Lana flipped them both off but she was grinning as she lifted her glass of ginger ale to her lips. “If it keeps a grin on my man’s face, I’ll pop out ten more of these little demon babies.”
I turned to Kin and pretended to gag on my finger, making her giggle. Truthfully I was happy for my sister and her husband. No one, and I mean no one, deserved to be happy more than my brother-in-law. When we had first met the members of Demon’s Wings, Drake’s soul had been lost in the madness of his past and his endless bottles of Jack Daniels. Then he’d married my sister and they’d had my first niece, Neveah. I haven’t seen that lost soul look in his blue-gray eyes since.
“Boss wants to know if you want to grab a bite to eat later,” Nate said as he set a fresh glass of soda in front of me.
I picked up the glass and took a small sip, noticing that Nate’s smile wasn’t as big as it had been earlier. “What else did Boss say?” I inquired, leaning forward against the bar. Harris must have said something to make Nate act like this. He didn’t like it when I sat and talked to the hot bartender for very long. I always got the cold shoulder for at least a few hours when he saw me flirting with him. Secretly I loved that Harris hated me talking to Nate. It was like he was jealous or something and that made me go all kinds of gooey in places that I had no business going gooey over my best friend.
Nate let out a small, humorless laugh. “Wanted to know if I wanted a pink slip ‘cause that was what I was gonna get if I kept making you blush.” He winked and stepped back. “I don’t know, Lucy. That pink slip might be worth it if I could make you blush again.”
I heard Lana snicker and aimed a kick at her leg without sparing her a glance. The kick didn’t land, as I figured it wouldn’t—I didn’t want to actually hurt my pregnant sister, of course. “Don’t worry about the pink slip, Nate.” I might like Harris’s reaction to my harmless flirting with Nate, but I wasn’t going to let it escalate to Nate losing his job. I took a few steps back and glanced at the four women I had been having a good time with tonight. “Excuse me while I go dick-punch my friend. Shouldn’t take longer than a few minutes.”
Aunt Emmie gave me an approving grin. “I’ve taught you well, little one.”
“Excuse me?” Lana put her hands on her hips and frowned at Aunt Emmie. “I was the one who taught her first. She wouldn’t be half as sassy if it weren’t for me.”
My honorary aunt rolled her big green eyes. “Yeah, that isn’t a good thing, Lana.”
Mom stepped forward, a small grin teasing at her lips. “Go, but don’t hurt him too badly. Your dad isn’t going to like it if he has to come bail you out of jail for aggravated assault.” Her forehead scrunched up and then she laughed when both Lana and Aunt Emmie gave her a look that said she was crazy.
Who was she kidding? My dad would have been all too happy to bail me out of jail for aggravated assault on Harris or any other man on the planet. I didn’t know why he was like that, though. He knew that Harris and I were just friends and he shouldn’t have an issue with a girl and guy being friends. Aunt Emmie was his best friend, after all.
“Just don’t hurt him, Lu.”
I didn’t reply as I turned around and headed for the private elevator on the other side of the second floor. I knew the secret code that operated the elevator and punched it in. The doors opened and I stepped in, and less than ten seconds later they opened right into Harris’s office.
“What’s the matter with you?” I demanded as I stepped off. “Do you have a problem with…?” I broke off when my eyes landed on Harris’s desk. My irritation at my best friend evaporated and something entirely different had my heart feeling like it was being ripped from my chest as I focused on the scene before me.
His dark head snapped up and he pushed the chick off his lap. She landed on the floor with a loud yelp and he wiped his mouth as if he couldn’t stand the taste that was on his lips. I swallowed hard and turned my gaze on the girl getting to her feet.
Blonde hair, nice chest, overly skinny, and lots of makeup. I wouldn’t say that she was pretty, but she wasn’t anywhere near ugly. I didn’t recognize her and I honestly didn’t want to know who she was. The jealousy and hurt that were eating at my soul like a freaking acid didn’t allow for much more than an overwhelming hate of this chick. A jealousy and hurt that I wasn’t allowed to feel because Harris and I were just friends.
Fucking hell.
“You should put a sock or something on the door if you’re going to be busy in here,” I tried to joke, but my stupid voice cracked and I felt tears sting my eyes. Damn, damn, and double damn.
This was why I didn’t want to get close to Harris again. Right there, in that very instant I regretted letting him back into my life.
He’d been so good at keeping his hookups aw
ay from me. I hadn’t seen him with one other girl since we’d started hanging out regularly back in September. I hadn’t even heard him and Jace talking about anyone who he might have been interested in. I’d been happily oblivious to his sex life only to have it shoved in my face and down my throat right then and there.
It sucked being in love with your best friend when you knew that it could never be more than friendship. Hadn’t I told myself that just a few months ago? Hadn’t I promised myself that I wasn’t going to break my heart on this guy?
Too late.
Chapter 8
Harris
I hadn’t been able to leave the office all night. Between calls from suppliers, staff call-ins because of some freaking virus going around and having to find replacements, on top of paperwork that I’d let go the week before so that I could spend Thanksgiving with my family, I felt almost suffocated in what I’d once called my safe haven within First Bass.
On top of being smothered in work I’d been forced to watch my best bartender flirting with the one girl I wasn’t supposed to get jealous over on the security feed linked to my phone. I didn’t normally watch the live feed unless I knew there could be a problem, but Lucy had told me that she was having a girls’ night out with her sister, aunt, mom, and Kin.
It felt like I hadn’t seen her in weeks, when I’d just seen her two nights ago. This thing I had for her, this love that felt like it was eating at my goddamn soul, was crippling me from the inside out. I was quickly giving up the fight to keep away from her and after nearly taking my friend’s head off two weeks before, I’d realized that it was time to act on my feelings before I actually hurt someone.
I wasn’t even going to think about what had happened on Halloween night when she and Kin had shown up at First Bass dressed as two of the sexiest cops I’d ever seen in my freaking life.
Shit.