Smoke and Steel (Wild West MC #2)(61)

“I’m about that too.”

“Good we’re on the same page.”

“Though, my turn to give a warning, if I’m going to hang at your house, a trip to HomeGoods might be essential.”

He assumed a mock offended expression. “What, fancy-assed wineglasses aren’t enough for you?”

“You need toss pillows.”

He burst out laughing.

I watched.

He was really handsome, totally gorgeous.

But when he laughed, his face clear of anything but humor?

He was beautiful.

Still doing it, he dipped in again, this time to kiss me, pulled back and asked, “You get all your work done?”

“Why?”

“Because I leave for LA on Monday, and I want you here when I get back, so I better get on those toss pillows, and I sure as fuck ain’t gonna pick them.”

Not a fan of the LA trip.

However…

The other part.

Score!

I twisted toward him excitedly, which had the unfortunate result of dislodging his arm, but he just tangled his fingers in my hair, and that worked for me.

“Okay, first, while you’re away, can I take care of Nanook?”

“Absolutely,” he murmured, a softness coming to his gaze.

“And second, I do have my work done so we can totally go shopping tomorrow.”

“Sounds like we got a plan,” he agreed and took a pull from his beer.

I leaned over his thighs to where Nanook was now lying on Core’s rug, head up, eyes closed, tongue out, panting, in Happy Zen Doggie Land.

“Nanook,” I called.

He swung his head to me.

“Did you hear that? I get to take care of you when daddy’s away, and tomorrow, we get to go shopping.”

Sensing my vibe, he woofed excitedly.

“I’m not taking my dog shopping, babe.”

I looked to Core. “If I’ve had to put up with all those fucking poodles and mops in strollers when I’m trying on shoes, now that I have access to a canine, I’m getting mine back.”

Humor lit his eyes as he remarked, “I see this is a thing for you. But unless it’s a service animal, no dog should be out in public like that. It’s not about the public. It isn’t cool for the dog. You can know to your bones how your dog will behave, but you can’t begin to guess what shit people will pull. Anything can happen. They got instincts. They’ll react. It isn’t okay to put them in that position.”

I sat back away from him and pouted.

“We can take him for a walk in the park later,” he offered.

I grinned huge.

The humor fled from his face, something else replaced it, and he ordered, “C’m ’ere right fucking now.”

With nipples all of a sudden tingling, I went there, right fucking then.

I might have spilled a bit of wine before he was done with me, but I was okay with that.

When he tucked me back in his side, I asked, “What’s for dinner?”

“Grilled barbeque chicken, grilled asparagus, sweet corn on the cob and cornbread.”

I tipped my head back to stare at him.

“So you cook?”

“Yeah.”

I was thinking I had Kiki to thank for that too.

Until he went on.

“My mom taught me that. Her cornbread is the best.”

I loved knowing that about him.

I loved his back patio.

I loved his dog.

And I loved that he bought me wineglasses.





I climaxed so hard, for a second, I literally blacked out.

No joke.

First it was seeing stars, and then I was blissfully floating in a cosmos of nothing.

I came back to the room to feel Core using his tongue to clean up after the explosion he set off between my legs, and that was not better, but it still was the best I’d ever had.

Finally, he pulled himself over me.

“Take my money,” I said the second I caught his eyes. “All of it. And just so you know, some of it I’ve been saving since I was fifteen.”

No hesitation, he tipped his handsome head back and roared with laughter.

I watched.

And no, it wasn’t better than getting head from Dustin “Core” Cutler.

But it was close.





In his truck on the way to HomeGoods the next day (as suspected, bringing a cache of makeup came in handy, also as suspected, showering with Core was otherworldly), I asked, “Okay, so what’s the budget?”

“No clue,” Core replied. “Five, six thousand dollars. What do you think?”

Slowly, I turned his way.

“Five or six thousand dollars?”

“Not enough?” he asked the road.

I looked to the road as well. “We need to go to the mall too.”

“We do?”

“And Target.”

“Hellen.”

My name trembled with amusement and maybe a little bit of unease.

“Shh, honey, I’m making a game plan.”

His laughter filled the cab.

“I take it the marijuana business is booming,” I remarked.

“Uh…yeah.”

That was good, because I wasn’t sure the vigilante business paid all that well.