I make arrangements for a taxi, then head to the ladies room to check my makeup. This time, I bypass the still-long line since I’m only going to be using a mirror. I brush my hair, reapply my lipstick, and undo a top button on my blouse.
There’s a cluster of bars not far from here. I have one in mind that’s usually filled with executive types on a Friday night. A little dancing, a little drinking, and a little something — make that a big something — to make my toes curl. That’s all I need tonight.
5
More Than Frisk Her
Lucas
“Well, look who it is.” The words are out before I think — very unlike me. Miss Zoe Kelleher has me off my game tonight. Her veil of golden blonde hair catches my eye, this time as she exits a women’s room.
Alex stops in his tracks behind me. Shit. I should have kept my mouth shut. Maybe I could’ve sent Alex off to do some kind of busy work with our team while I asked her out.
We haven’t competed for a girl since junior high. We swore then we’d never do it again, which was sometimes tricky because we have similar taste in women. Joining the service solved that problem. We were in different units, not even in the same country most of the time.
Now that we’re working together, we’ve managed to keep our social lives separate ... until now. It figures we’d clash over the first woman I’ve really craved in a long time. “Dibs,” I say, half-joking, wondering if our adolescent protocol still holds any weight.
Alex shoots me a look that says it doesn’t. Both of us are cutting across the flow of the crowd to get to her, moving in sync as we so often do. He steps into her path and I come up beside them.
Her eyes flash. “Don’t shoot, officers,” Zoe says, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I used the little girls’ room this time, I promise.”
What is it about a sassy woman that gets me every time? I want to turn her over my knee and — “We’re not cops,” I say.
“I know what you are,” Zoe says. “Glorified mall guards.” Alex laughs out loud while I grit my teeth. “What am I doing wrong now?” she continues. “Walking the wrong way in a one-way hallway? Want to check my bag again in case I’ve swiped a roll of toilet paper?”
“Lucky for you we can’t haul you in for attitude,” I retort. God, her smart mouth gets me hot.
“We’re sorry about earlier,” Alex says, going for the smooth approach. “Can you give us one second?” She crosses her arms, hip jutting out, toe tapping impatiently. “One second,” Alex repeats, and pulls me back a step.
“Luke,” he says in an undertone. “I really like this girl.”
Oh, hell. I blow out a breath. “Me too, little brother.” It’s our old joke; I beat him into the world by about two minutes. We were both in a hurry to get on with the business of living.
“Let’s not fuck this up for both of us,” Alex says. “We take her out, show her a good time, and let her choose. Right?”
It’s the only thing that makes sense. If it were any other woman I’d just walk away and clear the field, but something about this woman and her sass is already under my skin. “Right,” I say at last, and we go back to her.
“About before,” Alex says. “We were just doing our jobs.”
“Some job.”
“It’s not always quite so fun,” he says, his eyes roving down her body. Dammit. Even though we’ve agreed, I can’t resist the urge to muscle in.
“Would you like to go out for a drink?” I say. Screw smooth; I’m more of an action guy.
Zoe’s eyes widen before narrowing again. “You know who I am, not to mention my date of birth, and one of you is intimately acquainted with parts of my body that rarely see the sun. I don’t even know your names.”
Alex extends his hand and starts to speak, but I outpace him again. “I’m Lucas Wolf,” I say. “This is my brother Alex.”
“It’s nice to meet you properly,” Alex says, taking Zoe’s hand and not letting it go. “We drove here together, Lucas. If you go for a drink, I’ll have to go along.”
Zoe laughs, and it’s a beautiful sound, which I’d be enjoying more if I weren’t irked by my brother. She looks between us, eyes sparkling. “I could use a drink,” she says. “I had a very stressful evening, what with being pushed up against a wall and frisked like a criminal.”
Would anyone notice if I locked my brother in a broom closet? Then I could take Zoe into the restroom again, push her against the wall and do a hell of a lot more than frisk her.
