Page 20 of Burning Rivalry

“Did she teach you how to bake?” He was enjoying himself, the smug bastard, soaking up the attention like a dry sponge in a pool of water.

“Oh no,” she told him with a high-pitched laugh that lit a fire in my chest. She was determined not to listen to me when I warned her about him.

What did I have to say to get through to her?

He was a bad idea, period.

End of story.

Only out for himself, which included whatever he wanted at the moment. After all, he had gone from almost kissing me to bitching me out in front of the rest of the kitchen. There was no such thing as loyalty, appreciation, any of it. Why would she want to be with someone like that, even as a one-night stand?

He would probably be incredible in bed.

As much as it boiled my insides to walk away, I had no choice. The alternative was listening to this awkward, extremely obvious mating dance while my brain turned to pudding and ran out of my ears.

Would he look at her the same way he had looked at me? Would he have the same light in his steel-gray eyes? Would her heart skip a beat the way mine had?

Would he remember her this time next week? He had so easily forgotten the moment we shared, after all. Something disturbingly close to disappointment made my heart sink and left me wondering if I should’ve let the moment carry us both away instead of doing the so-called smart thing and denying how much I wanted him.

“Your friend seems nice.” Of course, Lucas was unaware of all this, slowing his speed as he came my way with a tablet in hand, where he’d listed everything that needed to be done before tonight. I was starting to think he went to bed with that thing balanced on his palm, the stylus in his other hand.

“Oh, she’s the best,” I replied. “I’ve known her for years. She’s like my sister. I’ve really missed her.” Even if I currently questioned her sanity.

“That’s nice.” It seemed like he had a thing for that word today. “What are you girls planning on doing tonight?”

Why hadn’t they come back from the pantry yet? “Oh, I’m not sure,” I replied, distracted. “There are tickets open for a few shows in town, and she keeps trying to convince me to go on that damn Strat ride that dangles you off the edge of the roof.”

His face lit up. “Aww, do it! That’s so fun!”

“Oh, please! Not you too!” We were still laughing when Hadley and Sebastian joined us, but suddenly, my heart wasn’t in it anymore. Maybe it had something to do with how she winked, telling me she was feeling victorious, or how my core insisted on heating dangerously at the sight of him when he was acting all charming and witty.

What was wrong with me? I had never, ever begrudged her a flirtation or a hookup. Granted, we had generally gotten lucky because our taste in men usually ran along different lines.

But I wasn’t interested in Sebastian. That wasn’t the problem.

I wanted to protect her from him.

Right?

“I have an idea.” Sebastian looked at Hadley, grinning, then turned to Lucas and me. What was he thinking? The gears were definitely turning inside that infuriatingly handsome head. “Hadley and I were planning on having dinner together tomorrow night. Why don’t we make it a double date?”

Oh.

What the fuck?

It wasn’t enough for him to dictate every move I made in the kitchen, he had to ask me out on Lucas’ behalf now too. And he accused me of putting him on the spot? The idea of tearing his infuriatingly handsome head off and tossing it in the fryer was beginning to look a little too appealing.

Before I could even draw a breath, he added, “Claudia, you’re rarely out of the kitchen for long enough to enjoy some of the city’s nightlife. And Lucas, it’s your night off too. Do you have plans? I would love to take everyone out to dinner.”

The son of a bitch.

Hadley couldn’t hide her disappointment, though she tried. “Oh, that would be fun. I don’t know, Claud, are you free?” I didn’t need her to spell it out. She gave me a pleading look. Say no. Please say no.

Before I could, Lucas spoke up, “That sounds good. It’s a really generous offer. Thank you,” he told Sebastian, who waved it off like it was no big deal.

He knew exactly what he was doing. The snide grin he wore when our eyes met told me so. It was obvious he noticed the attention Lucas paid me. He could pretend all he wanted to extend an olive branch, but he was really putting me on the spot, making an already awkward situation infinitely worse by using the word ‘date.’

“Sure,” I decided, shrugging slightly when Hadley scowled at me. “That sounds like a good time.” I could only hope Lucas didn’t get the wrong idea.