Hard To Handle (Teach Me Book 2) by RC Boldt Page A

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    “Well, done, bro.” Laney patted him on the shoulder. “I’m impressed.”
    “Well, hell. My gift is going to pale in comparison to that,” Lawson grumbled but she could see his lips twitching, fighting a smile. These guys always liked to try and top one another’s gifts. It was a total testosterone ridden competition.
    “I only have this.” He tossed an envelope onto the table at Tate’s place.
    Returning to her seat, Tate glanced at the envelope curiously. “Please tell me it isn’t a gift card for the adult toy superstore.”
    “Of course it isn’t,” Lawson scoffed. Then he flung a thumb in Laney’s direction. “I saved that for the dirty girl over there.”
    “Hey!”
    Lawson met her gaze with a raised eyebrow. “Really? Like you wouldn’t like that?”
    “Well, it isn’t my fault no one can make a durable vibrator that won’t burn out every six months!”
    Lawson stared at her. “You need help. It’s okay to ask for it.”
    Her brother leaned away from her, staring, face wrinkled in disgust. “I did not need to hear that.”
    She rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever. You forget that you used what was left on my gift card last year to spend it on something for your latest little DW.”
    “DW?” Lawson was confused.
    “Dirty whore,” Tate supplied without hesitation.
    “Ahhh.” Lawson nodded. “Catchy. I like it. Very useful.” Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “Speaking of useful, we could almost say someone used a certain someone else like a DW recently.”
    That fucker .
    Her eyes narrowed on him in irritation. “I think we should get back to exchanging gifts,” she told him through clenched teeth.
    She felt her brother’s curious gaze on her but ignored it as she and Lawson had a little stare down, which really consisted of her glaring at him and him giving her a cheeky grin in return.
    Tate noisily ripped open her envelope from Lawson and instantly threw her head back in a laugh. “Thanks, Lawson,” she said. “For the gift card to the Namaste store so I can get, and I quote, ‘more yoga workout clothes and shit’.”
    “Nice, dude,” Foster chuckled.
    “You’re up, Laney.” Lawson pointed to the pile of gifts in front of her she still had to open.
    She picked up the first small, rectangular box from the pile. She smiled as she read the tag aloud, “From Tate.” Opening the box with the bow stuck on the top, inside she saw a beautiful, shiny, teal blue colored cellphone cover. It had tiny hand-painted dolphins on it.
    With a gasp, she turned to her friend. “Tate, it’s beautiful!” Looking down at the case again, she said, “It’s almost too pretty to use.”
    “Oh, please. I bought it for you to use,” Tate said.
    After thanking her best friend, she opened the rest of her gifts. Lawson had given her a gift card to—wait for it—the adult toy superstore, her brother had given her a tiny dolphin key chain since they would exchange the bulk of their gifts with their mother on Christmas day. And, shocker, Zach had given her a small gift bag with diarrhea medicine, travel deodorant, and a small travel pack of tampons.
    Same old douche move. Every year it was the same theme: she stunk, was shitty, and menstruating. So why was she disappointed?
    Brushing off the feeling, she forced a smile. “Thanks, Zach,” came her curt reply. He merely nodded in her direction, still avoiding eye contact.
    * * *
    Zach couldn’t look at her, couldn’t let her see that he felt like an ass for giving her that gift bag after all that had transpired between them.
    “But, wait a minute,” Lawson spoke up, sounding confused, his gaze landing on Zach. “I thought there was more?”
    Laney let out what sounded like a forced laugh before gesturing to the gifts from Zach. “I think this is quite enough, Laws.”
    Zach met his friend’s gaze imploringly, begging him not to say anything. Lawson looked at him oddly before turning to Foster.
    “Hey, Fos. Do you know what Zach’s