Page 40 of Dozer

“Not that kind of close.” I shoved him. “Greyson Cooper is my brother’s best friend.” I turned toward him and crossed my legs. “I need a favor. I need a boyfriend for Saturday.”

“Define boyfriend.” He leaned in to start nipping at my skin again.

“This is a meet the family kind of boyfriend thing.”

Romeo growled and flopped onto me.

“It’s my sister’s baby shower. With an Italian family, that is also known as another reason to get together for food. If I show up with a date, my dad will get off Diego’s and Coop’s asses. I don’t know if my dad worries about me or if he just wants to see me married, but he’s trying to set me up with a son of one of his business associates.”

“Ah, fuck, married?”

“I’m not proposing.”

“Baby, your good girl parents aren’t going to approve of me. I ride a motorcycle, drink, smoke, and defile their sweet daughter whenever I can. Pretty sure they’ll hate my guts.”

I sank my teeth into my lower lip. I wanted to take Dozer, had thought about asking him first, but he hated crowds. I didn’t want to put more pressure on him.

Romeo, the social butterfly, wouldn’t get bogged down by potential ramifications.

I wasn’t trying to rope either of them into boyfriend status. I just wanted to deter my dad from changing my status to engaged.

“I can’t get Dozer to come over and watch you fuck me. Not sure I’m going to be persuasive enough to get him to go meet my family.”

“If you ask him, he’ll go.” He sat up.

“Maybe. My family means well most of the time.”

“If you want me to meet your family, I will.”

“No, you’re right. If I take you or Dozer, I’m going to cause a scene. I’m like a cat in heat with both of you. One look and I’ll be rubbing up against you.”

“Hmm, anything that has a reference to you and pussy is a good thing. Are you going to let me fuck you before I go?”

I crawled onto his lap, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him. “I can’t. Not when he’s hurting because we’re together. He needs to be here.”

“Fuck.” He rested his forehead against mine.

“I need him, Romeo.”

“He’ll be here, or I’m strapping his ass to a chair and forcing him to watch.”

“Go check on him. Text me back.”

“Lock the doors and set the alarm.” He kissed me quickly. “And Pip, thanks for whatever you did with Levi. It was good to hear her laugh.”

“I’m easy to hate. You’re with me, and she’s in love with you.”

“Most of the time I wish she wasn’t.”

“But not all of the time?”

“She’s off limits. Dozer would kick my ass. Blade, too. She’s too sweet. I know her definition of boyfriend. I’d end up hurting her.”

“I think she knows that, too. That doesn’t make it any easier. You’re a good guy, pretty boy.”

“Nah. I’m a dog with a bone.” He laughed as he left.

The house was eerily quiet as I locked the doors and made sure the alarm was set. Maybe tomorrow I’d make it to class on time.

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