Winning my Best Friend's Girl - Piper Rayne Page 0,50
“Saw that you and Lou have a cozy fire out on the deck.” He eyes my book. “Hmm.”
“What?” I square my shoulders, grab the bottle of white wine in the fridge, and pour myself a glass.
“What?”
“Your little hmm.” I slam the bottle on the counter a little too hard and he chuckles, getting the reaction he wants out of me.
“Just that if you were my girlfriend, the last thing you’d need is a book. Hell, you’d be thinking I jumped right out of those pages.”
I swallow my wine. “Is that what jumping out of a helicopter does to you? Inflates your ego?” I open my mouth to clear it up that Lou isn’t my boyfriend, but he’s quick to reply.
“No. I don’t need to do that to know that if you were mine, Samantha’s screams would sound like whispers compared to what would be coming out of your mouth.” He tips the beer and I watch as his Adam’s apple rises and falls.
Please, someone, save me.
“Your ego never ceases to amaze me.” I walk past him with my book in hand.
“You can’t deny it.” He glances outside, and I follow his vision to see Lou and Allie in conversation around the fire he built.
“Deny what?” I ask.
“That you want me. Come on, Stella, when you walked downstairs, you thought that was me with Samantha and it bothered you. Just admit it.”
“I thought it was disgusting, if you must know.”
“But you thought it was me with her, didn’t you?”
I blow out my breath and shake my head.
He looks out toward the deck again and his eyes narrow. I turn to see what’s making his nostrils flare. My mouth falls open and my gaze turns back to Kingston, but he’s heading to the door.
“What the hell, Lunchbox?” Kingston yells so loudly that a group of birds scatter from the surrounding trees.
Allie strips her lips off of Lou’s, and I blink three times to make sure I’m seeing right.
“I’m so sorry, Stella,” Allie says.
I shake my head. She has nothing to be sorry for. “Don’t be.”
Kingston’s head whips around to me. “Don’t be? Jesus, Stella, she’s kissing your boyfriend.”
“No,” I say, but Kingston barrels across the distance and cocks his arm back.
Lou’s shaking his head, telling Kingston he has it all wrong.
Kingston won’t hear it. “What could I possibly have wrong? You’re with Stella and you’re kissing Allie.” His fist connects with Lou’s eye and Lou falls back into his chair, not fighting back. “You’re an asshole. Do you have any idea how big you just screwed up?”
Allie rushes to Lou’s side to check out the damage then runs past me inside, coming out with a steak Tank brought up last night. She places it on Lou’s eye.
“Say something?” Kingston’s eyes plead with me. “You cannot just let them both get away with this.”
I open my mouth, but I’m stricken mute because he’s being so protective.
“Fine. I will.” He turns his attention back to Lou. “You’re a motherfucking asshole. You had a chance with Stella. Do you understand what a fucking honor that is? And you kiss the one friend she’s made since coming to Anchorage? How did I not know that my best friend is a douchebag?”
Lou stands, holding the steak to his face. “I didn’t have a chance with Stella. There’s nothing going on between us because she’s been straight up from the beginning that she’s hung up on you.” He pokes Kingston in the chest. “What kind of guy do you think I am?”
Mortification heats my cheeks. Kingston turns to look at me, mouth hanging open. I nod that Lou is telling the truth.
He throws up his hands. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because we just had a conversation about it. Stella was clear with me this morning that nothing was going to happen between us. I had a great time with Allie today.” He turns around and smiles, but Allie looks at me sheepishly. “We might not jump out of helicopters to get our thrills, but we got a little carried away.”
“What the hell is going on?” Samantha comes out onto the deck, a sheet wrapped around her body.
Tank follows after her, wearing his boxers. “Why the hell do you have my steak on your face, Lunchbox? You owe me twenty bucks.”
“Just go back to your fuck fest and do me a favor, Tank, put a muzzle on Sam.” Allie waves them off.
Surprisingly, they leave without another word.
Kingston’s shoulders slump. “Sorry, man, I just…” He inhales a deep breath.