Page 17 of Bad Boy Crush

Ant craned one eyebrow. He’d never heard Donny make such a woo-woo statement before. Marriage had more than changed his friend. It’d improved him. Donny’s arms hung at his sides, an empty beer bottle dangling from his fingers. What a massive difference from the angry guy Ant had met way back when.

“They’re not your sins to make up for, man.”

“Still.” Donny cocked his head, his expression relaxed. “I want to.”

He took Ant’s empty and walked it to the recycling bin next to the garage. Ant started for the side yard and on the way caught sight of Lou and Hunter. They were standing close. Too close. She laughed animatedly, going as far as to put her hand on her chest. The musical sound carried on the wind and set Ant’s teeth on edge.

Hunter leaned forward, his eyes dipping to the V-neck of her dress to admire her cleavage. Ant curled one hand into a fist.

“He’s pointing in the direction of town,” Donny said.

“Probably getting directions so he can drive his ass outta here.”

“That, or he’s asking her out to dinner.” Donny let that alarming bit of information sink in before he added, “When you first met her, she was taken. You’re not going to let that happen again, are you?”

Ant’s mouth tightened with frustration.

“Just sayin’.” Donny slapped Ant’s back. “For the first time, you’re in a position to do something about it.”

six

Hunter Medway was friendly, talkative, and a touch cocky.

“Not planning on giving up that number-one spot anytime soon, you know?” He propped his hands on his hips.

Maybe more than a touch.

In spite of that one glaring fault, Lou liked him. She’d learned he’d been competing in the Paul Bunyan festival for six years, starting at the young age of twenty-one. She did some quick math and determined he was four years younger than her. The age gap didn’t keep him from flirting.

“I hear Salty Dog has good eats.”

“The best nachos in town,” she said.

“A girl who eats nachos.” He leaned in a few inches closer. “Tell me you drink beer too.”

“Guilty.” She dropped her notebook into her purse to occupy her hands—and averted her eyes. Too much eye contact would be a bad idea. He was going to ask her out. She could feel it.

“I can’t resist a girl who knows how to eat.” He clapped his palm over his heart.

Here it comes. She stepped to the side, trying to figure out how to say goodbye before she was forced to turn him down, when she noticed someone moving in their direction. Ant, his face shadowed by his hat, jaw set, was moving faster than his usual. He was the perfect distraction.

“Anthony! Hunter, have you met my friend Ant?”

Ant blinked a few times in quick succession as if doing an internal reboot. His steps slowed when she wrapped her arm around one of his.

“We’ve met.” A muscle in Hunter’s jaw ticked. “I was asking Lou what restaurants she would recommend in town. We both like nachos and beer.”

Ant’s eyes narrowed. “Wow. What are the odds.”

“Ant is a chain saw artist.” She pasted on a smile when Hunter’s attention snapped back to her. “Very talented. His work is displayed in lots of places in town.”

Hunter’s gaze flitted to their linked arms. “I was admiring the arch he made earlier. Talented, but not much of a competitor. He said he wasn’t good enough for the games.”

What the—

“That’s not what I said.” Ant’s glare was set to stun and aimed for the center of Hunter’s forehead.

“You said you sucked at logrolling.”

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