“We should go out more often.”
He barked out a laugh. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m not made of money, and that little pixie won’t be giving us free beeragain.” Noah opened my car door, and once I got settled, he slammed it shut.
Buckling up, I watched him circle the front of the car, his hand dragging across the hood.
My heart accelerated faster than a car on a racetrack when the man with the honey-brown eyes jogged toward the car. Watching him approach Noah, I wanted to disappear—slide right down my seat and live on the floorboard for the rest of my natural life.
He and Noah chatted for what felt like an eternity. I couldn’t hear them with the windows rolled up. Noah suddenly stripped off his sport coat, turned on his heel, and pulled up his shirt.
Typical Noah. He loved that tattoo.
I wanted to see the blond man, but Noah obscured my view. The only part of their conversation I heard was Noah saying, “It’s fine.”
But it’s not fine. Nothing about this is fine.
After they wrapped up their chat, Noah staggered to my side and opened the door. “Come on, baby. You’re driving.”
When I stepped out, Noah kissed me, his whiskers scratching my chin with every turn of his head, the bitter taste of beer on his breath. Wiping my mouth, I skirted the vehicle, worried sick about what that man had said.
Once in the car again, I moved my seat forward and dared to ask, “What was that about?”
Moving his seat back, Noah growled while stretching his legs. “Wolves. They’re so fucking nosy.”
Chapter 3
Archer carried their empty plates toward the bar kitchen for Bear to wash. The pack loved hanging out at the Rabbit Lounge these days, especially with Bear and Mercy working there. But another reason Archer hung around was to make sure all the jokers in the bar knew that Mercy belonged to the Arrowhead pack.
Maybe hitting on women all the time made him hyperaware of how others treated his packmates. Bear only worked there for a few hours, and most of it was in the kitchen. He couldn’t keep an eye on Mercy at all times to make sure no one grabbed her. Shifters were known for coming on strong, but some men were dickheads and ignored the signals women put out.
Mercy swooped in and collected his dirty dishes. “Sit your tushy down. This is what I get paid for. You can wash the dishes at home.”
“You should take a break,” he suggested.
“I’ll rest when I’m dead.” She backed up through the swinging kitchen doors and disappeared.
Archer returned to their booth in the back, slinging a flirty smile at a bobcat Shifter who spent her weekends at the bar.
Still full from lunch, Archer kept his eyes on the dartboards, hoping the women would take off so he and Krys could have another game.
Sliding into the booth, he asked, “Where’s Virgil?”
“Taking a leak.” Krys sipped on his vodka neat, one of his silver rings clinking against the glass.
Though Archer was the designated driver, they had work to finish up at the house, so he had to make sure Virgil and Krys didn’t exceed the limit.
The last big project they’d completed was the garage and attached gym. It took a hell of a lot longer than expected because the foundation guys were out of town for a couple of weeks. The garage fit a multitude of vehicles, and because of its size, Tak planted a bunch of native shrubs in a futile attempt to camouflage it.
Archer was just glad to have his own private gym. Not only that, but it was sizeable enough to accommodate additional equipment once he could scrape up the cash.
Two women at the dartboards were giggling and shaking their asses while purposefully missing their shots. One looked over her shoulder at them with an invitation in her eyes. Archer canted his head to admire her skyscraper legs, which disappeared beneath a short black skirt.
“You are one dirty dog,” Virgil sang while striding up to the table. He claimed the bench across from them and blew on the rim of his beer bottle, creating a melodic sound. “We don’t have to be back for an hour. That’s plenty of time to partake in a few extracurricular activities. Two of them, three of us… Let’s rent a private room in the back and have a little fun.”
Archer sat back and stared at the beautiful women. “That’s a hard no for me. I’m not into group activities.”
Virgil touched the bottle to his lips, his eyes on Krys. “And then there were two.”
“They’re all yours,” Krys offered while turning his glass.
