Hot and Badgered. Shelly Laurenston

. . . weird.

      “Uh-oh,” Charlie said, the pill bottle practically touching her nose.

      Max stared at her sister. “What?”

      She cringed and held the bottle up. “It’s lithium.”

      “Dude!” Max burst out along with a loud laugh.

      “I know! I know.” She dropped the bottle and grabbed a seemingly unconscious Stevie. She shook her sister. Then she slapped her.

      “Stevie! Stevie!” When her sister didn’t respond, Charlie released her and threw up her hands. “I’ve killed her. Of course I’ve killed her. I knew one day I’d kill you all.”

      Max finally got to her feet. “Good Lord! Get off the cross, we need the wood.”

      “What does that mean?”

      “She’ll be fine. At any point now, she’ll projectile vomit and then she’ll be good as new.”

      Every bear close to Stevie silently moved back.

      “Just go get dressed,” Max pushed. “So we can get out of here.”

      “And go where?”

      “I don’t know. A hotel? Like normal people.”

      “Normal people aren’t on the run for their lives.”

      “Oh.” Max nodded. “I forgot about that.”

      Charlie flung her arms out from her sides before crossing them over her chest. “How does one forget that?”

      Max mimicked her sister by crossing her arms over her chest, too. “I have a lot on my mind.”

      “Name one thing you have on your mind. At this very moment.”

      The badger glanced off, gaze focusing across the room. And no, she never did answer the question.

      Stevie abruptly stood, arms spread wide, body crouched. “Bears!” she suddenly yelled.

      “It’s okay!” Charlie said, standing in front of her, ready to sacrifice her body if her sister tried to get past her. “Stevie, it’s okay. Why don’t you take a little nap?”

      “Okay.” Stevie dropped to the couch, turned over and started snoring.

      Charlie blew out a breath and suddenly smiled in his direction, although Berg was sure she still couldn’t see him.

      Still yelling at her mother, Livy paced back into the living room from the hallway. Without making a sound, Max charged her cousin. Livy was so busy being angry, she didn’t even see her. But taking a step out, Charlie swung her arm in front of Max.

      Max’s neck ran right into Charlie’s forearm—and it was like she hit a stone wall. Legs coming up while her head didn’t move. Then she was flung backward.

      The badger hit the floor hard . . . laughing and coughing.

      Livy missed all of it. Swinging around suddenly and pacing back the other way, still yelling at her mother.

      Charlie stepped over to Max, placing her bare foot on her sister’s chest.

      “Who’s going to behave in her cousin’s house?” she asked.

      “Oh, come on!” Max said, still laughing.

      Charlie leaned down and clapped her hands three times. “Maxie!”

      “I promise! I promise! I won’t start anything!’

      “Or finish.” Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Arguments begun at family dinners when you’re nine years old do not need to be avenged when you’re twenty-seven. Do we understand each other?”

      “I told her I’d kill her one day. And I meant it.”

      “You were nine.”

      “I still meant it.”

      Charlie rolled her eyes. “Do we let it go?” she asked. “Or do I start dismantling body parts?”

      “Fine. I’ll let it go. It will not be forgotten,” she added. “But I will let it go.”

      “Excellent. I’m going to get dressed so we can get out of here. You’ll keep an eye on Stevie, yes? Make sure she doesn’t choke on her own vomit or swallow her tongue. And I need you to figure out where we’re going next. But be nice . . . and respectful.”

      Max gave a thumb’s up and her sister stepped off her chest and walked away.

      Wincing, Max sat up. She looked back at Berg and brushed her fingers against her own throat. “You still have a little blood dripping right there.”

      Berg growled at her, but she just laughed.

      chapter FIVE

      Berg helped his brother up off the floor.

      “I’m so glad Britta wasn’t here,” Dag said, one arm around Berg’s shoulders, his other hand cradling his balls through his jeans. “She’d have kicked our asses for getting in the middle of a honey badger fight.”

      “We weren’t thinking, that’s all. Next time we’ll know better.”

      “Agreed.”

      Berg’s phone sailed past Dag’s head. As it hit the wall and broke into pieces, Livy stalked back into the living room.

      “I hate everyone,” she announced to . . . well . . . everyone.

      “Went that well with your mother?” Vic asked.

      So upset she couldn’t even respond, Livy walked out of the room again. When she returned a minute later, she held a bandage. She tore off the backing and without any preamble, slapped it against the wound on Berg’s neck.

      “Ow!”

      “Don’t whine,” she snarled.

      Hands on her hips, Livy said to Max without even looking at her cousin, “Now I guess I’ll go talk to Charlie since she’s the only one among you three that has any sense.”

      “You should go talk to her,” Max agreed with a smile. “And make sure you keep that great attitude when you do. She’ll love it!”

      “No,” Berg said quickly, seeing exactly where Max was attempting to lead her cousin. “I’ll talk to her.”

      “You?” Max asked. “She doesn’t even remember you.”

      “That was hurtful.” Berg pushed his brother toward Vic. “Could you help Dag for me? I think he needs some ice.”

      “Or a new penis.”

      They all turned to stare at the other honey badger and Livy shrugged those massive shoulders and admitted, “I know, I know. I should stop talking.”

      Berg headed deep into the apartment until he found the bathroom Charlie was in. She’d put on jeans and was bent over at the waist, finger-combing her wet hair. Not wanting to startle her, he quietly waited. But Berg was having a hard time not staring. She looked really good in those jeans.

      Then Charlie abruptly stood and Berg realized she wasn’t wearing a shirt. Just a sheer, lacy bra. He was so surprised, he tried to turn away but rammed into the doorway instead, nearly knocking himself out.

      * * *

      Charlie was reaching for a comb when she heard that thud, followed by a “Dammit!”

      She looked toward the bathroom doorway, but all she saw was a blur.

      “Sorry,” a voice said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

      “No problem.” She combed her hair off her face.

      “And I thought you were more . . . dressed.”

      Charlie squinted down