Page 26 of Best Frenemies

“First my wine, now my donuts.” She lets out a deep sigh. “I was going to cut them all in half and share them with you, by the way, but looks like you took it upon yourself to take what you wanted. Now I don’t even get a taste of two of the flavors.”

Double shit.

“Katy, I am really sorry. I was texting with my cousin, and I was hungry and… Yeah… I guess I got a little out of control. In my defense, those donuts are like fucking crack,” I say, offering my most apologetic, please-don’t-be-mad-at-me smile that always works on my sister Lizzy.

But Katy lets out another deep sigh, lifts her hand up in the air and does something with her other hand behind it while glaring at me the entire time.

“What are you…?” I start to ask, but then I swear I see the tip of her middle finger peeking out above her hand. “Wait…are you flipping me off behind your hand?”

She ignores me completely and turns on her heel to grab a glazed donut from the box.

A whole ten seconds later, she’s heading back for the front door.

“Where are you going?”

“To the beach,” she responds and tosses her bag over her shoulder.

And then, with a slam of the front door, she’s gone.

Nice work, bro. So much for getting on her good side…

Katy

Anger seeps out of my pores alongside my sweat as I try to settle into the beach chair I dragged like a corpse all the way from the supply closet, and sand sticks to every orifice of my body.

The Shadow Brotherstrilogyis normally engaging enough to overcome almost anything, but for as much as my body is trying to purge my rage, the SPF seems to be keeping it locked in.

I can’t believe that bastard ate my donuts!

I know being this angry over donuts might seem a tad dramatic, but it’s the principle of the matter. I bought enough to share with Mack to be the bigger person, and still, he decided to bulldoze over me and take what he wanted before I got the chance.

Ihatebeing bulldozed.

My father, bless his wild heart, is a bit of a bulldozer, and I spent most of my youth putting all of his whims and passions above what I wanted to do because of it. Hell, I still find myself doing that as an adult.

How about you not psychoanalyze yourself on vacation?I chastise myself.Just move on from the donuts and the bulldozing and relax.

I force my eyes back to the book. I’ve read this entire trilogy twice already, but it’s hilarious and heartwarming and sexy and the exact mood I’m looking for on vacation. If I could focus on reading, I might actually get through the trilogy and be able to move on to Brooke Baker’s latest release,Accidental Attachment. I’m sure there’s a bookstore somewhere nearby where I could grab it.

But as I start reading where I left off yesterday, I find it nearly impossible to fall into a ghostly world. All I can think about is those dang donuts.

“Hey there, Katy Cat,” a familiar voice summons from over my shoulder, his timing at an impeccable climax in the waves of my upset.

“I’m still mad at you,” I mutter and move my eyes back to my book, even though I’m not reading a single word of it.

“And how long do you think you’re going to be mad at me?”

I shrug one shoulder. “Days. Weeks. Months. Years? It could truly go any way at this point.”

“Years?C’mon, Katy. Let me make it up to you. You name it, and I’ll do it.”

He circles my chair to stand in front of me, effectively blocking out the morning sun and casting me in shadow. I look up at him reluctantly, but his silhouette is dark against the brightness at his back.

Still, I can tell he’s in baby-blue board shorts, his bare chest on display, with his paddleboard tucked under one arm. His hair is floppy and partially over his eyes, and just one day in the sun has deepened the tone of his olive-hued skin.

It’s hard to make out his features with the sun at the angle it is, but realistically, that’s probably what’s making it possible for me to “look him in the eye” as I make the demand, “Find another place to stay this week.”

A soft laugh escapes his lungs even though I’m not joking.

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