Her nostrils flare.“Joel.”
“Wait, wait—” I start laughing all over again, imagining her sitting with a bunch of women discussing sex scenes.“Do you guys have, like, meetings?Do you take minutes?I bet you do.Oh my god, please tell me you have ranking systems.”
Anna drags her hands down her face, like she’s regretting every decision that led her here.“We are not discussing the ranking system.”
“Oh my god, yes—” I say, praising the god in the ceiling.“There’s a ranking system.I bet it’s chili peppers.It is, isn’t it?”
She lets out a wounded sound.“I hate you so much.”
“No, no—this is important.If you’re a senior Dirty B, does that mean you’ve read the most filth?”
She pinches the bridge of her nose and purses her lips.
“Or is it, like, a merit-based thing?You unlock elite status after surviving a certain number of highly questionable plots?”I tap my chin.“What’s the initiation process?Do you have to read a full book out loud while making intense eye contact?”
“For fucksake.”
I press a hand to my heart.“You know, Ace, I have to say, I never pegged you for the type to analyze the finer points of—” I lower my voice, smirking, “—strategic sword placement.That’s what you were talking about the other night, wasn’t it?”
Her entire body locks up.
I grin.
That’s it.That’sexactlythe reaction I was looking for.God, she’s actually really sexy when she’s all fired up.
Her glare could set fire to Lake Superior, but she doesn’t take the bait.Instead, she exhales sharply, rolling her shoulders back, clearlytryingto regain some control.
I watch her, curious, waiting for the inevitable excuse.
Finally, she says, “It’s called the Dirty B’s.”
I blink.
I blink again.
And then Ilose my fucking mind.
I throw my head back, laughing so hard I nearly slide off the couch.
She groans aggressively, muttering something that sounds like “I’m going to kill Tessa,” but I’mtoo busy losing oxygento fully process it.
“The Dirty B’s?”I repeat, fucking delighted.“Like… that’s what you actually call it?”
Anna glares.“Of course.It’s short for ‘Dirty Bitches.’”
I slap my thigh, stilldying.“Oh, yeah, no, that really softens it.”
Her eye twitches.“It’s not supposed to.”
I wipe a fake tear from my eye, grinning so hard my face hurts.“God, this is beautiful.I’m so proud of you.”
She groans again, throwing herself onto the couch like she’sphysically exhaustedby my presence.
Which only fuels me further, because she’s sitting next to me.She’s not running.Not hiding in her room.She’shere.
“You know what?”I say, tapping my chin.“I think I need to start my own book club.”
She lifts her head just enough to glare.“No.”