All the windows onthe first floor of the Haddon house were lit up and all the drapes open; Zach saw Lyra standing in one room with her father and brother. All three turned to the window as the Bulls’ bikes roared up. Cooper, Caleb, and Zach pulled their rides onto the driveway. Gargo parked the van at the curb. Zach knew he was chomping at the bit to get his Glide out of the van, but that was a while off yet. Though it was fairly late, by normal standards, there was little chance the Bulls would just grab the keys to the rental house and book it.
Zach, for one, had no intention of booking it away from this house.
As the Bulls met on the driveway, the front door opened, and all three Haddons came out and stood on their porch. Lyra was last in line, behind the men in her family, but Ben and Reed might as well have been transparent for all the notice Zach gave them. All he saw was Lyra. His whole body went taut at the sight of her. Damn, but she was beautiful.
She wore a kind of dark knit pants, loose and low-slung, and a snug sleeveless tank, a pale color, maybe white, and short enough to show a couple inches of gorgeous belly. Her long, dark hair was loose, waves rolling over her shoulders.
When their eyes met, she smiled.
“We gotta talk tonight?” he asked anyone who’d answer.
Caleb answered. “Nah. We rode more than a thousand miles in two days. Handoff’s done, went smooth as far as we know. That job’s done. Next job can’t start tonight. We can talk tomorrow. We kick back the rest of the night.”
Cooper clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “And Ben’s got the good booze, so let’s get to it.”
Released from duty and not giving a fuck what the other Bulls would think about it, or what Ben Haddon would do about it, Zach did exactly what he said he’d do: he strode with purpose toward that house.
Seeing him coming, Lyra came forward, stepping off the porch and onto the walk that curved through their gravel ‘lawn’ to the driveway.
They met halfway, and before he said anything at all, before she could say a word, Zach grabbed hold of her, lifted her off her feet, and kissed the shit out of her.
And she kissed the shit out of him. Their mouths were open immediately, their tongues tangling, and fuck, she tasted so good—smelled good, too. She’d had a shower and was all fruity and minty and like candy. Life-sustaining candy.
Her arms were wrapped around his neck like two boa constrictors, and her legs came up and did the same around his hips. She fit against him like a puzzle piece, her edges aligning with his like they were die-cut. Incomplete until right now.
If this feeling of being near her lasted, if the things happening inside his ribcage were real, how thefuckcould he ever leave Laughlin?
Eventually the kiss ended, Zach and Lyra each easing back at the same time. Her perfect, lush lips shone wetly in the moonlight as she smiled.
Zach smiled back. “I’ve been going crazy thinking about having that kiss,” he whispered.
“Me too. Better than I imagined.”
“Yeah.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Hi.”
Her sweet smile split into an elated grin. “Hi. You just made a shitty day so much better.”
“I’m glad. I hate that you spent it like that.”
She shuddered lightly in his arms but didn’t say a word.
“You plannin’ on wearing my daughter the rest of the night, boy?” came a gruff voice.
“Uh-oh,” Lyra said in a loud, stagey whisper. “Busted.” She planted a quick kiss on Zach’s mouth and arched back. He set her down.
By the looks of the men surrounding them, Zach could tell that Lyra’s family—father looking gruff but not angry, brother looking amused—had more or less expected such a greeting. As for Zach’s family, Caleb looked fairly stunned. Cooper was obviously entertained. Gargo seemed barely interested.
“Quite the show, kid,” Cooper said with a grin.
Pulling Lyra tight to him, Zach grinned back. “That’s all you get, you perv. Show’s over.”
“Alright,” Ben cut in before Cooper could send a volley back. “Come on in. We had a long fuckin’ day here, but there’s food and drink, and I got the keys to your place and some other details to share.”
“I want to hear about this shooting,” Caleb said as they headed to the house. “That got any ramifications we need to be ready for?”
“Pop ...” Lyra said softly as she and Zach came up to him.
Instead of focusing on his daughter, Ben’s eyes locked onto Zach. Ben was a few inches shorter, enough he had to tilt his head a bit for the devil glare, but even so, it had an impact. “You watch yourself with my girl, boy. Understood? Treat her right.”