I wait for his reply. Nothing comes, so I go back to painting.

“So the guys you live with, are they close friends?”

“Aah . . .” He hesitates. “They are. We are close because we do the same job and understand each other. The housing is supplied through work.”

He hesitated when he said that. I’m reading it as they get on his nerves sometimes.

“Have you always lived around here?”

“From New York originally.”

“Really?”

“You seem surprised,” he replies.

“I guess I am—not many New Yorkers go into the military.”

“You’d be surprised. A lot of us just wanted to get out.”

We keep painting for a while.

“What about you?” he asks. “Did you always want to be a nurse?”

“Um, yeah.” I shrug. “I guess. I like to look after people.”

“Must be a rewarding job.”

“Some days are better than others.”

“It looks good, doesn’t it? Imagine when the entire house is done.” He smiles as he stands back to look at our handiwork.

We chat for another forty minutes while we work. Mason is actually a really cool guy.

Not my type, but a cool guy nonetheless.

“Hello,” sounds a familiar voice from the front door. I glance up to see Henley standing there. “What’s going on here, poser painting?”

Excitement runs through me.

He came home from work!

This must be love.

Mason looks at him deadpan. “I didn’t have an old T-shirt.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Henley mutters dryly as he walks in past him. “I’ve got the day off; do you need some help?”

I say yes at the same time Mason replies no.

“Maybe I should drop my pants and paint naked,” Henley replies casually as he looks around.

I smirk. That dick of his would definitely win any battle. “Ew.” I act disgusted.

Mason chuckles.

“I’ll have you know that I’ve been told before that my cock is perfect,” Henley says nonchalantly as he picks up a paintbrush.

“I didn’t know you kept chickens,” Mason replies as he paints.

“I keep cocks,” Henley replies as he rolls his roller in the tray.

“I prefer to keep pussies,” Mason fires back. “Cocks don’t interest me.”

Touché.

Henley rolls his eyes, and I want to burst out laughing.

This is perfect.

“Hello,” sounds an annoying female voice from the front door. We all look up to see Taryn standing there. “Lookee, lookee, what’s going on here?” She smiles. “Henley, I saw your car drive in, and I was coming over to see if you were all right,” she purrs.

“Nice to see someone cares about me, Taryn.” Henley smiles sweetly over at me.

Fuck off.

Fuck right off.

“What are you guys doing?” Taryn asks in an overdramatic voice.

“Playing Monopoly,” I reply deadpan as I keep painting.

Mason laughs. “Good one, Juliet.”

Henley rolls his eyes. “So good,” he mutters under his breath.

“Can I help?”

I say no at the same time Henley says yes.

“It’s poser painting, Taryn. You better strip off,” Henley says casually as he paints.

“Ha, ha. Oh, Henley, any chance you get to try and look at my body.” Taryn laughs.

Fucker.

I bite the inside of my cheek, and Henley smirks at the wall he’s painting.

“I’ll slip home and get into something more comfortable,” Taryn replies.

“This is a roller-skate-free zone, Taryn.” I smile sweetly. “Don’t want you getting hurt, now.”

She laughs an over-the-top fake laugh, and she thinks I’m joking. I’m not. If she wears her roller skates, I’m 100 percent pushing her down my front steps, and I will not be resuscitating her.

She skips off across the street, and I’m left alone with the two men once again.

One buff and half-dressed, one completely covered up and simply irresistible.

“So where are we going on Saturday night?” Mason asks Henley.

I stop painting and look up. “What?”

“We’re going on a double date. Henley and Taryn and you and I. Didn’t Henley tell you?”

What the fuck?

My eyes flick to Henley. “No. He did not.”

My blood boils. He’s taking Taryn on a date . . . since fucking when?

“I’ve actually got a lot going on this week,” Henley replies. “We’ll have to reschedule.”

“That’s okay,” Mason replies. “Juliet and I don’t need chaperones; we can go alone. Can’t we?”

Two can play that game, asshole.

“Sure we can,” I reply. “Can’t wait, Mason.”

Henley looks at me deadpan, and I smile sweetly. You are a fuckface.

Bona fide.

“Here I am,” Taryn says in a singsong voice from the doorway. We all turn to see her in tiny cutoff denim shorts and a white bikini top. Her boobs are huge and perfect.

“It seems I don’t have any old clothes either,” she says sexily.

Or any self-respect.

I really should have bought some chloroform for my tool kit.

“Hope I’m not too distracting, boys.” She laughs.

Henley’s eyes dance with mischief as he smiles at me. “I have good news, Taryn,” he says.

“What’s that?” she says as she picks up a paintbrush.

“We’re going on a double date with Mason and Juliet in a couple of weeks.”

“Oh goody.” She jumps up and down, and her boobs bounce around like jelly.

Give me a fucking break. I stare at him deadpan, and he winks playfully.

You are going to die, fucker.

“Oh, I love this white, Juliet,” Taryn says as she paints a little. “This is going to be the best house on Kingston Lane.”

“I’m glad you like it,” I reply.

You may be buried in the backyard under the rosebush soon.

I grit my teeth as I continue to paint. I shouldn’t complain. I should be grateful.

Three very generous people are helping me paint my house.

A man who wants me to go on a date with him.

A man who I’m trying to make fall in love with me.

And a roller-skating sexiest woman alive who is putting on a private Penthouse Pet painting show.

Fuck my life.

“Okay, so what happens then?” Chloe asks.

“I don’t know. This is a one-day-at-a-time operation.” I shrug.

Chloe, Rebecca, and I are having coffee to strategize my disaster of a love life.

“So let me get this straight,” Rebecca replies. “You told him that you don’t want anything but sex, but you secretly do, and he agreed to it.”

“Correct.” I nod as I sip my coffee. I think for a moment. “But now he’s pissed that Mason is hanging around, so he thought he would play games and arrange a double date with Taryn and me and him.”

They both frown. “What?”

“The man is the biggest smart-ass I know.” I roll my eyes. “And the hottest.”

“Good?” Rebecca asks.

“Ridiculous.”

“So what’s this about a double date?”

“After the bonfire Henley came over to my house, and I was pissed about him talking to Taryn all night.”

Rebecca cuts me off. “Rightly so.”