Tate laughed. “Whatever, it wasn’t like that at all.”
“Yes it was. It makes me wonder why you never even mention her—Hold the fuck up!” Lucas yelled, causing Tate to drop his board, thankfully not on his foot. “Is she the runaway lay?”
Tate froze.
He always told Lucas everything, but if he told him yes now, that would be putting Audrey’s business out there. If he said no, then Lucas would think he was trying to two-time Audrey.
Shit.
“No comment.”
“Odder, fess up, dude, before I knock you in the back of the head with a board,” Lucas warned.
Tate laughed, turning to see Lucas holding a bottle of water, not a board. “What board?” he teased.
“Whichever one I decide to pick up. Now answer me.”
Tate shrugged a shoulder, looking up at the ceiling, hoping what he was about to say wouldn’t backfire on him. “Yeah, she is, but don’t tell Fallon.”
Lucas’s mouth dropped as he shook his head. “I won’t, but shit, dude.”
“Good. I don’t want anything to come between us. She has already friend-zoned me,” he complained.
“Dude, that sucks,” Lucas said simply, before picking up a board.
Tate stood there stunned. Lucas always had the answer. “No help, huh?”
Lucas laughed. “Hell no, if you think I’m going to give you tips on picking up my little sister, you’ve obviously been hit too many times in the head with the puck.”
Tate couldn’t help but laugh. “So much for loyalty, or friendship, or teammates, or—”
“Oh, I have loyalty, but it stops when it comes to Aiden, Fallon, and Audrey. Sorry, bud, you’re on your own.” Then Lucas started to bang a nail into the board, before turning back to Tate, a wicked grin on his face. “But you hurt her, you die. You know that, right?”
“Very much so.”
He should have known that Swamp People was going to be bad-ass just by the Viewer Discretion warning.
Audrey had the best taste in TV shows, and he was grateful for the chance to watch them with her. Her commentary was so funny; it made the show ten times better. When she started impersonating the people on the show in their thick Louisiana accents, he almost fell off the couch laughing. She was crazy funny. She even made Alligator cupcakes to go with the show. Tate inhaled half of them before he enjoyed the amazing chicken dumplings she prepared.
She was one hell of a cook.
“Best show ever,” he said, licking frosting off his fingers.
“Uh, duh! Told ya!” She giggled, leaning against the back of her couch, a cupcake in her hand. She had changed from earlier that day. Now she was wearing a yellow jumpsuit. She had a lazy cute look going, which did it for him. His hands itched to pull that zipper down and find out what she had underneath. Her hair was down in a mess of curls, and he wanted to tangle his fingers in it while kissing her senseless.
“You did,” he agreed.
She tucked her legs behind her and said, “Tomorrow is Survivor, we should watch that. You’ll love it.”
“Sounds good, but this time, my house. I’ll get food for us.”
Audrey laughed. “Can’t cook?”
He laughed along with her. “Nope, but I am good at picking up something.”
“It works,” she said with a grin, leaning her head against the back of the couch, yawning.
He smiled over at her and asked, “Are you tired, want me to leave?”
“No, not at all. Well, I am tired, but I don’t want you to leave.”
Good.
“I’m surprised you’re up. I heard you playing at two in the morning,” she said.
Tate nodded. “Yeah. Remember, I have problems sleeping at night?”
“You really should get that checked out,” she suggested, taking a sip of her sweet tea.