Page 77 of Better Hate than Never

“Cabbage?” Toni sighs bleakly.

“That’s how you tell someone they’re cute in French,” Jamie explains. “Call them cabbage—chou.”

Toni bats his lashes. “Jamie. Stop it.”

Hamza laughs and hooks an arm around Toni’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss to his temple. “I already told you that you look cute.”

“You’re obligated to say that.” Toni pouts. “Plus, cute is nice, but I want to looksexy.”

“I got news for you,” I tell Toni, peering down at my own green coveralls as I stand. “None of us looks sexy in these getups.”

Which is of course when Christopher strides out of the changing room, looking sexy as hell in his green coverall paintball suit. I shouldn’t be surprised—the color complements the golden undertone in his skin, his amber eyes and dark locks. It’s obscene what happens to my body as I watch him rake back his hair and set a pair of goggles on his head.

Toni throws an accusatory hand Christopher’s way and says to me, “You’re really going to try to tell me you still stand by that statement?”

“Ready when you are,” Christopher says to Hank as he finishes doing the last few top buttons of his coveralls.

He stands beside me but doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t even acknowledge me.

It feels like a slap.

A sinking dread settles in my stomach. Maybe I got it all wrong. Maybe two nights ago didn’t mean to him what it meant to me. He’s trying to fix things, he said. Maybe that’s all the other night was, Christopher trying to “fix things,” doing it how he knows best—sweet-talking and flirting, hugging and making homemade pasta, promising a satisfying time in bed when I was clearheaded enough to know I really wanted it. That whole routine has to be as natural for him as breathing.

If that’s the case, if I’ve misread this so badly, I feel like a fool.

“Okay, folks!” Hank claps his hands as Margo and Sula join us in their green suits, goggles on their heads. “Welcome again to Peace, Love, and Paintball, the ultimate progressive paintball experience. The rules go like this: you and another team will—”

“Wait.” Jamie lifts a hand. “Sorry to interrupt. You saidanotherteam? We were hoping for a friendly time out there for our group only. When we called and inquired about that, we were reassured it was possible.”

“It is,” Hank says, sounding apologetic. “But only if no one else shows up. This group came in while you were all getting changed. We’re up against a lot of competition with the more traditional, rifle-style model of paintball, so we’re not really in a position to turn down business.”

Jamie sighs and peers over at Bea.

“That’s understandable,” Bea says encouragingly. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“If by fine, you mean ‘about to get your asses reamed,’ ” an obnoxiously loud voice calls from behind us, “then it sure will be.”

We turn around to see ten dudes in head-to-toe black, clutching paintball guns. I roll my eyes.

“Uh.” Hank clears his throat. “Folks, this is a gun-free establishment. You’ll need to leave those in your vehicles.”

“C’mon, man,” the guy who yelled and is the obvious ringleader says, “paintball without guns is for pussies.”

His whole posse chuckles.

Everyone else is behind me, so Christopher is the only one I see opening his mouth to say something, but I speak before he can. “How about you boys take your sexist bullshit along with your inferiority complexes and give them a flex somewhere else?”

Bea, standing on my other side, slips her hand inside mine andsqueezes. I don’t squeeze back. I’d crush her fingers if I did, I’m so angry.

“I’m sorry, what was that, baby doll?” the guy says. He’s bigger than the rest of them, red-cheeked, eyes narrowed, chest puffed up as he stares me down.

I snort. He’s such a misogynist cliché.

“Something funny?” he sneers.

“Your pathetically uninspired insults would be funny for how predictable they are, except for the fact that they reveal your disgusting bigotry,” I tell him.

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Aw, we got ourselves a little snowflake who likes big words, boys.” They laugh again. “Did I hurt your feelings, princess?”

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