Page 7 of Just a Little Prick

Kenzie wasn’t there yet, so we pushed a few tables together and got a tab going. I reached into my pocket for my phone, checking to see if my sister had texted me again. It gave me a second to reread her last texts.

Look, she just went through a bad breakup. This is to cheer her up and let her have fun. NOT for you or anybody else to hook up with her!! You can all be animals around other women, but not Lora. Help keep the others off her, okay?

I wasn’t going to argue with my sister, but if Lora wanted to take one of us for a spin, I wasn’t going to stop her. Besides, some girls liked a good fuck right after a bad breakup.

I wouldn’t push my luck, but I wasn’t going to say no. That sounded like a fair compromise. Besides, Mal was my fallback. She did say she was going to be at the bar.

The guys and I were all into our second beers when I spotted my sister. Kenzie, hair still in a bouncy ponytail, had changed into clothes that were still casual, but nicer than what she wore to work. I didn’t know the girl with her, but…

Goddamn.

Gorgeous. Her hair was almost pink in the amber bar light, falling perfectly around her shoulders. The neckline of her top was modest, but it clung to her perfectly. She was curvy, soft in all the right places, and smiled almost shyly as she followed Kenzie to our table.

Dammit, Kenzie. Why did this one have to be off-limits?

My sister came to sit beside me, punching me in the shoulder as she dropped into the chair. I recoiled, groaning in mock-pain, and Kenzie laughed. “Hey, Bradley.”

“Welcome to the party, Kenzie. Gonna introduce your friend, or are we rude now?”

Kenzie rolled her eyes. “Lora, this is my brother Bradley,” she said. She pointed around the table, introducing the others—Benny, Garrett, Ryker, Zoe, and Logan.

“Um, hey.” Lora nodded. “I’m Lora. It’s good to meet you.”

Conversations started to flow easily. I bought Kenzie and Lora their first drinks. Logan got Kenzie talking about the bakery, and she moved closer to avoid shouting across the table.

I moved into her empty seat, next to Lora.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” She smiled, taking a sip of her beer.

“You look a little nervous.” I gave her a smile. “We don’t bite. Unless you ask for it.”

Her eyebrows lifted and she looked away. Was that one too much? Where did Kenzie find a girl like this?

“Sorry if that was, uh, off-color. Just kind of how we joke around here.” I nodded toward the table.

“Oh, no, I can take it,” Lora replied. She took a long drink of her beer, finishing it. “I need another.”

“It’s on me.” I gestured for the bartender’s attention, holding up my bottle and two fingers. My attention shifted back to Lora, looking her over. “So, you’re new in town?”

The look she gave me immediately made me regret saying that. She snorted softly. “I work with your sister. I see you every morning when you come in for coffee and a muffin.”

“Oh, fuck!” Of course. The hot girl I’d watched stir batter this morning. That was where Kenzie knew her from. “I’ve never seen you with your hair down! It totally changes the picture.”

Lora studied me a moment longer, one eyebrow arched, then laughed. She shook her head. “I know I’m quiet, but I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“What? No, no. Quiet’s fine. Seriously, it’s all in the hair. And, you know. You’ve got a lot less flour on you.” I grinned and took a sip of my beer.

She smiled, then, and took a sip of hers. She put it on the table as she finished. “Anyway. Yes, I’m new in town. I’ve been here for a month. My boyfriend just dumped me to fuck my best friend, so I’m in the market for a new social circle.”

“Cool. Cool. Well, we’re a loud bunch, but we’re fun. Stay away from Ryker, though, he’s a dog.” I nodded toward my friend.

Lora turned her head, following my gaze. Her hair flipped, wafting the scent of cinnamon and rum my way.

As if she could get any hotter.

She turned back to me, her eyes dropping to look at my arms. She leaned forward, looking intently at my tattoos. “So, do they all have a super deep meaning? Or are they just, you know, cool?”

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