sending freshly folded laundry to the floor. “Becca, wait. Before you get excited about this guy, I have to tell you, he asked me out just about ten minutes ago. This guy is a total player.”
She felt slightly sick to her stomach, realizing just how soundly she had been played. Man, he was good. She was all ready to throw her list out the window for him.
“Andy? No, he’s just really friendly. You know, eager to meet people in the area.”
“No, Becca, he asked me out too.” And had his hand up my shirt . Yikes.
“Well, it must be hard to be new in town and not know anyone. I met him moving in yesterday, and we’re going out tomorrow. You have to double with me. He seems really smart and I need you there. Will you call Dillweed?”
Lucy dropped her head to her hands. Once Becca had her mind set, she simply would not hear any objections. She tried again. “He just moved in yesterday, and he’s already asked us both out? That screams player, don’t you think?”
“Naw, he’s just a really friendly, outgoing guy.”
Friendly and outgoing with her tonsils. How in the hell could he have ruined it so fast? “Becca, he kissed me.”
“Oh.” Finally, Becca heard her. “Well, do you like him?”
“No, he’s totally wrong for me, he breaks every rule on the list.”
“That list is full of crap. Besides, you have Dell, he’s perfect according to the list. You can’t hog all the hot guys in the entire city.”
“Hog all the guys? Huh?”
“Listen, if you’re passing, I still want to go out with him. And if you and Dillweed come, he’ll understand that this is all out in the open, and you give us your blessing.”
“You want me to call Dillweed? Didn’t you hear what I said?”
“Yes, call Dell. Wait, do you think he’ll get all alpha-male possessive if he knows you kissed Andy? Whatever, we just won’t tell Dell, you’ve only seen him twice now.” Becca chattered on, and Lucy’s mind spun to keep up with her logic. “What do you think about the Electric Lounge? They have some really good burgers. Andy said he’s a computer guy, or a gamer or something. I don’t know. But he has these amazing blue eyes and he seems really smart. You know I’m not that smart. Please?”
“You are smart, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.” She narrowed her eyes. No way would this creep get away with battering Becca’s self-esteem, and being an apartment complex gigolo. “I’ll come. But Becca, this guy is no good. I’m only coming to protect you.”
“Just remember, you passed on him,” Becca sang out, cheerful once again.
She hung up and tried to wrap her brain around how fast her stupid little horny daydream had turned so very, very sour. She’d confront Andy. He wouldn’t get away with this crap. Not with her cousin. Not on her watch.
Swearing, she stomped away from the laundry waiting to be folded and pulled a beer from the fridge.
Dammit. This was exactly why she had to follow the dating rules. When she got swept away and ignored the warning signs, she got tangled up with idiots who are no good. Idiots who pick up her cousin one day, then rock her panties the next.
Idiots.
Herself included. This was no way to find a husband or her happy ever after.
Dillweed, rather Dell. Now, he was solid husband material. Fully employed, has his own apartment, he’d never hit on a friend. Unfortunately, when he kissed her, it had been brief, a quick twist of his lips on hers, a quick thrust of his tongue into her mouth like a snake and a strange aftertaste of dill. Thus the unfortunate nickname that Becca latched onto. It had all happened so fast, she hadn’t had time to react.
Andy’s kiss had tasted warm, seductive, a little bit like mint, a whole lot like delicious, hot man. There had been time to kiss him back, his lips had teased hers, encouraged her to kiss back, to participate.
Of course, you couldn’t tell everything from a kiss. You couldn’t tell anything at all from a