Lucian played it cool.“She wanted to review the plans and finalize details.”
“All night?”Montana pressed.
“She works all day.”
Montana ran his fingers through his short hair.It was a bit weird to see him without his usual cowboy hat.“We were worried.I drove out to the jail last night to see if anyone was there.That Vampire told me you left hours ago, but when I walked around, I saw Hope’s car parked out back.What’s with all the mystery?”
“Maybe the Councilwoman doesn’t want everyone driving by her place and seeing my car outside.Home security is a private matter.”Lucian gulped more beer.“One of the clowns she released came by her house and set her shed on fire.”
Montana faced him.“No shit?Did you catch him?”
Fuck.Lucian hadn’t been prepared for that question.“The Mage fled the scene before we noticed the flames.”
“You didn’t track him?”
“She knew who it was, but there’s nothing they can do about petty arson.After that, I modified her plans to include a sprinkler system inside and around the house.”
“People are real assholes.”
“Assholes keep me in business.”
The three men below finally stopped singing and banging on their drums.It made Lucian wonder if that was the real reason Atticus suddenly had a work emergency.That poor Vampire got more than an earful around their house.He’d probably thought living in the country would be quiet, but he hadn’t seen game night at the Arrowhead house.
Montana pivoted and faced the back door.“If you didn’t have any equipment to install, what did you do out there all night?Talk?It doesn’t take over seventeen hours to pick a plan.”
Lucian sighed and straightened his back.“How do you think Tak would feel if I’d left her alone after someone burned down her shed?Leaving seemed like a shitty thing to do.”
“Since when do you care what people think?”Montana tilted his head to the side and gave him a scrutinizing gaze.“You like her.”
“She’s pretty.”
“No doubt.”
“She smells like fennel and wildflowers.That’s her personal scent.”
Montana gave a robust laugh.“Don’t tell a woman she smells like fennel.”
“Why?”
Montana clapped him on the shoulder.“Trust me, it’s not a compliment they want to hear.They all think they smell like sunshine and sunflowers.”
Lucian’s brow furrowed.“Neither of those have a scent.”
“You know what I mean.”
“What’s the big deal?Everyone has a personal scent; your noses are just too weak to smell it.”Lucian sipped his beer and studied Montana’s expression.“Want to know what you smell like?”
“Hell no.”Montana faced the yard again while the pack gathered around the fire, laughing and quietly talking.“Do me a favor and keep your dick in your pants.If you fuck up Tak’s relationship with the Council, that’ll come back to bite us all.It’s one thing if you do a shoddy job on her security, but it’s another if you try seducing her in her own home.She’s out of your league.Hell, she’s out of everyone’s league.”Montana peered over his shoulder before lowering his voice even more.“I get your predicament.You’re in her house all day, surrounded by her smell and working closely beside her.She’s a knockout, but don’t let that go to your head even if she says something nice to you.Look but don’t touch.Got it?In fact, don’t even look.If she catches you eye fucking her, that kind of reputation will haunt you in a small town.We have a peace party coming up, and you’ll have plenty of women to pick from.”
Tak hiked up the steps and joined them.“That man is testing my nerves,” he muttered.
Montana smirked.“Who?Your father-in-law?I thought you guys were bonding with your sing-along.”
“First he tells me that my horse’s stable doesn’t meet his standards.Then he spent the afternoon inspecting the property.If he thinks he can get under my skin, he doesn’t know how thick it is.He’s still complaining about the inflatable pool incident.”
As if on cue, Virgil sauntered up the steps with an empty beer bottle between his fingers.“When am I forgiven?It was an honest mistake.”This time he sounded sincere.
Tak grumbled in another language before going into the house.
