Jamie never used it so he didn’t care if Brian took it with him when he moved out.

Now it was ours and I planned on cooking a lot of new recipes and getting plenty of use out of it.

I was extremely excited over a piece of furniture.

“Go grab the screwdriver. One of the legs is loose,” Brian said to Jamie, then squatted down and examined underneath the table.

Jamie left the room.

“Da-ba-da!” Cameron craned his neck around, trying to see where Sir went. “Da!”

Kali rubbed his back.

“He’s thirsty, baby. Let him get a drink.”

Cam grabbed a fistful of Kali’s hair and tried eating it.

“No, no, no. Not Mommy’s hair.” Kali pulled his hand down. “Come on,” she said, bouncing him. “Let’s go get some Cheerios.”

Kali carried Cam out of the kitchen in search of her diaper bag, I guessed.

“Da!” Cam yelled out after they left the room.

Cole came up to the island, flipped a pizza box open, grabbed a paper plate, and took out a slice. “Appreciate the food,” he said, giving me a smile.

I gave him one back. “No problem.” Then I turned my head as Jamie entered the room again.

“Flat head or Phillips?” he called out, moving toward the table.

“Phillips,” Brian answered.

I watched Jamie tuck one tool into his back pocket and hold on to another one.

What happened next was choreographed and well planned. I’d die convinced of this.

Just as Jamie was moving behind her, Tori stretched out across the island with her arms in front of her like a cat bathing in the sunlight, popped her jean short covered butt out, dropped her cheek on her shoulder, closed her eyes, and moaned, low and long and deep in her throat, doing this while giving her hips a little sway.

My mouth dropped open.

Something hit the tile floor with a sharp clink, followed by Jamie’s voice groaning an ache-filled, “Motherfucker.”

He was standing directly behind Tori and staring hungrily at her ass, looking ready to step up and take her in front of everyone right here.

“What the …you expecting me to reach that, dickhead?” Brian hissed from underneath the table. “Pick it up. I’m not crawling over there.”

Tori straightened up a little and opened her eyes, slowly looking over her shoulder and doing so while keeping her bent-over position. She breathed a short, unimpressed laugh, then turned back around, keeping her weight on her elbows now and resumed facing forward, all while smiling proudly at herself.

“Hello?” Brian nearly shouted.

Jamie pulled out of his trance with a shake of his head and pushed the screwdriver to Brian with his foot, mumbling something about a cock tease under his breath.

“Jesus,” Cole mumbled, looking at Tori like he was feeling that moan deep in his own throat. He blinked like he was trying to clear his mind, then stepped away from the island and stood by the table with the guys.

While they conversed among themselves, I took a step sideways and got closer to Tori.

“What was that?” I whispered, leaning down.

“What?” she asked, playing innocent and keeping her own voice lowered. She shrugged. “I had to stretch.”

“You had to stretch,” I repeated, disbelieving every word she was uttering.

That was no stretch.

“My back felt tight,” she elaborated, picking at her cuticle. “We lifted a lot today.”

We did no such thing.

I put my lips next to her ear.

“You totally did that to get a reaction out of Jamie. No other reason.”

Tori turned her head and brought us nose to nose.

“You have never been more wrong in your life,” she whispered with a straight face.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“You weren’t trying to get his attention at all?”

“He doesn’t even exist to me.”

“Mm. Okay.” I stood tall and lifted my head. “So, Jamie, that big competition you’re going out to Cali for in a few weeks, do you think you’re gonna win?”

Tori glared at me.

I didn’t see it, considering my eyes were on Jamie’s head as it swiveled in my direction. No, I felt that glare. And it was filled with irritation and steel-like fortitude, I just knew it, because I was boldly calling my best friend’s bluff.

This wasn’t random conversation. Not at all. Jamie could run this topic in his sleep, brag about himself and do it without rebuttals because he was the best, indisputably. Everyone knew that, including Tori, and there was something undeniably sexy about a man who couldn’t be topped.

And no matter if they were loved or hated, those men existed to everyone.

Stubborn women included.

“Do I think I’m gonna win?” Jamie echoed condescendingly with his arms crossed over his chest. “Ain’t no thinking about it, Sunshine. Know I’m gonna win.” He smiled, jerked his head to get the curling hair out of his eyes, and lightly shrugged. “No competition.”

“Only ’cause I’m not entering,” Brian announced from underneath the table.

My eyes were now taking up the majority of my face. I probably looked ridiculous but I couldn’t help it.

I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.

Hope bloomed in my chest as I stood on my toes to look at my boy, saw he was on his back, knees bent and arms raised, working on tightening the table leg that was loose.