Page 26 of Mischief Mayhem
The doors to the front room opened and the members filed out, most heading outside to their bikes, while others mingled with the hang-arounds. I spotted Chelsea but ignored her in favor of throwing my arm over Bear’s shoulder so I could lean in and whisper, “Have you ever met Julia Caputi?”
Bear shook his head. “No. You?”
“No.” I remembered what Leo had said about his sister, that she reeked of Caputi stench more than him. “You think she’s worse than Gabriella?”
My best friend laughed and shook his head. “How could anyone be worse than that?”
“Let’s do some shots,” Alba interrupted from the other side of the bar, lining up a row of miniature plastic cups before tilting a bottle over them. “V, Ru, get over here! We’re shooting tequila.”
KC walked to the other side of the bar to wrap his arms around his wife, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek while she made sure everyone had enough liquor in their cup. I cleared my throat when V came to stand next to me, squeezing into the space between me and her brother before grabbing a cup.
I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the citrus, floral scent wafting up from her skin, straightening as I backed away and put a few inches between us. I itched to run my fingers through her hair, tilt her head back, and claim her mouth for my own.
But I remembered our rules. No touching. Not like that. Not yet. Not until she told me I could. Like her, I did nothing without consent.
“What’s wrong, Hollywood?” Verona teased. “You look like you’re trying to solve the world’s hardest problem.”
I cleared my throat and forced a grin, flicking a gaze at Bear to see if he’d caught the innuendo. He furrowed his eyebrows into a scowl but didn’t comment, only sniffed his shot and grimaced at its contents.
“Leave the boy alone,” KC cut in. “If I had to spend my mornings with Leo Caputi, I’d have a lot on my mind, too.”
“Exactly,” Alba said, holding up her cup. “Cheers to family and alcohol.”
We laughed at her toast, repeated it, and downed our shots. But I couldn’t let a taunt like that from V go unanswered. So before she’d finished swallowing, I gulped mine down and placed the cup on the bar.
“You know, you’re right, V,” I said. “The things I’ve been thinking are just dripping with complexity.”
Her bright gaze shot to me, insidious and laced with venom, and I sat on the edge of my proverbial seat as I waited for her to spit it at me.
Go on, give me your worst.
“The best solutions are the ones a person erects themselves, Hudson.” V raised an eyebrow, daring me to continue. “Unless you’re having trouble with that sort of thing . . . after all these months on your celibacy kick.”
“What would you know about it?” I said, narrowing my gaze on my target, flashing a genuine smile. “Aren’t you still wet behind the?—”
“Hey!” Bear cut in, shoving my shoulder hard enough for me to stumble back a few steps. “What the fuck are you two doing?”
KC stared at me with wide eyes and a huge shit-eating grin on his face, his chin resting on Alba’s shoulder from behind. His wife’s features were also bright and entertained, clearly finding this tension between V and me amusing. Bear, on the other hand, looked like he was about to beat my face in. His cheeks had turned a violent shade of crimson that snaked down his neck and under his shirt. For as long as I’d known him, he’d always been the levelheaded of us three. KC could fly off into a rage at the drop of a hat, his temper consistent with the notorious Montgomery fury that Crow, Castor, and V had inherited. Bear had the right amount of both. He knew how to be calm, but he also knew when to light a fire under someone’s ass.
Like . . . when his best friend started shamelessly flirting with his little sister right in front of him.
“Shut up, Bear,” V said, shoving him back. “Didn’t you see what I did to Chelsea yesterday? I paid twenty-five hundred dollars for his time, and until he pays up, that’s my precious cargo.” This time, she got in her brother’s face, snarling as he winced and backed away from her. “If you break the merchandise, I’ll break your hand.”
“Damn, V,” Bear said, frowning at her threat. “Back down. Fuck. I just don’t like him talking to you like that.”
“He can talk to me however he wants,” V said, pointing to the spot on her chest where a ten-inch scar ran from sternum to stomach. “He earned it.”
That shut everyone up. KC’s jaw snapped closed and Alba’s grin widened as she shifted her stare to Bear. He tilted his head, glanced from his sister to me and back again, then muttered a quiet, “Fine.”
“Fine,” she said, and that ended that. “Who wants to play pool?”
“I will.” Alba broke loose from KC and walked around the bar to follow V toward the table, the brother closely trailing behind them and leaving me alone with Bear.
He stared at me, drilling holes into my head until I glanced up at him.
“What are you doing with my sister?” he asked, accusation and disapproval in his tone.
“I haven’t touched her,” I said, able to stare him in the eyes while I said it because it was the truth. I hadn’t, not yet, and after V’s display of . . . what was that? Jealousy? Chivalry? It didn’t matter. It turned me on more than her hateful little mouth.