Page 16 of Perfect Alpha

“Stillnot as big as my dick.”

Gavin and I share a pained look.

“Why do we put up with him?” I demand.

“We have no choice,” Gavin replies. His long-suffering groan is complete with an eye roll. “He’s our brother.”

Their twin bond is ridiculously strong, and I’m forever grateful they let me into their secret world where the friendships are the kind you’d take a bullet for.

It’s not even a question that we have each other’s backs.

Whether it was jumping into a fight in sixth grade, lying to the parental units in high school, or, more recently, dropping everything to bring over a case of beer when life throws an especially hard curve, we’ve always been there for each other.

A group of girls we went to high school with head over to our booth and squeeze in beside us. Britt presses so close to me that she’s basically on my lap.

Thoughts of Victory are driving me to distraction, but I do my best to take part in the conversation that I find about as interesting as watching paint dry.

“Bobby, I want to watch you play,” Amber whines. “Will you take me to New York? We could have so much fun. Like,somuch.”

“Maybe one day, doll,” Bobby replies nonchalantly.

Only friends and family go to Bobby’s games, so none of his playthings stand a snowball’s chance in hell of getting an invite.

She whispers something in his ear and he smiles, but doesn’t take his eyes off the television. I wonder if, deep down, my friends are as bored as I am with the monotony of bedding random women we don’t give a shit about and thus can never hurt us.

Bobby would never admit it, but a flicker of annoyance crosses Gavin’s face when Stacey tries to force his arm around her shoulders.

Suddenly currents of awareness ripple through me, and I turn toward the entrance of the bar to confirm Victory’s arrival. No one on earth gets to me like she does, and she doesn’t even have to do anything.

Simply existing is enough to rock me.

Victory scans the bar and the air shifts the moment she spots me, her neutral expression turning to exasperation and then disgust. Deep-rooted shame fills me, and I wish she wasn’t here to witness how I spend my evenings.

Squaring her shoulders, she weaves through the crowd, stopping and chatting with a few of the guys we went to school with.

Victory was out-of-this-world sexy when she lived in Montana, and she’s come into her own since moving to New York. Her breathtaking beauty is now more confident and secure – she’s all woman.

I’m not surprised that the guys who dreamed about her in high school have their tongues lagging out of their mouths now. Iamsurprised that she’s speaking to them all, throwing her head back and laughing while she rests her hand on random forearms that aren’t mine.

God, I miss her being that relaxed and happy around me.

I’m tempted to catapult over Britt to get to Victory. My eyes lock on her while she makes her way across the room.

Way too slowly if you ask me.

“Damn,” Bobby mutters, his eyes finally off the television. “What were youthinkingletting that one go, man?”

“As I said earlier, he’s obviously an idiot,” Gavin remarks. “Like bordering on too stupid to live.”

“She looks pretty average to me,” Britt replies, boredom dripping from her voice as she studies her nails. “Just another basic bitch.”

She’s straight-up pouting, and I roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of the statement. Average and Victory have never been used in the same sentence.

Bobby and Gavin squeeze out of the booth to hug Victory. “Are you here to hang out with us, baby girl?” Bobby asks.

Victory shakes her head. “Sorry, ace. We’ll get together next time you’re in New York.” She must be able to sense the daggers being shot at her because, with an impish smile, she adds, “I can’t wait to watch you play again. I love being in the stands to support my best guy.”

When Amber gasps, I have to hold back a chuckle. Victory achieved family status to Bobby and Gavin years ago.

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