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.Ryerson chuckled.“Thatd be the one.”Will-licious? Lucky growled, unused to having the tables turned on him like that.Normally,if any laughing went on, hed be the instigator, not the butt of the joke.And wasnt it unprofessional to call a coworker, or worse, an employee, “Will-licious?”“Well, if Im lucky, hes luckier,” Lucky said, trying lamely to regain control of the situation.“Im one hell of a catch.How many tall, dark, and handsome men are there?”The two women stopped laughing, sharing a puzzled glance and then raking twin gazes over Luckys blond-haired, blue-eyed, structurally impaired self.While hed never been called a troll, at least to his face, hed never been accused of being a hunk either.He waited for it, gauging the perfect moment to spring his punch line.“Exactly! Theyre a dime a dozen.But beat-up all-American shrimps like me are a rare find!”The women snorted inelegantly, neither appearing fully convinced that the weak attempted humor merited a snicker.For a moment Lucky missed Walter.Mr.Ill-laugh-at-anything would double over with a bad case of the guffaws.“Anyway,” Ryerson said, returning to the business at hand.“Larry needs an appointment, and Id like you to schedule him with me.Does that suit you?” Her blue-eyed gaze peered up from beneath heavily mascarad lashes that she had the nerve to bat.Bark up the wrong tree much, lady?“Ummm…you dont have to trouble yourself none.” Was this something she normally did for employees family members?“Oh, no trouble.No trouble at all.Were one big happy family here.” Her winking blue eye mesmerized him, luring him in with the same fascination Unfortunately for her, mongoose, a mongoose totally immune to feminine guiles.However, as he watched, he noticed a bit of strain around her mouth and eyes, a flickering of something slithery beneath the surface.An act.Shes putting on an act.Why?A small area by her left eye twitched.His blood ran cold and he recalled why Charlotte now lived on the west coast, far away from where shed started.Ryersons calculating evaluation reminded him a little too much of his mood-swinging former brother-in-law.She wanted Lucky for her patient, and she damned well intended to get him.“I reckon I wouldnt be a gentleman if I said no to an offer like that,” he replied, pouring on his own version of charm.Gentleman? Ha!Ten minutes later, after meeting more people whose names he hadnt a prayer of remembering, he reeled out to the parking lot and retreated to the safety of the Mazda.His mind spun with random names and faces that simply refused to match up.How the hell did so many people work in that one damned building? Hed accomplished several goals, however.Apparently, hed been welcomed into the fold, and he clutched an appointment card in a sweaty hand—his pass into Ryersons inner sanctum.When he returned home, he fired up his laptop, sending a message to his sister, Ryerson inadvertently reminding him that he hadnt written this week.of a small mammal watching a cobra.she practiced her reptilian wiles on aChar,In case I havent told you lately, I love you and the boys.RichHe plunged back into researching Ryerson, determined to find out what made her tick.Only once did Bo text, “U there?”Lucky punched out a response.“@ home.Nekkid.”“Bastard.”“U sweet talk r, u.Flattery gets u evrywhere.”After a few moments his phone chimed again, with the message,“LOL.Member u said that.”* * * Lucky woke up one morning, surprised to find Bo lying against him, curled into his back.He bolted upright.Oh shit! They were both late!Bo mumbled, words ground out against the mattress, “Its Saturday,Arts watching the doc.We get to sleep in.”Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Lucky glanced at the clock.9:00 A.M.Damn, hed slept.He lay back down but, like it or not, he was wideawake.And hard.“Um…Bo?”“Touch me before ten and die.”They rolled out of bed at twelve-thirty, both a little worse for the wear.* * * “What you wanna do today?” Lucky stared out the window at a bright, sunny day.“Go for a run?”“Too hot.”“Drive to Daytona and hit the beach?”“Too cool.And besides, were supposed to stay in the area in case were needed.”Bo turned on the TV and flopped down on the worn couch, flipping through channels.“Wanna watch a movie?”“Too boring.Besides, its a nice day out.”“But you dont want to run, you dont want to swim.What do youwant to do?”“We already did it.Twice.”“What elsedo you wanna do, horn dog?”“I thought youd never ask.” Lucky grabbed his laptop, shoving Bos legs out of the way to sit side by side on the couch.Bo studied the screen and let out a noise dangerously close to a squeal.“Get out! You do not watchSouth Bend Springs!”“You tell it at the office and Ill deny it with my dying breath.”“Tell? Why the hell would I tell anyone?” Bo nestled closer, resting his chin on Luckys shoulder.“Have they found out who Lilas baby daddy is? Oh wait! Shouldnt we make a beer and pizza run first?”* * * “What?” Lucky cracked open an eyelid, glaring at his partner.“Its Sunday, Im sleeping in.”“Oh, no youre not.We wasted the whole day yesterday watching soaps.Today, we clean.”Lucky raised his head high enough to assess the room with blurred vision.From his position in bed, he spotted two pairs of jeans, a pair of shoes, a shirt or two—all his—and what might have been the entire contents of his sock drawer.The nightstand sported three beer cans.One by one he picked them up and shook them, disappointed to find them empty.“Did you make coffee? It tastes like something died in my mouth.”Bo sniggered.“I dont know about died but something came in your mouth.Twice.”Growling didnt work with a hangover.A coffee cup appeared before his nose, the welcome fragrance of whatever Bo brewed every morning clearing out some brain fog.Rolling to his side and throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, Lucky nearly tripped over a pizza box.“Damn! Whatd we do last night?”“You have to ask? Maybe I should get Keith to install some cameras.”“Dont you fucking dare.” Bo was having way too much fun with this.Lucky held out his hand, taking the cup and swilling down half the contents.The coffee burned down his throat.“Drink up, take a shower and some Advil, and clean this room.” Bo patted Luckys aching head.“Ill get the kitchen and living room.You do your bathroom, Ill do mine, and Ill wash and dry clothes if you fold and put away.”At the moment all Lucky cared about was getting Mr.Perky out of his way and lying back down to sleep off his headache.He should have known better, for the moment his head hit the pillow, Billy Ray Cyrus wailed at full volume from the living room stereo, “Dont tell my heart…”“Theres a reason that mans single,” Lucky muttered, kicking debris out of the way to get to the bathroom [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]