Page 5 of Blood and Bone

“Where is your handsome partner?” she asked, looking around. He turned and pointed to Eoghan standing with his back to them as he poured coffee into two tall paper cups. “Mm hm, I should have known. Eoghan loves his coffee.”

Ari turned around to find her still staring at his back. When she finally looked up at him, she smiled sweetly and then sobered before leaning close.

“Let me ask you,” she began sotto voce, “is he seeing anyone?”

Ari pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. “Seeing anyone? You mean like dating?”

“Yeah.”

She sounded so hopeful but there was no way Ari was going to answer for his partner. He certainly wasn’t going tooutthe man or even hint that she lacked the right equipment to keep him sated in bed.

“It’s not something we talk about,” Ari said instead.

Her eyebrows climbed. “Are you serious? You’ve never asked him? Eoghan’s your partner.” She sounded incredulous.

He shrugged. “Sorry, I never asked him if he was dating anyone.”

She shook her head. “Men…sheesh. Such a disappointment.”

Ari chuckled as Eoghan walked over and joined the two of them as the line moved up. He handed a tall coffee to Ari and then turned and smiled at Night.

“Hey, Night. How are you?”

Ari watched her pale skin turn a light shade of pink as she stared at Eoghan dreamily. “Fine, Eoghan.Um…how are you?”

“I’m good.” He lifted his cup to his lips and took a long drink through the hole in the lid.

Ari did his best to wipe the silly grin he was wearing off his face. Seeing his man being completely oblivious to Night’s reaction to him was adorable. When a throat cleared behind him, Ari turned to find none other than Eoghan’s slimy, cheating ex standing there looking incredibly handsome and smug. Kellen McGillis clearly knew how good-looking he was. With wavy, dark hair, a full, dark beard, and eyes as black as pitch, the man looked like he’d just stepped out of the pages of the Arabian Nights.

“Hey, Brown, how are you?” he asked in a low, growly way. He raked Ari up and down, pausing to stare openly at his groin, which could only be interpreted as a come on…and right in front of Eoghan, no less. It pissed Ari off something fierce. Perhaps he was overreacting but when the man’s tongue pokedout and ran slowly over his lower lip as though he was licking off a drop of spunk, it was clear where his thoughts lay.

“Fine,” Ari replied, turning back toward Eoghan. Unfortunately, Kellen decided to reach out and grab Ari’s shoulder to stop him from turning. He looked down to the hand before glancing back up at Kellen as he shrugged it off. “Can I help you?”

Though, Eoghan hadn’t said a thing, he could feel him stiffen beside him. He realized there was very little he could do or say to him in this crowded setting, especially since they’d agreed to keep their relationship quiet.

“I hardly ever see you,” Kellen replied. He looked around Ari’s shoulders to Eoghan and practically leered at him. “Do you really think it’s right to keep your handsome, new partner away from the rest of us, Eoghan?”

The accusation struck a chord in Ari, and he felt the scowl on his face even before he heard Eoghan’s sharp intake of breath. “What the hell are you talking about, McGillis?” The words came out of his mouth with a low, warning growl; anyone with sense would have known when to shut their mouth. Unfortunately, when McGillis opened his to reply, what he said next had Ari seeing red.

“I suppose I don’t blame you, Eoghan. But it’s a little unfair of you not to share this fine piece of ass with the rest of us.”

Night made some sort of squeak behind him as Ari stepped forward and got right up in the man’s face. “If I were you, I’d back off right now, McGillis,” he growled under his breath. “You have no idea who you’re messing with but if you’d like to find out, we could take this outside right now.”

Kellen lifted both palms and took a step backward. “Woah now. I didn’t mean to step on sensitive toes, Brown. I understand, of course.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice.“Eoghan Sapphire is a tiger in the sack. I wouldn’t want to share him if I were you.”

“You’d better watch what you’re saying, McGillis,” Eoghan said, moving closer to Ari. “No one in this building needs to be subjected to your slanderous crap.”

Ari looked around and noted that indeed, several people nearby had stopped what they were doing and were watching this mess play out. They were more than likely eager to see if McGillis’ words would cause him or Eoghan to take enough offense for them to come to blows. What the far too good-looking for his own good rogue was oblivious to; was the way he was being regarded. Not only with curiosity but a nice dose of disdain for his actions too.

“It’s only slander if it’s a lie, Eoghan,” McGillis said, “and we both know this tall, dark, and lovely specimen of mankind is too gorgeous for someone with your sex drive to ignore. I just wish I were in your shoes. It has to betorturesitting in a car day in and day out with the delicious Ari Brown beside you…howdoyou get any work done? I mean, just look at the man. He’s luscious enough to eat and if it were me, I’d be all up in—”

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off when Eoghan balled his fist and let it fly, hitting the left side of Kellen’s chin at the same time Ari registered what was about to happen. McGillis staggered backward, seeming to reel for a few seconds before dropping onto his ass right in front of the entire café and Chief Deputy Arizona Priest who’d just walked into the restaurant.

Chapter Two

“Sapphire!”

“Holy shit,” Ari said, reaching for Eoghan and grabbing both of his forearms as Priest rushed forward through the crowd of onlookers amid gasps of surprise and stunned silence. You could have heard a pin drop in the café.

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