Page 55 of Dodge

A trickle of flow-back started between my legs from Dodge’s attentions.Bleh.I hadn’t done any cleanup before running down to answer Macie’s summons. I loved having sex with Dodge, but the sticky part afterward was annoying. Dammit, I had on my favorite panties again! “You’re welcome to find a job anywhere in the state of North Carolina. Hell, you’re welcome to find a job anywhere in the whole damn country. Leave Bryson City to me.”

“I’m gonna call the po-po,” Macie declared and swiped at his phone.

“No need for police.” Stud came in the kitchen, followed by Mute. A bright blond Viking god and a brooding dark Hades. Their presence brought a finality to this cute little drama my ex tried to throw. “There’s a guy waiting for you outside. I think you’re done here.”

Chase opened and closed his mouth like a stranded guppy a few times, but he couldn’t find anything to say. Finally, he stuck his nose in the air and looked down on me. “You’ll fail. Maybe not tonight, but you’ll fail.”

I swear Mute growled, and Chase practically ran out the door.

“I just died and went to hot mountain man heaven,” Macie breathed in reverence as he fanned himself. “Dewey and I need to get a motorcycle.”

I laughed. “Where is Dewey?”

Macie waved his hand in the air. “Oh, he left a little while ago. He can’t take any kind of confrontation. He grew up in a lotta family drama and can’t stand it.”

“We need to go too. River’s Edge is open, and I’m late for a set. Betsey’s up at the Lair tonight with her grandkids. Kat isn’t working there because of her pregnancy, which leaves Bruiser and Mute to run the bar,” Stud explained. “If dumbass doesn’t get a clue this time, let me know and I’ll file a harassment claim and get a restraining order.”

I was getting really uncomfortable and trying not to fidget as I thought about wet spots. “I’m sorry you had to come out.”

Stud chuckled and gave me a half smile that rang church bells in my head. “No problem. Dodge could have handled it, but he texted for backup. Probably so he wouldn’t beat the shit outta that guy.”

Dodge came up behind me, one of his signature moves, and pulled me into his body. “Might as well get used to it, sweetness. You’re in the Dragon Runners now.”

CHAPTER28

Somethingin the universe was either skewed or God had a big sense of humor. Time seemed to move with a speed somewhere around frozen oil sludge. Dodge swore as another car limped into the parking area. Another flat tire emergency from a tourist. Brick lumbered out to meet the young couple and check out the problem. Dodge had already identified it—the front right tire was shredded, and the bent rim rested on the ground.

He glanced at the shop clock. The paint job he had in the booth was almost complete, but the normal workload was behind. Brick had asked him to fill in as able. A couple of oil changes, air filters, one head gasket, two battery and alternator combinations, and now a blown tire.

He wiped his hands on his coveralls and inhaled a breath of gasoline-tainted air. “Almost six o’clock, boss man. This the last one?”

Brick nodded. “Yup. You planning on staying late to finish the Goat?”

“Nope. I have other plans.”

The grunt Brick gave sounded rough. “I hope them plans include some papers and a visit to the courthouse.”

Dodge smiled as he closed the hood of the car he’d just finished. “Filed them already. Just gotta wait for the hearing.”

It had been absolute heaven since he and Fauna stopped fighting the attraction and got together. Last week’s drama with Chase was put on the back shelf to be forgotten. He was at her restaurant almost every night, watching her run the kitchen with obsessive efficiency. She was demanding in her standards, and her staff followed her lead. Macie entertained from the bar and kept up the flow from the kitchen to the dining room.

Dodge was glad to see Katie Grace getting along so well after leaving Jimmy’s. Rafter had been talking about the cute server at the bistro. Dodge both hoped and dreaded when the younger man finally found the guts to ask her out. He looked at Katie Grace as a sister and would personally bury anyone who messed with her.

After the workdays, he would take Fauna upstairs to her apartment, where he would make love to her with his mouth and body. True to his word, he did make it up to her and then some. He hid nothing from her and talked about his impending divorce openly.

“Mallory doesn’t have to agree to it, but it’s easier if she signs the papers. That is, when the sheriff finds her. If she wants to contest this, it’ll make it longer and harder to get. I’m pretty sure if she does, I can make a good case for abandonment and infidelity. But I hope we don’t have to go down that road.”

He lay naked on his back after coming hard. Fauna curled into him and drew light patterns across his stomach and ribs. “Why did it take you so long to get this done?”

He blew out a breath. “After the first time she left me, I’d hoped we could work it out. After the second time, it was pretty clear she would never be the wife I needed, but I still felt responsible for her. She's been back and forth so many times, I lost track. Last few years, it's been mainly for insurance. I had her on my health plan and wanted to make sure she had coverage if she needed it. Didn’t really have any other reason besides that, I suppose. I don't love her anymore, but taking care of her became a habit, I guess. I figured I’d get the legal done when the time was right.”

His dick twitched to life as her hand moved lower. She traced its burgeoning length, and he squirmed beneath her touch.

“Is it the right time now?” she asked in that husky tone of hers as she moved on top of him. He didn’t think he would ever tire of hearing it. Her slick body welcomed him as she mounted open legged so he got a full view of his dick entering her.

“Absolutely, sweetness.”

Dodge shook his head to clear it. Just the memory of that sight had him half hard.

---