Manfax (Winter Brothers #2) - Jacob Chance Page 0,9

on cutting my steak. The sharp, serrated edge slides through the tender meat, like butter.

Adam nudges my arm to gain my attention once more. “I thought you said you were a vegetarian.”

I sigh. “I was kidding.”

“Good.” He nods as if he approves. As if he has a right to care one way or another about my eating habits. I feel the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand upright as my annoyance climbs.

“Why is that good?” This I have to hear.

“I like women who eat meat.”

Mentally, my eyes roll a dozen times. So much for needing to hear his reason.

“Adam, leave her alone,” Rex rushes to my defense. Although I appreciate his help, it’s unnecessary. This isn’t my first time shutting down an overconfident guy, and unfortunately, it probably won’t be my last.

I point my fork Adam’s way. “You know, I’ve been considering becoming a vegetarian. You might be the final push I needed, so thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. And so you know”—he leans closer—“I’m not gonna give up on you, Rocky.” He licks his lips, drawing my attention to their full shape. When my gaze rises to meet Adam’s, he smirks. “You should throw out the white flag now and accept the inevitable.”

“When you say inevitable, are you referring to my fist meeting your face? Or maybe my foot kicking your junk? Because those are two very real possibilities.”

“You’re hot when you’re hostile. But then again, you’re always hot.”

I snort and it turns into giggling. “You really need to work on your lines. Or maybe shut up and let your handsome face and hot body do the work for you.”

Instead of being insulted with my remarks, he beams.

“You think my body is hot? Wait till you see me naked.”

I hold my hand up in front of his face. “Can we change the subject? I’m trying to eat my dinner.”

Adam’s phone vibrates on the table in front of him. Picking the iPhone up, he opens the message. My eyes skim over the screen, widening when I see a large pair of tits. This dude is unreal.

“Larsen, what do you do for work?” Violet asks, thankfully drawing my attention. It’s nice to see her coming out of her shell, and she’s helping me out at the same time.

“I work in computer programming.”

“You must be busy,” she replies.

“Fortunately, business has been great.” He smiles at her.

Adam nudges my arm. “Don’t you want to ask me what I do for work?”

I spear the steak with my fork. “Not particularly.” I pop the bite into my mouth, and before I can stop myself, I hum with pleasure. “You might be an arrogant jackass, but you grill a mean steak.”

“I knew you’d love my meat.” My only reply is a quick eye roll.

“What project are you guys working on now?” Larsen asks Adam.

“We’re finishing up a renovation we’ve been working on for the past few weeks. We redid their kitchen, a bathroom, and added a deck to the back of their house. All we have left is to add a front porch.”

“I don’t envy you guys working in the heat. I’ll take my air conditioned office any day,” Larsen replies.

“Yeah, the heat sucks, but building things with my own hands makes up for that. Not to mention all the fun Rex has working with me.”

Rex nods. “You might be a pain in the ass most of the time, but when we’re working, you’re a beast.”

“Thank you. I’m gonna focus on the compliment and ignore the untrue insult.” Adam smiles good naturedly. “Rex, you’re not so bad yourself. We do the work of four men.”

At least he’s got a great sense of humor. He’s got that going for him. And good looks too, I grudgingly admit. Unbelievably good looks, my subconscious chimes in with the unwanted clarification.

Fine. I can admit he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever met. That doesn’t mean I’m susceptible to his game. Especially, since I know he must have an interesting romantic history. Although, even calling it that is definitely romanticizing his fuck and chuck ways.

I didn’t delve into the deeper details of his report, but from a cursory glance I noticed the longest relationship he’s had lasted less than a month.

Not that my own history is much different. I’ve never been one for becoming emotionally involved. In fact, I deliberately choose the men I date based off of two criteria:

1.) He has to be physically appealing to me.

2.) He has to only be physically appealing to me.

If his personality is also