Page 55 of Red Hunt

I whipped my head around and force-whispered through my clenched jaw, “Do not talk about her, look at her, or speak to her…ever.”

He blinked rapidly, then opened his mouth and closed it without saying anything.

Not easy to stun Goofy into silence. But the intensity of my feelings and my reaction had stunned even me.

My outburst didn’t go unnoticed. Peaches looked at me as if I’d gone crazy. And maybe I had. All Milli had ever done was be nice and polite. Not once had she indicated anything more. And me? I’d gone and fallen for her. Lusted for her. Felt protective of her. Even though I’d only known her for a couple of days. Maybe I was crazy. Then I felt her hand sneak under my arm, and she intertwined her fingers with mine. “What’s wrong?”

I turned my head back to her and shook my head. “Nothing.”

She squinted her eyes. “It’s not nothing. Your whole body tensed up. What did Goofy say?”

“Really, it’s nothing.”

By now, I already regretted my outburst, letting Goofy get under my skin, even though I knew he probably meant nothing by it.

“I’m sorry, dude.” Goofy stood up, and his hand fell on my shoulder. Next, Peaches got up, caught my eyes, and nodded in the direction of the bar.

“Hey.” I squeezed Milli’s hand before I disentangled our fingers. “I gotta talk to the guys for a second. You okay if I leave you alone?”

She nodded. “Of course, go talk to them. I’m perfectly fine.” She smiled at me. And boy, that smile did things to my body…

I got up and trotted toward the bar. There was an ass-chewing in my future. I just knew the boys would give me shit for overreacting like that.

“Everything okay?” Peaches asked when I reached them.

“I’m sorry, Goof,” I said. Goofy was like a brother. He was the one who lightened the mood when the going got rough. He was the one saying the one thing that brought you back from whatever dark place you went to. He was our prankster. Integral to the team. “I overreacted.”

Goofy waggled his eyebrows. “You think? At least now we know how you really feel about her.”

“Who? Milli?” Peaches asked and looked from him to me. Then he slapped Goofy on the back of his head. “What did you say, numb nut?”

“Ow.” Goofy scratched his head. “I just mentioned how Milli is a very good-looking woman, whom I totally respect and wouldn’t dream of—”

“He called her hot, didn’t he?” Peaches asked and shook his head. “I’ve seen the way you’re looking at her, Max. Are you sure about that?”

Was I sure? I rubbed the back of my neck. Of course, I wasn’t sure. But telling the guys that wouldn’t help at all.

“She’s pretty young, too,” Goofy said, and I could feel my features tightening when I looked at him.

Way to go. Typical Goofy. Going right for my weak spot.

“But if you really like her, and she reciprocates those feelings, then it’s none of our business,” Peaches said.

I looked at him and shook my head. Only he would use words like reciprocate when it came to feelings. “Guys, I don’t know, okay. Can we please be done with this group therapy session now?”

Goofy and Peaches chuckled.

I needed to step out for a second. I turned around. Milli was in the middle of an animated discussion. She was more outgoing tonight. Even opinionated. She slapped Peter’s arm, and her laugh filled my insides with warmth.

I took my sweet time, even stepped outside for a second to get some fresh air. I wasn’t drinking, since I, together with Peter, were the designated drivers for tonight.

When I came back in, Goofy and Peaches were still at the bar. They’d ordered another round, and when Peaches downed the shot, he shifted to the side, and my eyes fell on Milli.

She giggled, then downed her own shot and grimaced after she’d swallowed. Was she trying to get wasted?

I took a couple of steps but reigned myself in, just in time to hear Milli tell them all about the shooting we’d witnessed.

Goofy made a joke—of course, questioning my abilities—but Milli shot him down immediately. “He was so brave, you wouldn’t believe it. He’s absolutely amazing. I’ve never met a guy like him before. Never. And he’s sexy as hell—oops.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, guys, I guess I’ve had enough alcohol for tonight.”

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