Part 16 (2/2)
”He's drunk, Josie,” Beth said, wis.h.i.+ng her cousin had gone to bed so she could've snuck him in. Ever since Josie saw the nude text of Dante, her cousin had pestered her to meet him, something that Beth had managed to avoid up until now.
Josie ran around the wicker couch to Dante. She was shaking like she was meeting a famous celebrity, her excitement palpable. ”Hi, Dante.”
He smiled at her sleepily. ”You look like Bethy-babe.”
Josie giggled. ”He called me babe.”
Beth exhaled loudly. ”He needs to sleep.”
”He can have my room,” Josie said.
”Dream on,” Beth snapped. ”He's sleeping in mine.”
Josie expression soured. ”Goin' between brothers, that's low.”
”It's not like that; Dante always calls me to pick him up when he's drunk. And there are only two rooms, and I know what you're like.”
”What? You think I'd molest him or sumpthin'?”
”With the way you're ogling him, yeah.”
Dante pulled away from Beth, swaying as he headed for the telly. His gaze s.h.i.+fted to the quilt on the wall. ”Pretty.” He reached out and touched it.
Josie ran over to him. ”It's a Tivaevae. I made it. My grandmother taught me when I stayed with her in Rarotonga.”
”It's really good. I like the canoe patterns.” He pulled off his jacket and s.h.i.+rt.
”Dante!” Beth shouted.
He pointed at his right shoulder blade. ”I've got a canoe tattoo.”
Giggling, Josie touched it.
Beth grabbed Dante's arm, yanking him away from Josie and almost making him fall over. She steadied him. ”You needa go to bed, Dante.”
Josie grabbed Dante's other arm, and tugged him towards the couch. He fell onto the cus.h.i.+ons laughing. Josie sat next to him, settling his legs on her lap. ”Let's talk while Beth gets us sumpthin' to eat.”
Beth gritted her teeth as Dante nodded. G.o.d, she was going to kill her cousin. Beth walked over and pushed Dante's legs off Josie's lap, then grabbed her cousin's arm. ”I don't know where everything is. You'll hafta help me.”
”It's all in the fridge and cupboards.”
Beth tugged Josie up and pulled her into the kitchen, shutting the door behind them. ”What is wrong with you? He's drunk, and you had your hands all over him.”
”Did not. And why're you being such a cow for? You know I've been aching to meet him.”
”He won't be interested in you.”
”Well, he seemed pretty friendly taking half his clothes off for me, and he called me babe.”
”He's drunk, and he wuzn't referring to you, he calls me Bethy-babe.”
Josie pulled a face. ”I just wanna talk to him.”
”You were pawing his back.”
”I wuz looking at his canoe tattoo.”
”More like copping a feel.”
”So what? At least I wuzn't having s.e.x with him-unlike someone did.”
Beth glared at her cousin, now regretting telling Josie about what had happened. ”Can't you get it into your thick head that I don't want you touching him? He's off limits.”
Josie made a deriding sound. ”That is so low, making a move on him right after being dumped by his brother.”
”Is not.”
Josie crossed her arms over her chest. ”And you know what's even lower?”
”What?”
”You swiping Carly's phone and sending everyone the text of Dante naked.”
Beth's eyes almost bulged out. ”Keep your voice down.”
”Your b.l.o.o.d.y jealousy got Carly beaten up by her hubby and what you did to Dante wuz outright mean. He did nuthin' to you, yet you sent his naked pic to half the neighbourhood.”
”I didn't know Carly's husband would beat her up, and I wuzn't thinking straight, I wuz really angry.”
”I wonder what Dante would say if he knew who sent that picture?”
”No, Josie, please don't.”
A grin spread across Josie's face. ”Well, I can say one thing, it makes a great screensaver. Guess what I like to click my mouse on?”
”I told you to delete it.”
”No way, I love that picture; Dante looks so f.u.c.kable, I could just eat him up.”
”I heard that.”
Beth's breath hitched. No, no, no... She turned around slowly, wondering how much Dante had heard.
He was standing in the other entrance to the kitchen, looking at Josie with an annoyed expression. ”That picture almost got me shot,” he slurred.
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