“I said, don’t read into it,” Olivia hissed.
“Fine.” Bel caught her boss in her gaze. “We want Ewan.”
“That would give you an extra player,” Griffin argued.
“Oh, let her have him.” Eamon accepted the mauled ball from Cerberus and launched it back across the shore before grabbing a fresh one. “We’ll still win.”
“He’s right,” Ewan said as he jogged into position. “I could never beat him.”
“I know.” Bel shrugged. “Maybe I’ll play dirty.” She blew Eamon a kiss as she settled into her starting stance, but he just rolled his eyes.
“Don’t do it,” he mouthed at her, which only drove her to bend over slightly and pose to give him a better view of all his favorite curves. “Don’t,” he mouthed again. “I can play dirty too.”
“Bring it, big guy.” She winked at him. And he brought it, beating her team so soundly that not even Ewan could manage much against him.
“My god!” Yates panted from his collapsed position on the sand. “Thanks for helping us win, but what on earth was that? Did you play in college?”
“Something like that.” Eamon helped the deputy off the ground before joining Bel by the coolers.
“Did you really play in college?” she asked, dumping the ice water down her overheated chest, and Eamon didn’t hide how much he enjoyed watching the droplets race down her skin.
“Sometimes, sure,” he said, catching the rivulets rolling down her belly in his fingers before gesturing for Bel to look at her pitbull lying spread-eagle in the shade. “I played pro before the internet was a thing, too.”
“Really? What sports?”
“You name it.”
“You’ve mentioned Rome and the gladiator games.” She crossed the beach to offer Cerberus his water bowl. “So, you were alive during the original Olympics too. Did you compete?”
“Picturing me running naked, Detective?”
“Always.”
“No, I didn’t participate, sorry.” He scratched her dog’s heaving ribs. “Sports didn’t hold my interest then. I was still too much of a monster. I preferred the Colosseum and all the blood Rome had to offer. But I had my fun a few decades ago. I could never play pro now, though, which is a bummer. Football is a blast when you’re my size, but it’s too public.”
“I’ll tackle you.” Bel lunged for him, and without missing a beat, he scooped her into his arms.
“I’ll babysit your hot puppy if you want,” Violet called, still managing to look pristine in her all-black bathing attire despite the scathing heat. “We can nap in the shade together while you go for a walk… or a swim to cool down.”
“We that obvious?” Bel smirked at her friend.
“I would say no, but….” She dragged the word out with a smile. “You’re making me feel very single.”
“I thought you’d sworn off men?”
“Yeah, well, a girl can only be so strong when surrounded by cute, shirtless cops… but I already tried dating an officer, and that turned out fantastically, so I’m going to cozy up to the only man I trust. Come on, Baby Beast. Do you want a burger?” She tapped her leg, but Cerberus was already moving, his brain wired to respond to the three words ‘do you want?’.“But you’ll have to eat off a fork because I am not touching meat… unless you want to share my black bean burger.”
“So he can fart in our bed all night?” Eamon laced his fingers through Bel’s and tugged her toward the water. “No beans forMr. Piggy, but he’s good at eating with a fork. I think it’s funny when he eats like that, so we practice.”
“Huh…” Violet pinched her brows at the hulking man. “Okay, burger on a fork it is.”
“What did I say?” Eamon directed his question at Bel.
“Nothing… you’ve just started talking like Cerberus is your dog lately. I’ve noticed it, and I think she just did too.”
“Why, because I don’t want to give him gas?”
“It’s the way you said it. You didn’t wait for me to answer about his diet before speaking.”
