Hot Ticket
Page 83
“I can’t really talk about it, but Dean Taylor is still denying all fourteen counts of sexual harassment. If he was smart, he’d plea bargain. We have an incredible case against him.” She accepted half a meatball into her mouth, chewing slowly.
“Do you think you’re going to get through that class you had to retake then?” Trey asked.
Jessica swallowed and nodded. “Ellington and I had a long talk. She’s transferred her hatred to the appropriate party. We get along okay now.” She turned and rubbed her nose against Sed’s. He grinned, showing a pair of dimples Aggie had never realized existed. He poked the other half of the meatball in her mouth.
“Eat faster,” he whispered and glanced eagerly at the bedroom door.
She chewed and swallowed.
“I’m glad everything is working out,” Brian said, looking ill as he watched Jessica steal Sed’s lips for a tender kiss. “I can’t wait until tomorrow,” he grumbled under his breath.
Jace handed Aggie a plate full of spaghetti and meatballs. She smiled with gratitude. “Thanks.”
Jessica glanced up at the sound of Aggie’s voice. “There you are,” she said, with a bright smile. “I wondered where you’d disappeared to. Trey said Eric pissed you off.”
“Not really.” Aggie shrugged. But she needed to talk to him too. About their nonexistent relationship.
She looked at Eric, who sat in the booth lodged between Sed’s big body and the wall. He concentrated on his meal and didn’t acknowledge his name had been spoken. His dark brows were drawn together, his thin lips set in a harsh line as he chewed. Aggie had never seen Eric upset. He shrugged everything off as if life was some big joke. She hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings, because if she had that meant he had feelings for her, and she didn’t want to deal with that. And she sure didn’t want to become a rift between Eric and Jace.
As there was no room at the table, Aggie leaned against the counter, balanced her plate on her chest with one hand, and used her other to eat. With one arm trapped in a sling, Jace stood beside her and stared at his plate as if hoping his food would jump into his mouth.
“I’m full,” Jessica declared.
“Finally.” Sed rose from the table, tossed a giggling Jessica over one shoulder and rushed to the bedroom.
Brian shifted to the opposite side of the table so Aggie and Jace could sit next to each other and Jace could actually eat. They were halfway through their meal before Aggie noticed that Eric wasn’t really eating. He was repeatedly stabbing one of his meatballs with his fork.
“What’s wrong, Eric?” Aggie asked.
“He got his period,” Trey said.
“Fuck you,” Eric grumbled.
“Are you still moping, Eric?” Brian asked. “Trey didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, bro.”
“I was just f**king with you, dude,” Trey said. “Some lucky girl will eventually fall for you. Marry you. Give birth to your ugly kids. You’ll live happily ever after and all that shit.”
“You’ll probably find someone serious before I do,” Eric grumbled.
“Party boy?” Brian jabbed a thumb in Trey’s direction and laughed. “I don’t think so. Who’d be crazy enough to get serious with him? He’s about as monogamous as a salmon.”
“A salmon?” Trey burst out laughing. Aggie chuckled with him and shook her head.
“I mean, even Jace is getting married,” Eric complained.
Jace stiffened. Aggie’s laughter died. They exchanged nervous glances.
“I am?” Jace said, his voice uncharacteristically squeaky.
“Since when?” Aggie demanded.
“I heard him ask you, Aggie,” Eric said, looking annoyed by her obvious stupidity.
“He wasn’t asking me to marry him.” At least that’s what he’d tried to tell her outside. Aggie’s eyes widened with realization. Maybe he had been. Jace wasn’t good at expressing himself verbally. She was well aware of that fact. Aggie’s head swiveled so she could look at Jace. His face was the color of cranberries as he examined his plate with uncommon interest. “You weren’t, were you?”
“What?” He glanced at the wall. “No. I already told you. I just wanted to know…” He squirmed against her, trying to push Aggie out of the booth. “Let me out. I need to go to the bathroom.”
Trey laughed. “He was. Oh my God, Jace, how did you manage to f**k that up so spectacularly? She didn’t even know you were asking her.”
“Shut up, Trey. I wasn’t.” He surprised Aggie by lifting her hand to his lips. He kissed her knuckles gently. “If I was asking her, she’d know it.”
She smiled, her heart melting. She leaned closer to kiss him, but hesitated when she realized it would embarrass him in front of the guys. He closed the distance, his lips stroking hers with incomparable tenderness. Her toes curled in bliss.
“Ha!” Brian said. “You owe me twenty bucks, Mills.”
“Damn it.” Trey pulled out his wallet and handed over a twenty.
Brian kissed it and slid it into his pocket.
Aggie leaned away from Jace and turned to scowl at the two guitarists. “What exactly did you two bet?”
Brian winked. “That Jace would never get mushy with you in front of us.”
Wincing, Trey ducked to avoid Jace’s gaze. “Sorry, Jace.”
Jace laughed. “Why would you bet that?”
“He thought it was a sure win,” Brian said. “But Trey’s never been in love, so he doesn’t know how it changes a man.”
“I have too been in love.”
Brian lifted his brows. “With who?”
Trey flushed and lowered his eyes. “No one you know.”
“That’s what I thought,” Brian said.
Was Brian really that dumb? It was obvious who Trey was in love with. The only one who didn’t recognize it was Brian. Aggie watched Trey hide his feelings behind a mischievous smile.
“Do you think Myrna will be in the mood for another one of our famous threesomes?” Trey winked at Brian.
Aggie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. From offhand remarks, she’d always assumed Myrna was straightlaced and prudish. Apparently not.
