Free Above All Else: A Bad Boy Military Romance (Easy Team Book 2) by Gemma Hart Page A

Angelica. I’ll be your waitress.”
                  Angelica, who I had known since she was ten, ignored me completely as she stared at the newcomer.
                  I cleared my throat. Angelica gave me a passing glance and said, “Oh, hey, Xan.”
                  I raised a brow, a little annoyed at her lack of attentiveness. I saw Sofia’s lips twitch in amusement at the casual dismissal I was receiving compared to the deferential and curious stares she was receiving.
                  Well, we can’t have that, now can we?
                  “Angelica, have you met my girlfriend, Sofia?” I asked, raising a brow at Sofia. Let’s share that attention.
                  Angelica’s eyes widened in surprise. The sixteen year old stared at Sofia. “Wow, Xander finally brought home a girl!” she said in a voice that sounds like the event was something of a miracle, irking me.
                  Sofia’s lips twitched again and she raised her own brow at me. If the Big Baby needs the attention, sure, why not?
                  “How did y’all meet?” Angelica asked, totally forgetting her job in taking our orders.
                  Before I could ask her if she cared that a starving man was sitting in her booth, Sofia piped up, surprising me.
                  “Oh well that’s an interesting story,” she started, her eyes sparkling with mischief while mine narrowed in a warning. “You see, I’m from California. And one day, I was out hiking in Runyon Canyons in L.A. when I heard a cry from below one of the passes.”
                  Angelica’s eyes were enraptured as she listened to the beginnings of our fake romantic meet cute. “A cry?” she asked.
                  I reached out with my foot from beneath the table and placed it gently over hers. A warning.
                  Sofia betrayed no worries as she nodded. “Yes, kind of like the cry baby birds make for their mamas.” And unbelievably, Sofia cupped her mouth and made a pathetic little whimper. “Like, ahhh! Ahhh! ”
                  Clearly, this brat planned to take full revenge of me manhandling her through L.A. and into Wyoming.
                  Angelica nodded, eagerly. “And was it a baby bird?”
                  Sofia shook her head gravely. “No, in fact, it wasn’t a baby bird. It was a full grown man. And it looked like he was caught in some of the brush.” Sofia gave a meaningful nod towards me, ignoring my warning glare.
                  Angelica turned to me in shock. “Xander was caught in some brush?!” she cried out hysterically. She looked over at all six and a half feet of me and nearly howled with laughter.
                  I pressed down on Sofia’s foot, giving her a warning.
                  “Oh not just stuck,” Sofia continued smoothly as she tried to pry her foot out from under mine but she was going nowhere. I was making sure of that. “Apparently he had tumbled down the hill and his shorts had gotten caught up in the brush.”
                  I intensified my glare, warning her. You better not.
                  Sofia’s eyes twinkled merrily. Or what?
                  Angelica was nearly crying with laughter. “No way!” she cried.
                  “And in the tumble, one of the large branches had torn his shorts! Right down the middle of his butt!” Sofia finished triumphantly, her eyes blazing with repressed laughter. I firmly pressed my foot down on Sofia’s. She kicked me with her other foot and got me good on the shin, making me grunt.
                  “So there he was, up in the hills of L.A., his bare bottom flying in the wind for all of the city to see!” Sofia continued, having too much fun to stop.