Dungeon Games (Masters and Mercenaries #6.5)(22)

He apparently took it more seriously than he did marriage, but then very few people took that seriously these days. Derek forced himself to calm down. It was good that she was already showing her true colors. She was a career-oriented woman who preferred to keep her relationships very casual. Very modern.

Derek nodded Liam’s way. “Hey, whatever floats your boat, man. I’m just here for the case. Have we gotten the profile from Eve?”

He moved into Karina’s shitastic apartment, avoiding her entirely. She stood there looking at him with a wounded-doe look in those eyes of hers, but he knew it was all for show. Women like Karina didn’t get hurt. Not really. She was playing some sort of angle.

He couldn’t let himself get in too deep. His every instinct told him to take O’Donnell’s place. He should move right in and take her in his arms and explain to her that if she needed comfort, she should come to him. He was her Dom. He was the one who was supposed to be holding her.

Except he wasn’t and he never f*cking would be, so he checked himself.

“We won’t have it until tomorrow,” O’Donnell replied. He hadn’t moved far from Karina. He was still watching over her like he was waiting for Derek to hurt her.

Karina took a deep breath and seemed to make the decision to change course. She gave him a bright smile. “So you don’t have to stay. We can just regroup tomorrow.”

Yeah, that wasn’t happening. He held up his overnight bag. “I’ll stick to my plan, thanks. Do you have a spare bedroom?”

Sean snorted. “She’s lucky to have a room big enough for a bed, Derek. There’s a reason she never invites anyone over here. I think you’re sleeping on the couch, Romeo.”

He sent Sean his middle finger and set down his bag since it looked like he would be sleeping in the postage stamp of a living room. “Screw you, Little Tag.”

A sexy grin lit Karina’s face, and he was so happy it wiped the sorrow from her eyes. “Apparently Sean is going to screw Li, here. They’re taking a page from Adam and Jake’s playbook. They’re going in as a couple. You know you guys are going to have to make people believe it.”

The Irishman went a flaming red as he turned to Sean. “You had to go that way, didya?”

Little Tag just shrugged. “Dude, think about it for two seconds. We have to go into a dungeon. We can’t walk in with wedding rings on. I don’t know about you, but I would prefer to not get hit on. The last thing my wife needs is to worry about younger women. Do you want to go home and tell your wife who just had a baby that you’re going to be flirting with a bunch of subs who didn’t just have a baby?”

“Shit. I hadn’t thought about that. She doesn’t have anything to worry about. No one’s prettier than my Avery,” Liam said.

Then why the f*ck was Liam playing with his sub?

“Dude, you can tell her that all day. She hasn’t lost her baby weight,” Karina shot back, completely at ease with the men.

“I don’t care if she loses it. She looks amazing,” Liam swore. “But I see your point. All right, but I’m the top. I ain’t going in as Sean’s bloody sub and that’s that. If any single one of you thinks that I’m going to let that bastard whip me ass, you don’t know me very well.”

Karina shrugged a little. “You did say you would do anything it took to make sure I was safe.”

“I’m really good at it, Li.” Little Tag seemed to have a death wish. “Ask Grace. She says I am an artist with a paddle.”

Karina poked at Sean, her utter ease with the men irritating Derek. “Although, I have to admit, Sean came off much more subby. Li was the broody top.”

Li held up his fist in jubilation. “That’s right. The sub’s the expert.”

Sean just rolled his eyes. “The good news is we’re going to be working and not sceneing.” He nodded Derek’s way. “But you two better get your stories straight because we go in Saturday night. Spend the time getting comfortable enough that people will believe you two like each other.”

“K, come here and show me something.” Liam was at her window, pulling up the blinds.

Sean took the opportunity to move into Karina’s tiny kitchen, gesturing for Derek to follow. He got the feeling he was going to get a talking to. It looked like Little Tag was serious about standing in for his brother.

“I told you I’m not going to let her die,” Derek said quickly, wanting to avoid a lecture from another one of Karina’s lovers.

Sean’s jaw firmed, his eyes going hard. “Derek, we’re friends.”

“I like to consider us friends.”

“I want to still be friends with you at the end of this. Are you going to f*ck her?”

“If it comes up, I probably will.” And it would come up. God knew his cock sure as hell came up the minute he thought of her. “What’s this about? It’s kind of the height of hypocrisy if you’re going to warn me about screwing around on the job. Karina is my co-worker. She isn’t my target. She knows the score. All she has to do is say no and I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

Sean shook his head and generally gave Derek the impression that he was deeply irritated. “If I thought you really had the capability of caring about her, I would tell you to go for it in a heartbeat. She’s an amazing woman. But you’re never going to treat her the way she needs to be treated. You’re too f*cked up yourself to take care of her.”