Bad Girl Reputation (Avalon Bay #2)(90)

So far, pretty damn close.

“Have I mentioned I love you?” he whispers, his fingers slipping between my thighs. “Especially this part.”

“Especially?” I yank his hand free and turn to face him, eyebrow raised.

“Equally. I meant equally. As I love all the …” His eyes drag over my body. “Parts of you.”

“Just for that”—I reach under my shirt and unclasp my strapless bra, letting it drop to the floor—“I’m not wearing a bra to dinner.”

“Whoops.” Mac appears around the corner of the hallway. She pauses, then spins on her heel. “Carry on. Not even here.”

With a devilish grin, Evan bends down and picks up my bra. He shoves it in his back pocket. “I’m keeping this.”

Among the stranger things he’s done, this is up there. “Why?”

“You’ll find out.”

Far too happy with himself, he saunters off.

Once I’ve found the tablecloth, I head back to the kitchen where Mac is placing trays of food on a larger serving tray to carry outside. I toss the cloth at Evan and order him to go set the table on the deck.

“So what’s the score?” Mac asks me.

“Honestly, I’ve lost count.” I spoon the potato salad into a big bowl then pull the roasted carrots out of the oven.

We’re having an al fresco buffet-style dinner tonight. Several of our friends, along with Riley and his aunt, are already outside milling about. Steph keeps joking that it’s our engagement dinner, but it’s really not. More of a spur-of-the-moment suggestion on the part of Evan, whose impulsive tendencies haven’t completely abated.

He bumps into me while pulling utensils out of a drawer. “I’m winning.”

“I’m gonna say this again—” Cooper announces, coming to stand in the middle of the kitchen.

“Coop, stop.” Mac rolls her eyes as she picks up a tray laden with various salads.

“No, I’d like to reiterate. If I find out anyone but me is having sex on my bed, I’m setting theirs on fire in the backyard.”

“Dude.” Evan laughs at him. “Seriously, what makes you think I’d want to blow a load in your room? I’ve heard what you get up to in there.”

For that, he gets a swift smack to the arm from Mac.

“Just so you know,” Cooper shoots back as Evan is picking a cucumber spear off the cutting board to pop in his mouth. “I’ve had sex with her on that counter. So enjoy.”

“Jesus.” Evan shudders. “I know you confuse me with a mirror, but we don’t actually share a dick, man. Keep it to yourself.”

Lately, most of the ribbing has come at our expense. Just a little good-natured teasing about our newly engaged bliss. That we’re too young to get married and, before we know it, we’ll both be bored with each other and drowning in baby diapers. Still, it doesn’t faze us. Like Evan told Cooper when we announced it, we know we’re forever. We’ve always known.

As Mac and Evan drift onto the back deck, I set my oven mitts on the counter and give Cooper a sidelong glance. He cocks a brow when he notices. “What?” he says defensively.

My answering smile is saccharine. “Still haven’t gotten my apology for the day.”

“Fuck’s sake. Are you seriously going to hold me to that?”

“Sure am.”

A few days ago, Cooper and I took a walk on the beach and had a long overdue chat. And it didn’t even take any urging from Evan or Mackenzie. My future brother-in-law and I were mature enough to know we needed to squash the beef. So I apologized for being a bad influence on Evan in the past, while Cooper apologized for confronting me outside my place of business and telling me what a horrible person I was. He then offered me the privilege of his friendship again, to which I’d laughed and informed him if he wanted the privilege of my friendship, he would need to apologize to me every day until the wedding. Whenever that’ll be. We’re on Day Four now, and I’m having a blast.

“Fine.” Cooper lets out an annoyed breath. “I’m sorry for telling you to fuck off and saying we weren’t friends.”

“Thanks, Coop.” I walk over to ruffle his hair. “Appreciate it.”

Mac returns to witness the exchange, laughing under her breath. “Cut him some slack, Gen. He promised to be nice from now on.”

I think it over. “Fine. I release you from your apology obligations,” I tell Cooper.

He rolls his eyes and heads outside to assist his brother.

“Need some help?” Alana appears at the open sliding door, uncharacteristically eager to help out. She practically grabs the potato salad bowl from my hand.

I stare at her. “Why are you being weird?”

Beside me, Mac peers past Alana’s shoulder toward the deck. “She’s avoiding Wyatt,” Mac supplies. “He’s glaring daggers at us right now.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or sigh. Whereas my love life finally straightened itself out, Alana’s seems to be growing ever more complicated. “What did you do to him this time?” I ask her.

She scowls at me. “Nothing.”

Mac lifts a brow.

“Fine.” Alana huffs. “I’m getting my left wrist inked for my birthday next week. So I had a tattoo designed.”