Page 60 of Entangled

Lucky sighs, then laughs quickly in a brittle way. “Probably.”

“Would you stopdoingthat? You avoid talking about him like you’re a nudist at a church fair.” I tug his hair, then grab the bottle with sudsy hands and drink. That swishy, giddy feeling starts to take over. I’ve always been a cheap drunk, but since the strikes? One snifter of port and I’m doing karaoke. “What’s the deal with you two? I thought since you were getting all smooshey, y’all would be going steady now or whatever.”

As intended, that startles another laugh out of my melancholic friend.

“Smooshey?” he teases. “Going steady? Well, gosh, Beau, I do think he’s peachy keen, but we haven’t gone out for milkshakes or anything.”

I grab the brush from the bag I fetched from his room, and he twists, then yelps. I poke him. “Stay still, idiot!”

“Use the comb! You don’t use the brush on wet hair. The wide-toothed comb!” Lucien insists, still wincing. He makes a grabbing motion for the sherry, then grumbles, “Honestly. It’s like you want me to have split ends.”

“Oh,” I croon, “I’m sorry, sugar pie. You havin’ a hard time gettin’ pampered?” I smack the side of his head and drop the drawl. “Quit changing the subject. What’s the deal with you and Jasper?”

And the deal with him and Eden—that’s what I really want to know.

It’s taken the most determined effort of my life not to torture myself with thoughts of what could be happening to her right now. But if I was ever going to put her life in anyone’s hands, it’s Dom’s. I need to trust him on this.

So instead of focusing on what might be going wrong, I’ve been trying to think of all the things I need to dorightwhen they bring her back to me. Becausewhenshe comes back here, I need a plan. She blew our easy-but-admittedly-stupid sex deal to shreds, so I’ll really need to pull out the charm now to make sure she stays right where she belongs—between me and Dom.

IfI can get Dom to play ball.

After seeing him pull back again at the riverbank, I’m starting to lose faith that he’s ever going to get his shit together. His track record with women’s feelings—or anyone’s, if I’m honest—isn’t great.

Heather was one of the few people he ever made the effort with, enough that I was willing to put my own reservations aside, and even that blew up in our faces.

I’m starting to think that while I’d be the first one to trust him with Eden’s life... maybe I was too quick to trust him with her heart. She’s had a hard life, after all. She deserves to be with people who will love her with everything.

Maybe we both do.

Eden thinks she wants all of us, and if that’s what her pretty little heart wants, then I’m ready to get on board with that... but only if they prove they’re going to treat that girl right.

I eye the back of Lucky’s head.Thisinfuriating bag of puppy love has a big heart, and as long as he hasn’t given the whole of it to Jasper, I know he’d make her happy.

I slowly tease out the snarls in Lucky’s hair, and he swirls his fingers through the scalding water.

“I don’t know what’s happening with us,” he says finally, more seriously than I’m used to hearing from him. “I never do. He kissed me and said... He looked at me like?—”

He breaks off and lets out a frustrated huff, then takes another big gulp of sherry. He grimaces as he pulls it away. His words begin to slur a little. “But then he didn’t say a word to me after that. Didn’t even visit. I know he’s worried about Eden—and I’m glad he went after her, that’s where he needs to be. But I just wish... I just wish we could have talked, I guess.”

Poor Lucky. Those two have been dancing around one another for years.

Thinking, I tilt Lucky’s head to the side and angle the shower head away from his bandages as I rinse the suds from his long hair. “Well, he asked about you about five times a day, if that makes you feel better. He was almost as irritating as you.” I ponder that. “No, he was worse. He kept doing that scary glare thing.”

Lucky hums in a way I wish he wouldn’t while he’s naked. “I love that glare thing.”

“No boners in the tub,” I order.

Clearing his throat, he moves some bubbles strategically. “He really asked about me?”

I laugh, and I’m surprised by how loud it is. Stupid sherry.

I drink some more.

“Lucky, he carried you mostly dead through a firefight and then cried at your bedside—of course he assed about you.” I frown. That’s not right. “Assed.Asked.”

“Ugh!” Lucky smashes his hand in the water and it sprays bubbles everywhere. “Thenwhywon’t he go steady with me!”

Snickering, I pick up Lucky’s fancy expired conditioner and slather it through his locks. This hair is way too much hassle. “It’s the patient thing, right?”

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