Page 34 of Playing for Keeps

“I am, though.”

“Very much so. I think your talent might have killed Shannon and Tracey.”

We glance at where the women are still fanning themselves and giggling like schoolgirls.

“Should I meet those ladies? Will they be part of my life soon?”

“I don’t know. I can’t picture what the future will be like once we’re married. You want to live in Tumbling Rock, but I live here.”

“Is your place nice?”

“It’s a one-bedroom apartment, but I have a master suite.”

“Will I need to duck a lot?”

“A little maybe. Duke says the old building makes him feel cramped.”

Val offers a winning smile. “I promise not to complain to you.”

“But will you complain behind my back?”

“Of course. I wasn’t raised to suffer in silence.”

I smile at how his fingers play with the seam of my shirt. He’s so handsome up close like this, and I find myself forgetting about curses or rival clubs. I can’t see past the only man to make me weak in the knees.

“The lunch rush is coming through soon,” I explain and brush my thumb across his lower lip. “Want to help me in the kitchen?”

Val’s already happy expression brightens even more. I noticed his easy smile as soon as we met. He was sexier than sin itself, but he also smiled so much. Life was good, and Val was happy. I’ve never met a man who wore his feelings out in the open, just daring someone to try to bring him down.

Right now, he’s happy about spending the afternoon with me. I’m overjoyed at how I don’t need to push him away. I plan to enjoy the ride from now on.

Once in the kitchen, I prepare for Val’s fun personality to get in the way of work. I assume he’ll only joke around and flirt with me.

However, he proves to be a hard worker. Sure, he casually pats my ass from time to time. He also plants a kiss on me when we’re in the freezer at one point. Mostly, though, he hunkers down through the brutal lunch rush as local bikers, farm workers, and grumpy elders fill up every booth and stool.

We find a smooth rhythm by the service’s peak. Val never loses his smile despite the intense pace or the kitchen’s heat. Though it all, he hums along with the music playing overhead and sticks close to me.

If I wasn’t already hooked on Val Mercer, his performance at lunch seals the deal.

VAL, AKA OFFERING UP HIS MANLY FLESH

Lola’s on fire during the lunch rush. I can barely focus on work. I simply want to watch her. She moves like a dancer or athlete. I remember thinking she moved the same way the night we met.

I feel too large for the snug galley kitchen, yet Lola seems happy with my work ethic.

After the lunch rush, Lola and I sit in a back booth and enjoy our burgers. Her cheeks are still pink from the hot kitchen. She looks lovely in her domain, feeling comfortable here like she couldn’t during the engagement party.

“My cousin Poet lives half the time in a little Tennessee town. He’s got a place on the homestead, too. I don’t see how that can’t work for us.”

Lola looks ready to complain before stopping herself. Instead of pushing back, she says, “I made the decision the other night to be more flexible about moving to your territory. After all, this marriage will protect my family.”

“And it will give you access to all my manly flesh,” I say and then add in a whisper, “I’m going to send you to heaven with my tongue. Just you wait.”

Maybe my promise of oral pleasure is why Lola rushes us out of the diner after we’ve finished our lunch. She takes her truck to her apartment while I follow behind her.

Basin Rock is built similar to Tumbling Rock with everything exciting shoved into a three-block radius. Then, the town expands to suburban neighborhoods before spreading out into farmland and woods with scattered homes.

Lola lives in a “downtown” apartment, only minutes from the McGraw family’s businesses. A grocery store is within walkingdistance. So are a few restaurants. I could imagine myself hanging out here without missing the homestead too much.Well, assuming we mostly bunk at our future home next to my family.

---