I shoved the blueberries at Helen. “Now you have all the berries in the world.”
Something small and cold hit my forehead. I picked it up, my eyes flicking to Helen’s. Her red lips were spread wide. She’d thrown a blueberry at me.
“Now you have one. Let me know when you want another one.”
I threw it back at her. “Brat.”
She leaned in, bringing her lips close to my ear. “Jealous, baby.”
“What’s he doing here?”
Her face turned up to mine. “He works during the week too. I bet he's not the only classmate of ours here.”
“He’s the only one sitting beside you.”
Her hand fell on my upper thigh and squeezed. “You’re sitting beside me, aren’t you?”
I stared at her, thinking about what she’d do if I pushed her on her back and shoved my hand down her tiny shorts. Her fingers touched my lips.
“Don’t kiss me, dude.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“You were.”
I took a blueberry from her basket and slipped it between her lips. She smiled, giving me a taste of her softness.
“Thanks for the berries. I never buy them because they’re way too expensive for my blood.” She put another one in her mouth. “Thank you.” Soft, low, quiet, just for me.
“You’re welcome.”
The show started, and from the parts I paid attention to, it was good. Helen sat up, cross-legged, spine straight, rapt. I might’ve watched her more than the people on stage. And kept my eye on Lachlan, who was more laid back and relaxed on his blanket than a motherfucker that size had any room to be.
Intermission came, and Helen stretched out on her back. “Okay, I like this. Is this how rich people live? Shakespeare in the park with berries?”
“The tickets were ten dollars each, Tiger.”
Her lids lowered. “Some of us don’t have ten dollars to spare. Or the time to watch a play in a park.”
Lachlan shifted, so he was leaning back on his hands. “Had to take the day off work for this.”
Helen shook her finger at him. “See? Luckily, I work nights, otherwise I would have been screwed.”
“Where do you work?” I asked Lachlan.
“Maintenance and mechanics on campus. I take care of the vehicles and machinery,” he answered.
I peered down at Helen. “See how easy that was? I asked where he worked, he told me.”
Lachlan cocked his head, eyes on Helen. “Where do you work, girl?”
She tucked her hands behind her head, drawing her shirt up to just below her tits. Her stomach was as sexy as her legs, defined muscles and a tiny, round belly button.
“Sorry, Lock. I don’t want you peering in the windows either.”
He raised a brow. “I don’t peer.”
A laugh burst out of her. “No, I don’t suppose you do.”
I stretched out on my side next to her, laying my hand in the center of her stomach. Her head turned my way, but she didn’t protest my touch.
“I’m still deciding if I like you,” she murmured.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. So, if I decide I do, I’ll tell you where I work. It’s not a state secret or anything. It’s just, you know, I’m still thinking on you. Okay?”
She might not have decided if she liked me, but she let me skim my fingers over her abdomen in broad daylight. Her breath caught when I broached her waistband, which was loose enough to see her little black panties underneath. I traced the ridge of her hip bone, dipping my finger into her shorts, then back out. When I dipped in again, she caught my hand, and my eyes flicked to hers. They were wide, and maybe a little worried.
“No.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
She sighed in relief.
“Shit, Helen,” I rasped.
“Show’s starting.”
She sat up, but I stayed, the breath kicked out of me. Then she reached for me, catching my hand and giving it a tug. I sat up behind her, and she leaned back against my chest, her head beneath my chin.
I had my work cut out for me with this girl. We both had some decisions to make. She had to decide if she wanted me. I had to decide if she was worth all the trouble she was going to bring me.
But I knew without thinking.
My pops used to pat my head and say, “If there’s trouble, you’ll find it, then you’ll take it home and keep it.”
Yeah, I knew.
Chapter Ten
Helen
Lock knew a restaurant off the beaten path near Santa Monica. Theo grumbled, but he followed behind Lock’s truck to the divey biker bar slash restaurant because I’d asked him to. As delicious as the blueberries were, by the time the play ended, my stomach was audibly growling. I was past hungry, verging on hangry. The only thing stopping me from being pissy was Theo.
“No.”
“Okay.”
God, he had no idea what that had done to me. Throughout my life, I’d heard a lot of different responses to the word “no,” but none had been so easy.
Come on, don’t be a tease.
I’ll make it good for you.
Just another minute.
You want it.
Shut up, bitch.
You little slut.
Theo had said okay. Like it was natural. Like it didn’t mean the entire world.
And then he’d said okay again to having dinner with Lock because I asked, even though I could tell he was jealous. He didn’t enjoy me splitting my attention with another man. He’d said okay anyway.
Now, the three of us were seated in a gritty bar, drinks in hand, waiting for our burgers. The other tables were filled too, mostly with bikers. We stuck out, but no one was paying us any attention. Probably because Lock could crush heads with his bare hands.
“How’d you find this place?” Theo asked.
Lock lifted one of his massive shoulders. “I drive. Wander. Found it on one of my drives. Looked interesting, so I stopped in. Best burger of my life, so I come back whenever I’m around.”
“Looking forward to it,” Theo replied. “The good thing about no longer wrestling is I can actually eat burgers and not worry about making weight.”
I wrinkled my nose. “What a stupid sport. You have to wear a silly outfit, rub your faces on other guys’ dicks, and you can’t eat hamburgers. I’m glad you wised up, Theodore.”
Lock snorted. Theo’s mouth curved into a slow grin. He really didn’t give a shit when I messed with him.
“Again, I’ve never rubbed my face against a guy’s dick.”
My eyes leveled with his. “I notice you didn’t deny the other things I said.”
He canted his head. “I didn’t. Although, you missed out, baby. I looked fly as hell in my singlet, and now, you’ll never get the privilege of seeing it.”
Lock passed his phone to me, and I burst out laughing when I looked at the screen. He’d Googled and pulled up a picture of Theodore in his uniform. There wasn’t much funnier than a grown man in a spandex onesie, even when he was as hot as Theo.
Theo snatched the phone from me, saw what I was laughing at, and slid it back to Lock, face down. His brow pinched, but I couldn’t read him. I didn’t think he was mad, but it was impossible to tell.
“I bet it’s better in person,” I teased.
“You’re damn right it is,” he replied. “I might have it hanging in my closet.”