Page 12 of Inevitable

The devil on his shoulder told him to pull her into his arms and find out. The angel told him to back off and relax. Probably best not to come on too strong and let her get used to the heat that was happening between them.

Angel won.

As far as he knew, she was stubborn, and the last thing he wanted to do was give her something to fight. Which she would unless the idea of them being together was hers.

Clearing his throat, he stepped around her and opened the fridge. “I’ll get us some juice.”

Feeling the cool air brush across his face was just the thing he needed to get his game face together. Be cool, Landry, he instructed himself. He was a damn operator and had been in more life-threating situations than he could count. All he had to do was to remember that when dealing with Claire.

How hard could it be with one small woman? He poured two glasses of juice, noticed her pretty legs, and thought about them draped over his shoulders. Not helping. Truth was, he’d be lucky to keep any of his sense when he was around her.

He lifted the glass of juice, drained it, and gave her a faint smile. Yeah, lucky indeed. “Did you hear anything from the asshole who put you in danger?”

Claire crossed her arms and shook her head. “No, and I don’t expect to. He’s probably embarrassed, and I doubt he has enough balls to do the right thing.” Shrugging, she gave him a small smile. “I might’ve fixed up his profile on the dating site. Then…adjusted his Facebook page and Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. Oh, and I might’ve updated all the contacts in his phone.” The timer for the oven went off and she pulled a big pan out of the oven.

“I’d best not ever get on your bad side. My God, that was a lot to accomplish before eight in the morning.”

She set the pan on the stove and laughed. “I hardly caused him any pain. It’s not like I did anything to his bank account or credit rating. Not to mention make his name real interesting to the IRS.” Taking the basket of muffins and fruit salad over to the table, she smirked. “I pity the poor person who really crosses me. I’m always one step away from using my skills for evil and not good.”

Brady grabbed a hot pad, lifted the pan off the stove, took it to the table, and grinned. “Yeah, as I said earlier, I’m gonna work real hard to make sure you’re happy.”

Sitting down, she placed her napkin on her lap and smiled. “Don’t need happy. Just don’t piss me off.”

Dragging his chair closer so that they were sitting next to one another, he looked out the big windows and figured he’d met his match. Which is exactly what he needed. Moving his place setting over, he spoke. “I’m never going to introduce you to Lilly, Brock’s girlfriend. Between her love of pranks and your skill set, the two of you should never spend time together.”

“We’ve already met and I’m going to their house this afternoon. She’s invited me over because she needs some info for a project.” She lifted the bowl of fruit and served them both a generous portion. “She’s working on something with Erin Phillips, the actress, and said she needed my technical advice.”

Sitting back, Brady scrubbed his hand over his face. “Sweet Lord, have mercy upon the city of Lafayette. I knew she was up to something the other day, and seeing as she’s getting you involved, it’s going to be a doozy.”

“It’s for a book or screenplay or something.” She cut into the breakfast casserole and the fragrances of cheese, peppers, and sausage floated over the table. “She and Lucy are cooking and we’re going to try out the new pool.” She put a large square on his plate and then a small one on hers.

“Well, I’ll drive us over, because I was invited too, and if I know Lilly there’s going to be some kind of signature drink that will put everyone on their asses when all is said and done.”

Claire lifted her fork and dug into her food. “I love a good signature drink. The thing I had the other night at the Southern Table was delicious. I signed up for one of their libation classes and I expect to have something to call my own by the end of summer.”

Giving her a faint smile, he tried not to think about Lilly, Claire, and Erin and what they could get up to. That much brains, mischievousness, and gumption mixed together was going to turn out badly for everyone involved if, in fact, they were planning something. It was probably nothing and he was just being paranoid. “How did you end up with a free evening? I thought you had dates scheduled through tomorrow night.”

Claire wiped her mouth and gave him a smile. “My date this evening had to reschedule, so I ended up being free. As for tomorrow night…well, I canceled it after I ran a more thorough background check. There were a couple of things that made me uncomfortable and I decided not to waste my time.” She took a big bite of egg and chewed carefully.

“The good news is that you’re almost done with this online dating, so we can start and then you won’t have to worry about meeting up with a creeper or an asshole.” The side-eye she gave him was impressive, but it wasn’t enough to put him off or make him shut his mouth. “You know I’m a good guy, so you can relax as we get to know one another.”

“I’m not too sure about dating you.” She leaned away from him and let her eyes roam all over his face. “Not sure at all.”

He patted her leg and gave her an innocent smile. “But eventually you will be.” He ate some more of his food and thought about what it would take to get her on board with his idea. Maybe he should find out why she had decided to try the online dating thing in the first place. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the neighbor’s dog wander into his yard. “Here comes Winky,” he commented as the dog approached the screen door. “I’m not feedin’ you. I got in trouble with Miss Faye the other day and I don’t plan on letting it happen again.” When the dog tilted his head and gave him a look, Brady shook his head. “Nope. Not going to happen.”

“He’s good,” Claire commented. “I don’t know how you stop yourself.”

“It became a lot easier after my eighty-year-old neighbor gave me the what-for after I gave him some chicken. She threatened to bring the dog over and leave him until he was done passing gas. Apparently, he has a sensitive stomach and what comes out of him is lethal.”

Claire let out a laugh and then covered her mouth. “I’m sorry. That’s not funny.”

After he took his last bite and his plate was clean, he pushed away from the table. “Sure, it is.”

Claire did the same and sat back. “I’m hoping to adopt a dog soon. I’m looking for the perfect rescue dog to bring home.”

“Any particular kind?”

“No. When I meet the right dog, I’ll know.”

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