Page 101 of The Casanova Complex

“I don’t know whether I should hit you or kiss you right now,” Zach muses, looking around the living room before glancing back over at me, shaking his head.

I offer him a shit-eating grin and lift my shoulder. “Maybe both? You know I like it a little rough.”

“Freaky little fucker,” he mutters through a laugh. When he lifts his arm to toss it over my shoulders, the strings of tiny bells on the front of his sweater jingle, and he groans. “Jesus, I feel like a fucking cat right now, wearing one of those collars with the bells on it so you know when they’re coming.”

“Look like one, too, with that ugly-ass furry sweater,” Tyler adds, walking up with three green plastic cups clutched in his arms, the liquid inside that smells suspiciously like eggnog nearly sloshing over the rim.

Zach grunts, narrowing his eyes. “Oh, fuck off.”

Tyler just shrugs, distributing the cups to both of us and keeping one for himself. “You’re the one who chose that shit. They had plenty of others to pick from, but noooo, instead, you chose to walk around like you glued fire-truck-red pube hair to your shirt.”

I nearly fucking choke mid-sip, sputtering some of the eggnog back into the cup when a laugh tears out of me. “Oh, fuck.”

Zach’s brows pinch together, and he looks between Tyler and me. “You know, that really hurts my feelings, you asshole. Despite the jingling, this is a funny fucking sweater.”

“Yeah, totally. Suuuuuper funny,” Tyler quips as he reaches out and fingers the tufts of fur on the front that do, in fact, look like pube hair if I’m being honest. “I bet it even helps you get laid tonight wearing that.”

“I don’t need help getting laid, motherfucker,” Zach grunts, rolling his eyes.

I tip the cup back, draining the rest of my eggnog, then step between them, throwing my arms over their shoulders. “Now, now, boys. It’s our last Christmas together. Let’s not argue about Zach’s pube sweater.”

“You fuck⁠—”

I press a finger to his lips. “Shhhh. Just accept it. Let me have a sentimental moment that doesn’t involve balls, okay? This time next year, who knows where we’ll all be, so we’re going to enjoy being at this party, this eggnog, and each other while we can.”

Zach’s lip twitches in amusement. “That was so beautiful. Good job.”

My arms tighten around their shoulders, and I pull them into me. “Us against the world, pookies.”

I get about five seconds more before Tyler’s shrugging out of my hold and pushing me back.

He’s not big on cuddling. His loss.

Real men are comfortable showing their feelings and emotions instead of burying them, but tell that to Saint Devereaux 2.0.

“Your cheerfulness is making me uncomfy,” he says, taking another step back. “Five feet of distance at all times, brother.”

I chuckle, and Zach rolls his eyes as he takes a sip of eggnog and cocks his head. “Damn, this is good as fuck. What’s in it?”

“Rum, I think,” Tyler answers.

Nodding, I shake my cup in the air between us. “And speaking of, y’all want a refill?”

Tyler drains his cup in a single gulp and says, “Yup.”

“Have I told you what a brilliant idea it was to have an ugly sweater party?” Zach asks when a girl walks by wearing a red sweater dress that barely covers the curve of her ass. His gaze lingers on her until she’s gone, and he shakes his head. “Fucking brilliant, my guy. Love that big brain of yours when you decide to use it.”

“Remind him of that later when Gauthreaux gets here,” Tyler says, and my jaw tightens.

“I mean, you can’t invite everyone on the team for a party and not invite him,” Zach reasons. “It’ll be fine. Bennett’s not a scrappy kind of guy.”

I scan the room in search of him, but I don’t see his obnoxiously large head. The majority of the team is already here, spread all over our living room, drinking and dancing, but not Gauthreaux.

Maybe he’s just going to no-show, and it’ll save us both the headache.

Not sure why he’d want to come anyway when we can’t stand being in the same room, even when we’re forced to be.

“He’s also not a girlfriend kinda guy, but apparently, he is now,” Tyler adds, and my gaze shifts to him and the taunting curve of his lips. “Isn’t that right? Tonight’s the night we get to meet your new girl.”