Consolation Prize (Forbidden Men 9)

When Sasha and Chad and Tyla all burst out laughing, I gasped. “Why you…” I dove at him, making him shout out his surprise and quickly set the drink on an end table before either of us spilled it.

I pounced onto his lap and tried to reach past him, but he cried, “No!” and laughed, slinging an arm around my waist to hold me back.

“Give me my goddamn drink, you jerk,” I muttered, struggling against him and yet unable to stop laughing either.

“Jerk, huh?” He lifted his eyebrows through his grin. “That’s definitely not going to get you your drink back. Actually, I think that’s grounds for this.”

And the bastard proceeded to tickle me.

“Oh my God, no!” I squealed, struggling against him and giggling uncontrollably. “No! Stop. Stop! Oh my God, wait. You’re going to jostle my ovaries.”

He immediately stopped before he realized I was making fun of him by repeating his own words back to him from when I’d had my period.

A second later, he narrowed his eyes. “Ooh, you smart-ass. I’m going to get you even more for that.” And he advanced slowly, his fingers spread and curled into mock claws.

“Girl, please do not tell me you have a bun in the oven,” Tyla demanded. “Are you fucking pregnant?”

JULIANNA’S CHAPTER | 31

Colton straightened with surprise. “Wait, what?” His eyes went wide and scared as they darted between me and Tyla. “Pregnant?”

I blinked at my roommate, utterly confused. “Yeah…what?” I asked Tyla.

“Well…” She blinked at me, clearly confused. “You said something about jostling your ovaries.”

I glanced toward Colton. He glanced back at me. And we both burst out laughing.

Tears were streaming down my face and Colton still couldn’t calm down enough to help me explain our inside joke when Tyla finally lifted her hands, and said, “Never mind. I don’t want to know. You and your happy new relationship is making me ill.”

“No, wait.” I dove at her, grabbing her arm. “I’m sorry. We’ll stop. I’ll behave, I swear.”

“Yeah, I won’t touch her for the rest of the night,” Colton promised, right before sending me a big wink and then scooting me off his lap. Then he turned all his attention to Tyla. “This is your night. We’ll do whatever you want to do.”

“Whatever I want?” she asked, her gaze lighting with appreciation as she looked at my man. I began to narrow my eyes, wondering what the heck she was going to suggest he do with her, when she said, “Theo never let me play Super Mario with him.”

Colton’s eyebrows lifted with surprise. “You want to play Super Mario? Hell, I would love to play Super Mario with you. Anyone else in?”

“Ooh, me!” Chad said, immediately rising from his seat and coming closer so he could squeeze onto the couch at the end, next to Sasha. “I’ll play.”

I smiled at them as they began to set up that game.

“I guess I’ll go make another drink for myself,” I announced.

Chad, who’d been sipping from Sasha’s glass, lifted his hand. “Make me one too. This shit rocks, Juli.”

I beamed, proud of my concoction. “You got it.”

“I’ll help you,” Sasha announced as she popped to her feet and followed me into the kitchen, only to yank on my arm as soon as we were alone. “Oh my God, I could just kiss your Colton right now. Did you see the way he totally cheered her up?” She sighed and pressed her hand to her heart. “Girl, if you don’t end up married to that one, I might.”

I snickered and bumped my shoulder against hers, knowing she was joking. “Back off, bitch. He’s mine.”

With a laugh, she helped recreate my masterpiece, but a knock on the front door interrupted us.

“Babe, can you get that?” Chad called. “We just started.”

Sasha’s hands were covered in strawberry guts where she was busy cutting off stems, so I set my hand on her shoulder. “I’ve got it.”

Cracking my neck and once again preparing for a confrontation with Theo, I hurried back into the front room and made sure to cross behind the television so I didn’t block the screen from the three playing Super Mario so intensely on the couch.