“Yeah?”
I got home from Vault thirty minutes ago, took a quick shower, tossed my hair in a knot on top of my head, and applied a light layer of mascara before stepping out of the bathroom, only I didn’t make it far because there’s a big pink box sitting on my bed, with an equally big bow, and it most certainly was not there when I got home.
“What’s this?”
A few seconds later he walks into my room. “That came while you were in the shower.”
“I figured that much, but what is it? Who sent it?”
“Really?” he admonishes, and I turn to look at him. “You have to ask? I don’t even know, and I already know.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m guessing it’s from the same guy who called me at the ass crack of dawn last week and demanded I bring you a change of clothes.”
I grin, remembering how much fun my surprise was.
“Thank you for that.”
JJ rolls his eyes. “I wasn’t going to do it, but he’s convincing, and I actually like the guy.”
My smile grows, and then I remember that with JJ’s crazy work schedule, I never got to tell him about what Rex did.
“He took me on a bike ride and had a group of strangers sing happy birthday to me.”
“Didn’t he just have a skating party for you?”
I nod. “He did.”
Shaking his head, JJ sits on the edge of my bed. “The guy has it bad.”
My eyes go all misty. “It was sweet.”
“Disgustingly so. And you have it worse. Wipe that look off your face, and open the damn box.”
“Maybe if you took the time to get to know one of your many conquests, you could find someone disgustingly sweet to dote on you.”
“For your information, I enjoy my conquests,” he says, using air quotes. “When I’m ready to settle down, I will. But for now, would you open the damn box?”
“Open what box? What are we talking about?” Erin walks into my room, chomping on a brownie.
“There better be more where that came from,” JJ says, eyeing the gooey piece of chocolaty goodness in her hand.
“Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. How about you tell me the name of the girl I saw making the walk of shame through our living room at five o’clock this morning?”
“What?” My mouth hangs open as I look from Erin to JJ. Her hip is jutted out as she waits for an answer, but JJ is tight-lipped.
“There’s an entire pan of double fudge brownies somewhere in this house, and as soon as you tell me who the mystery woman was, I’ll tell you where to find it,” Erin says, licking chocolate from her fingers.
JJ scowls. “You’re playing dirty.”
She is playing dirty, and I love it. JJ has an addiction to brownies. They’re guaranteed to get him to squeal.
Eyes locked on JJ as I wait for him to cave, I hold out a fist. Erin bumps it with hers.
“Fine,” he growls. “Her name is Lauren, but she wasn’t making the walk of shame.”
“Oooh, Lauren. I like that.”