Page 14 of Love Without Demands

“This is so sweet of you,” I croaked, taking another drink. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she beamed. “I better get back to work. Don’t eat all of those and spoil your lunch.”

“Oh, I definitely will not. Thanks again, Tink.”

Her brow creased for a second, and then she laughed in realization. “Oh, like Tinkerbell because of my dress.”And your pretty little face.“See you later, Cruz.”

My eyes followed her, and the blustery wind whipped her hair into a frenzy as she retreated back into the building. Auburn exited a few minutes later, and I hopped out to open the back door for him.

Once back in my seat, I fought a smile as I picked up the pink box and stretched my arm back. “Want a cookie?”

He eyed the box suspiciously. “Did Lehra make those?”

“Yep.”

“Noooo, thank you,” he drawled out with an eye roll. “Thank god that woman is beautiful because she won’t be winning any awards for cooking.”

I burst into laughter. Bossman got jokes. “So you’ve had her cookies, I assume?”

Auburn shuddered. “I have. And just a warning. Do not, under any circumstances, eat any cakes that she makes.”

“Duly noted,” I said, reaching for my bottle and draining the rest of it.

That evening, I walked into Flannery’s Pub where I was supposed to meet the SWAT guys. A tall, burly, bald man stood near the front.

“Estrada?” he asked, and I nodded, holding out my hand and receiving a firm shake.

“I’m Cruz Estrada.”

“They call me Curly,” he announced, leading me to a table in the back where four other men sat. “Guys, this is New Fucker.”

I laughed at that and introduced myself. “Cruz Estrada.”

In response, everyone lifted their drinks and called, “New Fucker!”

Okaaaay, guess my name is New Fucker.I could roll with it. Curly sat, and I slid into the only open seat, on a long bench facing the three chairs on the other side of the table.

Curly continued the introductions, pointing out a burly brunette with a healthy dose of gray. “This is Maverick. We call him Grandpa Fucker.”

“Because of my age, not because I fuck grandpas,” the man clarified. “We leave that to Chris.” He jerked a thumb at the blond man who appeared to be the youngest of the group. He had a baby face that seemed incongruous with his huge frame.

“I like older men,” Chris said unashamedly. “They’re more stable.”

“Sugar daddy,” another man fake-coughed, and everyone laughed, including Chris. I liked these guys already. I could tell their teasing was done good-naturedly and with affection.

Curly sighed as if he was dealing with a group of children and pointed out the last two guys. “That’s Kai. He’s the quiet one.” The Asian man gave me a wave. He was smaller than the rest of the men, but he had well-defined muscles that were obvious beneath his long-sleeved black T-shirt. And his dark eyes looked like they could cut you quicker than a razor slice.

“And Jayden here is an asshole, so we call him Motherfucker.”

“That’s what your mom calls me,” the Black man retorted with an easy grin. He had thick arms that told me he spent a good amount of time in the gym.

Curly simply rolled his eyes, obviously having heard this insult before. “There are some other guys, but most of them are married so they don’t come to these Tuesday night gatherings.”

“I’m married too,” Maverick stated, “but my wife is on duty tonight. She is a firefighter.” His ruddy face beamed with pride.

“That’s cool,” I replied.

“So tell us about yourself, New Fucker,” Jayden piped up.

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