Punc lowered his chin and frowned. “Not really.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
He let out a sharp breath through his nose. “Yeah, well, now that Alanis has her own family, she’s not around every time I’m at Mom and Dad’s. He can’t stand that I’m part of the Riot.”
“Really? Why?”
Punc’s expression filled with disbelief. “He says it’s because of Mom. She worries about me, but I think that’s bullshit. She’d worry about me regardless. He doesn’t like it because when Istarted prospecting years ago, I told him flat-out why I joined and that nearly brought us to blows.”
My eyes went wide. “You’re joking.”
He threw back the rest of his beer. “I’m not. But I think you had the right idea. Let’s not talk about our dads.”
4
Very Skilled
Punc
Punccouldn’tbringhimselfto leave after having pizza. Savannah hadn’t said anything, but he sensed she needed a night off and he was determined to distract her. He sat inches away from Savannah on the couch, watching TV. They both had their feet propped on the coffee table. Her dark pink toenails shimmered in the dim light. Looking at her feet, he marveled at her audition.
“How’d you manage those flips in heels, Smythe?”
She turned her eyes to him. “What are you talking about?”
“Your audition.”
She gave a short head shake. “I didn’t wear heels for that.”
He narrowed one eye, and he recalled her dance. “Could have sworn you had shoes on.”
She chuckled. “No. You must have seen what you wanted to see. That’s why it surprised me I got the job - figured no stripper heels was an instant demerit against me.”
His lips quirked at that idea. “Nope. Your song choice was a damn good one.”
“Good to know. Though I danced in a pair of Desiree’s heels today.That’sa new experience.”
He’d been fighting the urge to massage her feet since they sat down. The tone of her voice just then, he gave in, grabbed her feet, and put them in his lap.
“Punc! What are you doing?”
He picked up her left foot and began kneading her arch. He liked the feel of her delicate foot in his hands.
She exhaled. “Oh. That’s…you’re very skilled.”
His lips tipped up, but he kept quiet. Or he’d tell her how skilled he was with other parts of the female anatomy.
“I know what this is,” she declared.
He gave her his attention. “What’s that?”
She cocked a brow at him. “You want to get me fired before I’ve even had a full night’s work by fraternizing with me.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. “Hell, they’d firemefirst.”
“That can’t be right.”
His fingers froze, and he locked eyes with Savannah. “It’s exactly right. What’d you make this afternoon? Three or four hundred?”
