Page 16 of Violent Little Thing

I looked down to see her feet dangling, those legs of hers weren’t long enough to touch the bar midway up the barstool.

Again, the complete opposite of Lauri.

Lauri had long legs that could wrap around your waist twice. She had stick straight hair, never even able to hold a single curl. But never once would you find a single hair on her head out of place.

Tall and built, Lauri had been a smoke show.

Charleigh, on the other hand, was downright adorable.

No one would ever call her a smoke show.

But she was beautiful in an understated kind of way.

We were at Beau’s place, and there was enough pizza on the table to feed an army.

Charleigh snatched a piece of pizza that was piled so high with olives that you could see nothing but black.

Gross.

I’d wondered who was going to eat that monstrosity of a pizza, and now I had my answer.

She took a healthy bite and said, “Do you have any chocolate milk?”

The question was aimed Beau’s way, but I could see her sizing me up out of the corner of her eye.

“In the fridge,” he answered as he got up and poured her a tall glass in a beer mug he’d pulled out of the freezer.

I stabbed at my salad, looking at the pizza that she put away within four bites.

Where did she put it all?

She reached for another slice of olive pizza as she said, “Thanks!”

He went back to the kitchen for a straw, then plopped it into her drink before regaining his seat.

“You know that Seraphina wants to take over the running of the Cowgirls again, don’t you?”

Charleigh rolled her eyes. “Of course, but why do you care? You hate it.”

“True,” Beau agreed. “But she sabotaged the last three games.”

Charleigh froze with her straw halfway to her lips. “She did what?”

As if she couldn’t conceive that Seraphina would do anything to sabotage the team.

Maybe Charleigh knew Seraphina better than I did, but I’d only heard the worst of the worst when it came to the woman. Beau had no love for his sister, not the slightest amount.

When he’d explained their relationship when he’d first met with me about buying him out of the team, I had detected so much pent-up animosity toward that sister that I was surprised he could breathe.

“She had the refs throw the last two games that would’ve gotten us into the finals,” he explained. “It was only by the skin of our teeth that we were able to pull off the last one. Anyway, that was the deal that I worked out with my father. I win this year, and he sells the Cowgirls. Effectively ending Seraphina’s ruination of the team and getting me out of dealing with the team and anything that has to do with them ever again. With either team. Mom, Lysander and I are done. We want out. But yesterday, Seraphina informed me that she’s taking over again since I ‘can’t conceivably win.’”

“I’m sure she didn’t try to hide that she was sabotaging you, either.”

I watched the small smile that they shared between themselves, and I felt an irrational jealousy toward their easy camaraderie.

But then I had to remind myself that it didn’t matter what they shared with each other. They could be in an intimate relationship, and it would still be none of my business.

It didn’t matter whether I liked Charleigh or not.