“Uh . . .”
I laughed as I sat up. The confusion on her face was adorable in a weird way. “That’s not really a response, Avery.”
“I . . .” Shaking her head, she took a step back. “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
Where in the hell did Shortcake get that idea? “A girlfriend? No.”
“Then who was that brunette stumbling out of your apartment Wednesday night?” she demanded.
As her words sunk in, I smiled from ear to fucking ear. “Have you been watching me, Avery?”
“No. No!” Her face blanched. “What? I wasn’t watching you. I do have a life.”
I arched a brow. “Then how do you know about Stephanie?”
Shortcake shifted her weight. “That’s her name?”
“Well, yes, she has a name and no, she’s not my girlfriend. And she wasn’t stumbling. Maybe shuffling.”
She rolled her eyes.
“So how did you see her if you weren’t watching me?” I crossed my ankles. “And I don’t mind the idea of you watching me. Remember, I like that.”
Her chest rose in a deep breath, and I could tell her patience was running thin. “I wasn’t watching you. I couldn’t sleep and I was staring out my living-room window. I just happened to see you walking her out to her car.”
I didn’t believe her. Hell to the no. Who just happens to be staring out the window at that time of night? As much as I’d love to tease her, it looked like she was about to punt kick my head, but I was a gambling sort of man. “Well, that makes sense. Not nearly as entertaining as you standing by your window hoping to catch a glimpse of me.”
She stared at me.
I winked. “Steph’s not my girlfriend by the way. We aren’t like that.”
Her hand went to the bracelet on her left wrist. “I’m not like that.”
“Like what?”
Turning her stare to the many stars, she raised her hands. “I’m not like her.”
“Do you know her?”
“I don’t just hook up with guys for fun, okay? I don’t see anything wrong with it. Totally not judging here, but that’s not me. So I’m not interested. Sorry.”
“Wait a sec. I’m confused. You’re not judging her, but you’ve made the assumption that she’s into random hookups? That she’s my fuck buddy? Isn’t that kind of making a rash judgment based on assumptions?”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You’re right. I don’t know if that’s what you guys are about. Maybe you’re just childhood buddies or something.”
“We’re not.” I grinned. “We hook up every once in a while.”
Shortcake’s jaw hit the ground. “I was right! Then why did you accuse me of being judgmental?”
“I was just pointing it out.” I couldn’t stop teasing her. The array of emotions that crossed her face was fascinating to me. “And for the record, we didn’t hook up Wednesday night. Not for the lack of trying on her part, but I wasn’t feeling it.”
“Whatever. This is a stupid conversation.”
“I like this conversation.”
She reached for the bag, but I was faster, grabbing her bag as I stood. A deep, annoyed sigh radiated from her. “Give it to me.”