Page 36 of Hit Me With Your Best Shot
He blinks, taken off guard by my rebuttal.
“Right. Totally. But, uh…” His gaze darts to Austin again, and the curiosity is practically radiating off him. “So, are you two?—”
“Nope,” I cut him off before he can finish that sentence. “She’s actually my cousin. My very dorky cousin who loves pineapple pizza and thinks the moon landing was fake.”
Austin’s head snaps toward me so fast, I’m surprised she doesn’t pull something. Her jaw drops, her eyes wide with disbelief.
The guy’s face drops into a mask of confusion.
“Wait…seriously?”
“Absolutely,” I say with a completely straight face, leaning back in the booth. “Loves frat parties at the college.”
Austin narrows her eyes at me, clearly unimpressed. Then she turns to the guy with an exaggeratedly sweet smile. “Actually, it’s the opposite. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m in the process of becoming a nun. I’ve been considering a vow of chastity lately. A lot lately. Real recent.”
The guy blinks, his brain clearly short-circuiting as he processes her words, the same way my brain did learning she’s a prof.
“A nun?”
“Yup,” she says, making the sign of the cross on her chest. “Just me, my prayer beads, and a whole lot of spiritual reflection.”
I bite back a laugh, folding my arms across my chest as I watch her babble with a straight face.
“Looks great in black and white, by the way,” I add, unable to resist. “Super sexy.”
Austin’s head snaps toward me, and the glare she shoots me is so sharp, I almost flinch.
Almost.
“Thank you for your input,cousin,” she says through gritted teeth, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Oh shit.
That’s right.
I just told him we’re cousins and three seconds later I called her sexy.
Whoops.
The guy stares at us for a moment longer before shaking his head.
“Man, you guys are wild.” He takes a step back, looking like he’s ready to escape. “Anyway, good luck with, uh, the nun thing.”
“Bless you my child,” Austin says sweetly, her expression pure innocence—but as soon as he’s out of earshot, she turns back to me, her eyes blazing. “Super sexy? Really? You’re terrible at ad-libbing.”
I shrug, grinning unapologetically. “I panicked.”
“No shit youpanicked.” She crosses her arms and glares at me like I’ve committed some kind of cardinal sin. “What if that guy goes to the press and tells him you’re dating your cousin?”
I laugh, gesturing for the server. Order two beers when she takes our order—and a pineapple pizza.
8
austin
Ican’t stop thinking about Gio Montagalo and it’s affecting my work.
Alone in my office, I stare at the wall and do my best not to Google him—but it’s hard. It’s like trying not to scratch an itch. He’s everywhere, and yet the moment I close my eyes, he’s still there, taking up space in my brain like he’s paying rent.
