Page 79 of Feast

Spence stared at her for a moment, then turned to Tuck. “There’s no way I can stop this, is there?”

Tuck shook his head. “Sorry, buddy. It’s out of your hands.”

He sighed so hard Esme’s hair fluttered in the breeze. “Fuck a duck.”

Maddie looked at Esme. “Spence didn’t want me to meet you.”

“I don’t know why not,” Esme purred. “We’re lovely people. “Aren’t we, dear?”

“Lovely,” Tuck agreed and grinned at Spence with unholy glee.

“He thinks if we’re friends, it’ll further complicate his life,” Maddie explained. “You know, over and above the fucking-his-stepsister thing.”

“Which is hot,” Tuck said, then winced when Spence punched him in the shoulder. “Ow, man.”

“Not helping,” Spence informed him, then turned to Maddie and Esme. “And you two.”

Esme batted her lashes. “Yes?”

“What’s up, little brother?” Maddie asked.

“I hate all of you,” Spence declared and started hitting himself in the head with the book again.

“Why don’t I just give you my number now?” Esme said to Maddie, raising her voice to be heard above the thumps. “That way he can just pretend this never happened.”

“Works for me.” Maddie took out her phone to key in the number Esme rattled off and fired off a quick text before tucking the phone away again. Then she turned to Spence and, timing her move, nipped the book out of his hand.

“Hey.”

“You’re going to give yourself a concussion,” she admonished.

“Does it come with memory loss?” he demanded. “I’d like some memory loss.”

She ignored him and turned to Tuck and Esme. “It was nice meeting you both.”

“You, too,” Esme said. “Let me know when you’re ready for book number two.”

“I will, thanks.” Maddie turned back to Spence. “Come on, little bro, let’s go buy our books.”

“I know you’re making it weird on purpose,” he called as she walked away.

She sent him a broad wink over her shoulder and continued to the checkout desk.

“Ireallylike her,” Tuck said behind her.

She was too far away to hear Spence’s reply, but Esme’s trilling laugh was clear as a bell.

He caught up with her as the clerk was bagging the books. “I can buy my own book.”

“Too late,” she said, tucking her credit card away and accepting the bag from the clerk with a smile. “My treat. I figured it was the least I could do.”

“You’re right,” he decided and nipped the bag out of her hand.

Maddie laughed as they crossed the parking lot to his truck. “You’re not really mad, right?”

He opened the passenger door for her. “No. Resigned. Maybe annoyed. But not mad.”

She waited until he’d climbed in beside her and started the truck, then said, “If you were mad, you could tell me. I’d back off.”

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