“Don’t get your hopes up, Mills. I don’t plan on sharing her with anyone this weekend,” Brian said. “Besides, she’s off birth control now. I don’t want you guys naked within a hundred yards of her.”
“Do you think you’re going to get through that class you had to retake then?” Trey asked.
Jessica swallowed and nodded. “Ellington and I had a long talk. She’s transferred her hatred to the appropriate party. We get along okay now.” She turned and rubbed her nose against Sed’s. He grinned, showing a pair of dimples Aggie had never realized existed. He poked the other half of the meatball in her mouth.
“Eat faster,” he whispered and glanced eagerly at the bedroom door.
She chewed and swallowed.
“I’m glad everything is working out,” Brian said, looking ill as he watched Jessica steal Sed’s lips for a tender kiss. “I can’t wait until tomorrow,” he grumbled under his breath.
Jace handed Aggie a plate full of spaghetti and meatballs. She smiled with gratitude. “Thanks.”
Jessica glanced up at the sound of Aggie’s voice. “There you are,” she said, with a bright smile. “I wondered where you’d disappeared to. Trey said Eric pissed you off.”
“Not really.” Aggie shrugged. But she needed to talk to him too. About their nonexistent relationship.
She looked at Eric, who sat in the booth lodged between Sed’s big body and the wall. He concentrated on his meal and didn’t acknowledge his name had been spoken. His dark brows were drawn together, his thin lips set in a harsh line as he chewed. Aggie had never seen Eric upset. He shrugged everything off as if life was some big joke. She hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings, because if she had that meant he had feelings for her, and she didn’t want to deal with that. And she sure didn’t want to become a rift between Eric and Jace.
As there was no room at the table, Aggie leaned against the counter, balanced her plate on her chest with one hand, and used her other to eat. With one arm trapped in a sling, Jace stood beside her and stared at his plate as if hoping his food would jump into his mouth.
“I’m full,” Jessica declared.
“Finally.” Sed rose from the table, tossed a giggling Jessica over one shoulder and rushed to the bedroom.
Brian shifted to the opposite side of the table so Aggie and Jace could sit next to each other and Jace could actually eat. They were halfway through their meal before Aggie noticed that Eric wasn’t really eating. He was repeatedly stabbing one of his meatballs with his fork.
“What’s wrong, Eric?” Aggie asked.
“He got his period,” Trey said.
“Fuck you,” Eric grumbled.
“Are you still moping, Eric?” Brian asked. “Trey didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, bro.”
“I was just f**king with you, dude,” Trey said. “Some lucky girl will eventually fall for you. Marry you. Give birth to your ugly kids. You’ll live happily ever after and all that shit.”
“You’ll probably find someone serious before I do,” Eric grumbled.
“Party boy?” Brian jabbed a thumb in Trey’s direction and laughed. “I don’t think so. Who’d be crazy enough to get serious with him? He’s about as monogamous as a salmon.”
“A salmon?” Trey burst out laughing. Aggie chuckled with him and shook her head.
“I mean, even Jace is getting married,” Eric complained.
Jace stiffened. Aggie’s laughter died. They exchanged nervous glances.
“I am?” Jace said, his voice uncharacteristically squeaky.
“Since when?” Aggie demanded.
“I heard him ask you, Aggie,” Eric said, looking annoyed by her obvious stupidity.
“He wasn’t asking me to marry him.” At least that’s what he’d tried to tell her outside. Aggie’s eyes widened with realization. Maybe he had been. Jace wasn’t good at expressing himself verbally. She was well aware of that fact. Aggie’s head swiveled so she could look at Jace. His face was the color of cranberries as he examined his plate with uncommon interest. “You weren’t, were you?”
“What?” He glanced at the wall. “No. I already told you. I just wanted to know…” He squirmed against her, trying to push Aggie out of the booth. “Let me out. I need to go to the bathroom.”
Trey laughed. “He was. Oh my God, Jace, how did you manage to f**k that up so spectacularly? She didn’t even know you were asking her.”
“Shut up, Trey. I wasn’t.” He surprised Aggie by lifting her hand to his lips. He kissed her knuckles gently. “If I was asking her, she’d know it.”
She smiled, her heart melting. She leaned closer to kiss him, but hesitated when she realized it would embarrass him in front of the guys. He closed the distance, his lips stroking hers with incomparable tenderness. Her toes curled in bliss.
“Ha!” Brian said. “You owe me twenty bucks, Mills.”
“Damn it.” Trey pulled out his wallet and handed over a twenty.
Brian kissed it and slid it into his pocket.
Aggie leaned away from Jace and turned to scowl at the two guitarists. “What exactly did you two bet?”
Brian winked. “That Jace would never get mushy with you in front of us.”
Wincing, Trey ducked to avoid Jace’s gaze. “Sorry, Jace.”
Jace laughed. “Why would you bet that?”
“He thought it was a sure win,” Brian said. “But Trey’s never been in love, so he doesn’t know how it changes a man.”
“I have too been in love.”
Brian lifted his brows. “With who?”
Trey flushed and lowered his eyes. “No one you know.”
“That’s what I thought,” Brian said.
Was Brian really that dumb? It was obvious who Trey was in love with. The only one who didn’t recognize it was Brian. Aggie watched Trey hide his feelings behind a mischievous smile.
“Do you think Myrna will be in the mood for another one of our famous threesomes?” Trey winked at Brian.
Aggie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. From offhand remarks, she’d always assumed Myrna was straightlaced and prudish. Apparently not.
“Don’t get your hopes up, Mills. I don’t plan on sharing her with anyone this weekend,” Brian said. “Besides, she’s off birth control now. I don’t want you guys naked within a hundred yards of her.”
