Page 78 of Whiskey Wednesdays

“You two are so inappropriate.” They both laughed at me.

I started putting my things away, and Titus heaved himself out of the ice tub. I reached over, grabbed two towels, and threw them to him.

He caught them and dried himself off, then automatically stripped off his compression shorts.

Connor scowled at Titus. “If you weren’t coming out of an ice bath, I’d rip your fucking balls off for stripping down in front of her.”

Titus chuckled. “You’d have to find them first. Damn, that’s cold.”

“Way too much information,” I complained.

A text message vibrated on my phone, and I looked down at it.

Laurel: We’re having Martini Monday at my house again tonight. Come by if you’re not busy. Friends welcome

I’d been to two Martini Monday parties since I moved here, and I thought Connor and Titus would enjoy them.

Looking up, I noticed Connor watching me.

“Sebastian’s girlfriend, Laurel, invited me to Martini Monday at her house again. It’s basically a poolside cocktail party.”

“Are you going?”

“Maybe. She told me I could invite friends. Do you guys want to come?”

Connor’s shoulders loosened. “Elodie has dance class tonight. If Javier will pick her up and watch her for a couple of hours afterward, I’m in. I like those guys, even if they did enjoy my twenty-year-old whiskey.”

Titus shrugged. “The only thing waiting for me at home is Call of Duty. Who are they?”

Connor briefly explained how we knew them.

Titus smirked. “So this Zeke guy is the one who saved your ass by putting up extra backup cameras?”

I’d already told Titus what happened that night. “He didn’t actually save my ass, but Noah could hardly deny it when it was all on video.”

Titus cocked his head. “The video didn’t save your ass?”

I glanced at Connor. “My apartment complex has cameras and an electronic gate. So I already had proof I was at my apartment when the robbery occurred. Noah didn’t know I hadn’t stayed overnight with my dad.”

Connor folded his arms. “Why didn’t you just say so when you came over to my house that night? Or when your dad called you the day before?”

Turning away, I started packing up my things. “Because I didn’t want to. And I wasn’t the one with the burden of proof. That was on you and your asshole brother.”

“Damn it, Bella,” Connor growled.

But Titus barked out a laugh. “She got you there, fucker.”

Dad agreed to watch Elodie, so both Connor and Titus came with me to Laurel’s Martini Monday party. We dropped my car off at my apartment and grabbed something to eat at The Ace Hotel restaurant close to Laurel’s house beforehand.

They followed me inside my apartment so I could change clothes, and I saw Titus glance around and scowl. But he didn’t say anything. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

At the restaurant, Titus and Connor ordered the roast chicken blue plate special.

When I ordered a house salad, Connor stared at me. “That’s it?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. I went over my food budget again last week.”

“Bella, I’m paying. Order real food, for God’s sake.”

---