Jamie didn’t seem like a bad guy last night, and it’s obvious there are hidden layers to him, but I’m still worried for my friend.
Switching the coffee machine on, I set about making breakfast for three when I hear the others stirring. I’m just plating bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs when the lovebirds emerge, freshly showered. “I hope you’re hungry,” I say, holding up two plates. “I made breakfast.”
I set them down on the table and spin around, bumping straight into Ash. She smacks a quick kiss on my lips, and I’m momentarily stunned. She laughs at the expression on my face. “I was just thinking I could kiss Grace for this, so I thought why the heck not?” She shrugs, sliding into a seat beside Jamie while I try to snap out of it.
Jamie grins. “I think you’ve shocked your friend into stunned silence.”
“That she has,” I agree, finally snapping out of it. “Do you make it a habit to kiss all your female friends?”
“Only the pretty ones.” She winks.
I distribute mugs of coffee and orange juice before taking my plate to the table. I join Ash on her side, and we joke and laugh about the night while we eat. As I refill our mugs, I decide to risk a question. “So, you two bumped uglies last night, huh?”
Jamie bursts out laughing, slapping a hand on his thigh. “Bumped uglies?” He wipes tears from his eyes. “I think Dillon might be onto something with his prudish princess remarks.”
“Jamie!” Ash screeches, glaring at him.
I withdraw my previous charitable thoughts, and I’m tempted to dump the entire contents of the coffee pot over his head. “I was trying to be polite, that’s all. I can say fucking, screwing, banging, without blushing. I’ve had plenty of sex, and I grew up in Hollywood. Trust me when I say there is little I haven’t heard or seen.”
“Sorry,” he says, looking and sounding completely unapologetic. “Maybe it’s just a cultural thing, but you’re too funny sometimes.”
“Uh-huh.” I level him with a scathing look as I drop back down on my seat. “So, what’s the score?” I ask, my gaze bouncing between them.
“We’re friends who like to fuck occasionally,” he says, spooning a ton of diabetic-inducing sugar into his mug. “It’s no big deal, right, Ash?” He winks at her and I want to punch him in his annoying face.
“Right.” Her tight grin is borderline a grimace.
Awkward tension bleeds into the air, and I regret asking my question. Maybe I should have waited until he left and asked Ash on her own. Discreetly, I squeeze her hand in silent apology under the table.
Jamie’s phone pings, and he snatches it up, reading his message. “I’ve got to go.” He takes his plate, glass, and mug over to the sink. I watch Ash’s crestfallen face out of the corner of my eye while he rinses and stacks his plate in the dishwasher. At least the boy has some manners. He grabs his leather jacket from the arm of the couch before coming back to the table. “Thanks for breakfast, Grace.” Shoving his hands in the back pockets of his dark jeans, he fixes me with a cocky look. “I guess I should apologize too.”
“You guess?” I arch a brow. “What kind of way is that to apologize?”
A sheepish grin creeps over his face. “I apologize for being a dick to you. Sometimes I let my inner Dillon take too much control.”
I snort out a laugh. “I’ll say.”
Placing his hands on Ash’s shoulders, he leans down, whispering in her ear before he kisses her goodbye.
I wait until I hear the front door snick shut before I question her. “What’s the story with you two?”
“You heard him,” she says, vigorously swirling her spoon in her lukewarm coffee. “We’re just friends with benefits—except we’re more like enemies most of the time.” Her head thuds off the table. “Ugh. I’m such an idiot. I swore I wasn’t going to sleep with him again.”
“We had a lot to drink last night. And we were smoking.”
“That’s no excuse,” she grumbles, lifting her head.
“How long has it been going on?” I ask, getting up to make a fresh pot of coffee. If it wasn’t eleven a.m., and I wasn’t already hungover as fuck, I’d suggest we need alcohol for this conversation.
“A while.” Air huffs out of her mouth. “Jamie’s always been flirty with me, but I never thought anything of it. A, he’s a big slut. Almost as bad as my brother. And B, he was one of Cillian’s friends too.”