Abigail chews on her bottom lip in thought, and her hair falls forward so it covers a little of her face. “You didn’t do anything to it?”
“Jesus. No!”
I snatch the glass from in front of her and chug half of it in one go. Wine isn’t my thing, so I grit my teeth and swallow down the fruity concoction, then I place the glass by her hand and lift a brow.
“See? It’s safe. I’m not gonna fucking drug you and take you back to a cave against your will.”
“You don’t have to swear like that.” Scowling, she takes the glass stem between her fingers and slowly spins it. “I don’t understand why people feel the need to cuss so much.”
“Get the fuck outta here!” Jay throws his head back and laughs at something Sophia says.
Nobody at the table is paying attention to anything Abigail and I are doing, but Jay’s impeccable timing makes Abigail’s face burn hot.
“It’s just not needed,” she murmurs. “That’s all I’m saying.”
“You said ‘coconuts’.” I wait for her eyes. “It’s not a swear, but it’s the same feeling behind your need to say it in a huff. You have anger brewing in your belly, so you need to let it out on a word. Your word is coconuts, mine is fuck. That doesn’t make you superior to me.”
“You could say coconuts too.”
I lift my beer, and wash the taste of fruit and sugar from my mouth. “If I said coconuts when I mean to say fuck, my own brothers would gun me down for being a pussy.”
“Gah!” Abigail literally plugs her ears and shakes her head. “That word is so much worse. Stop it!”
Her snobby behavior should annoy me, but mostly, it’s endearing and tempts me to push her boundaries as far as I can.
Moving in closer so our thighs touch and her breath catches on a gasp, I pull her left hand away from her ear and lean in. “Can I ask you something important?”
She furiously shakes her head and scrunches her eyes closed. “What?”
I laugh, because she’s such a contradiction, and the goosebumps that rush along her flesh intrigue the hell out of me. “If ‘fuck’ bothers you, and ‘pussy’ is so much worse, I wonder, Abigail…” I’m tempted to lick her neck. She’s officially moved from too young and delicate, to straight-up conquest, and it’s all because of a dress. “How would you react if I saidcunt?”
“Oh my gosh!” She shoots back with a ghostly white face, and draws the attention of everyone at our table. “You are absolutely despicable. Why would you say that?”
“What did he say?” Soph asks.
“It was an experiment.” I inch back, run my tongue over my front teeth, and grin. “I’d say I got a strong reaction and good data. Now I know where your line is.”
“What line?” Jay questions.
“My line was way back at the front door.” She thrusts her open hand in that direction. “That’s where you should have stayed! As in, farfaraway from me.”
“But this is my friends’ wedding. I’m wearing the pocket square, which means I have an invitation etched in stone.” I shrug, and turn back into the asshole I usually pride myself on being. “You’re just the help.”
“Spencer!” Katrina angrily growls beside Eric. “Don’t say that shit, you pompous douchebag!”
“Stop sayingeverything,” Abigail cries. “Stop swearing, stop calling names, stop trying to collect data on me like I’m a lab rat you can play with.”
She stands with a huff and tosses her napkin to the table. She’s yet to take a sip of her wine, but she squeezes between me and her chair, unintentionally brushing her tits over my face, and cries out again when she knows what she’s done.
Kane and Jess are still in their first dance, and everyone in this function room, except those at table one, pay them complete attention.
Abigail gives her snooty little huff as though to take back her dignity, shoves her chair in until the silverware jangles on the table, then lifts her head high and storms away.
Jay snickers and sips a glass of soda. “What did you whisper to her?”
“A very naughty word.” I grab a long-stemmed flower from the expertly arranged centerpiece and bring it to my nose.
It smells like Abigail, or perhaps Abigail smells like her shop. Whichever it is, it’s fucking delicious, and when she’s snapping at me, she’s no longer delicate in my eyes, but a challenge I’d like more chances to spar with.