He snorts. “’Course you’re crazy. Better off not questioning it, though.”
Grave’s confusion continues to radiate off him in waves, but a quick glance at my bedside clock shows that it’s nearly two in the morning already. Letting my dress pool around my feet, I grab the shirt and slip it on, reaching beneath it after I’m covered to unclasp my bra. It’s long enough to just barely cover my ass, so I quickly toss off my underwear and yank my pajama pants on.
“What’s that?” Ev points to something at my feet and Grave picks it up, breathing a soft laugh. “No wonder bras are so expensive; they come with backup boyfriends.” He holds up Daniel’s business card between two fingers and Everett snatches it from him before grimacing.
“Hate that motherfucker,” he grumbles, tossing it on the bedside table before shucking off his shirt and reclining back in the bed.
“Pretty bold to assume our first date would end with you coming to my bed.” I raise an eyebrow in challenge, though honestly, it’s mostly amusement.
The awkward state we’ve all been in over the last week or so blew up when Maverick forced things to light, and I’d already assumed I might pass out in Everett’s room updating him on my meeting with Julian. He hesitates, second guessing things, so I take mercy on him and pull the blanket back, crawling in beside him.
“And here I thought I was going to have to sneak down the hall to yours.” I wrestle my pillow free of his arm and get comfortable since I only have a couple of hours to nap. “Shit, can you set an alarm for six-fifteen? I’m assuming I’m leaving at seven rather than starting then, since I haven’t even been told where I’m going or who’s taking me there yet.”
As my back remains freezing, I surrender my comfortable position to look over my shoulder. “Are you coming?”
Some of the rigidity from Grave’s form disappears and he takes a step closer, donning a cocky smile. “Hate to tell you, angel, but I doubt evenyou’rethat good. Haven’t even touched me yet.”
He slides into the bed beside me without bothering to trade out his towel for a pair of sleep pants or so much as a pair of boxers. Pulling the blanket up, he settles in behind me, gripping the edge of my pillow and slowly sliding it back until I’m forced to share.
“Oh boy, one with the audacity, and the other lobbing insults. However did I get so lucky?” I deadpan, eyes already closed. “No wonder there aren’t any other women in this place.”
Everett chuckles, one hand falling on my head and gently scratching. “Now there’s that fire we knew was hiding in there somewhere. Get some sleep; you’re going to need it.”
“Take the morning off, Blake,” Grave declares as we enter the gun range.
The man in question looks up from behind the counter, not even bothering with subtlety as he sets a hand on the holster at his hip. “Something I can help you with?”
The teasing air I’ve become used to around him has yet to make an appearance this morning, the man just as overtired as I am. As soon as he announced where we were going, my head already started throbbing with a mild hangover. The pills Julian gave me had never looked so sweet as they did in that moment, and Grave was right there helping himself to the bottle a second later.
Honestly, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t try to see whose pullout game is stronger by the annoyed twist of his lips.
“Yeah, lock the door on your way out.” He heads right over to the shelves of ammo and grabs a few boxes, rubbing circles on his temple with his free hand.
Blake glances at me, giving me a silent look of question. Unsure if he expects me to clarify or see if I need help, I try to smooth things over before they escalate and the man winds up in the hospital for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Mr. King decided he should teach me how to shoot.”
Blake’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Him?”
Annoyed on his behalf, I can’t keep the defensive tone from my voice. “It really isn’t that surprising. Even after being shot he can hit his mark without taking more than a second to aim.”
Grave’s hand stills on the handle of a door on the opposite side of the room, turning to face me while I remain rooted to the spot by the entrance. Still clutching the small, black gun case that was waiting for me outside of my door when I woke up, I watch as something visibly shifts in his demeanor, like the coffee finally hit his system.
Blake furrows his brow. “I can’t just abandon the shop without the boss’ approval,” he protests and as Grave releases the handle to get in his face, I pull out my cell phone and dial Julian, who answers on the second ring.
“You can’t be calling it quits already,” he drawls. “Or are you asking to put a hospital bill on your tab?”
Tongue in cheek, I bite back my instant retort. “It would appear training can’t commence without your approval.”
There’s a slight pause before he responds. “They won’t allow you onto the range?”
Both men are actively staring at me now and I turn my back for the illusion of privacy so that I can avoid looking at them. “It would seem Grave thinks I’m going to take someone’s eye out and thinks it might be better to keep other people from getting caught in the crossfire.”
I can hear his fingers strumming across his desk while he mulls over his response. “So you’d like for me to lose the revenue that a Saturday morning would bring in because you’re a terrible shot?”
Pulling my phone away from my ear, I narrow my eyes and silently tell him to shove it before calmly replying, “No, but my instructor seems to think it’s the best course of action, and I assume you’d like me to listen to him; otherwise you wouldn’t have assigned him as my teacher. I’m merely trying to help you avoid the workman’s comp claim of the cashier being shot for refusing.”
His amused chuckle sounds in my ear and I start walking towards Blake, taking it as another good sign. “Put him on the phone.”
