Bad Things (Tristan & Danika, #1)(29)

“The first time you’ve had a paying gig all week, and you ditch out? Are you like, allergic to work?”

I’d been trying to distract him from talking about my ex, and it worked like a charm, for all of ten seconds.

He laughed, moving into the kitchen.

He grabbed my phone off the counter before I saw his intent.

“So rude,” I told him. “How would you like it if I started snooping through your phone?”

He didn’t look up from my phone as he reached into his pocket and handed me his. “Go for it, boo.”

“Boo?” Candy called from the living room, sounding amused.

I’d forgotten that we weren’t alone, which said a lot about how much Tristan distracted me.

I set his phone on the counter, folding my arms across my chest, and giving him a very unfriendly look.

He didn’t look up, scrolling through my phone. I saw his jaw clench right before he brought the phone to his ear.

Without another word, he strode out of the kitchen, through the dining room, opened the sliding glass door, and walked outside.

I followed him, wondering what the hell he was up to.

“Is this Daryl?” he said into my phone.

My jaw dropped.

He paused for a long moment, and whatever Daryl was saying was loud, because I could hear his voice from several feet away, though I couldn’t make out a word of what he was saying.

“Who I am is the guy who is going to kick your f*cking ass if you don’t leave her alone. One more phone call, one more text, so much as a f*cking email, and I will find you. Do you understand?”

He paused again, and I could hear that Daryl was yelling on the other end of the line. “It doesn’t sound like you’re understanding what I’m saying. How about I come over to your house, and we can talk about it in person? Hell yeah, call the cops. Cops or no, I can guarantee that I will mess you up before they can take me away. I’m a very close friend of Danika’s, and I take my friendships very seriously. Now do you understand? Lose her f*cking number.”

He paused for a long time before speaking again. “That’s just fine. Fuck you, too, man, just so long as you leave my girl alone.”

He hung up the phone, looking at me.

He sighed, striding to me. He pushed my face into his chest, hugging me. I melted against him, even pissed. I thought that was because I wasn’t really pissed. It was more that I thought I should be pissed. What I was was completely infatuated. I didn’t think I’d ever met a sweeter guy in my life.

He kissed the top of my head, murmuring, “Don’t be mad at me, K? I just want to look out for you. I can’t help it. You’ve put up with enough of that guy’s shit. Let me take over. I’ll make sure he never bothers you again.”

“You aren’t really going to beat him up, are you? That was just a threat, right?”

“Sure, boo,” he murmured into my hair. “I won’t beat him up, just so long as he never tries to contact you again.”

Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of his arms. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

He nodded, and gave me that dangerous smile. “I’m impossible, and you’re irresistible. That’s a great mix, if you ask me.”

I rolled my eyes, heading back into the house. “Irresistible, my ass,” I muttered.

He laughed. “Exactly,” he said.

He laughed harder when he saw the writing on my butt. “Sassy pants, huh? Did you have those custom made?”

I shot him a very sassy look as I started to open the door. “You think you can just infiltrate a girls’ night in? We’ll see about that. I’m going to have you voted out.”

He stopped me with a hand on my arm and a big grin. “Let’s make a wager out of it. If the girls vote me out, I’ll give you that bikini peep show you’ve been fantasizing about.”

I raised a brow, instantly intrigued. That would be priceless…

“And if they don’t vote you out, you get to sleep in my bed, no funny business.”

He nodded. “No funny business.”

I held my hand out to shake.

His big, warm hand enveloped mine.

“You’re going to lose,” I warned him. “I know these women better than you do. They won’t be swayed by your pretty face and your slutty body.”

I opened the door and walked inside while he was still laughing at me.

I went back to the loveseat and no sooner had I sat back down than Tristan was sitting next to me, crowding so close that I had to scoot nearly into Bev to give him room.

Tristan threw his arm over the back of the couch, making himself very comfortable.

“Girls, this is Tristan. He thinks he can crash our girls’ night. I told him it was girls only, no exceptions. Who wants to help me kick his ass out?”

My eyes narrowed when not one of them volunteered.

“I vote we keep his ass in,” Candy said, giving him a very friendly smile. “I like his ass already.”

I mouthed a few choice words at her.

“It’s more of a friends’ night than a girls’ night,” Harriet said. “We just don’t have any men volunteering to join.”

“What’s the harm?” Jen joined in. “The more the merrier.”

I couldn’t believe it. They were turning on me. I opened my mouth to say something when Tristan spoke into my ear. “If you tell them it’s a bet, I automatically win the bet.”