“The shop is great. I mean, it will be great. It needs a bit of a makeover, but I seriously can’t believe I have my own space,” I say and wave my hands, shaking them out in front of me. “I can’t think too much about it, I don’t want to psych myself out.”
“Those guys, by the way…” Everly scrunches her nose when she says it. “Boring.”
“Oh my gosh, sooooo boring.” We laugh, and the easiness of it makes my heart feel lighter. Everly leans over, looking across the massive living room and into the kitchen of her dad’s house, as if she’s on the lookout for someone. “The threesome thing. It wasn’t the time to correct you, but they broke up.”
The kegals cease, my stomach doing a very serious Olympic-style back handspring with a bunch of pikes and twists. My face feels hot. I might have just started sweating.Shit. Shit!“What do you mean, they broke up? Like, they were getting married, and then just decided they didn’t want to anymore?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. They broke up,” Everly whisper-shouts back to me as she pours limoncello into the shaker. “I don’t have all the details. My brother hasn’t really been over-sharing lately. Henry moved his things in the night of the engagement dinner, and he’s been living with us for the past week.”
“He’s living with you?” I whisper-shout back at her, trying and failing to hide my shock at the timing.
“Yep! Brought the dog and everything. But I guess they’re sharing custody of Milo,” she says with an eye roll.
I make a stink face at that idea. I didn’t even know he had a dog, and for some reason, knowing it now makes me like him a fraction more.
“I know,” Ev says and returns the same expression. “So anyway, looks like the threesome definitely won’t be happening.” She starts laughing at her own joke. “But you’re all clear for a twosome, if you were interested. I mean, ew, but…” she trails off and shrugs her shoulder.
I ignore the twosome comment. I shouldn’t be happy about this news. But holy shit-nuts, does this make me happy. So happy, in fact, that I can’t contain a smile. So, here we are, ready to toast some delicious limoncello at two-thirty in the morning, and I’m beyond excited that the oldest Riggs son is now freshly single. I can’t stop smiling. It must be the drinks, because I’m usually way better at schooling emotions. And I should have battened it down, since now Everly is looking at me curiously.Shit.
“G, do you like him? I was only kidding, but seriously, are you into my brother? Is that why you look like the joker right now?”
“What? Don’t look at me like that. Absolutely not. He’s not my type at all.”Fucking lies.
She smiles at me like I’m not fooling her one bit. “What is your type?”
“I am an equal sexual opportunist. Just depends on my mood. I don’t want to be thrown into a category based on who I like. I find personalities attractive. Sometimes those are attached to women and not just men. Sure, there are certain features that give me an extra tingle and just make everything downtown a little more humid…”
Everly leans back, listening, waiting for me to continue.
“Lately, though, I’m really feeling like I’m in my Viking phase. Longer blonde hair. Muscular but lean. I’m liking when they get to the point and tell me how they’re feeling, ya know. ” I smile, very obviously talking about someone who is the polar fucking opposite as the dark-haired brute with thick, muscular thighs and an ass I have every intention of at least nonchalantly grazing my hand across by the end of the night. “I wonder how long it will take for Henry to get back into dating.”Hopefully forever.
“I don’t see it happening any time soon.” She shakes her head as she grabs a gummy worm from my pouch. “I was happy when he started dating again. Really happy. It was time for him to move on, but I always kind of thought he was settling when it came to Denise.”
“Wildebeest,” I say over a bite of sour blue raspberry worm.
“Wildebeest,” Ev answers. We fist bump. Something about Denise just screamed,Wildebeest, and yet she wasn’t humpbacked or had horns or a beard. It’s all about personality. “Like it worked enough for him, but he wasn’t madly in love. It just seemed… okay. And who wants to settle for just okay, ya know? But what the hell do I know?”
I toss back the rest of the drink, one that makes me feel a little nostalgic. Whew! This batch of limoncello is strong. “Ev, who made this?”
“Henry.”
That surprises me. And that surprise is like a flashing light all around my face. I’m the literal fucking worst right now at keeping my face on lock, because Everly is just smiling at me again. I toss a gummy worm into my mouth and look around to make sure nobody’s started to creep into our space. “Well, it’s delicious. A bit stronger than what I usually like. I’ll need to make a batch.”
“Wait, where did you get these gummy worms?”
“I always have a stash in my bag. Limoncello called for something gummy or sour, so voila, sour gummy worms!”
The youngest and the most charming of the Riggs boys sidles up next to me at the bar, leaning on his elbows. He nudges my hip. “So, my new favorite shit-stirrer, I hear you’re starting renovations soon on the shop.” He grabs the half-eaten gummy worm out of my hand and pops it into his mouth.
“Law, my darling, you’ve heard correctly. Care to come and help me rip out some gross as hell wallpaper or swing a sledge to some counters?”
He smirks. “Fuck yea, I will.”
I hear a heavy breath being huffed out from behind us, and if that didn’t tip me off, it would have been the deep clearing of his voice. “Who the hell is letting you swing a sledgehammer?”
I turn around, and maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t seen him more than a handful of times since I’ve been in this town, but I’m still struck by the level of hotness this man radiates. It really isn’t fair that he was blessed with a bulky, strong stature that somehow makes him even more delectable. To most, he’s intimidating, but to me, he looks like home base. A place I want to run to, be safe within, and nuzzle. Run my nose along his body and just capture the scent of what a real man smells like because I remember that smell, and it practically makes my toes curl.
Sex appeal fucking seeps from his pores. I don’t want to be attracted to him, but holy spumoni, I could lick him from toes to nose and I’d probably feel my clit flippity-flap as if it was waving in the wind. I thought maybe it’s his green eyes with the little bit of mingling blue. I’ve decided that those fuckers don’t sparkle. Nope, they have some kind of voodoo power. I swear the shades of green move like a kaleidoscope of forests and olives, and then that little twinkle of blue just glimmers, especially when those eyes lock on me for too long.