Page 42 of You're so Bad

“We look forward to it,” Shauna says, reclaiming my free hand. I like the feel of it in mine—soft but with a grip that’s firm as hell.

Bianca titters. “Really, Bean? Because you’ve always said you’re tone deaf.”

An older woman approaches Colter, and he shifts his attention to her.

“Better to throw out that old nickname, huh?” I say, pulling Shauna’s hand around my waist. “It’ll be too confusing if there’s more than one of them.”

“You might not want to bring the cat tomorrow,” Bianca adds, her gaze dipping to little Bean, who’s poking her head at the mesh front of the crate. “Wouldn’t want it to get lost in the woods.”

“Why?” I ask. “We gonna play hide and seek?”

“Maybe,” Bianca says with a wink that’s meant to upset rather than excite.

Champ is still standing next to her, making small talk about peach cobbler with an old woman who looks like she stuck cotton balls all over her head. He completely misses the wink. Or maybe he’s just used to his woman trying to sidle up on strange men. If it were me, I wouldn’t take it.

Then again, I’ve never claimed a woman as my own. I’ve avoided it. Other than Constance, the only woman I’ve ever tried to keep happy was Gidget, and look how that turned out.

I bury the dark thought as Shauna pulls me away—toward the bar, thank all that’s unholy.

“That woman,” she says in an undertone that’s half growl. Her hand is still clutching mine, squeezing, and I don’t mind one bit. It makes me wonder what it would feel like if it were angrily wrapped around my dick—painful and a good bit pleasurable too.

“I think all of this is for you,” I say as we join the back of the line. There’s a couple in front of us who look like brother and sister, both with dark hair and brown eyes, having an argument about toothpaste that they’re trying to soften by aggressively calling each otherdear.

“As much as I’d like thinking everything’s about me, I doubt it,” Shauna says with a huff.

“Champ back there is too easy for the pompom queen. Messing with him is like trying to get a bee to land in a flower. But you…you’re more interesting to play with.”

She gapes at me for a second, then her mouth works into a smile as the dude in front of us tells his woman, “Fluoride is important,dear. You crunch enough granola, you’re going to get cavities. I don’t give a shit how much charcoal you use.”

That’s going downhill fast. On the plus side, maybe they’ll adios on the line and we’ll get our beers sooner.

“You think Bianca’s some kind of narcissist?” Shauna whispers close to my ear, the air from her voice tickling my neck. If only she were whispering something dirty.

I edge a little closer, pretending it’s so we can whisper and not because I want to feel her words. “I don’t know about that psychobabble, but that woman wants something from you. Or maybe she’s jealous.”

Her eyes dance with humor. “Ofyou?”

Well, damn. Way to javelin me in the chest, Tiger.

“She should be. But no. She hasn’t had time to realize how desirable I am.”

She rolls her eyes, and I add, “I mean she’s jealous of who youare.”

This time she looks off in the distance, or maybe she’s eying the yarn, putting together a strategy for how big she wants to make her balls. “I doubt that, Leonard. She’s got everything she wants.”

“I don’t think so,” I say, thinking of Bianca’s calculating gaze as we mosey forward a few steps with the line. “A person like that won’t ever have everything she wants.”

“You’re a pig,” the woman in front of us says. For a second, I think she’s talking to me. It’s an accusation that’s gotten slung around a time or two, but she’s talking to Fluoride Guy. “You don’t even brush your teeth half the time. At least I try.”

I decide to step in. “What’s the problem, friends?”

“Do you mind?” Fluoride Guy says, whirling around to look at us. There’s surprise in his eyes when he sees Shauna. “Oh, I wasn’t sure you were going to come. It’s good to see you, Bean.”

Well, shit, she knows them, although from the look on her face, she wishes she didn’t.

“Yeah, you too,” Shauna mutters unconvincingly. “It’s been a while.”

The woman plays with one of her curls. They look fake, but I’m no expert. “I thought about reaching out,” she continues, “but I figured it would be best to give you some space…you know? And then I heard that you were going to be in the wedding, and I figured you were doing okay if you accepted, so…”

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