Page 4 of Taming Bull

“Hey, brother,” Zombie said. He was heading toward the bar, but he stopped and followed my gaze. Waving at the booth and beaming its occupant a big smile, he altered his course and swooped in to give her a hug. “Hey, Lily. How are you?”

Over the two and a half years since Morse and Tap had tracked her down to testify for Havoc, Lily had become the club’s little sister. Nobody fucked with her, and any one of us would take a bullet for the girl. Especially after how she’d risked her life going up against Seattle’s mayor so Havoc could walk free.

“Livin’ the dream,” Lily replied with a smile. “How’ve you been?”

“Good. Just got off work and thought I’d stop by for a drink or six. How’s school? You ready to come out and rewire my mom’s place yet?”

Inspired by the work Stocks and Monica had been doing around the shelter she called home, Lily had enrolled in classes to become an electrician. She’d been at it for a few months now, and kept surprising us all by the amount of shit she’d learned. Last week, I’d helped her put up a fan in her room. Really, I’d held the base as she cut back frayed wiring and capped the ends of it before mounting a brace and a box. I was worried she’d shock the shit out of herself, but it turned out she knew what she was doing. And her proud smile as she jumped down from the ladder had made me glad I didn’t voice my concerns and make her think I didn’t believe in her.

“Almost,” Lily replied. “We test next week, and then I start my out-of-classroom apprenticeship.”

“No shit? Which lucky company picked you up?”

“Puget Sound Electric.”

“Atta girl. You’ll be rollin’ in that fat electrician money soon.”

Lily grinned at me. Her smile could light up the entire goddamn bar, which was how she’d earned her nickname. Life had shit all over the girl, but she didn’t let it dull her shine. Pretending the sight of her didn’t squeeze the air out of my chest and make all the blood flow straight to my cock, I handed her a bottle.

“Yep. Then I’m gonna be Bull’s sugar mama.” Her eyes sparkled when she looked at me.

“Easy there, firefly.” I tipped my beer toward Lily. “I’m a strong, independent man. I don’t need no sugar mama. Keep your money.”

Zombie barked out a laugh and clapped me on the back. “Well, damn. If it doesn’t work with this boring old killjoy, look me up. I’m sure as hell not too proud to let you pay my bills.”

Lily always flirted with me, but since nothing could ever happen between us, I did my damnedest to shoot her advances down, even though it almost killed me every fucking time. I knew Zombie was only humoring her, but I still wanted to knock out his teeth. Ignoring him, I faced off with Lily. “Or, you can save your money and buy yourself a dependable car. You’re gonna need one to get back and forth to work.”

Clearly picking up on my vibe, Zombie took a step back. “It’s gettin’ too responsible for me around here. You kids have fun. I’m off to shoot the shit with Frog.”

Frog waved at us from the bar.

As I settled into my seat, Lily rolled her eyes at me. “Firefly? I told you, I’m not a bug, Bull.” Her words resisted the nickname, even as the slight upturn in her lips told a different story. She didn’t mind. Not really.

Sliding onto the bench across from her, I took a drink and bought myself some time to check her out. Lily was always gorgeous, but today, she’d put extra effort into her appearance. Her long brown hair seemed shinier. Loose curls drifted over her shoulders ending just shy of her perfect tits. The dark makeup around her hazel eyes made them seem bigger and brighter, and she’d painted her lips in a shade of red that had me envisioning what they’d look like wrapped around my cock. Her off-the-shoulder sweater showed off enough skin to make me hungry for more.

She was temptation and sin, wrapped into a flirty, fun-sized package.

She took a pull from her bottle, and I discretely adjusted myself under the table.

Playing with her bottle, stroking and running her finger down the label, she said, “Thanks for the beer. I’ll get next round.”

I nodded noncommittally as her active little fingers held my attention. They looked so soft and delicate, but they were deceptively strong. Just like Lily. She’d try to get the next round, but I already had the tab set up, and even if I hadn’t, Flint sure as hell wouldn’t charge her card. The entire club was proud of her for going to school and trying to better her situation, and we’d do everything in our power to help her succeed. After all she’d been through, she deserved the moon and the stars.

And she was looking at me like I had the ability to pluck them from the sky and hand them to her.

Fuck.Her eyes really did look huge today. How the hell was I supposed to resist her when she kept eyeballing me like that?

“Is something different about your eyes?” I asked.

A smile played on her lips as she leaned forward and blinked slowly. Had her eyelashes always been that long and full? God, she was hot. Being so close to her, with only the table between us, suddenly felt a lot like playing with fire. “No. What makes you think that?”

She was lying, because there was definitely something different. Her big hazel eyes looked softer, more inviting. Whatever makeup witchcraft she’d managed was sexy as fuck. I usually had a hard time looking away from her, but now, the sight of her imprisoned me. I couldn’t look away. Hell, I couldn’t even remember why I should. Her knees brushed mine, and even through our clothes, the contact sent a jolt of electricity through my veins. Every damn blood cell in my body went straight for my cock.

“Sorry,” she said, her smile turning shy as she dropped her gaze.

“Don’t…” I coughed to clear my throat. “Don’t worry about it.”

Her knee brushed mine again and she laughed. This time, it didn’t feel like an accident. Her hand landed on my knee. She rubbed, gently. Every stroke felt sexual, and my entire body reacted. Lily had played games like this in the past, but usually I could resist her long enough to make my escape so I could jack off in the safety of my room. Today was different.

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