“You know nothing about what type she is.”
“I know more than you think,” he retorts, but I won’t take the bait. Antagonistic prick.
“So,” Lucas cuts in, his tan cheeks have the slightest pink hue to them that wasn’t there before. “What is the plan for today? We never made it to limbo last night.”
He gives Knox a crooked smile that makes me feel like I’m missing something. It also makes me want to yank his chin back in my direction so he only gives that smile to me. Huh, maybe I’m the asshole. I’ve always been a jealous fucker, but this is next level. I don’t even know Lucas. But I haven’t been able to get that peach bellini scent out of my nose since I woke up this morning with the worst morning wood of my life. He may be a beta, but that scent is more potent than most.
“Perhaps we can find some other way to compete?” Lucas continues. “An outlet for all this…” Rather than finish the sentence, he waves a hand between Knox and me.
“Personally, I like the idea of spending the day by the pool,” Knox says. “Emily looks damn good in a swimsuit, and I bet Ava looks like a fucking movie star in a two-piece.”
“How do you know what Emily looks like in a swimsuit?” I barely stop myself from growling.
Knox laughs, pointing his fork at me. “She’s an Olympic diver. More than half the world’s seen her in a swimsuit.”
But there’s something in his expression that makes my fists clench under the table. I didn’t get my position at the DEA by being terrible at reading people, and my gut tells me there’s at least some kind of history between Knox and Emily that I don’t know shit about.
But I’m acting like a fucking teenager. All riled up. This isn't like me. I’m usually the calm one. Three deep breaths, and I remind myself to be patient. If it’s something I need to know, Emily will tell me. Eventually.
I won’t let this guy goad me into some kind of fight over the woman I’m falling for. Whatever their history, she’s with me now. Not him.
A slow smile crawls up my face.
Lucas clears his throat. “Since I have finished, I will get Emily and Ava a plate. Anything particular they like?”
I haven’t known either woman long enough to know their food preferences, and something about that bothers me. Do they prefer sweet or savory or a little of both? If I had to guess, I’d say Emily has a sweet tooth and Ava likes something meaty she can rip into. But who knows.
“Get a little of everything so they can sample,” I suggest.
“But no melon,” Knox adds. “It makes Ly’s tongue itch. And she doesn’t like mushrooms.”
That confirms every suspicion I’ve had. Knowing your buyer’s best friend’s food preferences seems outside the job description.
The gruff growl bursts out of me before I can stop it.
Knox smirks, keeping his eyes on me. “She also prefers sweet things in the morning. I do too.” There’s a subtle innuendo in the way he says it that makes me want to stuff my napkin in his mouth to shut him up. “She’s a maniac about cereal. Corn flakes. Granola. Breakfast parfaits. That sort of thing. Obsessed with fresh berries, too. Especially blackberries. She could eat a bushel of them on her own if someone let her.”
“And Ava?” Lucas asks, standing beside the table.
Knox wrinkles his brows, and his gaze flicks up to the beta with a shrug. “Wish I knew.”
I’m surprised to find that I do too. Ava’s… hard to read. She’s been clingy with Emily, snippy with the rest of us. But there’s something about her that has me curious to know what she’s like when she’s not perfectly put together. The woman is gorgeous, but that’s not what has me intrigued. Physical beauty fades, and lots of pretty faces have shit personalities. But Ava strikes a different nerve in me. In the roughly twenty-four hours since I met her, I’ve noticed her distance from others might not be disdain, the way she tries to make it appear. It seems to me that it’s more of a protective habit, or like the rhythms of smalltalk aren't second nature to her despite the polished exterior she presents.
Lucas leaves the table, and Knox and I finish our food in tense silence. I almost ask him what the deal is with him and Emily, but I keep my mouth shut. It’s not like he’d give me a straight answer. He’d probably just use my question against me. Irritating asshole.
Pushing away my empty plate, I lean my forearms on the table. “We need a plan for when we get back to the States. I’d like to trust you enough to let you interact with Glenn without supervision so we don’t raise suspicion, but so far, you’ve done nothing to earn that.”
“Well, sorry, buddy, but you can’t tag along with me to meet Glenn or snoop around his house.”
“No, but I’m assuming you get a plus one for the wedding?”
“You wanna be my date?” His lazy grin makes me want to throttle him.
“Fuck, no. But it’s the only way I can think of to get close to Glenn without raising suspicion.” I set my napkin on the empty plate in front of me. “The wedding’s at his house, right?”
Knox nods as he leans back and crosses his arms over his chest, putting hisMercytattoo on display.
“Good. It’ll be the perfect opportunity for me to get in, copy his computer files, and hopefully find something incriminating enough to put the bastard away for life.”
