“Zoe!” Red barked, but she was really on a roll now.
“I’m telling you, with his hands, so masculine and rough, he could make you come in a second. You need to stop thinking about Dress Up Barbie and go steal him from her. He doesn’t really want her anyway. He’s just using her to get you out of his head.”
I hadn’t really considered that in riling Red up, I was actually making it impossible to sit at this table without squirming. The thought of Duke and his big hands roaming over my body was nearly unbearable to think about.
Red marched over to Zoe and pulled her up out of her chair and hauled her over his shoulder. The tent in his pants was hard to ignore as he marched out of the house with her. I chuckled and tossed back the rest of my drink, but now I had another man on my mind. I wasn’t sure I was drunk enough to make a move yet. Then again, maybe I needed to be completely sober to take what I wanted without falling into a deadly relationship trap.
If I was going to take Zoe’s advice and get the “big D” as she called it, I needed to keep my wits about me. Duke already paid way too much attention to me, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up wanting things that I knew he couldn’t give. It wasn’t in his nature to be single for long. I’d seen that enough times at the bar. Women were always hitting on him, and that wouldn’t change just because I hopped in his bed.
I poured another drink and tossed it back. I definitely wouldn’t be making a move tonight.
11
DUKE
I slammed the door behind me and tossed my shit on the closest table. Fuck, I needed more help at the garage, but I was hesitant to take on new workers. I didn’t want anyone nosing around Cash’s business, and since he was trusting me to look out for him, I couldn’t allow just anyone past my doors.
Bowie came wandering down the hall in only a towel, drinking a beer.
“Wanna put some clothes on?” I grumbled.
“Why? Does this offend you?”
“It wouldn’t if the towel were a little bigger. Go buy some fucking man-sized towels for your bathroom.”
“It’s your house,” he argued, though there was little heat behind his words. There rarely was anything but jest between us. It was just our way of letting off steam at the end of the day.
“And you’ve been living here for two fucking years.”
“Because you offered!”
“And I—” Something caught my eye out the window and I quickly ducked down. Bowie, being in the service with me, immediately understood this was a situation that required cover.
“What is it?”
“One tango.”
“What do you have on you?”
“Just my ankle holster,” I admitted, though I wouldn’t be needing it.
“Fuck, I don’t have anything. And I’m in a fucking towel! Why does this always happen to me?”
I tore my eyes from the window and looked at him. “This always happens to you? How many times have you been in a towel when you were under cover?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Not really, but we can talk about it later.”
He tried to peek around the corner, but couldn’t from his position without giving away where he was. I signaled for him to stay as I took the risk of moving to a better position. There were no lights on, which aided us as we hid in the shadows.
Bowie waved at me, asking what position he should take. I told him again to stay put. We were dealing with a psycho, after all. I took a deep breath before risking another look around the corner. I winced as she hoisted herself up on her tiptoes to peer through the window.
“Yoo-hoo! Dukey? Are you there?”
“Dukey?” Bowie hissed. “We’re hiding because of a woman?”
“Not just any woman,” I said. “A she-devil. She will not breach this door.”