

“Seems a little early for couples counseling. And you didn’t exactly deny the fact that you’re whipped.”

“I can’t be whipped. We’re not technically in a relationship.”

“Even worse for that couples counseling thing then. You can’t even work things out in the honeymoon stage.” He whistled. “Imagine actually being on a honeymoon with that loon.”

“Can we please just drop this?”

“I’m only getting started. Forget your lack of relationship. Did you really look around her house without a warrant? What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was there on a date.”

“So it had nothing to do with the fact that she’s your prime suspec

t in a case that you promised me you gave up?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Are you at least going to tell me what you found in her house?”

“I wasn’t looking around.”

“Fine. Let’s just pretend for a second I believe you. Which I don’t. Did you really drug her? That’s crossing all sorts of lines.”

“Of course I didn’t drug her. I brought her Nyquil because she wasn’t feeling well.”

“That’s adorable. And also super crazy…sorry, I mean weird. Is that a better word for her? It’s weird that she called the cops on you for being adorable.”

I shook my head. “Apparently she never drinks. It hit her harder than she expected. She thought I was trying to knock her out so I could look around her house.”

“Hmm. Maybe she’s less crazy than I thought. Because that’s the same conclusion I’d come to. You know…because that clearly was what you did.”

“That’s not what I did.”

“Sure.” Damien picked up my jacket from the center console and started playing with the zippers on it. “She may be weird, but she has great taste in jackets. Can I have this?”

“No you can’t have it. That’s my jacket.”

“Oooh she bought you a present? That was fast. Maybe she’s secretly loaded.”

“I loaned it to her. She returned it. End of story.”

Damien laughed as he tossed it back onto the center console. “That really is the end of the story, because it sounds like she doesn’t want to see you again.”

I know. But that wasn’t going to make me stop trying. I just needed a chance to explain.

“Anything I can do to make you feel better about your new breakup?”

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