Work In Progress (Red Lipstick Coalition #3) - Staci Hart Page 0,30
in his aggression…” She paused. “His libido is probably gluttonous. No wonder he’s had so many girlfriends.”
“Ugh.” I snatched my phone back. “I wonder what happened.”
“The news doesn’t say?”
“The news doesn’t say what?” Val’s sleepy voice yawned from behind me.
“How this happened,” I said, thrusting my phone in her direction.
She blinked, her brows coming together in confusion. “He looks like he got put through a wood chipper, and he’s still gorgeous. He’s an alien,” she said, handing my phone back to me. “What happened?”
“We were just speculating.” I took a seat next to Katherine at the island as Val moved for the coffeepot. “The news outlets were vague. TMZ said eyewitnesses told them the other guy hit Tommy first, not that the fact absolves him.”
“Did you just call Thomas Bane Tommy?” Val said with a smirk, handing me a cup of coffee.
I gave her a look. “That’s what everyone else calls him.”
“There are unwritten social rules that would absolve Tommy from blame,” Katherine said. “Street rules would say, Talk shit, get hit. Legally, he was defending himself.”
My face pinched with worry. “I hope he doesn’t get in trouble with his publisher.”
Val’s smile fell. “Do you really think that could happen?”
“He’s been in a lot of trouble ever since the Nazi rally.”
Katherine snorted. “Things you never want to say about a guy you’re involved with.”
“We’re not involved. We have a business arrangement. That’s all.”
A male voice said from the direction of the stairwell, “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
Val lit up, and Katherine and I turned to find Sam strolling into the living room in a T-shirt and sleep pants, scratching the back of his neck.
I groaned. “You guys are the worst. There’s nothing between Tommy and me.”
Katherine pinned me with a look. “He almost kissed you.”
The flush on my cheeks tingled painfully. “Actually, yesterday he did try.”
“Involved,” Katherine insisted with sharp eyes.
Val gaped.
“It was nothing. I swear. Just a…a fleeting moment. Misunderstood signals. He doesn’t really want to kiss me.”
I snorted a laugh. “Why would Thomas Bane actually want to kiss me?”
Katherine rolled her eyes. “Because you’re smart and funny and impossible to hate. And beautiful, too.”
My face flattened. “He was at Genevieve Larou’s party. You know, the literal supermodel he used to date? She is beautiful. I am perfectly average.”
Sam sidled up next to Val across from us. “None of you know how pretty you are. It’s astounding really.”
Val laughed and tucked into his side. “Must be nice to know how handsome you are.”
He frowned. “That’s not what I mean. I don’t think I’m handsome.”
All three of us made faces at him.
He rolled his eyes. “I mean, I know I’m not hideous or anything, but I’m not…I don’t know. Entitled.”
“It actually makes you hotter,” Katherine offered.
Sam smirked. “Thanks. So what happened with Thomas Bane that has all of you up and gossiping so early in the morning?”
“Aside from him trying to kiss Amelia?” Katherine asked snidely.
One of Sam’s brows—the notched one—rose.
“Show him,” Katherine commanded, jerking her chin at me as she picked up her spoon.
I sighed, opening up my phone. I handed him the device, and he scrolled.
“Well, how about that? Did you see these pictures of the fight?”
I popped out of my chair and snatched my phone from his hand, scrolling through. Katherine leaned in.
Half a dozen photos of the fight had broken. Tommy was taller than the other guy by at least six inches, almost making the fight unfair. Almost. The guy had gotten a few punches in—there was a photo with the bottom half of Tommy’s face covered in gore from his nose and tooth.
Tommy with one big fist full of the guy’s shirt and the other cocked to fire.
Tommy being pulled off the guy by four others, including Theo. Four, like they were taking down an elephant.
Tommy’s face twisted up in a combination of excitement and rage, beautiful and terrible.
In all of the photos was a girl with dark skin and wide eyes, her hands pressed to her mouth in horror. I didn’t miss that she was behind him, and in one photo, it almost looked like he was shielding her. Protecting her.
“Maybe someone stepped on his shoe,” Katherine offered. “If they were expensive, he’d probably be mad.”
“Or maybe someone insulted him,” Val added. “Or his brother.”
I shook my head. “I think he was protecting her,” I said, turning my phone around and zooming in on her.