Looked back at her.

Waited.

Asshole.

“You’re going to make me do it, aren’t you?” she asked grumpily, humphing.

Smiling innocently, he just sat there. Like a big ole couch lump. Just waiting for her to ask for his advice instead of handing it out freely without making a girl beg.

Bastard.

Olivia made an aggravated noise at the back of her throat. “Fine. What do you think I should do?”

“Well I’m so glad you asked,” he said, smiling even more broadly. Olivia rolled her eyes at him. “I think you should take at least a night to rest and relax. I also think you should let someone else look for a security system for you and choose one. For whatever reason, it’s definitely causing you more mental stress than relief and any of us are willing to help out.”

“Fine, you can do that,” she said, still feeling a bit grumpy about it. But he was right. Olivia didn’t want to choose a security system. She didn’t even know why she didn’t want to, but she did feel a small tinge of relief when he offered. Why she hadn’t felt the same way when Luke had said something… maybe it was because she was already calmer and not as wound up after venting her pent-up ire on him. Which just made her feel badly all over again. She needed to apologize.

Although she still definitely wasn’t letting Luke pay for her security system.

Tapping his finger against the side of his beer bottle, Luke realized he was at least two more in than anyone else. Dammit. Somehow they’d gotten him drunk.

Plying him with alcohol.

Asking questions.

All very friendly like.

They’d been a little more disapproving when he’d admitted how he’d talked to Olivia when his temper had risen. Just little frowns, but… he realized he would never have approached any of them the same way. Never talked to them the way he’d talked to her. Never gotten as frustrated with any of them as quickly as he’d become frustrated with her.

Then again, he didn’t want to fuck any of them.

Laughter broke out around the room.

“That’s good to hear, buddy, we don’t want to fuck you either,” teased Andrew.

“Who needs an interrogator with friends like these?” he muttered, causing another round of deep chuckles to fill the room.

“We are pretty good at it,” Michael said, grinning and leaning back in his chair. “That or you’re just really easy.” Luke glared.

“Can’t be that easy or Olivia wouldn’t be into him,” Chris quipped. Luke smiled smugly. And then his smile slipped as he remembered his fight with her.

“I need to apologize,” he muttered, and started to push up from his chair. The room dipped and swirled.