“Better not be.” I took another sip, wishing he’d leave me alone. My entire family or what was left of it was interfering to a fault. My aunt and uncle were relentless and it was my gratitude for supportin
g my ass as a kid that kept me from lashing out. Damien, though… that shithead was another story. He was the brother I hadn’t asked for or wanted, but he thrust himself into my life at every opportunity he could. I had two years on him, but it felt like twenty even when he acted his age.
“Howdy, Hunter.”
I turned to see Kristen dump her bag on the bar next to me. The cavalry arrived and I looked for her partner in crime, but she was flying solo tonight.
“Hello! I’m here too, Pebbles. What? No love for me?” Damien stretched out his arms, and Kristen looked ready to kill him. Half the time, I want to set him on fire myself, so I couldn’t blame her.
“Why are you so annoying? Was I speaking to you? No, I was not.”
“You like me….” he teased her mercilessly, grabbing a long curl of her hair, tugging it, and I wished they’d just bang and get it out of their systems. Funny how easy it was when the table was turned because I couldn’t bring myself to act out on anything with Taylor Jane.
“You, Demon James Hart, do not exist to me.”
“Uh, shot to the heart. Direct hit, KC.” Damien pretended to be mortally injured, and I shut my eyes, hoping when they opened he would be gone along with his piss poor acting skills. Yeah, nope, he was still there.
“Ugh, why don’t you just send me an unsolicited dick pic and see how that goes over?”
“Anytime, Pebbles.” He winked.
“I fricken hate when you call me that. When are you going to grow up?”
“I’m waiting on you, sweetheart.” Damien grabbed his junk and wagged his eyebrows.
I smacked him in the back of the head, and he sat up, rubbing the spot that I hoped stung him for being such an asshole.
“You know what, I gotta go.” Kristen left as quickly as she arrived sans drink, which was probably for everyone’s benefit.
I was sure by tomorrow whatever it was that was bothering her would have blown over, and Taylor Jane would be privy to the details.
Just as another round of drinks came, I heard Kristen scream from the bathroom.
“Damien, what did you do?” I asked, immediately regretting it.
“Oh, you know, just an unsolicited dick pic.”
“You keep those on your phone?”
He wiggled his eyebrows, and I took a deep breath, figuring there wasn’t enough alcohol for any of that.
“What? You don’t?”
“Yeah, I don’t exactly have situations that call for a dick pic.”
“Would you have preferred if I asked her politely? She was kind of asking for the anaconda.”
The headache I didn’t have was coming on with a vengeance now.
“Hey, if you want to commit the crime of harassment then be my guest. You’re just giving Evan more ammunition to arrest you.”
“Well, thanks. I do prefer to send them willy-nilly.”
“Sometimes… argh… I just can’t with you. I really can’t. You realize Kristen is an adult and she’s allowed to have casual sex with men other than you?”
“Pfft. More like competitive sex, thank you very much. It’s better than my opinion on her dating Pig Prick, which is why she came in here in the first place. If she asked nicely, I could have told her that he’s not here. I’m sure she’ll find him, but not before she gets a closer look at my prize sausage.” Damien shimmied his hips like a bad Bollywood dancer, and I had to look away or vomit in my mouth.
“Uh-huh.” I didn’t want to dignify the conversation by asking anything else and continued nursing my beer, signaling to Andy for my tab to be wrapped up.