Page 33 of My Favorite Hero

“No it’s not, Thorne. And for God’s sake, put on some clothes. There are children on this street. They don’t need to be seeing that!”

I glanced down, realizing I had no shirt on. And for some reason, my cock had decided he liked Casey’s smart mouth and had also decided to make his presence known.

“Why don’t you come down and make me?” I taunted. “Or better yet, I’ll come up there. Help you out with your obvious problem.”

“My problem?”

I crossed my arms. “I heard the buzzing the last couple of nights, Casey. I could help you really relieve your tension since your silicone friend isn’t working.” I winked at her. “I’d consider it a fair trade. No wind chimes, but you get the wind taken out of your sails.”

For a moment, she was silent. Shocked.

Then she blushed. Like a teenager.

She leaned out farther. “That is my electric toothbrush, you idiot. We share a bathroom wall, not a bedroom one,” she hissed.

I frowned. That made sense, but frankly, I liked my idea better—the thought of her alone, working herself into a frenzy. Maybe thinking of me.

My fucking cock liked the idea far too much, pressing on the material of my sweats.

I met her eyes. “Offer is still open.”

“Go home, Thorne. You’ve obviously inhaled too much smoke over the years. You’re delusional.”

She slammed the window, making the wind chimes dance in the air movement.

I gritted my teeth as I raced to my place. It was chilly outside, and I was bare-chested and had no shoes on my feet.

Plus, I was turned on. Dammit, how did arguing with that woman make me so horny?

And now, I needed to figure out how to get those wind chimes down.

Pronto.

I waited until just before I left for the station. I quietly went into the garage and grabbed the extension pole I’d used to put up Christmas lights for Lou over the past few years. I stood by the side of the house and carefully snagged the hook the wind chimes were on that she’d hung from the eavestrough. It was a stretch without using the ladder, but I got them. I eased the pole back down and wrapped the purloined chimes inside my jacket. I slid the pole back into its spot and slipped into my house using the trees that surrounded the property as cover. The same way I had snuck in, in case Casey was watching.

And yes, I knew I was acting like a coward.

Calling Miller, I waited until he climbed into the truck. I backed up and started driving just as Casey burst out her front door, waving her arms and looking fierce.

I sped up, leaving her behind, watching her in the rearview mirror. I couldn’t hear what she was yelling, but I knew some curse words were thrown in and that, once again, she was feeling stabby.

Chuckling, I looked at the pile of wind chimes on the floor of the passenger seat. I wouldn’t put it past her to break in while I was gone and search for her wind chimes, so I took them with me. I was glad I had gotten my key back from her. I doubted she would resort to actual B&E, but in case, I didn’t want it to be too easy for her.

She was furious. I knew that. I should be ashamed of myself, but I couldn’t recall the last time I’d had this much fun with someone. Casey made me feel…playful.

Not a word I would normally associate with myself. But there it was.

I was looking forward to her next move.

Game on, indeed.

Chapter Eight

JESSE

Igot to the station, stowing my bag in my locker and heading to the kitchen. The guys were sitting around, drinking coffee. A container sat in the middle of the table, nothing but crumbs in the bottom. I poured a coffee and sat down, indicating the container.

“What did I miss?” I asked, hoping it was from one of the wives whose cookies I wasn’t fond of.