Breaking Even (Sterling Shore 5)

“No trust,” she mocks, sipping the beer and then handing it back.

I inspect her mouth, and then sip the beer as we walk toward a table. I really don’t like dark beer, but I needed it today to hide the food coloring. It’s only natural that I would want to celebrate our one-week anniversary with a recycled prank.

Maggie and Carmen are eating the burgers I made as I sit down, and she points to the two plates in front of the two vacant chairs.

“I made your plates. Eat before it’s too cold.”

I smile at her, and she grins while rolling her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m too damn sweet,” she says dryly.

I laugh while sitting down, and Brin snickers softly while joining me. Ash calls her name, and she turns to answer her. I capitalize on my opportunity, and empty all three small bottles of the food coloring into her beer.

Maggie chokes on her bite, and I glare at her in warning as I discreetly toss the bottles far, far away. I manage to finish just as Brin turns back around.

“You okay?” she asks Maggie, who nods while sipping her own drink.

Brin shrugs as she takes a sip of her beer, and I turn just as Tag comes up beside me.

“Poker next week?” he asks.

I really don’t feel like hanging out with the guys all night. Not now. But I gave them immortal hell for the same thing for so long that I don’t have a choice.

“Sure,” I say noncommittally, not naming a day or time.

“Good. No Raya,” he says, glaring at her just as she opens her mouth to speak.

“Why not?” she asks, affronted.

“Guys only.”

Her glower grows, and she shakes her head. “Hell no. My girls’ night was invaded by all of you men, so I’m coming to poker if I damn well choose.”

“My wallet will lose some weight,” Dane grumbles from behind us, and I smirk while turning back and sipping my beer.

“I think Raya should only play a few hands because we’ll all be broke otherwise,” I say, laughing, but everyone is wide-eyed and staring at me with horror seconds before their cackles break free.

What the hell?

Then I hear her laughing, and I turn to glare at her. But her green mouth is too funny for me not to start laughing at.

“You two are incorrigible,” Maggie says, coughing on her own laughter.

Brin frowns when she sees everyone is laughing at her instead of me. She grabs Maggie’s purse from the table, and searches for a mirror. The second she has it, she turns it on her face, and I’m rewarded by the shocked intake of air.

“You bastard!” she says in a whisper.

I just laugh that much harder, and Tag says, “Don’t know what you’re laughing at, Dracula.”

My laughter ceases immediately as Brin’s lips curl up in a green-stained smile. I grab the mirror, and groan when I see the red coating my lips and teeth. My tongue looks like it caught on fire or something.

“Fuck,” I grumble, and everyone only laughs that much harder, including the two of us.

“Twisted minds think alike,” Brin says mockingly.

“Are you two even yet?” Rain asks, amused.

Brin looks at me with a challenging glint in her eyes, and at the same time, we both say, “Never.”

As the laughter continues, I pull her to my lap and kiss her, letting our mouths turn to Christmas colors as the red and green mingle together. She smiles against the kiss even as her devilish tongue provokes scandalous images of things I want to do to her.