Page 31 of Baring All
We take but a few steps when Eloise stops, and I run into her. Cupping her waist, I steady her. “Whoa there, you okay?”
“Yeah, good. It’s just, I forgot the gift in your truck.”
“No problem. You guys head on in, and I’ll go grab it quickly.”
She smiles her thanks and follows Indigo into the house. Knight goes to follow them, stops, and turns to study me. He opens his mouth to say something, thinks better of it, then walks away. Weird. He’s never circumspect. Shrugging, I jog to the vehicle and retrieve the package Eloise forgot.
Letting myself into the house, I follow the sounds of laughter out to the backyard. Seems we were the last to arrive. Well, except for Dutch. They all grin over at me, and that makes me nervous. Who knows what shit they’ve been feeding Eloise while I wasn’t here? My gaze tracks over to where she’s standing, and I’m relieved to see she seems fine.
Indigo, being the warm, caring person she is, has introduced Eloise to everyone and is making sure she’s comfortable. The three ladies – Indie, Eloise, and Agatha – are standing chatting as if they’ve been friends forever.
Now second-guessing myself, I think I might have made a mistake bringing her here. I don’t want Eloise, or my friends, getting the wrong idea of why she’s here. It was a spur of the moment decision – something I’m not particularly prone to, and this is why. The last thing I need is for her to think is this is more than just friends hanging out.
“I’m grabbing drinks. Who wants what?” Indigo’s words are met with a chorus of requests.
“I’ll give you a hand,” Eloise offers.
Watching her walk away as she follows Indigo, my eyes are drawn to the seductive sway of her hips, the delectable curve of her ass; and I can’t help but wonder if she’d consider a friends-with-benefits arrangement?
Someone clears their throat right next to me. So absorbed in eyeing Eloise, I didn’t even notice Knight sidle up beside me.
“So,” he smirks, “what’s the deal with the pretty police officer?”
“No deal,” I reply. “We’re just friends, like she said.”
He nods, disbelief clearly stamped on face. A face I want to pound as he continues to smirk at me.
“If you’re sure there’s nothing going on between the two of you, Bear, mind if I ask Deputy Delectable on a date?” Gator asks, coming to stand beside Knight.
Out of nowhere, a haze drops over my sight, and I can feel a vein throb in my temple. Before I can reply, I hear Lucky speak over the buzz in my ears.
“Hey, where’s Dutch?”
Knight frowns. “That’s actually a good question now that you mention it. I don’t remember Indigo saying anything. I’ll check with her when she comes out with the drinks.”
Lucky’s diversion gives me the time I need to pull myself together, but before I get a chance to answer Gator, the women return with the drinks.
“Darlin’, did Dutch say he’d be here today?”
Setting the ice-cold beverages in her hands down, she comes to tuck herself under Knight’s arm. “It was the weirdest conversation. I wanted to say something to you the other day, but then we got – um – distracted.”
Blushing, she waves her hand in the air as if she’s swatting the thought away. “When I called him, he said he was away for a few days, and he wouldn’t be able to make it. But what made it weird was, he didn’t sound like himself. He was evasive and sounded tired. And I could swear I heard a woman’s voice in the background. Very strange.”
Attention successfully diverted from me, I take a long pull from my frosted beer, thoughts on my friend. What the hell is going on with him?
14
BEAR
Pizza and beer, games and laughter, the evening was a good one. I have a solid buzz going on and am now being driven home by Eloise. Drinking and driving is not my thing, and if it weren’t for her being there, I would have grabbed a lift with Lucky and Agatha. But since she is, Eloise has taken it upon herself to get me home safely.
The streetlights play hide and seek with her profile as I’m still stare at her in the darkened cab, illuminating the rich colors of her hair and making her skin glow. God, she really is beautiful. My groin tightens as I remember how she looked under me, in the throes of passion. Desire slams into me, leaving me a little breathless at how much I want to relive that moment; to get her back under me and love on her all night long.
My thoughts make me uncomfortable with where they’re heading, so I turn to look out the window at the limited view, caught in puddles of light from the lamps. The monotony of the repeating pattern lulls me into a bit of a trancelike state. My mind empties of all thought as we head for home.
“Bear?”
As if from a distance, I hear Eloise call my name. “Hmm?”
