Page 2 of Temptation and Tyranny

I was tempted to refuse, insult him and tell him to go home to his woman and be her lapdog, but I missed him. I missed the way we’d work together on a big heist, missed the way we’d scope out women like notches in our belts. Missed our hours of drinking together in silence.

“Fine.”

I finally got the car door shut, and Steele slid into the passenger seat. I grabbed an extra shirt from the back seat and pulled my sweaty one over my head.

“No longer wearing a suit?” Steele cocked his head as I tugged on the fresh shirt.

“That was your thing, Steele. The dress code was the first change I made.” I revved the engine and then headed towards a bar three blocks away.

Steele always liked to drink at bars he owned. Which was fine with me. It meant I never paid, and if things got out of hand we were never kicked out. It was also useful when he had gotten so slobbering drunk over Ashlynn that he couldn’t even stand up. The manager knew who to call.

Me. I’d been taking care of him for almost ten years. And he’d been watching my back.

We sat in a booth near the window, and my eyesabsentmindedly watched a group of college students playing pool in the corner.

I lowered my eyes guiltily as Steele drank his beer, ignoring all the women who were staring at him. They checked me out too, but I was in no mood to stumble around the bar to try and pick someone up.

I was just as handsome as Steele, but he had a mysterious aloofness that seemed to draw women to him. But he’d dismiss them quickly, even before Ashlynn came along. It was like he was waiting for her, and he didn’t even know it.

Which was way too much of a romantic thought for me to be having right now. I tossed back my drink, not making eye contact with Steele.

“I’m surprised you haven’t forced Ashlynn down the aisle yet,” I teased, breaking our usual pattern of silence.

A fleeting look of softness came over his stern face. Ashlynn was definitely his weakness. His lip curled into a smirk. “She wants to get married in her mother’s gown. I’m tracking it down for her.”

“Her father isn’t going to be a problem, is he? Because we could still kill him, you know—”

His eyes flashed a quick warning, and I cut my sentence short.

“Fine. But I can barely walk because of the fucker—”

“Haven’t you been going to physical therapy?”

I scoffed. “It’s a waste of time. I’ve had several different therapists so far and each one is worse than the one before. They all quit. No wonder I’m not making progress.”

“Did you ever think that maybe you’re the reasonthey all ran off?”

“I’m nothing but charming.” I shrugged my shoulders, looking around nonchalantly. I could be an ass, but I was almost entirely sure that I wasn’t the problem. The industry probably just had high turnover.

“Right…” Steele replied, glancing at his watch.

“Gotta get back to the missus?” I taunted.

He sighed deeply, and I sensed something was off.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he replied, and then gave a sheepish grin that was unlike him, as he swished his drink in the bottle. “I just have something to tell you.”

“What’s that?” I couldn’t imagine what would make Steele happy and uncomfortable at the same time.

“Ashlynn’s pregnant.”

Well, there was my answer. My jaw dropped slightly, but I closed it quickly. Now everything made sense. His mood, the way he freaked out on me about my business dealings. He was going to be a father.

“Shit, man. Congratulations.”

He smiled, a true smile that reached his eyes, even though he downplayed it. “Thanks.”

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