Rock Chick Rescue (Rock Chick #2)(96)

Final y.

“Jazzed?” he asked.

“Um… yeah.”

“Stun-gunning angry black women in bars on Colfax’l do that to you.”

Wonderful.

Darius told on me.

“Darius,” I said.

Eddie didn’t answer.

“I tried to be a mediator, I swear. I even offered to buy her a drink. But apparently Indy stun-gunned her a few months ago. Then she cal ed Al y a bee-atch, which Al y didn’t like. Then she punched Daisy in the eye. Then Daisy jumped her and Al y jumped them and they started rol ing around on the floor. Then some other woman shoved Indy and—”

Eddie interrupted me. “You can stop talkin’ now.” I closed my mouth and laid there a second, pressed up against his warm, hard body.

Then (I swear, I couldn’t help it, it was the adrenalin, and maybe a little of my newfound coolness) I ran my hand down his chest, across his abs, then back over his chest and my fingernail might have somewhat-purposeful y snagged his nipple.

He grabbed my wrist and held my hand where it was.

“You tired?” I whispered.

“It’s after one in the morning,” he replied, but didn’t answer my question.

I thought about this and came up with a solution.

“I’l do al the work,” I said quietly.

He didn’t respond and he didn’t move.

Damn.

Final y, he said, “Please tel me you didn’t have the chance to bend over in that dress.”

I did a mental replay of the night.

I hadn’t.

Except for when I bent over to use the stun gun of course.

I didn’t share that with Eddie.

“I didn’t even sit down, unless I was in the Mustang.” He didn’t say anything.

I squirmed next to him.

“Um…” I dragged it out, “about me doing al the work?” He pul ed me over his body, his hands slid down my bottom, the backs of my thighs and hooked at my knees, pul ing them up so I was straddling him.

My mouth found his in the dark.

“Can I take that as a yes?” I asked.

He didn’t answer but he pul ed off my camisole.

I was guessing that was a yes.

I went with my guess and I was right.

Chapter Nineteen

Lottie

The alarm went off, Eddie touched a button and rol ed out of bed.

I slid the covers over my head. Maybe, if I hid, he wouldn’t remember I was there.

He yanked the covers off me, grabbed my hand and pul ed me out of bed.

“Did you not hear what I said about the snooze button?” I asked as he marched me across the room.

“It’s a good thing you’re so damn pretty, Chiquita, because mostly, you’re a pain in the ass.”

* * * * *

I didn’t have to make the coffee. Eddie’d programmed it the night before and when I wandered into the kitchen, the pot was ful to the brim; fourteen whole cups of hot, fresh java. Heaven.

I had two cups while getting ready and I made Eddie one.

I poured us both travel mugs, we loaded ourselves in the truck and Eddie took me to Fortnum’s. He kissed me, deep but brief, while we sat in the truck in front of the store. He idled at the curb, watching while I walked in. I gave him a wave when I unlocked the door and went inside. He lifted his chin, slid on his shades and took off.

Then I looked behind the espresso counter. Duke and Jane, no Tex.

My heart skittered, then stopped.

“Where’s Tex?” I asked.

The first customer came in behind me.

“Not here,” Duke said.

“What do you mean, not here?” I asked.

Duke looked around. “I mean, not… here.”

“He’s always here,” I said.

“Wel he’s not now,” Duke replied.

“Fuck!” I shouted and the customer turned to stare at me.

“Sorry,” I muttered, set my travel mug on the book counter and hauled out my cel .

I cal ed Mom’s cel and got her voicemail.

I left a message, “Cal me the minute you get this.” Then I hung up, scrol ed down my phonebook and cal ed Tex.

He didn’t have an answering machine so it rang about twenty times before I hung up.

Then I cal ed him again.

On the seventh ring, he answered.

“What?” his boom was muted.

“Tex? Where are you?” I asked.

“Hung over,” he answered.

“Mom’s not answering her cel , where is she? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine.”

Then he disconnected.

I stared at the phone.

“Tex just hung up on me,” I told Duke and Jane.

They just looked at me.

“He says he’s hung over,” I said to them as the second customer walked in.

“Maybe he is,” Jane offered.

I scrol ed down to Eddie’s number and pushed the green button.

“Yeah?” he answered.

“Hey, it’s me,” I said.

“Yeah?”

“Jet,” I told him, making sure that he knew who he was talking to.

Silence for a beat, then he said, “Chiquita, I know who it is.”

I could hear his smile in his voice which made my bel y curl even though I was in borderline freak out mode.