Rock Chick Renegade (Rock Chick #4)(61)

“Yeah, I know,” she said back, her voice arctic.

Wow. She was a bitch.

I wondered if it was just us or if this woman was mean to everyone who walked through the doors. If so, Lee needed a new receptionist.

Indy leaned into her and said with false concern for Dawn’s welfare, “You do know there are cameras and bugs in here?”

Dawn didn’t bother to respond, got up and walked around the desk.

“I’ll tell Lee you’re here,” she said.

“I’m sure he already knows,” Indy replied.

Dawn disappeared behind a door.

“What a bitch,” I said my thoughts aloud to Indy.

“She had a thing for Lee,” Indy informed me.

I made a face. “You’re kidding? Did he know?”

She nodded her head. “Yeah, he didn’t care, not interested. Then she had a thing for Vance.”

This information coupled with the knowledge that everyone (as in everyone) kept telling me Vance was a player made my stomach clench in a very unhappy way.

I couldn’t help myself, I blurted out in a whisper, “Oh my God. Did he do her?”

This time she shook her head. “No way.”

“Thank God,” I breathed. If Vance touched Dawn, well… one word: ick.

“Then she had a thing for Luke. No go. Then Mace, then Hank. They all think she’s a bitch.”

“Why does Lee keep her?”

“Says she’s efficient and…” she hesitated, “cordial.”

After she said this, in unison we both widened our eyes at each other and then burst out laughing. In fact, at the idea of Dawn being cordial, we laughed so hard, we bent double with it.

“Having fun?” Lee asked, moving toward Indy, having entered from the doorway.

Vance was coming at me and Dawn was walking behind the desk. I straightened, wiped a tear of laughter from my eye and watched Lee approach Indy, which gave me the opportunity to ignore Vance.

Lee put his hands to either side of Indy’s neck and kissed her right on the lips. After he was done, Indy smiled up at him, his eyes crinkled and watching them my heart spasmed.

What in the hell was that all about?

A heart spasm at the sight of true love?

What kind of head-crackin’ mamma jamma was I?

“Law,” Vance said beside me.

I turned to him. “Crowe,” I returned the greeting.

I held my body stiff, my emotional Rottweiler had woken up and was on guard. Vance watched me closely and I got the impression he saw my Rottweiler and decided he was a cuddly puppy. I got this impression because his sexual tractor beam switched on, his eyes got soft and his arm curled around my waist, pulling me around and into his body.

“Crowe,” I said low and quiet, a warning in my voice.

He ignored my warning and his face dipped close to mine. “Shut up,” he said but he said it through one of his grins.

“Don’t tell me to shut up,” I flashed.

He just kept grinning.

Whatever.

“Are we going to do this or what?” I asked.

Instantly, his eyes went serious but he didn’t let me go.

“We get there, you let Darius talk first. You let him have his say and you listen. Then you let Lee guide the conversation and you take cues from Lee. Yeah?”

“I’m not stupid,” I told him.

“I know you aren’t,” he surprised me by saying.

I blinked at him. “Really?” I blurted, then I wished I hadn’t because his eyes got soft again and I was having trouble channeling my head-crackin’ mamma jamma with his soft eyes on me.

“Really,” he said quietly.

“I thought you thought I was a little crazy.”

“Crazy. Yeah. Stupid. No.”

Hmm.

That was mostly good.

What was I thinking? I didn’t care if Vance thought I was crazy or stupid.

Before I could purposefully kill the mood, Luke did it for me.

“Fuck. You guys havin’ a sit down with Darius or an orgy in reception?”

I went up on my toes and looked over Vance’s shoulder. Luke was standing in the doorway, arms crossed on his chest. He looked like he didn’t know whether to grin or vomit. A glance at Dawn showed she definitely wished she could vomit and her eyes were on Vance and me.

I smiled brightly at her just because. I felt Vance’s body move with laughter even though he didn’t make a sound.

I turned my head and frowned at him. “What?” I snapped.

His mouth came to ear. “Wouldn’t know, don’t want to know, but I bet she doesn’t taste like cherries.”

That got a belly flutter.

I sicced the Rottweiler on my belly flutter and glared at Vance when his head came away from my neck. “Stop talking to me. I’m trying to channel my head-crackin’ mamma jamma.”

At my words, a hint of surprise passed his face then he got that “you’re adorable” look again and even though I knew he heard me, he asked, “Your what?”

Time to stop speaking.

He watched me a beat and then looked at Lee. “We movin’?” he asked Lee.

“Yeah,” Lee said to Vance and his eyes cut to Dawn. “Dawn, thanks for stayin’ late. We’re done for the day.” Then he looked down at Indy and I watched as his face went soft. “Luke’s takin’ you home.”