“Shut it,” Wolfe growled, standing to his full height once again.
Lynx’s shit-eating grin said more than any words could have. My face flamed from embarrassment, but I did my best not to acknowledge it.
“I smell coffee,” Lynx said, his eyes darting over to the coffeepot. It had just finished. “Hot damn. Amy, if I haven’t said it before, I fuckin’ love you, girl.”
“Okay, then,” I squeaked out. “I’ll … uh … just go upstairs and … uh … get to work.”
It took everything I had not to run.
Wolfe
By the time I had finished the table for one of our out-of-town customers and I was cleaning up, Lynx was already showing signs of unraveling for the day. After he had waltzed in, downed two cups of coffee, and spewed a random bunch of nonsense, he and Copenhagen had started pacing the floor, which wasn’t uncommon. The man’s restless energy was unprecedented.
My stomach rumbled, as though reminding me it was time to eat.
“We headin’ to the diner?” Lynx asked, his eyes straying up to the second floor, where Amy was tucked away in one of the offices.
“Yeah.” I wiped my hands on a rag. “Lemme get Amy and we’ll meet you over there.”
Lynx’s expression didn’t change, but there was something akin to understanding in his gaze. I hadn’t made a public claim on the woman yet, but I would if it came down to it. No matter what happened, she was off-limits to every damn person in this town. Except for me. And Rhys.
And okay, fine, maybe I couldn’t decide that for her, but if I had anything to say about it, she was ours. It was a decision I'd come to on Sunday, when I'd spent the entire day wishing like hell I was with the two of them. I would’ve been content to sit on my ass at my house if they’d been there. With that acknowledgment, I had come to the decision that I was playing for keeps with these two. No holds barred.
After a brief detour to wash my hands, I ventured upstairs and found Amy in our office, still slipping papers into file folders inside the cabinets that we’d bought for that reason. Not a single thing had been filed since our previous office manager left, but now I could actually see the top of the oak desk. Huh. So that was how that worked.
I rapped my knuckles on the open door, then leaned my shoulder against the jamb. “You hungry? We’re headin’ over to the diner if you wanna join us.”
“Oh … uh…” She sat up straight. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Lynx doesn’t bite,” I assured her. When she frowned, I continued, “And if he does, it’s not hard enough to leave a mark.”
That made her laugh, something I fucking loved to hear.
“Come on. Take a break. We’ll grab a bite, then come right back. All that shit’ll be here waitin’ for you.”
Amy seemed to contemplate her decision, then nodded. I immediately moved toward her to help her to her feet. Once she was standing, I found I couldn’t release her. Didn’t want to.
I slid one hand over her hair, which was pulled back in a ponytail—her signature style, obviously—then grazed the side of her face, still looking into her eyes.
“Why do you look at me like that?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Like what?”
“Like I mean something to you.”
I frowned. “Because you do.”
“You don’t even know me.”
No, I didn’t. “But I want to.”
And I would know her. Eventually. When she was ready.
I wasn’t known for my patience, but I could wait as long as this woman needed me to. I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Come on,” I said, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward the door. “Let’s eat.”
By the time Amy and I arrived at the diner, the parking lot was full. Lynx hadn’t arrived, but I knew he would be along shortly. Knowing him, he’d gone over to the Cedar Door to drop Copenhagen off with Calvin for the day. My old man loved that dog, as did anyone who met him.
