Growling, he jerked the door open an inch. “What?”

A smug snicker came from the other side. “You two can get it on later. Today’s my day.”

Ryan wasn’t amused. “Your skip days are usually about getting high, drunk, and/or laid.”

“Not today.”

I caught a quick flicker of a grin on Ryan’s face before he masked it and moved farther away from me. His hand still rested on my waist, but once my hot flashes had subsided, I enjoyed watching this exchange play out on Ryan’s face.

He loved Kirk. That was obvious, but he was wary of him. Still, he was becoming more open to whatever Kirk was going to say. His hand had relaxed on my waist, and since we were at his friend’s house, I thought maybe the right thing was to cool our lust jets a bit. But once we were alone again? Hell yes, I’d be jumping Ryan.

And you still think you aren’t trying to be me?

I stiffened, hearing Willow’s mocking tone. I ignored her.

I’m you, Mac. You can’t ignore me, and you know it. That’s like you ignoring yourself.

I gritted my teeth and caught Ryan glancing at me.

I can ignore myself all I want, I shot back and shoved toward the door—and out of Ryan’s hold.

“Wha—” Ryan watched me stalk past Kirk, who shifted quickly out of the way.

I went back to the tequila bottle, saw a shot already poured, and downed it. Salt be damned. I still didn’t need the lime either.

And goddamn—that burned. I felt it this time, and that meant I needed another one. I was reaching for my fourth shot when I felt another presence beside me.

Goddamn Willow. She was never going to leave me alone.

“So, not to be blunt in an offensive way, but . . .”

Not Willow.

I looked up. Nick was staring at the shot in my hands like he could see a worm in it.

His eyes flicked up to mine. “But your damage is your sister, right?”

It took a second for his question to penetrate. The booze was starting to fog everything. I blinked at him. “What?”

“I mean . . .” He coughed, turning around to rest against the table. He gestured over his shoulder to Ryan and Kirk, still talking outside the pool shed. “Kirk’s damage is his parents’ divorce, and his dad is hardly ever around. Ryan’s damage is losing his best friend close to two years ago, and yours is your sister, right?”

My hand felt like punching him.

I scowled. “Yeah. That. No big deal.” My tone was biting.

He paused, and then a crooked grin formed. “Oh. Sorry.” He straightened from the table, his hand running through his hair. “I’m not trying to be a jerk—”

“Too late.”

He didn’t blink. “I wanted to ask because I didn’t want to assume anything. My sister says I do both. I’m a jerk, and I assume too much.”

“I might love your sister.”

He laughed, easing back to rest against the table again. “I know we’ve all been hanging out for a while, but since you and Ryan are obviously more than fooling around, I figured I should try to get to know you a bit. You know, one on one.”

I took the shot, dropped the glass on the table, and moved away from him. Without breaking stride, I said, “That’s weird.”

Four shots. Dear Tequila Lord, please work more. I don’t want to feel anything anymore.

He followed me toward the pool. “My sister says I’m that too.”

Nick mostly stuck to conversation with Kirk and Ryan. If he wasn’t talking to them, chances were high he was ragging on Tom. He rarely talked to me, and I could see why. I was on edge, and I knew he had a mean streak in him, so I was thinking this combination wasn’t a smart one.

I called to Kirk, “You have bathing suits around here?”

Kirk pointed inside the pool shed. “In here. Marie keeps everything washed, so if it’s on the floor, just leave it. It hasn’t been cleaned yet.” He hit Ryan’s shoulder and jerked his head backward. “Come on. Let’s take another shot.”

He stepped aside as I came over to them. His words were for Ryan, but he was watching me. “I don’t want to lose you in there with your girlfriend again. Who knows when the two of you will come back out.”

I stopped right between the two. I could feel Ryan behind me, and I knew he was going to touch me. And in three, two, one, his hand came to rest on the small of my back.

I suppressed one of the good shivers and forced myself not to lean back against him. It would’ve been so easy.

Instead, I fixed Kirk with a glare. “Tsk, tsk. You’re coming across as jealous.”

Kirk’s smug grin vanished. His eyes widened, and he straightened. “That isn’t what I meant.”