I tossed a smirk Mirena’s direction, needing her to know there wasn’t going to be a repeat. “How about one of each? I am in the mood for a little . . . variety.”
She scoffed. “Of course, you’d want it all. Stupid me.”
Her smile was brittle. Filled with regret and a shot of hurt. I refused the impulse to feel bad. I wasn’t going to fucking coddle her when she knew just as well as I did that when I’d followed her home that night we were really going nowhere.
“Why don’t we just start off the night with that scotch?” I told her, willing to say anything to get her out of there.
“Bluebird for me,” the gruff voice came from behind her. Caught off guard, she shrieked, and then she whirled around as a true smile spread across her face.
“Mack. Where have you been all my life, handsome?” Her voice had gone easy. Because that’s just the way he made people feel.
Comfortable.
Like any situation was going to turn out better when he was involved.
He was the ultimate protector.
Big and mean and probably the softest dude I’d ever met. Had no fucking clue how we were friends. The guy was always there for me when I sure as hell didn’t deserve it. Watching me, ready to rush in and save my ass if I got too deep.
But there were some things we just couldn’t be saved from.
My bear of a best friend slipped into the side of the booth opposite me. He ran a tattooed hand down the scruff on his face and pushed out a sigh like he was leaving behind a grueling day, all of his ink out and on display.
He chalked it up to being undercover in his early days.
I knew better.
He gave her a massive grin. “Lookin’ for you, gorgeous. What else would I be doing here?”
“Drinking your weight in beer?” she deadpanned.
Yeah. I guess she did know us well.
He laughed and sent her a smirk. “You think so little of me. I take offense to that.” Mischief gleamed in his blue eyes. “And here I thought you’d be happy to see me.”
“Oh, I’m always happy to see you.” She rubbed his massive arm. “And don’t you dare think I’m judging you. You deserve it. Tell me how many bad guys you put in cuffs today? That’s how many beers I’ll bring you. How’s that sound?”
“Ah, well there’s never any shortage of them, that’s for sure.”
Didn’t I know it.
He lifted one side of his mouth. Looking at the guy, it was hard to tell if he was a monster or a huge-ass teddy bear. Dude could win over a surly DMV agent with a grin and a wink of his eye and then turn right around and make a calloused criminal piss his pants.
You’d think women would go running from that thick shell of intimidation, but they flocked to him like he was some kind of inked-up Mecca.
That was the thing about Mack, though. He’d gone through as much bad shit as the rest of us. Still, he’d managed to come out of it wearing a smile on his face. But there was a layer underneath that he didn’t let anyone else see.
“Well, that’s a good thing, considering here at Monty’s there is no shortage of beer.” She overstated it like she was auditioning for a commercial.
Mack laughed, and she patted his shoulder again. “I’ll be right back.”
Her expression was totally playful when she said it before it darkened when she glanced at me.
Clearly, she was trying to put me in my place. Get under my skin. Make it hurt. But that was the brilliance about not giving a fuck.
Nothing hurt. Nothing mattered. That was the way I had to keep it.
Mack watched her saunter away before he pushed out an exaggerated sigh and shot me a glare. “That poor girl is in love with you.”
“Pssh . . . the only thing that girl is in love with is my dick. Big difference.”
He barked out a laugh. “Cocky bastard.”
“That is what I just said.” I tried not to grin.
“You really are full of yourself there.”
“What can I say? We all have our talents.”
“You mean delusions. We all have our delusions,” he tossed out, grinning wide.
“Like the delusion you’ve been having for years that you’re as good as me? That’s just plain sad,” I razzed.
His tongue rolled around under his left cheek, fighting laughter. “You wish, asshole. I taught you everything you know.”
“See . . . that’s where you’ve gone wrong, Mack. It’s not about teaching. It’s all about the natural, raw talent.”
“Only talent you have is making all that bullshit rolling off your tongue sound convincing.”
A chuckle danced in my chest. “Again . . . raw talent. What can I say. I was born to hold court. Just like I was born to love the ladies right.”