Love, Tussles, and Takedowns (Cactus Creek #3)(6)

With a disapproving little sister tsk, Lia turned her eyes, and only her eyes, toward her oldest brother. “Caine. You know better than to go around assaulting random folk for no good reason.” She released her hold on Caine’s left wrist, giving Hudson the silent green light to let go of his right forearm.

“I have an excellent reason,” rumbled Caine. “An * luring my drunk sister into a dark corner so he can take advantage of her.” He glared menacingly at Hudson, who, to his credit, looked thoroughly unfazed. Not really surprised, but extremely touched, Lia noted Hudson’s arm was still around her waist, taut with an increasingly protective tension as Caine fixed his big, bad older brother scowl on her.

Visibly giving Hudson a momentary reprieve in execution, Caine’s focus was solely on Lia now. Minus the growl. But multiplied by infinity in the concern department. “Since when do you get sloshing drunk enough to let a stranger grope you in public?”

She sighed. “For one, I’m not drunk. Secondly, we were just dancing. I know it’s been a while for me to know for sure, but I’m pretty certain his hands stayed in the ‘friend zones’ the entire time. And lastly, he’s not a stranger. Hudson, meet my brother, Caine Spencer. Caine, this is my new friend, Hudson Reyes.”

A soft smile overtook her lips as she repeated Hudson’s name in a hushed, savory murmur that had his now heated gaze falling to her lips. The scorchingly vivid images about where she’d like to place her lips had her thinking maybe she was a little drunk. But not on tequila and beer.

On Hudson.

Not the sort of thing you wanted to fixate on with family around, but she couldn’t help herself; she bit her lower lip in barely tamed restraint and watched his smoky gray eyes dilate with a warning she was too far gone to heed.

Thankfully, one of them was hanging on to some control. Hudson drew his lingering gaze away from her with an almost amused, very male headshake before he turned his attention over to the now astonished Caine. “Spencer—as in Jack Spencer?” asked Hudson in a neutral tone that belied the way his fingers were trailing up and down her arm. Each maddening, nerve-seducing stroke against her skin was telling her, in no uncertain way, that the very private conversation she’d been all but goading him into was far from over.

Caine did a double take. “You know my dad?” His sole attention was on Hudson now.

Lia knew the instant Hudson’s arm relaxed around her that he’d chosen his conversation opener for the singular, specific reason of redirecting Caine’s glare on himself as opposed to her.

So much more romantic than roses.

“My boss over in California contracts your dad’s shop for some of our prop fabrications.”

Before Caine could reply to that tidbit that had Lia’s eyes widening in surprise as well, however, they were interrupted by five vibrantly bedazzled nails appearing on Caine’s shoulder.

“Officer Caine. Now you know I positively love you, but I gotta say, you’re freaking out the customers up here a little. You mind dialing down those big, bad alpha grunts just a tad?”

Lia knew only one woman who could talk to Caine like that.

Him, too, apparently as he rolled his eyes and stepped to the side, revealing that sure enough, Xoey, the town’s favorite bartender and new co-owner of the brewpub herself had come up to provide Lia with some back-up.

Again with the wonderfulness of the townfolk.

“I’m just having a conversation with my sister and her new friend here.”

Xoey kept her hand firmly planted on Caine’s shoulder. “Looks more like you’re cock-blocking…or ‘clam-jamming’ rather than talking.”

Good thing Lia hadn’t been drinking anything or there would’ve been a liquid fountain show over that one. Xoey certainly had a way with words.

Caine was not amused.

“Your sister is doing just fine up here on her own, bud,” continued Xoey, smiling prettily. “I, on the other hand, have some very specific needs only you can address.”

Okay, there was helping, and then there was completely unnecessary oversharing.

In complete contrast to his earlier mood, that made Caine crack a smile. “I swear, one day, Isaac is going to revoke my membership to his gym and show me the business end of all his MMA training because of this fake flirting you do with me.”

This time it was Xoey’s turn to give him a piqued frown. “Who says it’s fake? And why do you all keep insisting on believing Isaac still has feelings for me? We’re just friends.”

“Uh-huh. Sure. Just like you don’t have feelings for him anymore either.” With a glance over at the small secondary bar they had for beer and shots next to the dance floor, he rolled up his sleeves. “Okay, now just cut to the chase and tell me which kegs you need me to bring up from the downstairs bar for you so Lia can stop being scarred for life over this conversation.”

Kegs. Oh, thank god. So she wouldn’t have to gargle her ears out with Listerine later.

As the pair turned to head over to the bar, Xoey flashed Lia a double thumbs-up sign.

“I saw that,” informed Caine.

“Well, yeah. I’m standing right in front of you,” Xoey recovered with a sweet, eye-fluttering smile. “I don’t care what your younger brothers say, you don’t need cataract surgery yet.”

Lia smothered back a giggle.