Page 50 of Play Fast (Brooklyn Dawn 2)

More than anything, I wanted to ask Lila if she believed there was a connection between the situation at the venue and what had happened at my cabin. As much as I had believed the dude with the knife was just a random guy who figured the place was deserted—or had even seen me drive away—maybe Lila knew more than she was saying. Perhaps she wasn’t just being paranoid because of previous events.

From all I knew of her, she normally wasn’t someone who overreacted. So, what exactly did she know? And what did Chuckles know that was making him keep watch at

my place when he doubtlessly had tons of other stuff on his plate? I wanted to demand answers.

Then I glanced at Daisy. A ton of shit had gone down this weekend already. She needed a break. I needed a break.

We were going to take one. Together.

“We’ll see you Tuesday,” I said rather than what I wanted to most.

Daisy’s shoulders immediately softened. She’d been prepared for me to rail at Lila too. Nice to know I had a MO.

Well, maybe not always.

“You’ll watch over Daisy too?” Lila asked, and that question more than any other made my fingers clench around my phone. She’d said something to that effect earlier, but it seemed even more poignant now. “You’ll watch over each other.”

I swallowed hard. “We will.”

Ten

We didn’t have sex in the boat.

I was not happy about that fact, but after Oz’s call with Lila, I couldn’t really press the issue. The timing wasn’t really on our side, since Noah came out looking for me shortly thereafter, claiming he found some cards and he needed someone to play with.

That was how the three of us ended up playing gin rummy until late, though Oz repeatedly denied the cards were his. Oz even chilled out a little in Noah’s direction, and Noah almost smiled a time or two.

When he finally went off to sleep, I was sure the sexy times bell was about to ring again, but then I fell asleep the minute we hit the now freshly made bed.

Sex, strike two. But I couldn’t say I minded falling asleep in Oz’s arms.

Another first. I’d never slept with a man before for an entire night. Well, mostly entire. He crept off before dawn to do who knows what, and I fell asleep again. I was exhausted. It was as if I’d been running on a deficit for so long, and being with Oz had demanded repayment on the sleep debt right now, no ifs, ands, or buts.

I dragged myself into the shower near lunchtime and got out to gasp at the sight of my naked body in the mirror.

Irritated pink marks striped over my flesh, some areas more than others. Like my breasts and my neck. And my thighs. His stubble had done a number on my fair skin.

Then there were the hickeys. I had one right above my left nipple, for heaven’s sake.

I searched through my purse for the travel-sized bottle of lotion I carried with me and slathered every spot I could reach before pulling on some yoga pants and a shapeless sweater courtesy of my sister. Quickly, I tried to scrunch some life into my hair before declaring it hopeless and tying it back in a thick braid.

I stepped into the living room to see if Noah wanted something to eat, only to find him doing pull-ups using the ceiling’s crisscrossing beams. And he wasn’t alone.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say my breath stopped at the sight of Oz’s toned back muscles bunching and rippling every time he pulled himself up and down.

Lordy.

I sat cross-legged on the floor and tugged my phone out of my purse. It was quite handy I’d carried it into the living room, because I wouldn’t have wanted to miss proof of this very important moment.

I’d snapped half a dozen pictures of Oz’s very fine ass in navy sweat shorts, squeezing and releasing, squeezing and releasing, along with that buffet of long, lean back muscles, when he dropped down to mop at the sweat dripping off his face with his arm. I was a little slow with lowering my camera, so I accidentally caught a shot of Noah mid pull-up, his own banquet of muscles on full display. Then I clicked again and caught Oz’s photo-worthy scowl in the frame.

“Seriously, sprite? How would you feel if we took photos of you working out?”

“If I looked like you two, I’d figure it was my due. But you’re welcome to take pictures of me doing my Kegels if you want.” I snorted as the two men exchanged puzzled looks.

Yeah, I wouldn’t bother explaining that one.

I flipped through my photos while Oz wiped off his chest with a towel, then refastened his hair into a tail. Noah was still methodically doing his pull-ups, and I couldn’t imagine what number he was on now. But mercy, he had the body to show for it.

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