Page 35 of Shockproof

If I hadn’t already been waiting for over forty-eight fucking hours for this shit, we would abort right the fuck now.

Still might.

Lila sticks an open palm out in her direction. “You must be Harley.”

“Arley,” the love of my life snarls at the same time she shakes her hand.

“Right.” She offers her what appears to be a polite grin. “Sorry. Wahl mainly called you Angel Cake, so it must not have stuck.”

The title has her leaning slightly more into my hold that’s remained steady.

“I’m so happy he took my advice about the whole situation.”

All of a sudden, Arley’s narrowed gaze falls down to me. “You talked to her aboutme?Us?”

“There really wasn’t an ‘us’ to discuss at that time,” Lila needlessly reminds while sauntering to the other side of Blu to the bar. “And had you not been in that accident, I don’t know that there ever would’ve been.”

Okay.

That sounded bitchy.

She didn’t mean for it to.

That…couldn’t…possibly have been her intent.

My girlfriend leans around Blu’s posted frame to snap, “Excuse me?!”

“I just meant had your life not been in danger, he probably would’ve never told you how he really felt.”

Too be fair…that’sstillnot when I fucking told her.

“Li Li’s totally right,” Aviva enthusiastically agrees spurring Blu to grin wide and my scowl to unconsciously deepen. “Had thatnothappened, you two probably wouldn’t have hooked up. Probably ever.” The thought I know has suddenly popped into her mind unfortunately leaves her lips. “Ohhhhh! And you two,” her finger wiggles back and forth between me and Lila, “probably would’ve!” I can’t even open my mouth to stop the next train from leaving the station. “Thenthis double,” she motions her index to me and Arley, “would’ve beenthis double.” It bounces to me and her college roommate. “How funny is that!?”

“So funny,” Blu mischievously pokes and waggles his eyebrows at me.

Can we go one day?

Justonefucking day without him doing something punch worthy?

“What’s everyone drinkin’?” Lila asks resting her forearms on the bar, clearly displaying how good her ass looks in her cut off jean shorts.

Assuming it does.

I’m not looking.

I have no fucking desire to look.

The one place I am looking, I get the feeling won’t be an option if I can’t stop this Ghosts of Women I’ve Could’ve Slept With movie pitch from fucking happening.

“I can see Wahl’s drinking the best there is,” she playfully winks at me and then relocates her gaze to Aviva. “Vi Vi?”

“An Old Fashioned.”

“With Wilcox?”

“You know it,” Aviva girlishly giggles. “It’s almost empty, though.”

“And for the love of all that is holy at this neon church, we cannot get a clergy man to take our confession,” Blu dramatically sighs.

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