Page 30 of Deal Takers

I glare at him. “Brody, you’re either drinking with me or leaving. Your choice.”

“Honey, trust me, I’m all about having a good time, but I don’t think drowning yourself in whiskey is the answer.”

I grab another glass out of the cabinet and pour two fingers of Jack Daniels. “Look. When I wake up tomorrow, my entire life is going to be different. The future I thought I had, is gone. I just want to forget aboutall of that shit for one night, and I don’t need your unsolicited advice on the matter. Now, what’s it going to be? Are you joining me, or are you leaving?”

He stares at me in silence for a bit. I don’t know what he’s trying to puzzle out in that genius brain of his, but he seems to figure it out soon enough. Brody nods resolutely, picks up a glass, and swallows the whiskey in one gulp.

I pick up the bottle to pour him another. “Good answer.”

CHAPTER 21

Brody

For the record, I knew this was a shitty idea from the start. In my experience, bad things happen when a woman is both angryanddrunk. But Rainey was determined and the alternative of leaving her alone didn’t appeal to me at all. Now, here we are, many shots later, and fuck if I know where to go from here. I’m buzzed…but Rainey issloshed. She can’t decide if she wants to laugh or cry. Sometimes she does both. Even worse, when she’s not doing either, she’s getting…flirty. My head keeps telling me to ignore it—that this woman is upset—but Thor is definitely enjoying the fact that whiskey apparently makes Rainey a bit frisky. When she reaches out to rub my legagainI know I need to distract her.

“We should watch a movie,” I suggest.

“You want to Netflix and chill?” She looks way too excited about that.

I jolt off the couch and head to the kitchen to grab some water. The sooner she gets sobered up, the better.

I walk back into the room and hand her the bottle. “Just Netflix. NO chill.”

She pouts in the most adorable way. “Party pooper.”

I grab the remote, silently telling my dick to calm the fuck down as I rejoin her on the couch. “80s movies are your thing, right? Pick your poison.”

Rainey throws herself back into the couch with flourish. “I don’t care. Pick something.”

Meow!

What the hell?I jump when a brown ball of fur lands on my lap and digs its claws into my legs.

“Jesus fuck! Where did that thing come from?”

Rainey picks up the little striped cat and cradles it to her chest. “Thatthingis my baby. He must’ve been sleeping in my bedroom.” She starts giving the cat a full-body rub down, and the fucker couldn’t look happier about it. I never thought I’d be jealous of an animal, yet you may as well just color me green.

“You love me don’t you, Maverick? We don’t need a stupid man in our lives when we have each other.”

Her eyes fill with tears again as she peppers the cat’s head with kisses, so I try diverting her train of thought. “You named your cat Maverick? Let me guess…Top Gun?”

She smiles as he butts his furry head against hers. “I did. It’s perfect for him, don’t you think? He’s such a stud. All the lady kitties in the pound had their eyes on him.”

Um, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t matter if she named the cat,Dog, but I stay on course. I’d rather have her pissed off at me than sad. “I suppose it’s a fitting name for a pussy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, c’mon, out of all the actors in the world, you named your cat after that one?”

“No,” she says, scowling. “I named him after acharacter, who happens to be a god among men.”

“I’m pretty sure gods are supposed to be taller than five-four.”

She gasps. “Take it back, Brody!Take it back right now!”

I smirk. “Nope.”

“I said take it back!”

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