He has a wide grin on his face, completely ignoring my furious tone.

"That's not how you welcome your best fucking friend, Arlo!"

He takes a step forward, attempting to enter the house without permission, and I swiftly place my palm on his chest, pushing him back.

"You didn't fucking answer me; what the fuck do you want?"

"You know what day it is and you weren’t answering your phone, moody bastard."

My eyes narrow and my teeth clench.

"Maybe because I'm fucking busy, did that ever occur to you?"

He elevates his chin while studying me.

"Too busy for poker night?"

"Yes, too busy for a fucking poker night!"

He looks at me suspiciously once again.

"Doing what?"

I pull my head back, my face screwed up, feeling irritated that he is even questioning me.

"What are you, my fucking mom?"

His lips widen into an ugly grin.

"You're finally fucking her, aren't you?"

When he speaks again, I give him a stern look.

"Come on, bro, if you have to, let her join in."

I growl and look away.

“Wren doesn’t know our way of life.”

“So fucking what? She’s gonna find out at some point.”

The thought of her knowing exactly what I do aggravates me and I don’t know why.

“Look, I’ll be on my best behavior.”

When my eyes return to his, he offers me a wide smile that could make Lucifer himself smile, but I'm not Lucifer; I'm worse. Much fucking worse.

"Any fucking bullshit from you, and I'll kick your ass out. Physically."

He gives an abrupt nod.

"Deal! 8 p.m.?

I give a slight nod in return before observing him stroll away, now completely satisfied with himself.

When I close the door, I turn around, ready to go and fuck the life out of Wren, but I come to a standstill when I see her descending the stairs, now fully dressed, with Cree in her arms.

As she reaches the bottom step, she lowers him to his feet, and when he notices me, he squeals and rushes towards me.