“Well, in the bedroom, of course,” I say, grinning and she smiles broadly at me. I put her bag in my bedroom and come back out to the sitting area.
“Something to drink, Party Girl?” I ask, moving to the bar.
“Just water. I know I’m not living up to my nickname, but you’re absolutely killing me.”
“Water it is,” I say, moving to the bar. “Your liver just sent you a thank you note.”
“Gracias, señor.” She flops down on the couch in the sitting area. “So what were you and Will talking about on the way to Reed’s club—something about you helping Will’s dad with something?”
“Oh, nothing major. I’m just gonna see if I can do Will’s dad a favor, make a few calls,” I say, grabbing water bottles from the minibar.
“About what?”
“It’s no big deal. He’s worried his dad is making some bad investments with a buddy—maybe even getting conned by someone he trusts. I’m gonna snoop around and see what I can find out for him.”
“Wow. That’s nice of you. You seem to do a lot of favors for people,” she says.
I push her blonde hair behind her shoulder. “Only for people I like a lot.” I bite her shoulder and she giggles in response.
“Is that why Will got that ass-tattoo tonight—as payment for the favor you’re gonna do for his dad?”
I laugh. “Hell no. He was justinspiredby our deep and profound conversation at dinner to get the stupidest tattoo I’ve ever seen in my entire life, bar none.”
She giggles again. “Why didn’t you join him? I thought JoshFaraday’s never seen a stupid tattoo he didn’t like. What happened to the barbed wire you were gonna get to complete your ‘social suicide’ trifecta?”
“I chickened out. I guess even I’ve got my limits.” I shrug. “Or maybe I just wasn’t drunk enough.”
“I swear I’ve never laughed so hard as when Will dropped his drawers right in front of all of us and got that ridiculous thing. He took the drunken tattoo to a whole new level tonight.”
“Yeah, if getting a stupid tattoo is actually deep in a twisted sort of way, then 2Real is one incredibly profound motherfucker.” I chuckle. “I should sic Jonas on the guy and watch what happens.”
Kat laughs. “I’m sure they’d totally hit it off.”
“No, Jonas would quote Plato to Will all night long and poor Will would be like, ‘Um, can you bring back the dumb Faraday now? He was a lot more fun.’”
“You’re not the dumb Faraday.”
“Compared to Jonas, I sure as hell am. My brother is ridiculously brilliant—a whiz with numbers, amazing at solving puzzles, always thinking about something deep and meaningful, unlike me. And the boy’s gotvision. My mom always called him magic.”
Kat bites her lip. “You’re magic, too, Josh.”
I blush. “Not like Jonas. Now, don’t get me started on what a complete and total dumbshit Jonas is about people and life in general,” I continue, “and especially about relationships—that’s a whole other story. The boy’s a fucking tool. But, man, Jonas—now there’s a magical beast of a dumbshit of a man.”
She’s listening to me intently. Damn, she’s so fucking beautiful. I could sit and look at her all day, every day, and never get tired of her face. I put my fingertip over the slight cleft in her chin and she smiles shyly.
“So enough about my idiot-genius brother,” I say softly. “Are you ever gonna tell me what you thought of my application? We haven’t been alone for two minutes since Henn woke us up and I’ve been dying to hear what you think.”
She presses her lips together. “You wanna hear what I think, huh?”
I nod, my stomach clenching.
“Well, first off...” She looks up at the ceiling, apparently gathering her thoughts. “Well, first, let’s just get this out of the way: I don’t think you’re a sick fuck.” She smiles. “But if you are, then I don’t care.”
I’m tingling all over. I thought she’d say that, based on the way she fell asleep in my arms after reading it last night, but it sure feels good to hear her say it out loud.
“Well, okay, maybe you’re a teeny-tiny bit of a sick fuck,” she amends, “but Ilikethat about you.”
My cock stretches its arms and yawns inside my pants.
