Bad Things(41)

He brought it to me with a sympathetic smile. “Fresh coffee is brewing. I’ll fix a cup for you when it’s finished.”

I thanked him, taking a huge bite, closing my eyes and chewing it slowly, enjoying every second of it, before swallowing.

I opened my eyes to find him watching me, his face carefully blank. “Where is everybody?”

“Bev and Jerry took the boys to the mall. It’s Saturday, you know, not that we’ve been keeping track.”

I devoured the sandwich, and then a cup of coffee, followed by two bottles of water. I felt like a different person when I’d finished it all.

“Thank you. You saved my life. I’ve never had a hangover like that before.”

“Let’s hope you never do again, either. How many drinks did you have last night?”

“I have no idea,” I replied honestly. “But don’t get all preachy about it with me. I got bored when you left to hook up with what’s her name. I was just passing the time.”

“Hook up with what’s her name? What are you talking about? I didn’t hook up with anyone. I spent half the night looking for you. Where did you disappear to, by the way?”

I glared at him. “I went and danced with Jared, and when we came back, you’d disappeared.”

His brows drew together and his eyes were stormy as he replied, “I disappeared looking for you.”

I studied his face, looking for a lie, but strange as it was, I believed him, and it scared me how relieved I was that he hadn’t been hooking up. If I was this relieved that he hadn’t, just how hurt would I be when he finally did? I knew it was coming. He’d given me more than fair warning.

“I have an idea,” he said, moving around the kitchen counter, and into the dining room.

He opened up a drawer of the desk that ran along the far wall.

“That sounds ominous,” I said, following him.

“On a scale of one to ten, how much do you like the last guy that you slept with?” Tristan asked me with an arched brow and a crooked smile, flashing those dimples at me. He used those things like a weapon.

“My ex? Negative five, since I’m feeling mellow right now,” I said instantly.

He nodded. “Exactly. The last girl I hooked up with threw a drink at another chick for smiling at me, and the one before that started nagging me about my drinking after we’d hooked up one time. Sex turns women into nagging psychos, and it turns men into straight-up *s. Now, how much do you like me?”

I wrinkled my nose at him. “Right this second? Well, this little speech is kind of annoying but I do kind of like you most of the time. I’ll give you a solid five.”

He just grinned, not at all offended. I don’t think he would have known what to do with me if I wasn’t giving him shit. “Well, I give you a ten, which averages our friendship out to a solid seven, making you one of my favorite people of all time. I’d like to maintain our average, so I say we make a list.”

He had actually gotten a pen and paper out, and I made sure he saw me roll my eyes.

His grin just widened. “That’s what I love most about you. I never have to wonder what you’re thinking. It’s all right there on your lovely face.”

My scowl just deepened as I saw what he was writing.





‘THE FRIENDS DON’T LIST’ –

Because I like you too much to sleep with you





I sighed loudly. “What is the point of this? We don’t need to write it down.”

He straightened, giving me a look that made things low in my body clench in the most delicious way. His gaze was borderline obscene as he eyed me, top to bottom.

He swallowed hard. “I need to. God, Danika, even your feet are f*cking sexy to me, and I like you too f*cking much to screw it up. I want to be around you. I’d be sad if you we didn’t see each other anymore, and I’m batting zero at the relationship thing. I’m a good friend, though, so yeah, I need a real clear ‘don’t’ list, so I don’t screw it up.”

I smirked at him. “My feet, huh? My feet are really that sexy? You crazy horn-dog.”

I didn’t want a relationship with him, either. I knew that it would mean the end of us as friends, but knowing that he found me that sexy made me warm all over. It didn’t make me feel dirty to have him look at me like that, it made me feel special. It was a novelty for me, to be sure.