Page 68 of The Stalker Snafu

“Just a misunderstanding,” Adrian said.

That was an understatement.

Julian frowned. “It sounds like you already know Emma, though?”

Adrian winced again and glanced at his brother over the coffee table, but Rafe made no show of answering. Adrian’s sheepish smile returned. “Not officially. Sorry again. I’m Adrian Pierce, and this is my brother Rafe.”

Rafe grunted and crossed his arms. He leaned against the back of the armchair across from the coffee table. His stare could cut through stone.

“O-kay,” I said, turning to Adrian. There was no doubt they were twins. His eyes were the exact same shade of dark brown as Rafe’s. Dark T-shirts stretched across their broad chests the same way, and their faces were carbon copies. Both their noses even had the same crook in the middle. It was unnerving. Even the dark tattoos twisting down their arms matched. “You’re friends of Noah?”

Adrian’s eyes widened while Rafe’s narrowed. Maybe not exactly the same, then.

“You know Kincaid?” Rafe asked, voice gruff.

I glanced at Julian, and while his eyes were still darting between us like he was trying to solve a puzzle, he gave me an encouraging nod. So, I cleared my throat, took a seat in the nearest armchair, and crossed my ankles. “Yes. I’m Noah’s girlfriend.”

Both twins simply stared blankly back at me, and I folded my arms over my chest with a frown.

The silence grew uncomfortable before Rafe’s lips twitched into the closest thing I’d seen to a smile on him. It was honestly disturbing how much the smile warmed his murderous eyes.

He shook his head and raised a brow at Julian. “Very funny. Good one, Julian. How long have you been planning this? You had a girl hold a knife on me just so she could deliver that line? That’s messed up, but you fooled me. Nice one.”

He sprawled out in the armchair across from me, kicking both feet up to rest his boots on the coffee table. Not two minutes ago I’d pointed a knife at the guy, and now he was so relaxed it was like he expected someone to take his drink order.

I’d rarely felt more belittled in my life, and that was saying something with parents like mine. I glared at the rude hooligan as he comfortably stretched both arms behind his head. “I’m not lying. Noah’s my boyfriend.”

We might be in a bit of a rough patch, but they didn’t need to know that.

Rafe chuckled like I was playing along with a good joke, and the arch of his brow was beyond patronizing. “Sure, sure. How old are you? You look like jailbait.”

My cheeks flushed, and I muttered a quick prayer to the coffee gods for patience. “I’m nineteen.”

“Nineteen is still too young for Kincaid. He wouldn’t date a teenager.”

Flames licked up my neck, and I tried to remember why I’d thought it was a good idea to come here in the first place.

“I have proof, you… you jerk!” My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “And nineteen isn’t that young. Not that you’d know, since you seem to have the maturity of a twelve-year-old.”

My cheeks heated at the lame comeback, but it was too late to take it back.

“Don’t tell me the kitten actually has claws.” Rafe’s lips twitched, but his gaze turned glacial. “You can take your lies and get out of here. We get enough of this stalker shit with our other friend.”

“Cool it, man,” Julian warned.

“I really can prove it. Not that I need to,” I added hastily, practically shaking with righteous anger as I got up and marched over to my bag by the door. I carried it back to the chair and fished for my phone in the big pocket before pulling it out.

In the photo albums, I tapped on the first picture of Noah and me. We were wearing face paint from when I dragged him to a carnival at the Santa Monica Pier for my birthday, and I’d taken a selfie of us both smiling with his arms wrapped around me. It was one of the happiest days of my life, and I couldn’t resist tilting my chin higher when I held out the phone.

Exhibit A, mothercrackers.

Adrian leaned forward from the couch, grabbing my phone. Rafe moved to sit next to him, and they both squinted at the screen, studying it.

“Holy shit. Kincaid is smiling?” Rafe frowned, brows pinched. “And wearing face paint?”

“And using a dog filter?” Adrian asked in bafflement, growing flustered as he swiped the screen. “And… kissing.”

I blushed and snatched my phone back from Adrian before he took any further liberties.