She’s finally disconnected from Alex, so I touch the small of her back and turn her toward the exit. “How about Renzey’s?” I say, naming a popular spot nearby that’s usually not too noisy. “I’ll drive?”
“Sure. Just give me a second to cancel my taxi. Lucas, you said?”
“Yeah,” I confirm. “Nice to meet you, Zoe.” I resist the urge to throw Alex a look that says this is on.
6
Rushing South
Alex
Getting down and dirty with Ms. Zoe Kelleher is going to be all the sweeter after I win her away from my brother. I’ll be gracious in victory, though. I’ll even pay for his cab when I borrow his car to drive her to my place.
Of course, we live in the same building so I could just give him a ride. But I’m not going to be quite that gracious.
I can’t believe Lucas and I are competing for a girl. Ever since Jodie Meyer in seventh grade, we’ve managed to stay out of each other’s way. But Zoe is too sweet to let go.
Too bad I didn’t drive tonight. I’m stuck in the back seat while Lucas and Zoe talk up front. Luckily, the drive is short so I’ll easily make up whatever points he’s gaining. “So what do you do, Zoe?” my brother says.
“I’m assistant manager at Fleur de Lis,” she says. When neither of us says anything, she adds, “It’s a boutique.”
That explains her style. “What brought you to the fight?” Lucas continues. “Are you a big fan of martial arts? Maybe you fight yourself?”
She laughs again, head back, uninhibited. The sound goes straight to my cock. Damn, I can’t wait to get her in bed.
“No,” she says. “I was there with friends. I’m more of a lover than a fighter.” I’ll just bet she is. “And you and Alex …” her voice trails off, and I can tell she’s trying to be delicate.
“We own our own security and investigations firm,” Lucas says. He’s probably been chomping at the bit to share that information. The mall guard comments must have stung — even though I could see he was getting off on her smart mouth.
Too bad for him. We’ll have a drink, and then her mouth will be mine. He and I both know I’m better at turning on the charm.
Lucas pulls up to the valet, and I jump out and open Zoe’s door. Her skirt has shimmied further up her thighs, and looking down into the car, I have a perfect view of the soft fullness revealed by her low-cut shirt. Forget all those high-performance statistics; this is probably the real reason sports cars are built so low to the ground.
She takes my offered hand, and I help her out and escort her through the double doors before Lucas has even gotten his ticket from the attendant.
Renzey’s is busy but I find a dark, quiet corner for us. Unfortunately, there’s seating for four, and my brother joins us before we get settled. There’s a tense game of chicken as he and I exchange glances, trying to figure out how to get drinks without either of us leaving our date alone with the other. I’m about to suggest a coin toss to decide who’ll go to the bar when a waitress approaches.
Zoe orders a scotch, a choice that seems very fitting with her elegant style. When she’s not telling us off, she’s all cool confidence.
“So what was actually going on tonight?” she asks, looking between us as we sit on either side of her. “I’m still not clear on why I was felt up like that.”
While I’m distracted remembering what her body felt like under my hands, Lucas answers. “We had to locate a stalker fan tonight. Maybe you saw her jump onstage.”
> “Oh yeah,” Zoe says, recognition lighting up her features. “Doesn’t seem like you quite got to her in time.”
My brother’s jaw tightens. That’s a sore spot for him. “No harm was done,” I say. “The crowd got two shows for the price of one.”
As the waitress delivers our drinks, Zoe says, “It’s so funny you thought I might be the fangirl.”
“I can tell that’s not your style,” I say. “You wouldn’t jump a guy like she did.”
“Not in public, anyway.” She arches a brow, her lips curving into a grin that makes my jeans way too tight. I silently ask the universe for an emergency to call Lucas away and leave me with Zoe.
Instead, he says, “Let’s toast. To meeting in strange places.” He clinks his glass with Zoe’s, ignoring me completely.
“To frisking,” I say. Usually my lines are better than that, but all the blood in my brain is rushing south.
Lucas stands. Maybe he’s going to hit the men’s room and leave us alone. Instead, he bends to Zoe. “Would you like to dance?”