at the Black Bear. It just so happens that both Ava and Lucky are there with their respective dudes, so we join them. The 12 Deadly Sins are blaring away on stage, and the entire bar is filled with happy, slightly buzzed bodies all looking to have a good time, and the whole vibe sets my mood in the right zone—that is, until I spot my Greek big bro.
Instinctually, I scowl at Lawson for ratting out Sylvia’s meager attempt at a good time.
“I give.” He holds out his hands. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“Sure”—I chirp as I gift him a quick hug—“but I can’t forget. I’ll be the last person to let either of my besties in on any of my deep, dark secrets.” Both Ava and Lucky open their mouths in protest.
“How’s Kappa G?” I bite down the smile that’s begging to take over.
Ava smirks. “Lonely without you. You do realize Gwen thinks you’re visiting your great-aunt. If she finds out you’ve moved, she’ll blow a Birkenstock gasket.”
Lucky bites down hard on a chip. “Then she’ll give your bed away. Speaking of beds, whose are you warming?” Her eyes cut to Knox, and I have no doubt the word is out. Neither Knox nor I are making any secret about it. In fact, this morning I outright tweeted a picture of the two of us snuggled up in bed, complete with rumpled hair and that most treasured afterglow of the great Sylvia and Will reprisal.
It turns out, Sylvia is damn greedy for Will, and lucky for her he’s just as greedy for her.
“Where have you been sleeping?” Lucky demands with a hint of a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Here and there.” I glance to Knox who’s currently engaged in a conversation of his own with Lawson and Grant. “The couch, the sink, the table, the floor, the truck, the tub, the hall, the closet.” I leave out the toilet, the shower, the cozy backyard lit up with stars and a few stray mosquitos. There was a close call with the oven, and that one time early Thursday morning when we accidentally pulled all the food out of the fridge and had a feeding frenzy with it and each other while the Sub-Zero was left gaping open to watch. It’s safe to say Knox and I are hardly novices around one another’s bodies.
Ava groans as if transposing Knox and me for her and Grant, and she totally should. In one week, Knox and I have gotten more mileage off our bodies than Justin and I did in two whole years. Thankfully. Now that I see what a real man can do, I have no intention in bothering to remind myself of the dead fish action Justin doled out.
“Anyone seen the enemy?” I whisper it low. Since Knox and I have been busy honeymooning, we’ve yet to run into Tweedledee and Tweedledumb—not that getting up close and personal is at all necessary to rubbing our newfound happiness in their faces. I know that Justin and his new gal pal are cyberstalking me because every now and again Jen, with the IQ of an ink pen, will like my posts.
Ava lifts a finger. “In the bookstore. She was reselling her books from last semester. And when the cashier asked how her day was going, she burst into tears.”
“Spectacular.” I offer up a smug smile.
Lucky cringes. “I saw her too—at the gym.” She leans in. “Let’s just say she was sweating to the oldies—as in she had her hands all over her weight trainer. It looks to me like she’s moved on from your old boy toy.”
I’m not sure why this annoys me. As much as I don’t want them to last, I need them to be together long enough for Knox and me to drive them properly insane.
“She’s probably just cheating on him. It’s second nature to her at this point to have more than one man in her life.” I think about it a moment. “Although, when she was with both Knox and Justin, she only had one man in her life.” I point over to the beefcake to my left. “Case in point, Justin is a girl in comparison. Hey, I bet he qualifies as my experimental phase. And sadly, I was the guy in that relationship.”
Lucky snorts so loud then stops abruptly mid-cackle.
“Are you okay?” I glance to Ava. “Did she just inhale a fry or something? Should we be implementing the Heimlich?”
“She’s fine.” Ava’s face turns pink as