I couldn’t properly see on account of the fact that Dwayne was a better door than a window.
“Easy, mate,” a familiar deep voice said. “I just managed to leave a desert full of bullets and not have one hit me. I’d rather not have that just so I could die by one on a porch in a little town in the New World.”
My breath caught.
Dwayne paused, his arm still raised as I shifted just enough to see Keltan illuminated in the dim light. The edges of his body were fuzzy but there was no mistaking the muscled form, the shadows of his tattoos dancing in the light.
I stepped around Dwayne, as Keltan’s eyes were no longer on the large biker with the gun pointed at him.
They were on me.
“Lucy. Stay the fuck behind me,” Dwayne bit out.
I glanced to Dwayne, his eyes darting between the two of us. I raised my arm to lightly touch his bicep, noting in a detached way how warm and hard the muscle was.
“It’s okay, Dwayne. We can put down the gun now. Unless you want to face Gwen’s wrath.” I nodded to Keltan, who was still staring at me—or more aptly, my hand on Dwayne’s bicep. “That’s Keltan, Gwen’s friend. Did you not notice the accent? Heck, I’ve had five cocktails, and I noticed it before you. Shouldn’t you strong biker types be a little more aware? You must shoot the wrong people all the time,” I mused. “The hospital bills must be enormous. Or at least the body count.”
The heat from Keltan’s stare was ready to set me aflame as it focused on my hand on Dwayne’s arm, which finally lowered.
I quickly brought my hand back to my side, and Keltan’s eyes lost the glint that had been there moments before.
Dwayne folded his arms, looking between us, then focusing on Keltan. “Instinct, when I see someone lurkin’ in the shadows of one of our women’s houses,” he addressed him with a hard jaw, as close to an apology as Keltan would ever get.
Is it just me or is the testosterone level getting uncomfortably high right now?
“Easy mistake, mate. I’d likely be doin’ the same if I was in your position. Precious one, Snow is. Though I am educated on the fact that she likes to protect her own honor,” he replied, voice light but with an edge as his eyes lingered on me.
Dwayne folded his arms. “Yeah, she’s more than capable of doing so. But I’ve been looking out for her since she was in college, so I’m thinkin’ I know what she likes to do,” he replied, challenge in his gaze. Then he looked between the two of us. “If you’re Gwen’s friend, then can I ask what you’re doin’ on Lucy’s doorstep in the middle of the night?” he asked, voice hard.
I stared at him harder. I would rather like to know that too. Well, sober Lucy did. Drunk Lucy didn’t give two shits. Drunk Lucy was horny.
Keltan’s answer was lost with the loud and unrelenting horn.
Both male heads turned to the curb. I continued to watch the way Keltan’s neck moved under the dim light.
The horn stopped. “Come the fuck on, Bridget!’ Rosie yelled from the car. “I’m getting bored, and that doesn’t mean good things for you,” she called.
I shook my head.
Dwayne gritted his teeth.
Keltan grinned. “Think you might have your hands full with that one, mate. I can take it from here.” His eyes went to me, stepping forward slightly, his intention clear.
Dwayne stayed put, turning so he obscured my view of Keltan’s chest straining against his black tee.
“You okay with this, babe?” he asked, voice low. And not happy.
In fact, as a woman well versed in man grunts, I knew the jealousy in his tone. Which was unfounded since our years of “almosts” didn’t add up to anything but “almost.” And in the realm of sex and romance, “almost” was the same as nothing.
I nodded once, knowing my drunken self might “yippee” with glee if I spoke.
And then my sober self would’ve had to throat-punch my drunk self.
And then either or both of these men would likely commit the girl punching herself in the throat.
Throat preservation was the main reason for silence. And the fact that these men so did not need to hear the gleeful Lucy. Not in any way, shape or form.
He glowered. “Gonna need verbal confirmation.”
I rolled my eyes, swallowing the glee and finding the ice. “It’s fine. Keltan was actually right. I can take care of myself. Rosie, on the other hand, can’t.” My eyes flickered to the car at the curb pointedly. “And you’ll have Cade to answer to if you instill another code red like the time Rosie managed to find Lucky’s fireworks stash.”
He paused for another second, just long enough for the horn to sound once more. Then he leaned in and kissed my cheek. The male fury at that gesture was palpable from the doorstep. Dwayne hovered close to my face. “Call me, and I’ll be here in five,” he offered. “Any time. Any hour. No such thing as too late or too early with you, babe.”