Page 64 of Loco

I caught the surprised look V shot my way from the kitchen. We had just talked about this before Loco had shown up, and I’d told her that I didn’t know if I was going yet. The smile on her face grew bigger, and she gave me a thumbs up. The wedding was just a little over a week away.

“Good. Want you there.”

Oh, did he? I refrained from saying something snarky. It didn’t matter what he wanted.

“She’s bringing a date.”

What?! My head whipped toward V just in time to catch her mischievous wink. I stared at her with surprise. I didn’t know V had it in her to lie like that, but I knew her reasons behind it. She’d been convinced, by us girls, to make Bull jealous on a couple of occasions to get him to open up his eyes. My situation with Loco was a little different, but I was suddenly inclined to play her game.

“What fucking date?” Loco snarled, bringing my attention back to him.

He looked ready to kill. It frightened me a little, but the flutter in my belly had nothing to do with fear. Seeing him react that way to the thought of my being with another man soothed my wounded ego.

“The guy she met when we were out clubbing the other night.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing, more at Loco’s expression than at V’s words. She was a good liar! “What was his name?”

I had to think quick. “Ben?” As in the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream I’d eaten the other night while watchingA Star Is Bornand crying my eyes out.

“Yeah, Ben,” V said, smiling innocently. “He was hot!”

“Ben fucking who?”

Loco’s anger didn’t faze me because I was having fun at his expense. I shrugged. “Who gets last names when they meet someone while dancing?” I was going to hell for continuing V’s dangerous game, but Loco deserved it as far as I was concern.

“Did you fuck him?”

I caught my breath. Now he’d gone too far. He had no right to ask me that. I should have told him that we’d fucked like bunnies all night long, but I was momentarily speechless at his nerve.

“A woman doesn’t, um, kiss and tell, Loco, and that’s not a question for you to ask.”

Bless V.

A tic in his hard jaw told me that he was grinding his back teeth. His mouth was so tight that his lips had turned white. He looked like he was ready to blow. Had we gone too far? I didn’t want him to leave before we had that talk.

“Anyone want dessert?” V was standing on the other side of the island, watching us carefully.

I smiled at her and shook my head before returning my eyes to Loco. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He was huffing like a bull getting ready to charge. Movement drew my gaze to his hands, which he was fisting on top of the table.

Without breaking eye contact with me, he growled, “I’m done.”

I immediately thought the worst, and my heart dropped as panic set in that I’d gone too far. I didn’t want him to leave! No matter how things turned out, we needed to talk. That’s why he’d shown up at V’s, wasn’t it? If he left now, it was over. I knew it. And I wasn’t ready for that. I had to say something to change his mind.

“There is no man,” I admitted quietly. “There’s no date.”

His stormy expression didn’t change. “I know.”

My eyes rounded. “Then why did you look so, um—”

“Ready to kill someone?”

I nodded.

“Because that’s how I feel when I think about you with another man. With his fucking mouth on you, his hands touching you.” He scooted his chair back from the table. “And we need to stop playing this fucking game and talk.” He met me at my chair and looked at V, who was gaping at us with her mouth open. “Can we leave you with the cleanup?”

She nodded, knowing how important this was to me.

Loco took my hand and pulled me to my feet, and suddenly I was standing right in front of him, so close the tips of my breasts were against his cut. I swallowed with difficulty, forcing myself to breathe slowly. God, I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to feel his firm lips against mine as he kissed me like he’d missed me. As if I were the only woman for him. I could see it in his intense gaze. He wanted to, but held back.

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