Chase Me (Broke and Beautiful #1)(33)

Lena narrowed her eyes at him.

He unearthed his guileless little brother smile and pasted it on.

“I guess I believe you.” She jerked her chin toward Roxy. “Are you going to introduce me?”

“Why don’t we put out the flaming T-shirt first?” Having no choice but to leave Roxy standing toe to toe with his sister lest they all die in an epic blaze, he plucked the T-shirt out of her hand and strode to the kitchen sink. After turning on the water to douse the fire, he moved back quickly toward the girls. “Listen, I’m going to see you guys for Sunday lunch tomorrow at Dad’s place, right? Do you mind—”

“You’re not kicking us out, are you?” Celeste plopped back down on the couch. “We just got here.”

“Yeah, come on, bro.” Stripper drama swiped from her memory, Lena grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the couch. He barely reined in the impulse to hang on to Roxy, whose fear had turned into what looked like amusement. Oh, nice. “Don’t send us away. We need a Louis night.”

“I brought popcorn,” Celeste piped up.

“Why didn’t you eat that if you’re so hungry?” His voice had risen to a near shout, much louder than he typically used with his sisters. Could he help it? No. The girl he wanted more than oxygen already had one hand on the doorknob. They need a Louis night, Roxy mouthed at him silently.

“We wanted to wait for you,” Lena explained.

Both of his sisters’ faces had fallen, like a couple of scolded toddlers. He heaved out a frustrated breath toward the ceiling and threw his arms around their shoulders. On cue, they both snuggled into his sides and let out feline purrs. He had cats for sisters. Two bat-shit crazy cats with anger issues.

He knew it was useless, but he implored Roxy with a look. “Stay?”

She was halfway out the door before he’d even gotten the word out.

Apparently the chase would have to wait until tomorrow.





Chapter 11



RUSSELL ALMOST KNOCKED over his sixth beer in an attempt to grab Louis’s phone. “Do not call her, man. If you do, I swear to God, I will dropkick that iPhone straight into New Jersey.”

Louis dodged his friend’s hands. “I’m checking my email.” He stared down at his phone. Or phones. How did he get two phones? He closed one eye. Ah, there we go. Back to one. “Relax, will you?”

“You’re doing a lot of email checking for a Sunday night,” Russell said. “Also, you’re a shit liar, McNally. If she hasn’t called you by now, she’s not going to.”

“Ignore him,” Ben interjected loudly, setting another round of beers on the table and stumbling back a step. “Whatever he’s saying is wrong. This is the same guy who told us women who eat salad on first dates will eventually kill you in your sleep.”

Russell shrugged and sipped his fresh beer. “I stand by that.”

“Where are your statistics?” It took Ben three times to say statistics correctly. “You have none. Because it’s ramblings of a crazy person.”

“I don’t know? Ben.” Louis shoved his phone into his pocket, although he felt more like launching it across the bar. “His dress theory proved correct.”

“Dress theory?” Russell sat up straighter in his chair. “She broke out the dress on date number one?”

Louis dropped his head onto the table with a thud in an attempt to block out the image of Roxy’s figure wrapped in soft, flowery material. How it had felt in his hands. “Yup.”

“She’s evil,” Russell enunciated. “You need to run like a pack of the Real Housewives are chasing you.”

Ben and Louis exchanged a glance. “What have you been watching, bro?”

“I put it on in the background when I’m ironing. Don’t try and change the subject.” Russell rolled his shoulders. “A girl who wears the dress on date one either has a blood vendetta against your family that you’re not aware of.” He ticked off his fingers. “Or she has more than one dress. I don’t even want to imagine what she’d have in store for date number two.”

“I do.” Louis nodded vigorously. “I want to know.”

“No,” Russell insisted, slamming his beer down. “You don’t. Look at you, man. You didn’t even shave this morning. And what is that? A Hawaiian shirt?”

“It’s laundry day,” Louis mumbled. “Have I mentioned what a f*cking windfall our friendship has been for me?”

“You’ll get around to it.”

Ben sent Russell a look of disgust before turning to Louis. “Listen, you can’t exactly blame the girl for taking off when your sisters showed up. I’ve met them. They’re not exactly the ideal welcoming committee.”

“Are you sure?” Louis hiccupped. “Lena set her T-shirt on fire with a Bic. That has to count for a ‘welcome to the family’ in some culture, right?”

Ben and Russell leaned forward slowly. “She did what?”

“It’s a long story.” No way in hell was he telling his best friends why said T-shirt had been set ablaze. Not because what Roxy had done embarrassed him, just because he didn’t want them thinking about her naked. Which made no sense, since they didn’t even know what she looked like, but he didn’t even want them imagining what she looked like, then picturing imaginary Roxy naked. Okay, he appeared to be drunker than he thought.