“Don’t wanna talk about it. Look, Bo’s great. Be nice to her or I’ll kick your ass. If I don’t kick your ass, Corbin will. That’s Ruby’s best friend.”
“You’re kidding,” I say flatly, trying to calculate how small of a world it would have to be for that to be true.
“Nope. You, my friend, have stumbled into a mine field of issues. Bora wouldn’t have gotten your ass kicked. Bo gets your ass kicked twice. Understood?”
I’m not particularly worried about the ass-kicking, considering I know for a fact I can take them both. But the fact they would both side with her over me without even hearing the situation means they have a hell of a lot of faith in her.
“Oh, and her dad can kick ass, too.”
“You know about her father?” I ask, feeling my brow furrow.
“Found out when Ruby and she were in college together. He showed up unannounced. Just a heads up, he knows some freaky ninja stuff.”
Snorting out a laugh, I hang up and head back over to where several people are laughing and talking to each other. One guy eyes me, then he backs into the shadows like he’s waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
That’s not creepy at all.
“You Jax?” a woman asks me, smiling happily as she tosses her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder and struts my way.
“Yeah…”
“I’m Carmen,” she says, thrusting her hand right at me.
I have to move back a little to shake her dainty little hand with bright red nails. My eyes move over to find the diversity in cultures and types of people all around. Some look like they just stepped out of a GQ shoot. Some look like they just left the sixties. People from all nationalities seem to be mingling like this is a part of the world where family can be anyone at any time.
It’s an eclectic bunch; that’s for sure.
“Can I have my hand back?” the feminine voice asks around a snicker, reminding me I’m still shaking said hand.
I drop her hand immediately and mutter an apology while pocketing my own hands. Why do I feel nervous?
“You the guy Bo is dating?” Carmen goes on, stepping a little closer until her breasts graze me.
Clearing my throat, I take a step away. She’s gorgeous, and technically I’m not dating Bo, but… Fuck it. I’m too confused to even think about adding more confusion in, and thinking about it all is just giving me a migraine.
“Well?” she drawls, running a finger up my arm while pressing against me again.
Fucking shit. Did she not get the hint?
“Yes,” I say through a tight smile, “I am.”
Very subtly, I take another step away from her, but before I can fully retreat, she starts laughing.
“Good boy,” the girl says while leaning against a shed wall and staring over at Bo, who is busy talking to a group of other people. So damn many people.
“Excuse me?” I ask the odd woman.
She eyes me like she’s amused for some reason. “I said good boy. If you had hit on me, I’d have let Amani kick your ass.”
“Amani?”
“He’s lurking around here somewhere, and he already hates you. I don’t know why, though. What’d you do?”
My eyebrows go up, and she starts laughing again.
“I don’t even know what’s going on here.”
“This is a family reunion,” she says, acting as though it should be obvious.