Sullivan raised an eyebrow. How did he do that so perfectly?One single eyebrow arched, and the other didn’t move an inch.
“Yes, Sullivan. All he said was hello.” The man pushed past Sullivan and extended a hand to me. “Hi, I’m Liam, and I’m Sullivan’s partner in crime.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Liam.” I shook his hand, but instead of letting me go, he turned my arm over and ran a finger over my skin. “Damn, your skin is so soft.”
“Cut it out, Liam. No fraternizing with the bait.”
Liam dropped my arm and winked at me. “Too bad.”
I giggled, liking him immensely already. “Very. Does he ever stop acting like such a Daddy?”
Liam threw his head back and laughed. “Pretty much never. Daddy Sullivan. I like it.”
“I forbid you to call me that.”
I grinned at Liam, then glanced at Sullivan, whose neck was flushed right up into his morning scruff. He would look so hot with a beard. I liked beard burn on my ass from a good ass licking.
“I don’t know. I think it has a nice ring to it.”
“Did you sleep okay?” Sullivan asked.
I was about to say yes, but then I recalled my duffel in the closet. He clearly knew I’d slept on the floor.
“I’ve had worse nights,” I said, then gestured at his kitchen. “There’s no coffee. Where’s the coffee? Please tell me you have coffee.”
“Where did you find him?” Liam asked. “He’s so stinkin’ cute.”
“I thought he was paying me for sex.” I turned to Sullivan. “It’s a shame he didn’t, really. I would have made it like Mike and rocked his world. Coffee, please.”
Liam erupted into laughter.
“There’s none in the house,” Sully grunted. “I don’t drink coffee.”
I gasped. “That’s downright criminal. How do you start the day?”
“A smoothie, which is the only thing you’ll ever find in this place,” Liam said. “Why don’t you go shower, Sullivan? I’ll take him to grab a coffee at Beans.”
“Can’t it wait until I finish my shower? We have to go out to look at Bait’s new house anyway.”
I narrowed my eyes. Which was worse? Him insisting on calling me “bait” or suggesting I could hold out longer for my brew?
“Yeah, look at that face. I think murder is imminent if he doesn’t get his coffee any minute now.” Liam came up to me, placed a hand at the small of my back, and gave me a gentle push. “Let’s go. Unless you want to change first.”
“Change?” I glanced down at my shorts, cropped top, and flip-flops. “Why would I want to change?”
“No reason at all.”
“Don’t take forever,” Sullivan said, walking out of the kitchen with us. He headed for the stairs, and Liam led me toward the front door.
I’d used up my talking quota before coffee. I was without coffee, and being hungry made my mood worse. Thankfully, Liam had the news on in his Range Rover, so he didn’t expect conversation. The little café he brought me to was about half a mile away. We could have walked if he had suggested it.
“I don’t have any money on me,” I said as we entered. Nolan always took the lion’s share of whatever we made. He justified his share by claiming it was the price for our protection, housing, and food. Once a month, he gave us an allowance to buy new clothes to keep things fresh for clients.
“Don’t worry about it, kid.”
“My name’s Kit, but you can call me a variation of kitten or kitty too. I don’t mind which.”
“Good to know.”