Page 13 of Pretty Vengeance

She shrugs, causing the contents of her sweater to work on my groin. For fuck’s sake, why did God give a pain-in-the-ass girl tits like that?

“Are you fishing for my help?” My gaze moves to her mouth again. “If so, offer me better bait.”

“Am Ifishing?” She leans closer. Another wave of the spicy berry perfume hits me, to full erotic effect.

“Whoa,” Ash interjects. “Hang on.” She frowns at Sawyer. “The enemy declared herself because of a crush on my cousin?”

What enemy? Does Ash mean Clare Duffy?

“That’s something you should’ve shared, roomie.” Ash turns her frown on me. “And, Jamie?”

It takes a moment for me to peel my eyes from Sawyer to look at Ash. “What?” My tone lacks its usual friendliness.

“I know this is a bad day,” Ash says softly.

I’m thrown off kilter for a moment, until what she means sinks in. In a warning tone, I say, “Ashling?—”

“Never mind,” she murmurs, grabbing her luggage-sized purse and then Sawyer’s arm. “Sorry again for waking you.”

With a sharp tug on her friend, Ash pulls Sawyer away and marches them both to the door and out.

I rise and circle the island to watch as they walk to Ash’s car. Neither girl looks back, so points to them for acting like they don’t give a shit. A bit of guilt hits me over causing Ash to leave in a temper. The other one, though…

The Camaro’s motor roars to life, loud enough to wake the fish at the bottom of the river.

As the car zooms out of the parking lot, I smirk. Should I have used some restraint in front of my female cousin? Probably. But Sawyer’s the best distraction I’ve ever had on this fucking anniversary. Which makes her difficult to resist.

I don’t intend to pursue her in the conventional sense. No time.

But am I going to back off if she’s in my own damn house? Not while I have a set of working balls.

7

SAWYER

As Ash pulls out of the lot, she purses her lips between her teeth and shakes her head. “So…thatwas awkward.”

The tension in my roommate’s usually “devil may care” posture makes me annoyed at myself.Andat the golden boy. I like Ash and don’t want her to disappear again.

“Agreed. Sorry. But whycouldn’the have just gone back to bed?” I scoff. “You’re his cousin. Did he expect us to loot the place?”

Her small smile is gratifying.

“Not that I wasn’t tempted.” I hold up my index finger like I’m making a note to go back to rob it. “That place is incredible.”

Ash’s grin widens. “You should’ve seen the before pictures and the upstairs. It was originally a rundown factory. Rusted equipment with jagged edges all over the ground floor, as in ‘welcome to your highest risk of getting tetanus ever.’”

Glancing back in the house’s direction, I ask, “You said something about it being a bad day for him?” I grimace, immediately regretting having asked the question. “Never mind.” James O’Rourke is trouble, and no one needs to know I’m interested in him because I shouldn’t be.

Ash draws in a big breath, looking pensive. “Jamie wouldn’t want me to talk about it with someone outside the family, so I’ve gotta hold back a little.” Ash swivels the wheel to take us into a residential neighborhood. “How interested in Jamie are you?”

With a shrug, I peer out the passenger window to avoid eye contact. “I don’t know him, so not very.”

“He’s interested in you,” she says firmly. Her head bobs in a nod.

An annoying ripple of satisfaction runs through me.

“Though,” she continues, her tone less certain now. “I can’t tell if that was him falling into his usual routine or something more.” Her thumb taps the steering wheel. “When he and I hang out, it’s usually in a pub, and he’s not hitting on anyone because I’m there. But a couple of times I’ve gone into a bar where he’s out with his friends, and from across the room, he seems like a player.”