Page 135 of A Little Tempting

No wonder she’s a sleuth.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Reeves returns with a grin.

Finley’s eyes snap to his, and she winks, blowing on her nails.

“Aaaand, no one’s showing anyone their dicks, thank you very much,” I interrupt.

“Aw, come on, Pickles.”

“Did he call you Pickles?” Everett asks.

“You know, as in Dyl?” Reeves grins like he’s the most clever human on the planet.

Griffin snorts. “Yeah, you should definitely shoot him.”

“Oo, what about Rock, Paper, Scissors?” Finley offers. “Loser gets tased.”

The guys exchange looks, but I slap my hand against the table to cut through the staredown.

“You guys, this ismytaser, and I’m not going to?—”

My forefinger slips on the trigger, and a pair of wires shoot from the end pointed directly at Reeves. Like a rock, he drops to the ground, his entire body strung tighter than a bow as he jerks repeatedly.

“Shit!” Releasing the gun onto the table, I rush around the corner and collapse on my knees. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” I repeat over and over while the rest of my friends surround us in a small circle, their jaws practically unhinged. Then again, so is mine.

I cannot believe I did that.

“Reeves?” I lift his head, place it in my lap, and pat his chin softly. “Reeves, I am so sorry. Tell me you’re okay. Please tell me you’re okay.”

Reeves’ skin is paler than normal as he slowly stops twitching from aftershocks and lifts his hand to hold the one I have pressed against his cheek. “Always knew you’d be the one to knock me on my ass, Pickles.”

Bouts of laughter surround us, and by some miracle, it eases the tension in the room. I let out a slow breath of relief. “Are you okay?”

“I’m all right.”

“You sure?”

He nods. “Wanna know what would make me feel even better?”

“Don’t say it,” Everett grumbles.

Ignoring him, Reeves finishes, “If you could kiss it better.”

I roll my eyes and smack his chest. He grabs the back of my neck and tugs me toward him, kissing me in front of my friends. It’s sloppy and silly, and I catch myself smiling against his lips until he lets me go. Stunned, I stay on my knees as he rolls off my lap and pushes to his feet.

“Well, damn,” Finley murmurs from the couch.

“Yeah, I did not need to see that,” Griffin states. “But at least we know the Taser works.”

“Yeah. We also know my bladder’s more resilient than I thought,” Reeves quips with a grin as he offers me his hand.

When I take it, he yanks me to my feet and wraps his arms around me like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I lean into him, surprised by my lack of embarrassment despite the public display of affection. Peeking up at Reeves, I smile. “Thank you for the gift.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I should probably go shower. I have work in a few hours.”

“No worries.” He drops another kiss on my forehead. “I’ll be ready to take you whenever.”

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