Page 33 of Bad Boy Crush
Ant snorted.
Hunter took Lou’s hand. Ant clenched his fist. How much more of this should he tolerate before intervening? She was a strong woman who wouldn’t appreciate him butting in unless she needed him. Still, if Hunter crossed a line, Ant was taking care of it.
“Allow me to buy you a nonalcoholic beverage,” Hunter said. “I would buy you a beer, but I can’t risk chainsawing my arm off.”
“That arm?” Ant asked, pointing at the hand holding Lou’s. Lou sent him a look that said relax.
“You did promise me a follow-up interview,” Hunter told her.
“I did…” Lou slid a glance Ant’s way. Then she looked back at Hunter and finished her thought. “Sure.”
“Sure?” Had he fucking heard that correctly?
What she said next made everything worse. “You can come with us.”
And listen to Hunter blather on about himself? “No, thanks.”
“You don’t need a chaperone,” Hunter said. “Ant probably has to go stretch or something. Two hours is a long time to hold a chain saw.”
Ant felt his nostrils flare.
“If it’s okay with you,” she said to Ant, “this would be a convenient time.”
This situation felt weirdly familiar. When Lou was with Liam, how many times had Ant been dismissed? Too many to count. But they’d been married. This was different. Ant had assumed she would tell this prick no and not think twice about it.
“You want me to come with you?” Ant challenged. She’d have to say she needed him as a buffer, otherwise, he wasn’t going to volunteer to be the third wheel.
She narrowed her eyes, considering. “You don’t have to…if you’re busy prepping your tools or whatever.”
“Yeah, Renaldo. Go prep your tools.” Hunter grinned, smug.
“I won’t be long.” She smiled. Ant guessed she was trying to smooth everything over and avoid conflict, but regardless, it stung his pride.
“See you at the competition,” Hunter, said, his hand still in hers.
Ant watched as they walked off together, reminding himself that she didn’t like that guy. That she was just doing her job. He was too old to get into a pissing match with a wanker like Hunter. Plus, she was smart. She’d see through the cocky jerk-off if he tried anything.
He wasn’t giving up. He’d merely given Hunter enough rope to hang himself.
* * *
Lou fruitlessly searched the marina for May and Elliott. Not that she needed the backup but…okay, she needed the backup. Why hadn’t Ant come with her and saved her from Hunter’s hapless flirting?
“You and Renaldo are doing it, huh?” Hunter asked.
“What? No.”
“No?”
“Ant and I are friends.”
Hunter clapped his hand over his heart. “That is a relief. So, when he kissed you, you didn’t like it.”
She let out a half-laugh instead of confirming that she had liked it. As much as the one that had followed last night. So far, the scoreboard was two very hot, distracting kisses she still hadn’t been able to categorize. Her body had liked them just fine, it was her head that was having the problem.
“Logrolling has never been my strong suit,” he continued. A small child, his attention on his blue cotton candy, was heading for them. Hunter, still holding her hand, lifted their arms overhead as the kid passed between them. The boy’s harried mother followed, offering a smile of thanks.
“Wait’ll you see me carve.” Hunter tugged her close, resting her arm on his soggy shirt as he held onto her fingers. She didn’t want to snuggle with him but hadn’t worked out how to untangle their arms without being super awkward about it.