Page 3 of Starts With a Bang

Dom grimaced and removed my hand from his leg. “Kerry is one of my oldest friends. As much as I want to ignore him, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

I recognized defeat when staring it in the eye. Kerry looked so damn smug that I wanted to kick him. I slid off the stool and grabbed my drink off the bar. “Thanks for the Cosmo.”

“Thanks for reminding me I still have a pulse.”

I looked up at Kerry and said, “I don’t know when or how, but I’m going to make you pay for this.”

I sauntered off without a backward glance, but I didn’t need one to know Dom watched me. I felt the intensity of his stare. Another vacant seat opened up, and I met a few promising candidates for a night of fun, but my gaze always strayed back to Dom. He talked to Kerry for a while before my brother patted his shoulder and walked away. Had Kerry found someone to end his night with, or had he just moved on? Dom chatted up a few other guys, but he didn’t seem as engaged with them as he’d been with me. I tried not to let it go to my head, but I still tingled from the kisses we shared.

When it became obvious Kerry wasn’t coming back, I hatched a plan. What my brother didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I wanted Dom, and his raging erection had revealed that he’d wanted me too. We could share one night, and Kerry would never need to know. If Dom left the bar by himself, I’d follow and make an offer I hoped he wouldn’t refuse. Around midnight, I got my chance. I tried not to be too obvious about my intentions and gave Dom a huge head start before I followed him.

The temperatures had dropped significantly since my arrival. I’d left my coat in the car because bulky outerwear would’ve ruined my look. Choosing vanity over comfort just might be the death of me someday. Then I saw Dom heading toward a sketchywhite minivan in a dark corner of the parking lot. Was he a serial killer or a soccer dad? Neither thing appealed to me, and I couldn’t decide which prospect was worse. I’d nearly changed my mind when a gust of wind raked its icy fingers over my bare abdomen. Then I remembered the heat rolling off Dom’s body, his powerful grip on my ass, and the feel of strong thighs under his jeans. And that dick. I stepped up my pace so I didn’t miss out on my chance.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Dom called over his shoulder without so much as a backward glance.

“All the more reason to do it.”

Dom

Reaching into my pocket, I removed my key fob and unlocked the vehicle. The headlights flashed on, but instead of going to the driver’s door, I detoured around to the passenger side. I turned to face Stevie. No. Not Stevie.Sven.Maybe if I repeated it often enough, I could forget he was Kerry’s little brother. Sven had stopped several feet away, and my headlights illuminated his perfect body. I hadn’t been able to get him out of my mind all night. Other guys had flirted with me, but they weren’t him.Sven.

What I was about to do was wrong, but I could worry about it later. I grabbed the handle on the minivan’s rear door and slid it open. Sven was right. We were consenting adults anddidn’t need Kerry’s permission. What had he meant about Sven not learning his lesson from past mistakes? It was on the tip of my tongue to ask, but I noticed Sven hadn’t budged from his spot. I forced my gaze up to his face and registered his hesitant expression.

“Why a minivan?” Sven asked.

I saw our interaction in a new light and admired Sven’s self-preservation. I was a virtual stranger who wanted to lure him into the back of my sketchy vehicle in a dark parking lot. “It’s convenient for my work.”

Sven took a few tentative steps closer. “So, no car seats or soccer ball hazards I need to be concerned about?”

“No kids,” I said.

“Good to know.” Sven edged a little closer. “What about tarps, duct tape, and rope?”

I laughed for what seemed like the first time in months. “I’m not a serial killer either.”

“Phew.” Sven strode forward until he reached the open door. He squinted his cobalt-blue eyes and scrutinized the minivan’s dark interior. “No lights?”

“I disabled them.” Realizing how bad that sounded, I added, “I’m a private detective.” I gestured to the white van. “It’s nondescript, fits in everywhere, and lets me blend in during surveillance. Dome lights will make me stand out like a sore thumb during nighttime stakeouts.”

Sven pursed his lips and nodded. “Makes sense.” He reached inside the van and rested his hand on a captain’s chair. “How far back do these seats recline?”

“Climb on in and let’s find out.”

“Said the spider to the fly.” And Sven walked into my web.

I climbed in after him and closed the door before leaning between the front seats to start the engine. The sexy idiot wasn’twearing a coat and had to be freezing. I wanted him warm and pliant and—

Sven’s mouth landed on mine before my ass hit the seat, and I forgot all about the temperatures and ethical decisions. The only thing that mattered was the way Sven made me come alive. The disabled dome lights and dimmed dashboard lights worked out well for investigations, but their absence sucked when two grown-ass men were trying to undress without getting hurt. Sven’s knee landed precariously close to my groin when he tried to remove his jeans.

“Ouch. Watch the goods.”

“I’m sorry.” His hands landed on my body, and I forgot about the near miss.

I nearly head-butted Sven when I leaned forward to shuck my jeans and underwear to my thighs.

“Whew, that was a close call,” he teased. “I’d hate to explain a concussion at the family dinner on Sunday.”

“Sorry,” I replied. “Maybe we shouldn’t—”

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