Page 9 of Four of Hearts

Until Lola.

I wouldn’t call myself a big romantic, but I was very in touch with my feelings and emotions, and I listened to my heart.

She was stuck in my head. Her flirtatious smile and those intense eyes hit me hard in the chest. She fascinated me, and the fact that she was brave enough to talk to us while being so confident was a fucking turn-on.

I had to see her again.

We all had to.

“He’s not snapping out of it.”

“Slap him.”

I lifted my hand to cover the back of my head before Kline had the chance to hit me.

“Relax,” I said, turning away from the kitchen counter. I was marinating the steaks I was about to put on the grill, and I had gotten lost in my thoughts because of Lola. “What do you need?” I asked, raising a brow at Kline.

When I first met Kline, he scared the shit out of me. He was a grumpy old man. Well, he wasn’t that old at fifty-one, but he had this dark gleam in his eyes whenever he was annoyed.

“You left a paper plate on the grill and it caught on fire. I might be a good firefighter, but I’m even better in beating the shit out of you if you burn this place down.”

“Shit, sorry.”

He gave me a warning glare before turning away and opening the fridge. “We’ll need more beer.”

“There’s more down in the basement,” Bennett announced.

I looked over at him sitting on one of the three couches in our large living area. “I’ll go down to get it,” I said, but that earned me another glare from Kline.

“You better stay up here and make sure nothing burns down. I’ll go.”

I lifted my hands in defense, then I smirked at him. “You’re so fucking hot when you’re grumpy,” I joked, wanting to drive him mad.

That was definitely one of my favorite pastimes.

Kline’s body tensed, and he took a moment to decide if it was worth reacting. He balled his fists, and without another look or word, he headed out of the apartment.

“One day, he’ll ram his fist right into your pretty boy face,” Bennett warned, looking amused.

I shrugged. “I look hot with a bloody nose and black eye.”

Bennett chuckled and shook his head, then he turned his attention back to the large TV screen hanging on the brick wall.

I went back to my steaks. I had always been a good cook, and all three of them knew that without me, they wouldn’t eat this well every day.

Thanks to my cooking, I didn’t have to help cleaning this place. I already added a lot to this household by cooking, and the other guys agreed that it was enough. Still, I helped whenever help was needed.

We were a team, and we worked best this way. We didn’t need anything else around here, and nothing could ever improve our living situation and lives.

Although…having a woman like Lola hanging out around here every now and then definitely wouldn’t bother us.

Kline

Normally, I would’ve taken the elevator to get to the basement but I was on a mission, and I needed to stop on the third floor to talk to our new neighbor who had a party last Friday.

I normally wouldn’t admit when a woman caught my attention, but the one who had joined us in the elevator that night, had messed with my head.

She was way too young for me to be interested in her, but I wasn’t alone. All four of us couldn’t stop talking about her on our way to The Hot Spot, and even during our show, dancing for women on stage, she had been on my mind.

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