Bình scowls. “What?”
“I didn’t come off the fucking plantation.” Gabe folds his arms across his chest. “I lived in a goddamned beach town, numb nuts.”
“Whatever.” Bình shakes his head. “You still had a fuckin’ manservant.”
“You’re not telling it right.” Gabe turns his attention to me. “So, I spend my first three weeks in LA in this jackoff’s apartment, mooning over this girl I met at a fucking open mic night, right?”
“You sing?”
“I play. I sing too, but kind of terribly.” He shrugs. “Anyway, he says to me, ‘stop being such a pussy and just fuck her already’. And I finally pluck up the courage to talk to her after my next set. While I’m on stage—pouring my heart out to this girl—who happens to walk up, sit down, and then shove his tongue down her throat in the next breath?”
My mouth falls open as I dart my gaze between them. “No!”
“Yep.” Gabe jabs his thumb in Bình’s direction. “This guy.”
Bình holds his hands up in a placating gesture. “Hey, it’s not like you’d ever shown me a picture of her or anything. I had no idea what she looked like.”
“So, there I am, pouring out the lyrics of the song I wrote with my slicked-back hair, my finest church clothes, and my twangy accent, and he’s reaping all of the benefits.”
I cover my laugh and lean back against the tattoo bed. “That’s a really sad story.”
“It is, isn’t it? Now you know why I wanted to get rid of him.” Gabe turns his attention to his friend. “I shouldn’t have even letyou walk through the door. You should just leave because you can’t be trusted.”
“Well, there is the matter of your psychotic girlfriend to contend with,” Bình says, pointing his finger at Gabe.
I widen my eyes, and I know I’m a bad, bad friend already for coveting Gabriel Dash Laurier, but I almost choke on my laughter.
“Hey, fuckface. Lo and Annie are friends.”
“Oh. Well then, I guess you’re well and truly fucked when she finds out about this. Dinner, a half-naked hot chick on your table, and—” He picks up Gabe’s glass and lifts it to his nose. “Single malt whiskey. Lo, it’s just become clear to me that if you don’t wish to wake up with Crazy Annie hovering about your bed in the middle of the night wielding a very sharp knife, you should leave with me now. Hey, maybe we can even get Gabe to serenade us while I shove my—”
“Don’t fuckin’ finish that sentence, man.”
“Fine, fine.” Bình gives Gabe a light punch on the shoulder and opens the bag of goodies he brought with him.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“What?” Bình shrugs. “I got the munchies, man.”
Gabe just glares, and when Bình still doesn’t take a hint, Gabe pulls the takeout boxes from his friend’s hands and offers me one. I take it, along with the chopsticks and open the box. Spices and coconut milk assault my senses and my mouth waters. Some kind of curry then. I dig in, scooping up veggies and rice with my chopsticks.
“So, tell me about you,” Bình says.
“You know, you’ve never been this interested in any of my clients before,” Gabe says.
“Yeah, and? You’ve never had a client this hot.”
I laugh, I can’t help it. I like Bình. He’s funny, and as loathe as I am to share Gabe right now, I am kind of glad for a reprievefrom all this sexual tension. Gabriel belongs to my friend. No matter how much I might want to push him back on the tattoo bed, shove my tongue down his throat, and jump his bones. I’d be a shitty friend.And I am not a shitty friend. I’m the kind of best pal you call when you need a late-night stakeout buddy to catch your cheating ex. I’m the best friend every woman should be. I’m also the woman currently being stared at like a crazy person because I’m still staring at Gabe, and I’m pretty sure my facial expressions have given me away. “Um ... what?”
“I was asking what’s your deal? Where you’re from, what do you do for a living, if you’re single, and when you plan to go out with me?”
“Thin fuckin’ ice, man,” Gabe murmurs.
“Sorry. I er ... I think the pain is kind of getting to me.”
“Oh, come on. You can’t quit on me now, Freckles.” Gabe winks and knocks my knee with his. A tingle runs up my spine, and I’m not entirely sure if it’s from the contact or how easily the nickname rolls off his tongue. “You’ve been so brave up until now. I was seriously impressed.”
“Yeah, well. Not all of us possess hardcore Southern Viking Dude strength.”